A Food Bloggers Guide to Juneau, AK

When it was announced that Juneau, AK was the location of 2019 International Food Bloggers Conference, we were absolutely thrilled. Juneau is filled with hiking trails, freshly-caught salmon, and small-town charm. What more could we want?!

As it turns out – we wanted for absolutely nothing! This small town of 32,000 cheerful and friendly people was the perfect setting to get closer to food, learn about the culture of the region, and get to know some of the locals. Every meal we ate, and activity we went on, felt like an absolute treat.

We wanted to share some of our favorite stops and spots – but can’t do that without a huge thank you to the organizers of IFBC. This conference was an awesome reason to visit this area of Alaska, but our enormous piece of advice is: come here! Come visit! Eat the salmon and crab, drink the beer, go for a hike. Chat with some locals, go on a food tour, and learn about the indigenous people of Alaska.

We had *a lot* of amazing food. We connected with a lot of the restaurants through Juneau Food Tours and IFBC’s Opening Reception, sponsored by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. We also sampled incredible food at the Expo, hosted by 18 local restaurants.

Dungeness Crab from Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute:

Salmon “chorizo” from In Bocca Al Lupo

Beer, (ridiculously delicious) popcorn, and a pretzel from Devil’s Club:

Salmon Tacos from Deckhand Dave’s:

Crab Cake from Alaska Fish and Chips Company:

One of the best things we got to do was go on a tour of a fishing boat. IFBC set up an “Open Boat Lunch,” sponsored by SalmonState. Alaska fisherman Tyson Fick showed us around his boat land talked about how a commercial fishing boat works. He also showed us some of the gear and techniques used to harvest wild Alaska salmon.

Tyson and his colleague Buck shared their first catch of the season, showing us 4 varieties of salmon – King, White King, Sockeye, and Chum – and talking through the differences. He then grilled up the salmon for us all to taste and compare. The fish was absolutely amazing – fresh and tender, flavorful and perfect in everyday. We were so thankful and appreciative to have this experience!

Turns out you can order Tyson’s salmon, delivered to your home or through a share.