Eating in Alaska's Hidden One Building Town

The fact they bought the restaurant only a couple of years before the tunnel opened is such a stroke of luck.

The fear off living In One building ,also the excitement is overwhelming. Sounds like a very well grounded little town.

This town would be a great setting for a horror game.

You should have name dropped the originator. She deserves it so much.

I love their story. I love that he gave the Japanese lady credit. I want to go there. 🐟♥️

The original owner gave then all the knowledge and they followed it.

This town is fascinating and I loved learning about it but people forget that its not in the middle of nowhere. Its a major ferry port in Alaska and about a 1 hour drive from the nearest Costco

Well, considering that the restaurant used to be owned by a Japanese person; it's possible that the fish is battered in potato starch rather than flour. Using potato starch can give your food a crispier and lighter flavour, and it's easier to taste the spices and/or marinade.

I worked for the railroad in Alaska for a number of years and the Swiftwater was definitely one of our go-to places when we went off duty there. Tiny place, great views of the harbor and sound, and excellent food. Definitely one of the highlights of Whittier.

You’re not disappointed that this is THE place to eat while you’re waiting on the tunnel to go out.

I’ve eaten there. Definitely not a one-building town anymore, but a cool place to visit. The train is a whistle-stop train that will drop you off at a place where you can hike to Spencer glacier, there’s a great log cabin you can stay at near there

We love seeing mom and pop shops thriving 😮‍💨❤️🫂

This is the first reason I've ever had to want to visit Alaska. Thank you #Munchies for always bringing us the great real-life stories of people conquering their fears and making lives of those around better. Continued success and happiness in 2023 to everyone in #Whittier Alaska. #FishAndChips #Family #Friends #Restaurant

Ever since I first saw Peter Santanello's video on Whittier it's been living rent free in my head. This video just gave me another reason to add visiting this place (or moving there) to my bucketlist.

I love living in Alaska. Born and raised. Grew up traveling the Seward highway.

Yup, the tunnel leading into Whittier is pretty unique as it's shared by cars and trains. The only other tunnel similar to it in the US is the Mount Washington Transit Tunnel in Pittsburgh which is shared by buses and light rail. On top of it being shared by trains, it's also the longest highway tunnel in North America (at 2.5 miles long), the first designed for -40 Fahrenheit temperatures and 150 mph winds, as well as the first to be aired out with jet turbine ventilation. The reason trains and cars share the tunnel is because they wanted to save money so they didn't have to build another tunnel for cars back in 2000. How did Whittier become such a rail place? Because of WWII. Whittier was pretty important during WWII when it comes to protecting Alaska. The US Army selected Whittier as a rail port because it was a shorter voyage, reduced exposure of ships to Japanese submarines, reduced the risk of Japanese bombing the port facilities because of the bad weather, and avoided the steep railroad grades required to traverse the Kenai Mountains. So the tunnel was built for the port in 1943.

I was stationed in anchorage and alaska was the best place I ever lived. The fishing, the camping, great golf, the food, everything was life changing. All the road trips, train trips, national parks unreal! Can't wait to move back

Growing up in Alaska, and have lived abroad for almost a decade. I am 32, and hearing "You are working, so no beer please"... reminds me of how weird that sounds, like that would be a big deal. But it was and and how far I drifted away. My dad hitched on the train and camped in the shale hills with his best friend in the 60s. And if no one said it already... "The weather is always .... in Whittier." You fill in the blank. Even driving out of Anchorage... Whittier feels like a place to stare into the abyss for a day. I miss the air.

i’ve been up to whittier before … first time i’ve ever been knocked on my ass by wind lol. the weather change after you go through the tunnel is unbelievable.

I'd love to try Alaskan fish and chips... Being Australian and living on the coast, fish and chips are a staple here.