The Anchor

Great spot. We checked this place out late on a Saturday. We were able to get in very quickly, wonderful service. Everything we had was great with the exception of the hot catfish. Oysters were wonderful! Sit on the patio for great people watching!

We met friends there last night and had a wonderful time as we had not seen them in 2 years. We relocated to Scottsdale AZ 16 years ago and 2 months ago moved to Atlanta. I think this is only my 2^nd interview with Unilocal.I asked for a glass of Chardonnay and was given one choice $ 13! Never heard of it and the glass size was just average. Decided on the Lobster roll even though market price was $ 33. Now I have eaten at enough of the finest restaurants and I am of an age where I can speak my mind and I GOT SCREWED! Did not want to say anything in front of friends. Server very friendly but when you get a hot dog like bun barely filled with lobster topped with ONE leaf of some kind, ¾ of plate filled with fries you are screwed! Friends had fish and chips and a hamburger should have ordered same! No comparison whatsoever to Neptune in Boston.

Food and service here are impeccable. I love coming on Thursdays for the dollar oyster night. I usually get the lobster roll too, I always leave The Anchor full and satisfied. The servers are always friendly and helpful if you need someone to explain the different oysters to you or if you want help selecting a bottle of wine. The outdoor patio has a great view of the park too. Great place for a date night or family dinner.

We went before a musical at the Music Center (less than a block walk). We had allowed plenty of time before the concert so we wouldn’t be rushed through dinner. The server, Patrick, was great about us just enjoying our drinks and checked back with us appropriately. He made dinner recommendations, I had the lobster roll. My friend had the scallops. Both were delicious. He made the wine recommendation as well. Perfect. The little patio is pretty and made for a great place to people watch.
I will definitely return!

Molly makes the best damn Bloody Marys in the world! The only way they could be better is if they had an Alaskan king crab leg in it!!!

I loved The Anchor! It’s quaint, nautical, and perfect for the summer. The place has a rustic, masculine, and (as I mentioned) nautical theme. As soon as you enter you see a gorgeous bar and there are seating areas to the right and the left. We sat in a room off to the right with a burnt wood looking wall and big windows with lots of light.
Our server, Mackenzie was lovely and personable. She was very knowledgeable about the menu and made great suggestions. We knew we wanted the bloody Mary’s with the lobster claw so we started with those. I loved them! They were spicy by not so much that they were hard to drink. Plus, the pickle was a fantastic touch! They even brought my mother some olives when she let them know she usually liked them in her bloody Mary’s.
We ordered the hush puppies and split the lobster roll. The hush puppies were so, so, so, good. They were served with country ham and honey butter. An odd combination that seriously works. The lobster roll was good, full of HUGE pieces of lobster (they don’t skimp here) but a bit bland for my taste. However, it must be said that the french fries here are seriously delicious!
The prices here are a bit high, but the food is of great quality and deserving the price. I will gladly return!

Over priced over flavored food but to top it off there was a WORM in our oysters. A living, crawling worm. Our waiter didn’t even offer to take it off the bill. The $ 30 lobster «roll» is lobster chunks placed into a hot dog bun. Never seen anything like it. Save yourself a meal and go somewhere else.

First time visit. Made reservations which was great considering how long you can edit for some of the places in OTR. Tried the scallops and it did not disappoint. Husband did fish and chips which was equally good. Tried oysters from the west coast and they were surprisingly smooth and buttery. Would go back. Parked in the garage (even though the sign said full) people were coming and going and we had no issues. Try the two tequila drinks. Amazing!

Thursday nights = oyster mania = the best time to visit The Anchor. $ 1 Oysters (they come in groups of 12, so bring some hungry friends), $ 1 beers (they offered a Mexican one I didn’t quite catch the name of and Hudepohl Delight), & $ 6 martinis. A great deal all around!
The rest of the menu looked good, although a little pricey for the portions that were coming out of the kitchen. I had the Clam Chowder & Trout Caesar Salad. The chowder was piping hot & delicious, with big chunks of potato & clam. The salad was okay. There were three bite-​sized pieces of smoked trout in it.
All together, I would definitely recommend hitting up Thursday nights for oysters & a brew, but can’t see myself coming back for a full meal.

Went on a Thursday for oyster mania and couldn’t have had a better experience. The oysters were amazing with great garnish options. Had a Bloody Mary and an old fashioned from the bar and was very impressed with both.
Our server was great as well, looking forward to the next trip!

It is with great remorse that I write this 3 star review for the Anchor. 3 stars mostly because I don’t foresee myself soon returning, due to the price. There is just no way they need to charge what they’re charging for lobster. I don’t know where they’re getting it from but it’s not worth it. If I were to return I would probably go for just a bowl of chowder and some oysters.
The oysters… price and quality are absolutely the best I’ve had, even in costal cities, not sure how that’s even possible.
But the rest of the menu is totally absurd. 31 $ for a lobster roll. I was told the price, I wasn’t surprised by that. But the size is so much smaller than I was expecting. The bun is the size of a small hot dog bun. There is a good amount of lobster chunks for the size, but again, that’s not saying much. The taste was pretty good. Not mind blowing. I wish the bun was more toasted and there was more flavor overall in the mix. The fries were pretty good, always a fan of shoestring. The ½ lobster was on special. It was also small and the sides with it were lame, I would have preferred just a bowl of clarified butter, maybe that’s just me.
Love to try you again, Anchor. But we will see…

DLW wanted seafood on a Saturday, so we headed out to the Anchor. Without a reservation we would have been looking at a 45 minute wait, but luckily a couple of spots at the bar opened up just as we walked in. This is the odd spot in OTR that takes reservations, and getting one at busy times is a good idea unless you want to play roulette like we did.
It’s a cute spot with a rather large outdoor seating area that’s quite unusual for OTR. As a bonus it looks directly onto Washington Park. If you get lucky you may even be able to see some of Cincinnati Music Hall beyond.
As we were stuck at the bar, we just watched the very busy bartenders sling their trade. We enjoyed a huge bloody Mary with lobster claw added for a $ 5 upcharge (totally worth it) and a special blood orange cocktail while we waited for our dinners. DLW must try clam chowder whenever it’s on offer, and she liked this one for its high clam content and thin consistency (gluey chowder is something she can’t abide). Surf and turf was mussels and bone marrow, which she also enjoyed. I went with the lobster roll, which had a good amount of meat and tasted delicious. The roll was described as market price, but was a rather shocking $ 31 finally.
The prices were high enough that we can call this a splurge place. The $ 1 oysters on Thursdays, however, could get me to change my mind.

This review speaks only for the Thursday special — oyster mania which is $ 1 per oyster and some drink specials like $ 1 tecate, $ 6 martinis. The oysters are very fresh and the garnishes are delicious! I tried all of them and LOVED all of them!
The crab cake appetizer is also amazing! I’ve had my fair share of crab cakes and this one takes the cake. It’s just one little crab cake slider but definitely worth it!
The atmosphere of the restaurant is pretty cool. The bar is in the front and greets you as you walk in. The dining area is towards the back, consisting of several booths and little tables on the side.

This is a great place. It’s my third time here and it’s consistently great. The food is experimental, for adventurers really. They have fish and chips. They have cheeseburgers. I would guess these are for the other people in the party. I did not try these.
I’ve had smelt and skate, and unusual oyster, crayfish, and finfish dishes. This place rivals coastal seafood restaurants for inventiveness and quality. The menu changes a little every time.
It is not pretentious. The staff is friendly. The staff is engaged, nice, authentic. I will come back every time I visit Cincinnati.

My husband made reservations for us here the night before valentines day. The FOOD WAS AWESOME! the service was a little more relaxed then i guess we were expecting. But all and all it was GREAT from the SHRIMP TOAST that’s will change your whole life to the devils eggs that were perfection.
Main dishes
I got the seafood Balinese fresh and finger licking good. I am from Maryland we eat seafood with our hands. When I was done I wanted to get in my car a drive the 8 hours to Maryland to hug my mother. That well streamed seafood did that!
My husband got the whole fish and he was completely satisfied. I tried my fish which can with some white beans and it was out of the world!
Last words
GO THERE! EAT A LOT! DRINK A LOT! BRING A BIG WALLET!

So 3 stars because it redeems itself for its «Thursday Oyster Mania» which oysters are $ 1 the entire day. Pretty worth it, since its usually $ 2.50 a piece or during happy hour other than Thursdays its $ 1.50. Their fries are also crispy, thin and phenomenal.
The only thing that gets me, is the other dishes. The other dishes rarely live up to any high expectation we have and it usually ends in disappointment. There was this fancy as hell «Surf and Turf» served with mussels and bone marrow. Sounds peculiar right? When we got it, presentation was on point. But, the taste? Nah. Bone marrow was bland, and mussels were in the little glass jar, with these unknown vegetable stuff, that made it taste so earthy and gamey. Not a taste you expect or want with mussels. Mussels were a bit overcooked. The whole thing was so distasteful to the meal. It was also was around $ 14 for this app. In which, I don’t think its worth it.
Here is another reason why I gave 3 stars. I’ve been to the Anchor twice, and for some reason it takes a super long time to get our check, or the next round of our oysters (since they can only serve it in a dozen rounds, so they have time in between to shuck them, which I get it takes time), but it was incredibly long in between each round. But, WHAT REALLY gets me is getting our check, I mean please let us pay! Why should we wait 20−30mins for our check, when they already took our plates away.
Anyways overall for the time being, I would only come for the oysters, drinks, and fries. Maybe once in a blue moon I’ll brave my soul to try something else. But for now, the disappointment needs to dissipate. The dishes were so pretty, then the taste was just meh. No one wants to pay for that. They pay for both the taste and the presentation. Not just one. I see potential in this place, and don’t want to give up on The Anchor just yet.

A place in OTR that takes reservations? That’ll get you four stars right there. So why did I give Anchor five stars? Because it was mother-​effing delicious. I’m very against oysters. They taste like low tide and I can’t imagine anything worse. A very sneaky Anchor waitress somehow talked me into trying an oyster that she specifically recommended to me and it was fantastic and tasted like an incredible New England beach vacation with the refreshing ocean breeze (come on, you’re picking up what I’m throwing down). From that moment on, I let her guide me through the entire menu. I ended up ordering entirely too much food and spent a ridiculous amount of money, but it was completely worth it. This is by far one of my new favorite places in Cincinnati and absolutely one of the first places I’ll be bringing our out of town visitors. Everything was amazing. EVERYTHING! The staff knows the menu like the back of their hands and are more happy to talk you through it. Don’t grab a snack somewhere else before, you’ll need all the stomach space you physically have for your visit.
Make sure you order a cocktail, the calamari, and scallops. You know what, scratch that; order everything!

I was walking around Washington Park on a Wednesday and spotted this restaurant solely by the sign that said «Oysters». Quickly Unilocaled it and found out they have $ 1 oysters on Thursdays… jackpot!
Coming from DC this is a great deal considering everything is expensive. I came to The Anchor on Thursday at around 9 and the place wasn’t too packed. Décor is beautiful and modern with a cool sailorly theme. I quickly got a dozen oysters, a $ 6 dirty martini and my boyfriend got the Old Fashioned. Everything was amazing just like I wished! They oysters were plump and fresh… so naturally I ordered another dozen for myself!
It’s safe to say that next time I come to Cincinnati, I’ll make sure I’m there on Thursday to take advantage of this deal :)

I finally got to check out The Anchor on a recent Friday night. Expecting a long wait (it was around 8pm), I rushed over to The Anchor to put my name down for a table about 45 minutes sooner than I actually needed it. To my surprise, there was no wait at all! So I called my friend and told him to hurry. We were able to snag a seat on the patio. Woo! I was excited.
Our server came by and took my drink order. I told her I was waiting for a friend and she was totally cool with that. Once he arrived, we ordered drinks and she (our server) went over the menu. She explained the specials of the day and fan favorites and for the questions that she didn’t have answers to she was totally willing to go ask the chef. I ordered fish and chips and my friend ordered the seared tuna.
Our food came out fairly quickly, another surprise for me because I was totally expecting a much longer wait. The fish and chips were good but the pieces of fish were quite small. They were about the size of my pinky finger (length-​wise) and not very thick. They also gave me a ton of fries. For the price, I would’ve liked to have had larger pieces of fish and less fries but everything tasted great. On another note, the seared tuna was delicious and was paired with green beans. The portion size was just right.
Overall, I absolutely loved the ambiance at Anchor. Whether you’re sitting outside on the patio or inside at a booth, you really get that feel of being at an ocean-​side eatery. They really did a good job with theme and tone of the place making it look and feel larger than it really is. I also want to mention that the service at Anchor was excellent and I was very impressed with their staff!

My bf and I have gotten around OTR quite a bit and somehow Anchor was one of the last places we picked. They post really nice pictures on fb and Instagram but I think the hipster vibe doesn’t go well with how pricey they are. Most their entrees are at least $ 25 dollars, well I have no problem paying for good food but I am not mentally prepared to drop $ 80 for dinner (with drinks) when I come to OTR.
The décor at Anchor is just… hipster. I cant think of anything else to describe it. I didn’t get to see the back room but the front room is bright, which I like. We sat at this two person tall table and my seat was right above a vent. It was shooting cold air directly to my chair so I had to switch seats with my bf. If you have to put a table above a vent, turn it down!
My bf and I like to try as many things as possible so we ordered 4 dishes. It was during happy hour so of course we had oysters. They were big and very fresh but it still costs you $ 18 for a dozen. You can get a dozen gulf coast at Pappadeaux for $ 14. From the menu we had the deviled eggs and elote, and the special they had that day, razor clam. All of them were fantastic, especially the corn. It was perfectly grilled with just right amount of mayo. Super creamy and juicy. We loved it. The deviled eggs were pretty great too. Not too cold and just salty enough. And $ 4 for two topped with salmon roe? I will take it. The razor calm is a lighter dish marinated in wine cause with purée of some sort. Beautifully plated. I would for sure come back for these dishes.
However we think their so called happy hour is BS. Only a dollar off of drafts and $ 18 for 12 oysters? I can go to Ruth Chris for some tuna steak for $ 8.
I would give them a 5 if we are just talking about those appetizers here, but overall, this restaurant annoys me with their pricing strategy. They may have tried to be all high end and delicate, but I think they are just stingy.