Food

For a town of this size, Haines [1] has surprisingly good food, and the prices won’t ruin your credit rating. Get filling meals, friendly service, and an unpretentious setting at the Bamboo Room (2nd Ave., 907/766-2800, www.bamboopioneer.net [2]). Breakfasts are a standout, but the Bamboo also fills up at lunch and dinner when the menu features burgers, fried chicken, halibut fish-and-chips, and other greasy fare. Check the board for today’s specials.

Fort Seward Lodge Restaurant and Bar (907/766-2009 or 800/617-3418, Wed.–Sun. 8 a.m.–noon and 5–9 p.m. Feb.–Nov., entrées $15–30) serves breakfasts and dinners. The main attractions are prime rib Sundays and all-you-can-eat Dungeness crab feasts ($30) nightly in the summer.

Chilkat Restaurant and Bakery (5th Ave. and Dalton St., 907/766-3653, Mon.–Thurs. 7 a.m.–3:30 p.m., Fri.–Sat. 7 a.m.–8 p.m. mid-Mar.–mid-Nov.) bakes pastries, bagels, pies, and doughnuts daily, and serves tasty breakfasts and lunches (including homemade soups, burgers, and sandwiches) in a relaxing setting. The owners are from Thailand, and they’ve added spicy Thai lunch specials Thursday–Saturday.

When I’m in Haines [1] on a chilly winter morning I beeline to the perpetually busy Mountain Market & Deli (3rd St. and Haines Hwy., 907/766-3340, Sun. 8 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Mon.–Sat. 7 a.m.–5:30 p.m., $6–12) for a steaming mocha and a breakfast burrito. Fresh baked goods fill the displays, and the lunch menu encompasses turkey club wraps, paninis, deli sandwiches, and salads. A natural foods market here sells organic produce.

The building also houses Mountain Spirits (907/766-3350), with a fine wine selection and a notable choice of scotches; the owner managed a distillery in Scotland for years. There are great cheeses too.

Get groceries from Howser’s IGA Supermarket (Main St., 907/766-2040). Ask around the boat harbor to see who’s selling fresh fish, crab, or prawns if you want to cook your own. A summertime Farmers Market takes place at the fairgrounds every other Saturday 10 a.m.–1 p.m.

Fort Seward Eateries

Housed in one of Fort Seward [3]’s historic buildings, Fireweed Restaurant (Blacksmith Rd., 907/766-3838, lunch Wed.–Sat. 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m., dinner Tues.–Sat. 4:30–9 p.m. Apr.–Sept., closed Sun.–Mon., $11–25) serves delicious meals in a convivial setting. It’s packed most summer evenings with a hip young crowd. There’s a wraparound deck with a couple of tables outside, plus an earthy interior where the scents of freshly baked bread and the daily specials fill the air. The bar serves as the de facto brewpub for Haines Brewery, and the menu encompasses salads, sandwiches, pizzas with homemade sauce (by the pie or slice), seafood, soups, and daily specials. Fireweed is highly recommended, but don’t come here in a hurry. This is slow food that’s worth the wait. Return on Saturday nights for open-mike music sessions.

The restaurant at Hotel Halsingland (907/766-2000 or 800/542-6363, www.hotelhalsingland.com [4], 5:30–9 p.m. mid-May–mid-Sept., entrées $22–28) is a pleasant place for an evening out, with a fine-dining menu that stars halibut Provençal, Caesar salads, braised lamb shank, and angus steaks. Herbs come from the back garden.

Dejon Delights Smokery (Portage Rd., 907/766-2505 or 800/539-3608, www.dejondelights.com [5]) at Fort Seward has freshly smoked salmon for sale or will smoke fish that you catch.

Hidden away on Soap Suds Alley near Fort Seward, Mosey’s Cantina (907/766-2320, www.moseyscantina.com [6], Mon.–Sat. 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. and 5–9 p.m. Mar.–mid-Oct., dinner $12–18) is a colorful and fun Mexican eatery. The owners head to New Mexico each winter for 1,000 pounds of fire-roasted chilies, core ingredients in the chile verde, shrimp enchiladas, Baja seafood tacos, and smothered burritos. Tortilla chips are fresh from the fryer, and the salsas are made fresh daily.