Varly's Swiftwater Seafood Cafe

Heard about the restaurant while researching Whittier on YouTube. Everyone said to give it a try, they loved it. They were correct, yum. Did the traditional fish and chips with an Alaskan beer... yum. Fish was fresh caught in the area, breaded, seasoned and fried fresh. Took my takeout lunch to the patio next door to eat with a friend who was gettingseafood cowder from there. The views of the mountains, wildlife and water speak for themselves at both locations. Cool trip off the beaten path 😎. Don't expect the typical tourist destination.

Fantastic seafood restaurant! Rico was super kind to us and I LOVED the half and half (halibut and shrimp) and crab cakes. Their cocktail sauce is MONEY!!!! Must stop in!

Came here for dinner in early July 2021. Fairly small shop but offers good variety of selection. Price was a bit high, but I guess that's expected given the limited competition in the small town of Whittier. Ordered half/half fish & shrimp plate ($23.99), a coke ($1.5), and a Corona beer ($6). Food was decent but nothing special in particular. Good place to grab a quick bite.

I went here on a recommendation from the family that runs the Portage Glacier gift shop, and it was a good decision. The food was good—seafood, burgers, chowder, and Caesar salad—and the decor included a lot of interesting historic info about ships on Prince William Sound. I particularly liked the wall of shipwrecks … fascinating stories! Before leaving, I bought a lovely doll made by an Alaskan native woman as a gift for my daughter.

Not worth it. I paid $27 for a bed of french fries that came with 6 pieces of deep fried shrimp and 2 small pieces of fried Halibut. The place has a nice decor but the food is so not worth it and too darn expensive even by Alaskan standards.

I really want to give this place a better review. The atmosphere was nice, the employees were friendly, and this is a nice spot. That's where the positives stop. Took over 30 mins to receive my food, which for a fried food joint is a little long. The serving size to price was outrageous. I paid over $30 for a half and half basket and a beer. The size of the shrimp and halibut was sad. I'm not even sure there was enough halibut in the pieces to enjoy the fish. I get that this is a small town, and that it does a lot of tourist business, so I could almost forgive the high prices, if the food was better. I hope that this was an off day, based on previous reviews, i would like to try it again.

The food and the dockside fish shack vibe were excellent, but the fish and spot shrimp were super average. The cornmeal batter on the fish took a lot away from the fish, which was supposedly fresh. I don't know if you can do better in Whittier, but you can definitely do better in AK.

Adorably delicious! What a cool little place in a super cool small town. We stopped when we came off the ferry to grab lunch and it was quick enough to allow us to catch the open tunnel..just when we wanted to! Delicious food, amazing sweet attitude and fantastic view from the patio. Not cheap, but good is never cheap. Enjoy!

Their cheeseburgers were bigger than normal that's why I gave them a two-star the cheeseburger tasted kind of old and stale but the fries were excellent. Over $20 for one cheeseburger also they charge you tax when there is no taxes in Alaska

The food was great and I felt full. We had Irish cheesecake and Hawaiian cheesecake both were great! The inside is small but the outdoor sitting is makes up for the size. The workers were nice and generous. I'm from Mississippi and this is a most definitely recommended place to go to visiting Whittier, Alaska.