Restaurants in Mat-Su Valley

See the accommodations listed for some good places to eat in the Valley. In addition, there are unlimited fast-food spots and roadhouse burger places. One place of note is Vagabond Blues, in Palmer at 642 S. Alaska St. (www.vagblues.com; tel. 907/745-2233), a coffeehouse and cafe offering sandwiches, wraps, baked goods, homemade bread and soup, and music. The food is great and the music is exceptional: A steady stream of national folk and alternative acoustic acts that come to Anchorage also make a pilgrimage to this small-town venue; check the website for dates. The coffeehouse is open Monday through Saturday 6am to 8pm, Sunday 8am to 6pm.

Two good, down-home places to eat -- popular with the locals -- can also allow you to escape franchise food. On the Parks Highway in Wasilla, the Windbreak Cafe (www.windbreakalaska.com; tel. 907/376-4484) serves good diner food in a price range of $5 to $30, and is open in summer Sunday through Thursday 6am to 11pm, Friday and Saturday 6am to midnight; off season it opens half an hour later and closes an hour earlier. In Palmer, on the Glenn Highway, the Noisy Goose Cafe (tel. 907/746-4600) is also a friendly rural eatery full of locals. It's open daily 6am to 10pm, closing an hour earlier off season. The price range is $6 to $26.