Breakfast

Island Brew Cafe
New ownership terrifies me. When 55 North Bakery was sold I was worried the new owners would attempt to make money by cheating ingredients, or maximizing profit by serving marginal food. This has not been the case with Island Brew. The owners went to the Dominican Republic to search for the coffee beans, they take pride in their baking and the breakfast burrito is the best in town by far. It’s not even close.

Get the:
Lumberjack breakfast burrito
Pesto roll
Buckeye cookie (chocolate and peanut butter)

New York Cafe

There was a time in my life when I spent three mornings a month eating chorizo and eggs and drinking coffee at the corner table. This was before 55 North opened, but that doesn’t mean there is no longer a reason to go to NY. The wooden walls, old windows and mirror behind the bar that reflects the harbor make New York a must visit just for the ambiance. It is a uniquely Ketchikan place to eat, drink or listen to live music. The food is excellent breakfast through dinner because it is cooked by chefs and from scratch. The menu features unique flavors from around the globe, but not in a Googled recipe sort of way. Of course there are fish and chowder options, but the Shakshuka (Arab-style poached eggs), Mediterranean salad, Korean style pork belly roll and Caribbean inspired arroz con pollo offer exceptional diversity in a fishing town where one might just expect watered down chowder and cheap fish n chips.
Get the:
Breakfast hash
Chorizo and eggs

Lunch

Fish House
The above are my go-to for lunch as well, but as far as a bonafide Ketchikan, Alaska, lunch, the fish tacos at Fish House are the best in town. The elevated dining area is bench style, so it gets crowded and you’ll be sharing with other people, but the employees are quick with the orders and the long line out front moves pretty fast. When it isn’t crowded, it is probably the best place to sit, have a beer and look out over the harbor, or even up at Deer Mountain. 
Get the:
Grilled halibut tacos
Chowder

Dinner
Cape Fox has the best views, Bush Pilots Lounge has the look and feel of fine dining, but I am more likely to take my wife out to dinner at New York Cafe. She has no complaints. Outside of New York Cafe I have probably eaten at Annabelle's more than anywhere else but haven’t eaten there in a few years. It’s not that I think Annabelle’s has lost something, I just happen to go elsewhere with more regularity now. That somewhere else is New York Cafe for the arroz con pollo or one of their specials. 

Specific eats:

Burger - Burger Queen and 108 Taphouse have excellent burgers, but for different situations. Burger Queen flips really good burgers that are quick food. Not trashy enough to be fast, but not gourmet enough to be at a restaurant. 108 has the best burger for a sitdown place that has good-looking burgers that show up on a plate. While you can’t go wrong either way, I go to AJ’s whenever I’m in the mood for a great burger.

Wings - The best wings are at Fat Stan’s, but in a town that has a plethora of burger options, wings are nearly non-existent. Year in and year out I ask my students and they say the Safeway deli. Which makes sense because they are teenagers and Safeway is just down the hill from the high school. But my buddy Rob, a connoisseur of wings who seeks them out the way people like me pursue steelhead, says he has yet to find a place that rivals his homemade wings. The only place that he would order them is Fat Stan’s.

Pizza - Fat Stans has a solid pizza to go with the solid wings and is a solid place to watch a game. The Eagle’s Nest (at Cape Fox) has a great view and solid pizza. But my favorite place to get a slice is the Ward Cove Deli. Consistency does waver a little, but when it’s at the top of its game, I’ll drive a few extra miles and get a no nonsense slice at Ward Cove.

Mexican - Oceanview is an odd but really good pairing of both Italian and Mexican food. Not that the dishes are a mix, but that they serve both and both can hit the spot if my wife and I are in the mood for tacos.

Chinese - Good Fortune on Creek Street is typically mentioned as the best place to go when my students write their annual best places to eat pieces for journalism class. It is good, but my wife and I just don’t find ourselves there often.