Walking down Water Street in Ketchikan recently, the closed doors of The Pizza Mill caught my eye, sparking a moment of reflection. It was a significant spot during my high school years, a familiar hangout. While its closure wasn’t entirely unexpected after more than three decades, in a town where restaurants often seem to have a fleeting lifespan, it prompted me to consider which local eateries have truly stood the test of time, at least within my own memories of Ketchikan.
Surprisingly few restaurants from my high school days remain. Looking back to that era, only three are still operating: The Pioneer Café, Diaz Café, and the Clover Pass Resort. Of course, my history here spans only forty-something years. Even in my youth, there were established places like the Fireside and the Narrows, seemingly fixtures since Ketchikan’s early days. Sadly, these venerable institutions faded away two decades ago.
I also missed the era of legendary spots like the original drive-in, “Toot and Tell,” which was destroyed in the 1968 hurricane when I was just nine. It relocated across Tongass Avenue, becoming a series of different restaurants until The Galley brought stability to the location twenty years later. I recall the Harbor Inn, primarily because it was the only place open 24 hours back then. A full meal at 3 am was a welcome option for night owls like us. Eventually, the Harbor Inn became part of the Pioneer Café.
Other names from Ketchikan’s dining past, like the Blue Fox, the Peter Pan, Howard’s Char Broiler, the Northland Café, and Hamburger Heaven, are now just names, some perhaps still around in my younger years, though my memories are hazy. Fortunately, sometimes life provides a nudge to our memory.
Recently, I stumbled upon a worn copy of the 1978 Guide to Ketchikan, an annual publication from the Ketchikan Daily Fish Wrap for both visitors and residents. 1978 was the year after I graduated high school and left for college in LA. Although I was away for much of that year, the guide’s list of local restaurants reads like a menu of places I frequented during my high school years.
In 1978, the Amphibian Room was still operating. That place was legendary. Grabbing a bite there while waiting for Grumman Gooses and PBYs to Annette Island’s airport was always a treat, and the same was true when picking up returning travelers. Even though the last flights had departed five years prior, it remained open. It later went through several iterations, including the popular Roller Bay. The current restaurant at that location, The Dockside Diner, is a worthy successor to the Amphibian’s legacy.
The Anchor Inn was located at 832 Water Street in 1978. Previously, it had been Myrtle’s Confectionary, a favorite stop when my mother and I would walk to town from the West End on pleasant days. Jewelry Row on Front Street hosted a couple of eateries then. Angela’s Delicatessen lasted until at least my return to Ketchikan in the early 1980s. The Heritage next door, if memory serves, briefly transformed into the popular Charlies.
Also on Front Street was the long-standing favorite, even back in 1978 it had been around for ages – Pioneer Café. The Rendezvous was just around the corner, which I believe later became Jimbo’s before evolving into Tanzanite R Us. Of course, Clover Pass Resort, Diaz Café, the Narrows Supper Club, the Pizza Mill, June’s Café, and the Fireside were all operating in those years, as was Kay’s Kitchen, a Bar Harbor favorite.
Oh, how I long for another spaghetti dinner at Kay’s – my second favorite Ketchikan meal, after Mrs. Sund’s Friday Baked Halibut, of course! Its replacement, “The Bar Harbor,” does serve up some pretty good food, though. In 1978, The Landing was known as the Hilltop Restaurant, part of the Hilltop Hotel, now the Best Western, still situated at the bottom of the hill.
Several “view” restaurants existed in town during that time, where the view arguably overshadowed the food quality. The Narrows was a great spot to watch the South End lights twinkle. The Old Hickory House (originally Yancy Derringers) offered a lovely view of Bar Harbor and the waterfront. Our Class of ’77 senior prom was held there; now it’s part of a shipping container lot – such is history!
But the best view belonged to a restaurant alternately called The Spar Tree or the Helm, located on the 11th floor of the Marine View Hotel and Convention Center. It didn’t rotate like the Space Needle Restaurant, but it undoubtedly had the best dining view in town. And the prices were, as I recall, sky-high.
One year, I took my mother there for her birthday. My girlfriend mentioned she’d never been, so I invited her along. Big mistake. My girlfriend ordered first, choosing the steak and lobster. My mother, thinking it was a treat for her birthday, also ordered steak and lobster. After a quick mental calculation of my finances, I opted for the ice and water special at $9.99. I remember tipping with a handful of change because that’s all I had left.
Many believe McDonald’s introduced fast food to Ketchikan, but that’s incorrect, although the local McDonald’s has dominated the fast-food scene for over 20 years. Back in 1978, local drive-ins like Mattle’s and the Drift Inn existed, alongside national chains. Dairy Queen and Kentucky Fried Chicken both opened in Ketchikan before McDonald’s, though neither lasted long.
Dairy Queen, which initially set opening sales records because it opened during the weekend of the Southeast Basketball Tournament, attracting 500 extra teenagers, became a series of other businesses before turning into a video store. Kentucky Fried Chicken also went through various incarnations, most recently a barbeque restaurant that unfortunately didn’t make it to its first anniversary.
Despite the ever-changing restaurant landscape in Ketchikan, some constants remain. Diaz Café, for example, consistently serves the best cheeseburger! Restaurants in our “Fair Salmon City” are much like the weather: if you’re not happy with the current options, just wait a bit. A new place will likely open soon. Of course, if you find a place you love, it might disappear within six months. Restaurant failures are always on the menu in Ketchikan. Yet, places like Pioneer Cafe Ketchikan Alaska endure, becoming part of the very fabric of our town’s history.
