Right next to the Mt. Roberts tram in Juneau, Alaska, sits a seafood grill that’s fed cruise passengers and locals alike for over two decades. 🦀
Twisted Fish Company Alaskan Grill opened in May 2000, founded by owner Reecia W. alongside Chef Ron, right on the waterfront along South Franklin Street.
What started as a summer favorite for downtown Juneau has grown into one of the city’s most enduring dining institutions.
How Twisted Fish won Juneau’s hearts
Owner Reecia and Chef Ron built Twisted Fish from the ground up, positioning the restaurant steps from the cruise ship terminal and right beside the Mount Roberts Tramway, one of Juneau’s busiest tourist corridors.
That location could have made the restaurant feel like a typical tourist trap, but the kitchen’s commitment to genuinely fresh, wild Alaska seafood is what’s kept both cruise passengers and local regulars coming back for more than two decades.
The restaurant leans into a “casual fine dining” identity, offering a cedar-walled dining room and full bar alongside an outdoor patio that fills up fast during Juneau’s brief but sunny summer season.
Large windows throughout the dining room frame sweeping views of the Gastineau Channel and the mountains of Douglas Island, giving nearly every table a genuine waterfront experience.
Twisted Fish built its menu around a full surf-and-turf lineup, but its reputation has always centered on the seafood, sourced from Alaskan waters and prepared with a chef’s touch rather than a simple tourist-menu approach.
Because the restaurant operates seasonally, opening each spring and closing for the winter, locals and repeat visitors alike treat its reopening every April as something of an unofficial signal that Juneau’s tourist season has begun.
More than 25 years after Reecia and Chef Ron first opened its doors, Twisted Fish Company remains one of downtown Juneau’s most consistently recommended restaurants, proof that genuine hospitality and fresh seafood can outlast even the most competitive waterfront dining strip.
Food Highlights
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Wild Salmon Fillet: Broiled wild salmon served with a side of mandarin-mango salsa. 🐟
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Cedar Plank Salmon: Wild Taku Inlet salmon fillet baked on a cedar plank with a bourbon-molasses sauce served on the side, plated with asparagus.
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Baked Salmon In Puff Pastry: King salmon layered with crab meat, bay shrimp, and seasoned cream cheese, baked inside a light puff pastry and finished with beurre rouge sauce.
- Crab & Prawn Angel Hair: King crab and prawns sautéed with artichoke and sun-dried tomatoes, served over a nest of light angel hair pesto. 🍝
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Prawns on the Barbie: Eight prawns skewered with artichokes, mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes, served with drawn butter for dipping.
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Alaska Lox Plate: Sockeye lox and hot smoked salmon served with mini bagels, cream cheese, ikura, red onions, and capers.
- Locally Caught Alaskan Red King Crab Legs: Fresh king crab legs served with clarified butter and a lemon wedge. 🦀
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Twisted Fish Burger: A seafood-forward take on the classic burger, one of several signature burgers that round out the restaurant’s “Oceans of Burgers” section.
Atmosphere
Twisted Fish Company keeps its cedar-walled dining room warm and inviting, with soaring windows that frame the Gastineau Channel and Douglas Island. 🌊
An outdoor patio opens up during Juneau’s sunny summer stretches, giving diners a chance to eat right along the water.
The room draws a genuine mix of cruise passengers fresh off the docks and Juneau locals settling in for a familiar favorite.
It’s polished enough for a special night out, yet relaxed enough for a quick seafood lunch between excursions. ⛵
Bottom Line
Visit for genuinely fresh wild Alaska seafood prepared with real technique, sweeping views of the Gastineau Channel, a house-made clam chowder recipe that’s stayed a favorite for decades, a convenient waterfront location near the cruise terminal, and proof that this legendary Juneau spot has earned every bit of its reputation. 🦀
Address:
550 South Franklin Street, Juneau, AK 99801
📞 (907) 463-5033
🕔 Open daily, 11 AM–9 PM (seasonal, spring through fall)