The Anvil Restaurant

The crab balls were fresh and delicious served with a spicy cocktail sauce. I had a country ham panini for lunch that reminded me of growing up in the south. Had a good craft beer selection and if you enjoy coors it’s only 1 dollar drafts for happy hour. Great service and enjoy the atmosphere. Would come back again!

What a fun place! Inexpensive but very tasty food with generous proportions. I loved the gaming room! A great night out, especially if you’re staying at the nearby EconoLodge.

Oh my. Where do I begin? Lets start by saying that we had just finished a nice day visiting a friend who lives in Harpers Ferry. A beer and a nice whiskey sounded like a nice way to finish a beautiful fall day. Unfortunately, none of the bars in HF have a liquor license… Except for The Anvil. We were in absolutely no hurry, I was a designated driver, and it sounded like a nice place to end the day.
When we arrived we ordered a round of 3 beers and 2 whiskeys, which was met with slow service by the «bartender» named Renee. No biggie, again, we were in no hurry. As we politely (and patiently) ordered their next two rounds, we realized that we were being met with increasingly salty looks, rolling eyes, and just no hospitality whatsoever. I casually mentioned that we were sorry if we were causing her any problems… She responded, «WELL I NEED TO GET DRINKS FOR ALL THESE OTHER PEOPLE TOO!»
Damn. We didnt even complain yet! I let her know that it wasn’t the speed of her service that made us uncomfortable, it was her terrible attitude. I asked to speak with the manager right away, because she was pretty hostile. I was stunned when she replied that she herself was the manager on duty. When I looked for a business card, it confirmed she was a person in charge. Oh my god. Are you serious? She moved at the speed of a slug. Imagine if we had ordered a mixed drink?! There was one patron at the bar beside us, and if she was in charge of service bar for the restaurant tables and couldn’t handle it, that’s not my problem. It was Saturday night. Maybe the manager should find someone who can actually keep up with the business. Oh wait, shes the manager.
When i mentioned her attitude she decided to let me know «she could fix that for us», insinuating that she could get us our check. But then she proceeded to ignore us for another half an hour. It was pathetic. Finally she took my fiances card to settle the bill. Upon returning the credit card slips to be signed she apologized halfheartedly for her earlier attitude, presumably to save her tip… because when I accepted her apology and began to explain that I thought it may be a misunderstanding… she grunted, «I said i was sorry!»…
In the city, the hospitality industry is filled with arrogant self entitled bartenders labeling themselves «mixologists» for putting sprigs of rosemary in a vodka tonic. The Anvil is a shame to Harpers Ferry, where everyone is working hard to be a kinder gentler destination for folks to go to when they are done with that sort of bull.
This place is a joke, and takes advantage of the visitors. Avoid at all costs. A nice whiskey just isnt worth it. Spend your money elsewhere!

Had our dinner out tonight had been driving forever & was looking forward to a great meal. The service was great the meal NOT!!! Steak was TOUGH & couldn’t chew it not matter how you cut it! Our meal for two was $ 70.00 not including the 20% tip. Just sayin’! One star is to much credit! Depressing what you spend on a meal! Went away hungry

Hi, ate here last nite. Was dying for a crab cake. Was dissapointed after reading the good reviews on their crabcakes. They we’re ok, more filler than expected, and the crab tasted old. Had a very strong/​fishy taste. My friend is vegetarian, there was only one thing on the large menu that he could order. Pasta with tomatoes and garlic. It looked good but I didn’t try it.
Good note the service was inpecable we had a wonderful time. I would defiantly go again and try something else.
Sat by the window, there is a closed off gaming room. Folks kept coming in and out. The cigarette smoke smell that came out each time the door was opened was overwhelmingly bad. Just an fyi.

We ate here tonight while celebrating our anniversary. We chose it because it had food options that appealed to me and to my somewhat picky husband. We got friendly service right away. We ordered the appetizer pepperoni pizza, French onion soup, ribeye, and prime rib special. The entrees came with salad and «chef’s choice», which was mashed potatoes.
–The pizza was delicious. Very, very cheesy and gooey, nice fresh hand shaped crust (we waited a little extra long for them to finish making the dough). The marinara was divine.
–French onion soup was delicious. Almost too salty, but not quite, and I would have liked more onion pieces, but the broth was very good.
Unfortunately, the good sorta stops there. My husband’s prime rib was full of huge chunks of gooey fat, had no seasoned crust, and was so rare in places (despite being ordered medium rare) that several bites were inedible.
My ribeye was overly salty (even though I like a well salted steak), and barely seared. It was medium rare as ordered but I think they just tapped it on the grill.
The mashed potatoes, which we were told were «out of this world» by our server, looked promising. Red skins and chunks of potato mixed throughout, topped with parsley… But they fell flat. They were gooey instead of creamy. Almost gelatinous. They tasted like salt and nothing.
Service was friendly but I waited a while for a water refill. The only salad dressing choices they have are balsamic vinaigrette or cruets of oil and vinegar, but the salads were tasty. The tables were sticky despite being wiped down as we sat. The atmosphere where we sat in the pub area was cute and rustic. Nice and quiet. The gambling room and paraphernalia was odd and brought the place down a bit, but I’m sure it makes them lots of money
Two $ 24+ entrees, a soup, an appetizer, and a mixed drink (they didn’t charge for my iced tea) came to $ 80 before tip.
I wish we had stopped at soup and appetizers. We would have left happier.

After glancing through the reviews already posted, I won’t waste more time trying to be eloquent with a CIA degree’d opine on this operation… so let me just add to watch your change. When paying my bill the waitress kept some of the change for herself using the excuse they don’t deal in «change» and round up — in their pockets’ favor. In this case it was $ 1.21…asked for a mgr, a waiter came to the table trying to explain with the same poor «no change» excuse (what about the $ 1 bill?). Asked again for a manager, waiter says they asked him to take care of it… now insisting that I speak to a mgr a person dressed and appearing to be a cook came out from the kitchen and agreed with my complaint. By that point I had had enough and departed; the waitress got the $ 1 as she did return the $.21. What a mess…

The anvil was very close to where we stayed and we wanted to try it for dinner. I went with my father and he wanted to order a drink. We were told that they had to check IDs (mind you, this is for my father) and I found that surprising and asked if it was a town policy because he did not look young! They said it was specifically for their restaurant and I let it slide because we were new to the town.
Later on, there was another couple sat very close to us and was at hearing distance from me. While taking their drinks orders, I noticed that none of them were carded or asked to.
While I don’t want to judge, unfortunately the only difference I could see was that the couple next to us was white skinned while we were brown. We still tipped high for the hospitality and food (which was very very average). Wouldn’t want to start another stereotype that we don’t tip enough! I really hope that the card policy is true for the hotel and this was a misunderstanding but it definitely didn’t make me feel comfortable.
In terms of the food, only the shrimp starters was good. The chicken caprese was average.

Hearty fare is what customers can expect to find at this roadside restaurant. I dined on the chicken cordon Bleu tonight. Accompanied by potato au gratin, it was a meal that stuffed me, yet I made room for chocolate molten cake for dessert.
What the Anvil lacks in décor (the restaurant resembles your tacky aunt’s home, complete with fake flowers and homespun country tables and chairs) it more than makes up for in service. Amanda, our waitress, proved her mettle, servicing my party of nine with a sweet, welcoming demeanor. She was efficient, organized, and focused. Future diners, tip her well.
Although I can’t say I was impressed with the Anvil it is a solid restaurant that offers slightly above average comfort food. Give it a try.

Slow, disjointed service, odd menu — our salad was obvious made days in advance and had wilted, mushy lettuce; our first round of beer was almost warm, our French fries were under cooked and the pasta was just ok. Not much too be positive about

This restaurant was across the street from our bed and breakfast so we decided to check it out on a Friday night at around 7:30 pm. The bar was empty, and there were about 3 other couples in the dining area. Most restaurants close at 9pm in Harpers Ferry (also 9pm on Weekends), including The Anvil. I personally liked the ambiance of the old school bar/​tavern like area. The dining area is pretty outdated and nothing to talk about.
Food: The wings were pretty good, with the chicken dish being pretty underwhelming. My wife had the Tuna steak which she enjoyed. The potato and cheese side dishes were very tasty. Our waitress was also very friendly and accommodating.
Be prepared to finish your meal at about 8:30 pm or you will feel like you are kindly being rushed out of the restaurant. Being a very small town with everything closing at 9pm, including the bars, make sure you schedule accordingly.

I should have trusted my gut and the other negative reviews. I suppose that on a different day that maybe The Anvil could be good, but it must be one of those pay to eat well kind of places. This restaurant is so out of place in a town the truly lives simple. What is this place in an ancient building doing trying to be fancy? The menu reads like a hyped up downtown metropolis eatery and the prices are the same too. EVERYTHING on this menu is severely overpriced. Of course if you want the steak or fish dinner, you’re paying typical prices of a non chain restaurant but after the selection of food that we had, I can already tell that the expensive entrees would be just as underwhelming as everything else we tried. The French onion soup was over salted and was probably bought from the store and how do you mess up steamed mussels and steamed shrimp? For the mussels, I understand trying to keep the integrity and genuine flavor of the mussels but the broth was begging for garlic, salt, white wine, anything that could work with the mussels. I would say that the mussels were screaming for flavor but they were so overcooked that they couldn’t scream out. I turned to the shrimp for redemption, but I was let down once again. I kept finding more and more different spices and herbs on them that it seemed like they just threw the entire spice rack in with them. Lastly, the generic, store bought cocktail sauce. Im sorry to say that it’s not worth the trip. I think The Anvil needs to rethink their identity and just reboot as something entirely new because this current format is not working.

Best crab dip in the Mid-​Atlantic, hands down. Also probably the only restaurant in Harpers Ferry that is open after dark and serves alcohol — unlike some others in town.

My fiancé and I stopped in for a quick drink or 2 and an appetizer on a Sunday after running part of the C&O Canal and doing some shopping in the historic town of Harper’s Ferry. We didn’t feel like any of the crowded touristy places down the hill, so we drove for a mile or 2 before we stumbled upon The Anvil. It was shortly after 5 pm and only had 2 other patrons that we could see. We took a seat at the bar and was greeted by I think the bartender. He gave us menus right away and asked what we would like to drink and informed us that happy hour had just started, $ 1 draft beers. SOLD! After a day of running in the hot sun $ 1 drafts was music to my ears. After looking at the menu, we ordered the steamed shrimp and the house made tortilla chips and salsa. The steamed shrimp was what you would expect and they were tasty, coated in Old Bay and served with a lemon slice and cocktail sauce. The house made chips and salsa were AWESOME! I was not expecting them to be as good as they were. Salted perfectly and the salsa was very flavorful and fresh. I could have eaten 2 whole ordered of those babies myself. But I refrained. So after a few beers and 2 appetizers, our bill came and was $ 24. SCORE! I will be back, and bring friends, next time after a day of kayaking on the water. Food, beverages, service, and pricing were all on point.

We arrived around 830p on a weekend — Anvil was still open (a strong positive point for this review!), unlike other Harper’s Ferry restaurants. You could tell staff wanted to close soon (despite the website saying they were open until 10).
Sat in the bar area and appreciated the baseball games featured on their TVs. Fast service. Food just meh — I had an unremarkable, tasteless burger; my husband liked the chicken sandwich. French fries are the skinny frozen kind and were slightly underdone.
3 stars. Average food. An ok option for a Harper’s Ferry meal.

Even though The Anvil is not a super cheap
Eating estAblishment, I personally and honestly think that the food and drink are still super good and delicious. The professional wait staff always friendly and helpful plus they always aim to please.
super

#comewalkawaywithme This is one confusing place. And not in a particularly good way. Confusion is good when you have a sense that even though you may not be in control, the people running the show are.
Well, my best guess is either they aren’t, or their sense of hospitality is entirely different from mine, which could be entirely true.
***
As I walked into the place, I saw a pub, a manager-​looking lady on her phone next to a dark, depressing bar, and a dining room behind it. No host stand; you had to walk back to the dining room to get that. No greetings, just a server who seemed rather disinterested in seating me. I feel like it shouldn’t be my job to flag down someone whose job it is to be welcoming and who clearly doesn’t have any tables actively dining. Oh well.
The décor was a little disjointed: old timey bottles and collectors’ plates just underneath a Jimmy Buffet Blvd. tin sign. Them floral curtains over the windows and Halloween decorations, already up.
But the most confusing part of all was the menu. Most entrees over 20, most apps over 12, and bread service available by request only.
I ordered a Caesar salad and crab cake sandwich, total cost, $ 20. What is being communicated by that price point is that the food being served here is more valuable than most of the high-​end restaurants in a place like Philadelphia.
Uh, no.
Caesar salads do not live on shredded romaine and croutons alone. One tiny crab cake on a huge SYSCO-​special roll seems a little out of proportion. Seasoning? Meh. We don’t need that when we’re just frying the $&1t out of things, right?!
I’m sure there are people who will pay that price for an average dinner, but I won’t in the future. And that’s why the rating is lower because of pricing, service, and ambience.

This was the perfect place after a day of kayaking on the river. It’s a good atmosphere and our waitress was great.
There was a good choice of beer, and local beer, and the fresh tortillas chips were great. I ate a burger which was very good.

What can I say? Townie bar/​divey feel, but good food and friendly folks.
Parking is either on the street, or in a lot across the street. Watch for the sink hole in the parking lot! They have it caution-​taped and blocked, and I am sure they will be on that shortly.
There were 5 of us, and it was a Thursday evening so the place was not that busy, and we did not need reservations. Our server was new, we were her third table but service was solid.
The food was good. Really, really good. I had the portabella mushroom with cheese, tomatoes and pesto and the Maryland style crab soup. Both were flavorful and excellent. I had a bit of one of my friend’s crab cakes… and they were very, very good, full of crab meat and not filler. Another friend had the shrimp and scallop crepes, and I had a bite of that too, and they were FANTASTIC. I know what I want to order my next visit!
Prices were reasonable, and the portions were good. Definitely a place I will return to in Harpers Ferry my next visit!

One of the wait staff mentioned that since they hired their new Italian chef, the quality of their Italian dishes had gone way up, and after ordering the specials (both Italian dishes), we say, «Bravo!»
However, the rest of the main dishes were limited if you don’t like seafood, like us.
The place itself was not impressive, the décor and ambience felt rather mom and pop like, but our server, Christian, was excellent and the chicken masala (a great plate of fettuccine topped with buttery mushrooms and perfectly seared chicken) and the rustic sausage and peppers (a sweet heat and savory marinara linguine dish) were quite good. Side salads (that came with the entrees) were also good, but the homemade chips and salsa were lacking in crunch and flavor.
Paid $ 42, before tip, for two entrees with salads, and an appetizer.