The Cod was flaky and fried perfectly. Literally the best house made Cole slaw I've ever had. I'll be a regular while I'm here for the season. read more

Alava's Fish-n-Chowder - Food Stands Near Me - Ketchikan, Alaska

Don, this is the most incredible batter ever! Thanks for a stellar lunch. I'd kill for that batter recipe. My son says it's the best in town and even better than mine. :( Please send fish tips to meganmgagner@yahoo.com Wish we found this restaurant earlier in our trip. Outstanding read more

If you have PLENTY of time to spare or if you are lucky enough to come on an off day when no one else is there, the food is definitely worth checking out. The fried Halibut was great as was the chowder. The taste and feel is like a mom and pop fish fry. read more

Alava's Fish-n-Chowder - Order window - Food Stands Near Me - Ketchikan, Alaska

If you like greasy fish and chips this is the place for you. Chowder was OK. Probably good if you have a hangover.

It kills the hunger if you are looking for a quick snack/lunch. Both the halibut and onion rings are fresh piping hot. It's worth a bite prior to heading back to cruise ship. The owner-lady was super friendly. She slipped us a little additional chowder when we asked for an empty cup to share. The chowder was superb, light and fresh with plenty goodies in it. One of the memorable ones in the States. read more

The chowder was excellent has a little bit of spice. The halibut fish and chips was very fresh and the batter was seasoned good! read more

Alava's Fish-n-Chowder - Some of the best clam chowder I've ever had. Family owned and operated , can't beat it! - Food Stands Near Me - Ketchikan, Alaska

Best Chowder anywhere! Right across from the cruise dock. Freshly caught fish. Don't be put off by the appearance of the restaurant.

I have been back several times since then and am sad to say I have to down rate from my initial review as this place lacked consistency. They microwaved my clam chowder in front of me to heat it up. I see them pull fish bits from the refrigerator wrapped in a ziploc bag. The bits in that bag just did not look appealing it was almost like they were giving me scrap meat. Yes, the fish batter is delicious but that alone does not negate all the other unsatisfactory aspects of this restaurant. read more

In Ketchikan for the day. After hours of touristing this unpretentious fish and chowder place was a delight. We live on the Pacific in the lower 48 and are used to good chowder but this little family owned place takes the blue ribbon. And the fish and chips are great with an unusual breading that might be rice flour with cornmeal. A little too heavy for me but my husband loved them. And swear the fish was swimming in the ocean yesterday. Located just across from the cruise ship dock the roadside cafe is easy to find. Go visit for great fish and chowder and friendly owners read more

Super fresh and a must especially for the cruiser whom are tired of the buffet food. The batter was light and crispy at the same time, just perfectly made. read more

The chowder was pretty good, the onion rings were really good, and the fried halibut was spectacular.

So delicious! We heard the hours of operation can be questionable...we came when it was supposed to be open, it wasn't, we called and they said 5 minutes . Halibut and Cod are both fantastic, but Halibut was our favorite. Chips are delightful as is chowder. The chowder is peppery and light, yummy!! read more

By far the best seafood I have ever had! I am not a fan of fish, but this place was absolutely amazing! My fiance and I had the cod, onion rings and chowder and we were instantly mesmerized by the yummy goodness of the food. I can't wait to come back! read more

The best chowder ever!!! The onion rings are the best ever!!! With the cool weather and the warm chowder, the experience was just perfect!

Very Very Good, We had the halibut and a bowl of chowder; by 2pm they were running out of Chowder. Depending on the time and day getting a seat to sit an eat may be tough, Because there are only four tables, there does not seem to be place to standup and eat. Halibut was $15 for 5 pieces of fish and $5 for a bowl of chowder. read more

Best fish and chips. So fresh and perfect. This is a little local hole in the wall which will definitely please

Wow. Better than Gordon Ramsey's fish and chips (and I loved those). Batter is crisp and very thin. Halibut tasted wonderful. Even tartar sauce stands out. Right next to cruise docks but a little hard to find. Little pricey ($20 for halibut and chips) but worth every penny. read more

I was fairly skeptical of this place when we walked up to order. However, their halibut did not disappoint. I would definitely go back again if I ever have the opportunity. read more

Great halibut and chips, and the chowder was homemade. I asked if the chowder had bacon or ham (big pet peeve), and the guy who'd made it said, 'it's not bacon chowder'. Right answer. Takes time and it's not cheap, but it is good stuff. read more

Amazing place you have to get the chowder, halibut and onion rings. The service is very friendly and quick.

Best fish and chips I think I ever had. right across from the cruise port don't miss it

Excellent halibut n chips, chowder not as excellent but great!

The place is in a trailer like cottage right across from the dock. It had delicious fish, clam chowder and cole slaw!

Halibut Fish, frys, and Chowder all delicious! Well worth the stop if you want something way better that the mediocre cruise ship food you've been eating!! read more

I only had the chowder here (not by choice), but my 3 star review is for the amazingly slow service. I tried to order cod and fries at lunch on a Friday (mind you, this is like at noon), but they were out of cod. Said they had to "run down and get some more." So I chose the chowder and onion rings. There was no one in front of me and only one other couple sitting in the booths. After at least 10 minutes my chowder finally came out, but no onion rings. The lady said they were out and they guy (again) had to "run down and get more." I don't know where he went, but I finished my chowder, sat there for a few minutes, and he still wasn't back. At that point I went up and asked for my money back since I certainly didn't want onion rings at that point. The other guy working was super nice and refunded me. I'm just not sure why they didn't warn me up front that it would take over 30 minutes to get some onion rings. The chowder was good. I don't often eat that, but it was more thin consistency versus thick, like potato soup. I just can't imagine what the wait is like when they're actually busy. Maybe call ahead with your order. read more

Amazing little joint. Off the beaten path yet on it because well it's Ketchikan. They literally cut and friend my fresh halibut on the spot and it was perfect. Thanks! read more

Excellent, light and tasty batter and the chowder is out of this world with a nice dill note.

We came for the first time here and the service is waaaaaaaay to slow. There were only 3 families and they time at list 40 mins to get our food. They run out of water. So we had food with no water. The clam chowder was ok. Not impress at all. The halibut sandwich was pretty decent. So I probably won't come back here. Rather to go over Rosse's read more

The location and setting of this establishment is pretty perfect. Got there early enough to where there wasn't a crazy line. Ordered the fish and chips, the breading was a little different but tasty. Crisp not heavy. And the clam chowder was very good (and I'm a bit of a chowder snob). So definitely worth the visit. My only knock was the fish and chips seemed priced a little high. $5 chowder was perfection!! read more

A small mom n pop stand with super nice service. Right next to where the ships dock so its worth the quick trip when you get off. AMAZING!!! EAT IT!!!! read more

Really good food but the wait was just too long. It would have been nice to know that it was going to take 45 minutes to get our food. We did not have time to do much of anything else on our short stop in Ketchikan because of this. read more

I was fresh off the cruise ship looking for something good and fresh to eat that wasn't too touristy or crowded. Thank you Yelp for helping me find this gem of a place!! I had the halibut and chips and it was phenomenal! The owner and server were polite and talkative. I managed to find it and get a seat no problem. The cruise ship served a "pub lunch" the next day and let me tell you, the fish n chips onboard are a JOKE compared to this place. My parents loved the chowder, too! I hope to be back some day! read more

Tried to eat here - but they opened late and we ended up across the street at the competition. Sorry we missed your food!

I was on my own for lunch - DH was sick on the cruise ship. I had heard about Alava's on-line and went searching for it. Took me a minute (don't need to go through the tunnel to find) but well worth the hunt. So if you are looking for upscale atmosphere this is not the restaurant for you - BUT if you want great food that is fresh, in a "hole in the wall" kind of atmosphere this is it. Somewhat limited menu - but if you are looking for fish - this it it. Had halibut fish and chips with my side as chowder. It was FANTASTIC. Fresh, crispy, hot, and very tasty. Four generous fish planks, fries and a phenomenal chowder that was chock full of fish and great veggies. Slaw that did not taste like minced mush. I chatted with one of the owners (the wife) after lunch (I was the only one there about 2:30 on a Thursday). They are fishermen - and lived on the boat with their kids. Then opened up the shop - and are very picky about their fish. It showed and was great. I could have split the meal with someone the portions were that healthy - but i was on my own. Would recommend to visitors for some local color. read more

Sensational hole-in-the-wall restaurant. There aren't many seats, but the food is worth sitting next to or across from a stranger. We had the chowder and standard fish and chips. I don't know what else to say other than it was fabulous. I recommend this stop for anyone. read more

The clam chowder was delicious, full of clams, nice seasoning and not too thick. We had the halibut fish n chips too. Very light, flaky fish. Excellent! Nice people running it too! read more

I wanted to order the oysters but they were out. I ended up ordering the cod with onion rings and my brother ordered the halibut and fries. The fish was fried perfectly and very moist. The batter was light and had a nice crunch to it. The portions were generous and could have easily been split between two people. The only complaint was the chowder was not served hot, but lukewarm. The flavor of the soup was tasty. It is a small place with only a few picnic tables so be prepared to wait. read more

I'm not too big on fried items but this was a taste meal! The halibut was fried to perfection, the zucchini was fresh and delectable with a crispy crunch on the outside. The people are friendly and you get a good home town feel:) read more

OMG!!! The Halibut & chips are excellent & the chowder with it's big pieces of clam to die for.... This is the BEST meal I've had in Alaska... You've earned your 5 stars hands down!!! Thanks for the outstanding meal & Congrats on the new Grandbaby!! read more

Outstanding!! Freshest fish, unbelievably tasty and not greasy batter! Had cod with onion rings, fries and slaw- yum yum yum. Also enjoyed the chowder- very light and delicious! Couldn't wait to dig in and forgot to take a pic of the food!! Right off the cruise dock too! read more

Alava's Fish-n-Chowder - This is all that's left of the cod basket! - Food Stands Near Me - Ketchikan, Alaska