Anchor Oyster Bar

This was everything I ever dreamt it would be.
I was drawn to this place because my boyfriend recently declared that dipping bread in seafood broth is one of his favorite things ever. The pictures of giant bowls of seafood with a good amount of broth had me sold.
We came here and ordered half an order of garlic bread and a steamed bowl of clams.
I think the food we got could have fed 3 – 4 people. I meannn… We still ate the majority of the garlic bread and ate all the clams. Two very determined adults can put that stuff away for sure but we were stuffed and ready for a nap after.
The clams came in a giant bowl where you could probably bathe a newborn. But you wouldn’t want to do that… because that, folks, would be a waste of broth! The broth was damn sexy. It’s a white wine based broth with the right amount of olive oil/​butter. It was flavored with lots of garlic, a happy amount of chopped parsley and fresh thyme. The squeeze of lemon lifted up the beautiful flavors of the clams. I just sighed dreamily typing that up.
The garlic bread was amazing. The bread had a nice texture to it so that you could actually lift the piece of bread up without it completely falling apart just because it had been doused in butter. And don’t get me wrong, this isn’t some diet bread crap. It IS doused in butter. Garlicky butter. And shavings of sharp parmesan. But the nice thing is, they used some really good, crusty bread with a good foundation. It even held up to being dipped in the clam broth.
Service was a little slow in the beginning but it picked up eventually and all went well. They were super friendly and clearly take pride in their food — as they should!

Half order of the Anchor Special and a small Cioppino will be enough rekk your afternoon plans. The food coma is worth it. We went here once, 3 years ago and I still get cravings for the Cioppino and garlic bread.

Taking the crown as one of my tastiest SF seafood meals thus far, my meal at the small, locally owned Anchor Oyster Bar was one for the crab books. Our Saturday evening started out with an hour-​long wait; the wait is understandably long as the tiny restaurant boasts no more than 5 tables and a few bar seats. I was particularly lucky this evening and ended up with one of the best tables in the house — I would not have been happy if I had waited as long as we did to get seated at the bar. Take caution and either plan to go with 4 people so you’re guaranteed a table, or be mentally ready to sit at the bar.*
We started off our meal with a selection of oysters — they were offering 3 selections today and we tried one of each. As an oyster newbie, these were about as tasty as you can get. Our waiter was extremely friendly and helpful with good suggestions of what to get. Although the cioppino looked and smelled absolutely delicious, my hankering for crab got the best of me, and my friend and I split the whole cracked Dungeness crab (available seasonally) in the garlic, lemon sauce (although plain is offered as well). The sauce was perfection — slightly spicy, warm, lemony and garlicy, this dipping sauce was all I could ask for as a perfect complementary base for the crab. It was perfect for bread dipping in between crab bites as well. The crab itself was moist, and juicy, and knowing it was sustainably caught made it even better! The crab comes with choice of clam chowder and salad before, so we got one of both for the table. Although a little on the ‘crab overload’ with the chowder, the soup was one of the most delicious chowders I’ve tasted and the salad was a great addition to the meal to help fill that vegetable gap. All in all this meal gave the quintessential setting to a fun, seafood meal. Perhaps the best part? The price tag was very reasonable for the quality of the seafood (it’s sustainably fished!), and amount of food. Point of this review? If you feel like crab, go here

This place is simply the best for fresh fish, oysters, cioppino, garlic bread & more! The head chef, Patricia, made us the most amazing cioppino & checked in with us during our meal which was so thoughtful! We were very happy soaking up the juice with our garlic bread & washing it all down with some vino! The restaurant is small & very much worth the wait. Cozy atmosphere, delicious seafood, friendly staff… what more could you ask for?!

This is small, and delicious Oyster Bar. If you’re heading to San Francisco, you need to stop by the Anchor Oyster Bar. They will not disappoint.
Please make sure to sign-​in prior to entering.

The garlic bread lives up to the hype — perfectly crisp crust and a soft center with beautiful nooks full of butter and garlic. Get it. Lots of it.
We also had oysters and the pasta of the day with mussels. Both were fantastic. Oh and the garlic bread was even better dipped in the fabulous pasta sauce.
We went right before opening and got in line and were seated immediately.
Also, It was fun to sit by the kitchen and watch them work their magic!

The best Cioppino ever! It’s really good.
I loved the Cioppino from Chez Panisse Café (
), and I think the Cioppino from Ancho Oyster Bar might surpass Alice Walter’s recipe.
This place do not take a reservation, and I usually do not prefer to wait for dine in, but I think it worth to wait for.

This is my favorite place to eat in San Francisco. The cioppino is unbelievably good. Frankly, so is everything else, but they can wait until after you’ve tried the cioppino. Just get it. Now.
Service is always friendly and attentive. The wait can be long because it’s small and popular.

Always a beautiful time. Mike is always wonderful to suggest wine and food. Patty, what a treat! Thanks for chatting with me tonight. Had a wonderful meal.

Like everyone else says: get here early, or be prepared to wait! Or you can do what my friends and I did. We came here around 3 pm and had a second round of lunch. Cheat day, indeed.
I actually just moved here from Boston, and this place really reminds me of a seafood restaurant in the historical North End! I recommend getting the 12 Oysters On The Half Shell, 8 Steamed Clams, 4 Chilled Prawns combo. The clam chowder is also pretty solid and creamy. We kept reading raving reviews on the chowder so we decided to just try a little and ordered a cup. The server was super nice and actually gave us two so it’s «easier to share!» haha.
Initially, we thought service was subpar, especially because we were neglected for the first 10 minutes we weren’t completely ignored! Although we were among the first get seated, we were the last to get our order in… Luckily we were given a lot of bread and butter in the meantime.
Overall, great experience! Yummy food in a cute little restaurant. The cioppino also looks amazing. I’ll definitely be around to try that!

So so so delicious
They had an amazing crab sandwich with amazing salad and bleu cheese I dream of
Server was friendly and chefs were passionate, all made to order…
They had a $ 14 bottle, 174 ML of pierre joet (I think?)
OYSTERS fat and fresh, salty too

This is my 100^th review and I saved it for my true love in SF — Anchor Oyster Bar.
This place is magical. When I’m feeling down, a bowl of cioppino from Anchor can always cheer me up. It works better than any anti-​depressant and makes me forget about the 1.5 hour wait.
I even looked up the recipe and tried to make it at home, but it’s not the same.
You won, Anchor Oyster Bar. I’ll be coming back again and again for the years to come.

Nothing beats some seafood on a rainy night. I’ve had this location bookmarked for the longest time and finally had the chance to give it a try. Dropped by and was able to find parking less than a block away on the streets and maneuvered quickly through the pouring rain to sign up on the wait list. The restaurant is literally 5 tables big and only has one bar length table to hold 6 – 8 people. I’d say 25 people max in the restaurant so the wait was pretty long. The host told us it was going to be one hour + of a wait… and he was RIGHT. We tried to find shelter from the rain close by at Philz Coffee while there was a bench stationed outside the restaurant but it was packed and wet from the rain.
After a loooong wait, we were finally seated and on our way to dive in on the food.
We ordered:
Small Clam chowder — very flavorful and delicious, perfect sizing appetizer for one person
Oyster shooter — bigger than most places, very flavorful sauce with a big oyster piece at the bottom of it… Celery included to kill the strong taste in your mouth afterwards
Mussels in white wine sauce– this has got to be the hugest mussels I’ve eaten… It was literally so meaty and served in a huge dish plate. I think it’s a great proportion to split it between two people. The sauce was filled with herbs and garlic pieces… I just felt like drinking the broth at one point. 5 star dish!!!
Jumbo prawn pasta — This was our carbs of the dinner supported once again HUGE prawns. Delicious flavoring for the pasta and once again great proportion to split!
Despite the long long wait in a tiny local restaurant I think the food here is AMAZING and along with great professional customer service… It just has to be a 5 star location.
PS: The day we went, waiting line board said cash only but I believe do accept cards usually…

A rainy, stormy Saturday night led us here. We signed ourselves in on the whiteboard where you put your name, party size, and arrival time. I like how they ask you for your arrival time so you actually know how long you’ve been waiting. We were told the wait would possibly be over an hour, but that didn’t stop us! I’m always willing to wait for my first time at any restaurant if it’s supposed to be really good. There’s plenty of shops around the area to explore while waiting for your party to be called so the wait doesn’t seem too long!
The restaurant is small — it only fits 25 people at most. Most of the parties before and after us were parties of two. I think they could’ve seated more people at a time if they had split their square tables into two smaller tables. Just throwing out a suggestion to help accommodate more customers at once, y’know?
We waited a little over an hour to get seated at the bar. We ordered a cup of clam chowder, a oyster shooter for him, green lip mussels, and some sort of shrimp pasta that was not on the menu (I saw pictures on Unilocal and asked for it!) The clam chowder was creamy and was just the perfect size for sharing. I really liked the little potato bits in the soup. The oyster shooter. I didn’t try because I’m not too big of a fan. He said it had lots of flavor. His eye was literally twitching every gulp he took! The green lip mussels were HUUUUUUUUGE. They were the biggest mussels I have ever eaten in my life! The flavor of the broth was delicious. The shrimp pasta was yummy too. The shrimp were HUGE too, wowza. We didn’t think we were gonna get full off of anything before we got any of our dishes, but what we ordered was more than enough. The portion sizes were definitely worth the price!
Staff constantly checked up on us which was great. Offered to put our broths in smaller bowls just in case we wanted to keep them to dip our bread in. Thanks for asking!
Satisfied my mussels craving… it’s been a while since I’ve had mussels in a different broth/​sauce. We always have Cajun… finally somethin’ different for once *eye roll*
I do recommend trying this place if you’re looking for great customer service and fresh seafood. Also, EXPECT the long wait. Places like this always have a long wait.

Is anything worth a 2 hour wait? Hard to say for sure but the cioppino at Anchor Oyster Bar is the best I’ve had. I see why people wait and wait for a chance to be seated at the bar or at a table to sample the oh so good San Francisco creation. Anchor is located on very busy Castro Street next to the original location of Harvey Milk HQ/​camera shop. Read the plaques.
We arrived around 8pm. There was a good amount of people waiting already. We put our name on the board and one of the staff members said it would be about 45min to an hour wait. I wish that was the case. We didn’t get seated until around 10pm. They are supposed to close at 10pm but they assured everyone waiting that they go through the whole list. They want to make sure people that have been waiting get to eat. It was a cool city night and around 9pm one of the staff came outside to give everyone cups of steaming hot clam chowder. It was really good clam chowder and it hit the spot. That was nice on their part because the restaurant space is small and people that are waiting can be out in the cold for a long time.
We were seated at the bar. The bar seats about 8 people and there are a handful of tables around it. We started off with the half order of the Anchor Special: 6 oysters, 4 steamed clams and 2 chilled prawns ($ 22.95). It was delicious. The oysters were tasty, they gave us many more clams than we expected as it had been served in this garlicky goodness of a broth that made for good buttered bread dipping. The chilled prawns were SO DAMN GOOD. The prawns were so sweet and and tasty. Tasted like the ocean. Pure goodness. Gimme 6 of those next time. The Anchor Special was great with the bread that was served as a starter. Really good and thick cut.
Next up was the cioppino. The oh so glorious cioppino we got was the full order. It is huge. Feeds 3 easily but since we waited so long and were so hungry, we figure why not go all in? So we did. Priced at $ 59.95 so its not cheap but it is well worth it. You get everything and more in this massive stew of the ocean’s greatest hits. You get white fish, clams, mussels, crab, prawns, baby clams, shrimp and that broth… You just wanna swim in it. Like a hot spring but better. Ha! It really was good. The cioppino was excellent. You have to get it. I warn you… It is HUGE and the servers will even show you the bowl sizes to illustrate just how big. Excellent for garlic bread dipping. It came with some REALLY good, thick garlic bread. So good. You might be offered a bib to wear. It can get awesomely messy.
Service was excellent. The staff had a great attitude as I’m sure it was a long day for them but true to their word, they accommodated everyone on the list. They do periodically come outside to see any updates or drop outs on the sign in list. So they definitely stay on top of things. They even gave us a glass of a red that one of the staff brought as they were having a Hungarian dinner after hours prepared by the chef who is of Hungarian descent. That was nice of them. I look forward to returning and having more of that cioppino, more shellfish and some of that clam chowder. We’ll be sure to get there earlier next time. Way earlier. Street parking available if the gods are smiling on you.

So simple, but so good.
I had been anticipating a meal at Anchor Oyster Bar all weekend in my most recent trip to SF, mostly because I had really wanted some good fresh shellfish in a simple low-​key environment. I was afraid that I would hype it up too much in my head, but thankfully, I was not let down at all.
My friends and I managed to avoid long lines by going at around 4pm on a Monday, snagging a few seats at the bar. The staff was incredibly kind and helpful with their recommendations, and explained the specials quite nicely. We went with the half-​order of the Anchor special: 6 oysters, 2 prawns, and steamed clams, as well as the greenlip mussels. The oysters were really tasty, and they gave us a variety of the Island Creek oysters that they «import.» The prawns were enormous and perfect with a little bit of lemon and cocktail sauce. Hoo-​wee. However, the clams were really what blew me away. The steamed clams were tender and flavorful, and that broth! THAT BROTH. It was rich, savory, and just something I could drink and sop up with bread over and over. It had a bit of a sour profile, and the seafood flavors really enhanced everything.
As for the greenlip mussels, the broth that they came was just as delicious, with an amped up spiciness and acidity, as there was some tomato strewn throughout. The mussels themselves were also HUGE. I had never had these New Zealand mussels before, and they were really nice and tender. The shells were pretty aesthetically pleasing too, although we didn’t really spend too much time with the shells, haha. Easily a must-​order if you like a spicier broth and the meatiness of mussels.
As mentioned before, the staff was very friendly and chatty, in addition to being very efficient and helpful. While it’s reasonably priced for seafood, it’s definitely pricey if you’re eating solo, so bring a date or a few friends so you can share a bunch of things. Make sure to come on an off-​peak time to avoid lines. Also, note that they open late in the afternoon on Sundays, so sadly, there’s no hope of a Sunday oyster brunch.
The menu may not be as diverse as that of Swan Oyster Depot, but it is straightforward, and the flavors are immense and delicious. Anchor will likely be one of my first return stops on my future trips to SF. I still have yet to try their famous cioppino, so that’ll have to be a priority next time.

I had saved up enough OpenTable points to cash out on a $ 100 voucher and decided to spend it all at Anchor Oyster Bar. Even though they don’t take OpenTable reservations, they do in fact take out OpenTable vouchers. So boyfriend and I decided to have a casual lunch here to celebrate our anniversary.
I did some research before heading here (naturally) and decided that we’d definitely order the cioppino and clam chowder. It was pretty early when we arrived (1130am) so we didn’t go too crazy on the raw stuff, which I’ll be sure to try next time.
For the two of us we ordered the small cioppino, garlic butter crab (half order) that also comes with a cup of chowder (additional $ 1 for a bowl instead) and garlic bread.
We came to the conclusion that we are not cioppino fans. Granted, it was our first time having this dish, and we both were not over the moon about it. It’s definitely an acquired taste and could cause some pretty intense heartburn with all that tomato. The chowder however was delicious and so far the best I’ve had in SF — not at all too salty, with plentiful chunks of clams and potatoes. The garlic bread was delicious and boyfriend was a little upset that we only ordered the half order and demanded that we order a larger size (*fatty alert*). As for the garlic butter crab, this was probably the winner between the two entrees. The sauce was delicious and the crab was not too hard to crack. I mean, we were given all the tools we needed to do so successfully: tiny forks and crab crackers.
Our bill came out to about $ 80. OpenTable lets you know to give your server a heads up before using the check so when I whipped out my phone (OT says its okay to have it on mobile or print out) our server was a little thrown off by it and initially wasn’t sure if they took it, even after I confirmed the name of the restaurant and address. Anyway, after a quick call to her boss, she said it was allowed and took down the information.
All in all, our experience was good — solid 3.5 — 4 stars. The food was good, service was okay, only thing however is that it may have been a better idea to have dinner here instead of lunch — we just didn’t want to wait in a crazy line, so we made sure to visit when they first opened. I’d love to try their raw stuff next time.

It’s no wonder why there’s always a longass line.
To avoid it, come during off hours. I happened to be walking by on a Saturday at 3 PM and we were seated right away. So glad I was just randomly in the Castro that day at that time.
CIOPINNO — best I’ve had in the city so far. It’s the perfect flavor (balance of tomato and seafood flavor) and texture (not too thick or thin). And man, does it come with a shitton of seafood. Definitely good to share between multiple people and a good bang for your buck.
CRABCAKES — I’m pretty sure these are the best crabcakes I’ve had to date as well. They give you ACTUAL crab and don’t cheapen it up with batter.
CLAM CHOWDER — AAAAAAND yup, you guessed it. solid as well. One of the top clam chowders I’ve had, too.
Come here if you want amazing seafood done right. Hopefully you won’t have to wait too long!

LOVE. JUST LOVE.
I’m old, okay? Gone are the days I’ll happily wait in line for food (IN THE COLD, MIND YOU), but for this place I make an exception. The ambience is nothing to write home about, but the seafood here is INCREDIBLE.
Our first time here we had a starter of clams and we knew we were in for a treat. They were perfectly done, with a generous portion in a delicious herbed wine garlic sauce. Next, we ordered the cioppino– a large (which scared the waiter) but we let him know we’d handle it ;].
The cioppino was just PERFECTION. The large was huge — definitely big enough for 3 – 4 but since the dude and I don’t really eat bread, it was the perfect amount. All the seafood was perfectly cooked, and the prawns were the size of my hand! The soup was also just out of this world too, I wish we had saved it for reuse at home. It was hot, garlicky and had just enough heat to give it great depth. We also had a nibble of the infamous garlic bread and immediately pushed it away– only because it was way too good to stop eating. It was soft inside and crispy on top, layered with tons of yummy parmesan and garlic. People ordered extra sides of JUST the bread, and I can see why. All the food we had that day was literally lick-​your-​plate good food.
We sat at the bar which we were originally bummed about, but the bartender was so funny and nice that he made it a real joy. This really is the best cioppino I’ve had in my life– and well worth the wait! A quintessential sample of food the bay area is famous for.
Totally perfect as a casual date spot :)

First things first — get to Anchor Oyster Bar early (or at least be prepared to wait)! It’s a small and cute restaurant but much like many oyster bars I’ve been to, seating is limited and comes on a first come, first serve basis. At the very least, they’re nice enough to call your name a few times and try to accommodate if you don’t hear your name.
Now, let’s say you finally get into the restaurant. It’s bustling; it’s busy with waiters all around. The restroom requires you to go past the kitchen so you get to see a bit of the workshop and that’s small too!
Finally seated — what do you see? You get a two-​page spread menu filled with seafood goodies. Now, it could have been my hungry stomach from the wait or the actual food itself but everything we had was very solid. We had the following interesting delicacies:
Dungeness crab: Coming in ½ and full orders, the full order for two was more than enough. Lots of crab pieces (and yes, you’ll have to dig in with your hands… wish they gave towel wipes). The crab was cooked well; the garlic sauce delicious (wipe that bread in there!) and all the sauces/​condiments you need were at your side.
Garlic bread: All the Unilocalers recommend it and yea… you do get a complimentary loaf of bread but the garlic bread is just buttery, garlic goodness that fits perfectly with the rest of the seafood. Well worth it (also comes in ½ and full varieties — the ½ was more than enough for a party of 2)
Clam chowder: Only got a cup but it was solid — nothing more, nothing less (and a cup came with the crab entrée!)
Pricing-​wise, for two, it ended up being around $ 60ish which wasn’t too shabby. So if you don’t mind the wait, the small premises and the busy hustle — seafood lovers are in for a treat.

Wenn man in San Francisco ist, darf man dieses Lokal im beliebten Viertel Castro auf keinen Fall auslassen!
Das Ding gibt es seit rund 30 Jahren und ist gegen Abend richtig Voll.
Aber dann macht es erst richtig Spaß! Denn der Chef persönlich schreibt euren Namen auf eine Tafel vor dem Lokal. Dann muss man warten bis was frei wird, und der Chef kommt raus und liest nacheinander die Namen der Liste und wer vor Ort ist, darf rein. Das klingt nervig, und ist auch mit Sicherheit keine Unternehmung wenn man wenig Zeit mitbringt, wir haben rund eine Stunde gewartet, aber es warten andere mit einem und man kommt ins Gespräch und lernt spannende Leute kennen.
Ein Erlebnis!
Zum Essen: Nur soviel, es waren die besten und frischesten Austern meines Lebens.