Homer, AK - Food

For anyone who has never been to Alaska, first of all, go visit. It's beautiful and the fish is amazing. Add it to your bucket list. Second of all, it's really expensive. Unless you're in Anchorage, everything needs to be shipped 3 times over to get to its final destination. Groceries, restaurants, knick-knacks, gas, it all costs more in Alaska. In regards to food, though, it is well worth it. Alaska has some of the best food I have ever tasted, and Homer even more so. Homer is also very dog-friendly. A lot of the local places in town have outside patios where you can sit with your pooch. With that in mind, these are the places Nate and I tried out during our time in Homer.

Mermaid Cafe - You Might Like It

Mermain Cafe

The first place we ate in Homer was the Mermaid Cafe. We decided to eat lunch out and dinners in since they're usually cheaper. It was a beautiful day so we sat on the patio (you can see Nate there in the picture if you look closely). A lot of things in Homer are organic and/or vegan and Nate had a hard time finding things he liked that didn't have a ton of strange vegetables in them, so he got a cheese pizza. They had a gluten-free pizza option, also. I got a pulled pork sandwich (with sprouts and kraut) and organic tomato soup. All of it was delicious. All the portions were big enough to
share (which we did from then on), but then again we aren't known for being big eaters. Each entree was about $14 each, which is a little above average for Homer. It's a good place to go if you want a different option than just sea food (although they have that, too). I'd also recommend stopping in the little used book store attached to the building. It's cramped but has great deals if you can find books you like.

Cosmic Kitchen - You Should Go

After being unpleasantly surprised by the price of a sandwich and pizza at Mermain Cafe, we were happy to discover that there were places in town that were locally owned and didn't the rights to your first born. Cosmic kitchen is one such place. It Farmer Boys-type restaurant in that it has a very large menu of a lot of different foods. They have breakfast, Mexican, burgers, salads, the works, and all at much more reasonable prices (around $6 per entree). We had a cheeseburger and fries that was very good (and I usually don't like restaurant burgers). I would go here again without hesitation. 

Captain's Coffee - You Should Go

Captain's Coffee

So this isn't technically a food stop, but it's the best place to get that morning jolt you need. Although there is a Starbucks in the Safeway in Homer, I would challenge coffee lovers to change it up and support this local watering hole. It's got a good selection of drinks and even fresh made cookies. My favorite is the Alaska Chai, made only in Homer by the Homer Brewing Co. It's a less spicy Chai than you usually find.The prices are about the same as a Starbucks, but you won't find the same crowds. You can also sit quietly reading a newspaper while enjoying the ceiling tiles painted by local businesses and organizations.

Two Sister's Bakery - You Should Go

This is another place I didn't get a chance to take a picture of, mostly because it was usually super crowded. This small eatery specializes in vegan dishes, which is great if that's your diet. Again, Nate and I had a hard time finding something that didn't have vegetables we didn't like in them, so we ended up just getting dessert. They have really good pastries and bread made fresh daily. If you want to beat the lunch rush, just stop in mid-day for a sugar fix from a chocolate muffin. But if vegan's what you're after, I hear this is the place to go for a meal. Pastries are about $4-5 each, and sandwiches are around $8-9. They also have soups.

Nate pre-food

Fat Olive's - You Should Go
Fat Olive's is the place to be for locals and visitors alike. It's an unassuming building that stands all by itself. Inside it has concrete floors and exposed ceilings, but it's usually packed with people. The best thing to get here is the pizza. They have a wood burning stone oven to give their pizza that authentic Italian taste. They also have a large wine selection and a little bar area if you'd like to get a drink while you wait. We did not get the pizza this time. Instead, we went for dinner and got the cannelloni. This was the WORST decision we made all trip. The one lesson we learned in Alaska is this - except in Anchorage, DON'T GET CHICKEN. Something about the chicken they send to anywhere but Anchorage is disgusting. It tastes like the frozen Tyson strips that just got heated up in the microwave, and it was always very fatty. Instead, we should have gotten the special of the night, which was seafood linguine. Everyone raved about that dish. We did take home dessert, a HUGE slide of chocolate cake which was some of the best I'd ever had. Fat Olive's isn't the cheapest place, with entrees around $15-$20 and dessert $8 by itself. You may want to call ahead and make a reservation, because it's usually busy. Other than that, if you stay away from chicken, you should be very happy.

Fat Olive's back room

Chart Room Restaurant at Land's End - You Should Go

Next to our table at Chart Room

Nate and I saved this spot for our "date meal". We wanted a place we could dress up, have a wonderful view, and relax together. We went on a very sunny day (as you can tell) so we sat out on the patio. They also have nice indoor window seating if the weather's not the best. We shared the special of the day, which was a salmon sandwich with pesto and some sort of seafood soup (not the clam chowder but I can't remember what it was). I was hesitant about having salmon on a sandwich, but it was AMAZING! It was the best thing we had our entire trip. The pesto was really good, the soup was really good - it was all light and delicious. And it turned out to be one of the cheapest meals we had our entire trip, just $26 for drinks, bread (which you actually have to pay for), a shared entree, and 2 sides. I would definitely recommend making a stop here.

Fritz Creek General Store - You Should Go

Fritz Creek is literally a gas station stop. It's further south than my aunt and uncle's cabin so I had never seen it before, but my uncle recommended it so we stopped by. We walked in and walked straight up to the counter ahead of us. The girl at the counter looked like she'd rather be dead than working there. She demanded our orders and when we hesitated to make a decision right away (so we could look over the menu) she walked away and didn't come back for a long time. Someone else walked in and got there coffee order taken before anyone even asked us what we wanted again. We shared the brisket sandwich and got some 2 bags of chips. We also got desserts, a cookie and a brownie (the same ones they serve at Captain Patti's, but this is the place they're made). It only cost about $12 for the two of us, plus a tip (which is expected nearly everywhere in Homer). We were not disappointed by the food. The brisket was the best I've had since I went to Texas several years ago, and the pastries were huge and delicious. If you can look past the horrible service, I'd say definitely stop by for a quick and delicious meal.

Captain Patties on the Spit - You Should Go

Outside Captain Patties

Captain Patties was the most expensive place we ate in Homer (although it's probably only the 5th most expensive option in the area). This fish house is not a great option if you don't like fish and it's not vegan friendly. But if you've only had decent fish before and you want to know what it should taste like, stop here. If you're a fisher, you can also bring your own catch in and they'll prepare it for $12.50 a person. I shared the special of the day with my uncle, which was a crab medallion sandwich on "Alaskan" toast with pineapple, bacon, and some sort of sauce. It also came with 3 "tater tots" and 2 fried green tomatoes. It's a good thing we shared because that was the biggest sandwich I had ever seen in my life. It was as big as Nate's hand (as you can see below). The sandwich was good, although the crab was a little chewy. The tater tots were big balls of potato filled with cheese (which was one of my favorite parts). I'm not sure how much the entree cost, but I'm guessing around $35. Even during lunchtime, the entrees were an average for $18-$25 each. Our bill for the special, two side salads, and Nate's entree (which I think was a bacon cheeseburger with fries), came out to around $60. If I went back, I'd probably get the fried halibut and chips instead, but I'd definitely go back.

Our giant crab sandwich.