Varly's Swiftwater Seafood Cafe — Restaurant in Whittier

I'm going to have to say that those who are recently saying how amazing everything is here are tourists who don't know any better. I've been coming to the Varly's place for several years. Every summer we usually make a couple of special trips out from Anchorage just to get the halibut, shrimp, and clam chowder. Today, that has changed.

I wasn't aware that Margaret had sold the place, but wasnt too upset upon finding out when we arrived. ordered as usual... only the chowder and halibut baskets today because shrimp ended in August. chowder arrived and I was surprised because it was mostly tasteless. I added salt several times while eating it and resorted to adding sriracha to get some flavor. I like alot of salt so thought it was just me, until I noticed a lady next to us adding salt to her burger. then the halibut baskets arrived. they really should be called fry baskets as there were only 3 small pieces of halibut. approximately 4oz total for $23. I was shocked! I literally bought fresh halibut today at the farmers market for 16.50 a pound! so, $1.03 per ounce vs $5.75 an ounce. granted... it's Whittier Alaska in the summer, so I expect some markup, but that's ridiculous! there was usually 6oz of fish previously.

then I bit into one... hard, over cooked, dry, and tasteless. bring on more salt, add malt vinegar, and dunk in the tarter sauce to choke down. well... at least I have fries to fill the void. um yeah....no! the fries were also hard and dry! oh, and no salt either! I mean really?! who messes up fries?! I saturated mine in the malt vinegar and salt, and still couldn't finish them they were so bad.

I'd like to hope that this was a one off bad situation, but I won't be returning to find out. with waiting for the tunnel times, train interruptions, and potentially dealing with hordes of cruise ship passengers, the round trip is just not worth the time investment for bad food. I heard from a local that the Whittier Inn had purchased it... so they know what it used to be. shame on them for letting this happen to a once amazing...

My wife and I are from Anchorage, and brought our daughter-in-law with us to visit Whittier, where we had not been in several years. We looked forward to bringing her to this delicious fish & chips restaurant that we loved so much in the past. When we walked in and first looked at the menu, my mouth dropped when I saw the prices. But I didn't want to ruin the occasion for us, so I was ready to pay for it, certain it would be worth it. In the end, 2 Fish&Chips plates, 1 Shrimp basket, one side of cole slaw, and 3 ice teas cost almost $70.00! And the fish & chips were 95% chips, or cheap frozen French Fries! My wife and I are getting to the age where we don't eat very many fries anymore, so we didn't. There were 3 small pieces of fish, and we're talking Cod, not Halibut. Is Cod that expensive? The fish batter and the tartar sauce were delicious and the service was good, but all this was was a $70 snack! Where do the locals go to get a reasonably priced meal in Whittier? When we got back to Anchorage, we all needed to eat more food. That's probably the last time I'll eat there and I'll let anyone know that you are paying $16.75 for a basket of cheap French fries and a little fish. Oh, and $19.00 for mostly fries with...

Fyi, pretty much everything on the menu here is fried (except the hamburger I guess), and is not terribly high quality. Three stars awarded for cool decor inside the restaurant and amazing views of the sound outside. Food was edible, nothing special. Reminded me of cafeteria food. Fine to pop in if you want something quick and want chicken strips or basic fish and chips. I got the fish sandwich and was not impressed. Two tiny fish filets which were mostly breading, one tomato, lettuce and a little sauce on a bun, not toasted or anything. It was edible but just a bit drab. I had some onion rings as well which again were mostly just a ring of breading with a tiny, translucent sliver of onion ring inside. My companion got fish and chips and described them as adequate. French fries were the best part and were just basic normal french fries. The fish sandwich was one of the less expensive items on the menu at $14, which I do not feel is good value. They do have Alaskan beers which is nice. And there is a sign saying all cod and halibut served is caught locally which is nice. Maybe if you get a different menu item you will...