Alaska Dive Bar Guide

As far as types of dive bars go, Alaska dive bars are about as unique as a classification can get, a testament to the state’s intensely diverse landscape and sometimes sparsely populated nooks and crannies. Some of the dive bars we’ve recommended here reflect the remoteness so tied to Alaska’s identity, like the Sourdough Cocktail Bar in coastal Ketchikan.

Though we’ve only scratched the surface of the dive bars distributed across the state, limited experience has certainly proven out that the more remote the outpost, the more robust the dive bar reward. Van’s Dive Bar in Anchorage is a worthwhile start to an Alaskan dive bar journey and our hunch is things only get more interesting from there.

And we would be poor stewards of dive bar lore to neglect a mention of the Salty Dawg Saloon in Homer, one of the most frequently visited, discussed and photographed dive bars in the state. On most “best dive bar in Alaska” lists, Salty Dawg sits in first position and for good reason. Domestic beer no doubt tastes much better in a small wooden shack lined with dollar bills perched on the ocean-adjacent edge of Alaska.