Orange Anchor

Orange Anchor was the venue for a farewell and birthday party, we were told the drinks would be happy hour prices until closing. It was packed due to party that we attended and usual Saturday night crowd. There was a wait at bar which was understanble, lots of people vying for drinks; however, after being looked over a few times. The gentleman standing next to me, made a motion to get bartender’s attention that was not received well, which my have been perceived as agressiv, but to the contrary! Eventually, the bartender took my order for Margarita and can Corona, cost $ 19.00.
The Margarita was the worst drink that I have ever tasted in all of my years of drinking, it was God awful… I didn’t drink it, left it on the table and walked away. Later in the night, I ordered two (2) Tito’s vodka and Soda that tasted like Tonic water; however, the bartender was much nicer and more accommodating, cost $ 22.00 My counter part thought the vodka and soda was distasteful, so he gave his drink away, and ordered a can Corona.
I happened to touch the bar while waiting for the first drinks ordered and the bar had so much spillage that my hand and forearm we’re sticky, nothing a wipe down could have handled.
Disappointingly yours,

While I still give the overall experience 2 stars I am THRILLED that the manager responded to my Unilocal review. Not all managers respond to reviews. She said she is training staff to improve areas that are lacking. She even commented on the nutella drink. She invited us back but sadly we won’t be going to DC anytime soon.
If we were closer I would take her up on that offer. It’s great that she cares enough to respond and improve the business.

You sit on a throne of lies!!!
We only entered and ordered this bar because there was a large sign sitting out the front stating that they had a happy hour with cheap drinks and $ 1 oysters.
After sitting and ordering, we were then informed that the happy hour was only certain days, although the sign didn’t state this. Why would you put out the sign if the happy hour wasn’t available today. And if you are going to put the sign out on a NON-​happy-​hour day, make it clearly read the days that it is valid for.

Bad, bad (bad) food. I mean shockingly bad food. I can look past poor service, atmosphere, ambiance, etc., but when the food is on par with an average 8^th grade home-​ec. student’s culinary skill, there is an issue.
Opted for the black bean and mushroom veggie burger with avocado and a cilantro lime yogurt, which sounds delightful. Unfortunately it may have been a microwaved frozen veggie burger from Food Lion with loose, dry beans and mushrooms on it, including a small amount of crusty (what i’m assuming was meant to be) yogurt sauce.
The Bloody Mary situation is difficult to wrap my head around as it was clearly V8. I’m saying only V8. After struggling to choke down four of them I would’ve been okay to pilot a helicopter (read: probably no vodka in it). To be fair the menu didn’t explicitly say that the Bloody Mary included vodka…
Most shockingly: the ketchup. Fries come with a literal tablespoon of ketchup in a small plastic cup, which is okay if when you ask for more they just brought out the bottle (like any other restaurant ever). However, I got one more tablespoon of ketchup. Now, I don’t know how hard ketchup hits the bottom line of a restaurant, but I think I learned today, how little I know about restaurants.
You’re honestly better off at an Applebee’s

If I could give this restaurant 0 stars, I would. I am now sitting at a different restaurant after walking out of Orange Anchor and writing this review. It was probably one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had and the first time I have ever walked out of a restaurant. Normally I am a very patient and understanding person, but I don’t think anything I experienced at this restaurant was acceptable.
I came here with my parents because there was no wait. Other restaurants around the area had a long wait time so we settled for this place. Big mistake! We were standing around by the door for about 5 minutes waiting for someone to acknowledge us; I guess they had no hostess and the servers were just walking by nonchalantly. First impressions are important to me and this was just a disaster from the start. We were finally seated at a wobbly, dirty table and it took about 10 minutes for our server to finally greet us. We ordered our drinks and entrees right away: 2 shrimp and lobster rolls and a avocado jalapeño burger. While we were waiting for our food, I witnessed 3 parties walk in and walk back out because no one had acknowledged them while they were standing there for 5 – 10 minutes. Ridiculous. They seemed really understaffed and the staff just didn’t seem to know what they were doing. I even saw a guy who was sitting outside come in with the menu because no one had came out to take his order. Even after speaking to someone, he still waited for a good while until someone finally came outside. It seemed like they were really backed up on orders because when we looked around, we noticed that many tables didn’t have their entrees yet. We waited an hour and our food still hadn’t come out. So we flagged down a server and told him that if the order is not in, then to just cancel it. He told our server and she said it would be another «5 – 10 minutes.» My dad just asked if he could pay for the drinks and she said not to worry about it and apologized for the wait because they were «busy.» Horrible.

My parents were visiting from Dallas and we’re super impressed. This is just off of the waterfront in Georgetown, so no views of the water, but you can see the fountain which is pretty day and night.
If you are calling around Georgetown waterfront and can’t snag a reservation, definitely try here.
We had the crab fritters, lobster mac and cheese, mussels, and a shrimp and lobster roll. for drinks we had a few of the the blonde hunny ale and a lemon crush. All of the food was good and the staff was very friendly. Serving sizes were normal and pricing was normal. Nothing exceptional here to boost to 5 stars, but it definitely did the trick.
I want to come back here, I feel like this place would have a good vibe for brunch.

So they got two stars only bc they’re clean and the location is nice by the water. We ordered cocktails and a crab claw cocktail that came with literally 3 claws for $ 15. They were bland and the meat was dry and fell apart like they had been frozen and over boiled. When the food runner dropped them off at the table, he couldn’t even say ‘here are your crab claws’. He literally walked to the table, plopped the plate down and said ‘crab claw’ and walked away. We kind of sat there and chuckled a bit. It felt like an episode of punked. Would I come back? Never.

My friend and I went here on a lazy summer Sunday for lunch and a few beers. The service was clumsy at best, and just seemed like nobody knew what to do. It was not busy yet our drink orders took forever to come out and they completely forgot one to the point that we gave up. For whatever reason, you don’t get a single good server, buy instead a cadre of servers that don’t communicate with each other. One of us had no silverware for 10 minutes after the hot meal had been served. I got up and took the silverware off of another table since the servers took forever.
The food was not bad, but was not good either. The oysters were terribly shucked. As someone that’s YouTubed oyster shucking, I can tell you that you don’t want crunchies in your oysters. Well, all 12 of our oysters had crunchies. And they had drained the juice out before serving. That’s just not right. Poor shucking!
Location is excellent. Not coming back though as the service put a damper on our meal.

The waterfront is a beautiful location and Orange Anchor’s décor is perfect for the environment but don’t waste your time with their unacceptable service and nasty attitude.
It wasn’t too busy but took 15 minutes for a bartender to acknowledge my friend & me standing at the corner of a small bar. We were there for a charity event and ordered the advertised drink specials. However, the check reflected full prices and I was yelled at when I asked them to honor the advertised specials, actually yelled at, by the bar tender and then again by the manager. The bar tender and manager were angry about a miscommunication between the hosting group and decided to take their anger out on the patrons. Orange Anchor acted completely irresponsible, blaming the hosting org for all issues even though Orange Anchor was a partner in the event, even if it was simply by being the hosting venue.
On top of their nasty attitudes, they screwed over the customers. The manager was so irrational and rude that I gave up, paid, and left while other customers fought over the same issue. It was a disgusting display of behavior, and an unprofessional response to their own disorganization.
It burns more when you’re excited to try a place but then the staff treats you terribly. It’s such a good location, I’ll try it again when they inevitably wind up under new management.

Sometimes you’re just craving a drink that isn’t completely fruity like a piña colada but also doesn’t knock you off your feet like a bourbon concoction. I was specifically craving an orange crush on the 4^th when my friends were hanging out by the waterfront, and we decided to stop in Orange Anchor specifically for their orange crush. It was made perfectly here, and they had other «crushes» such as a grapefruit crush which was surprisingly delicious and not overly tart.
Post fireworks, we sampled the Lobster Mac N Cheese, Fried Brussel Sprouts, and Gouda Mashed Potatoes along with their complimentary Old Bay Popcorn. They were all delicious, and coupled with outdoor seating, made for a great night!

Went here today for Father’s Day with my kids. We left because even though they were not crowded, we sat there for 10 minutes and the server had not come to our table yet. A busboy came and brought us water and I had a question about the menu and he said he would send the server over. Server never showed.
I told the hostess why we were leaving and she just said «OK». They must get that a lot.
Terrible customer service. Never going back.
Walked next door to Nick’s and was greeted, seated, and served in 10 minutes. My kids and I have a new favorite restaurant. It’s not Orange Anchor.

Comfort & comfort food! On a hot sunny day I found comfort (shade and a cool breeze from the fountain) and comfort food along the Georgetown Waterfront at the Orange Anchor.
The manager Brian told me this restaurant specializes in rum and seafood so I indulged in their signature Lobster Mac N’ Cheese. It’s buttery chunks of lobster meat from Maine swimming in FIVE different kinds of cheese and cavatappi pasta noodles. I sat there and slowly ate the entire thing feeling happy, giddy and guilty the entire time. LOL. It is OH so good!
I also tried out the Grilled Romaine Cesar Salad. Honestly this was my attempt to counter the cheesy decadence with some healthy veggies. The salad was great, but since they grill it, it’s not super healthy. Next time I will opt for the house salad which is called the Anchor Salad. nom nom nom.
My rum drink of choice was the «Sex on a Boat.» It’s sort of like a piña colada. super sweet and ideal for a warm spring/​summer day.
The staff was light and easy breezy. I commend the host for knowing the menu. This came in handy as i tried to decide WHICH of the waterfront restaurants to try out that evening. So if you’re looking for a dinner date location, I recommend the Orange Anchor.

Orange Anchor is probably one of the frattiest restaurants I have ever been to, which I guess makes a lot of sense being in the heart of the Georgetown waterfront. So much so they serve beer cans in koozies. There are vineyard vine whales all over and the waiters sport sperrys and VV ties.
At best Orange Anchor is a tiny step above your average Red Lobster in terms of décor and food quality. I question the quality of our drinks — we ordered Absolute Tonics and at best got rail liquor — yuck.
In terms of food, eating at Orange Anchor is like eating a stick of butter. My mussels were all butter, the lobster roll was all butter. The clams casino were mushy and made of, you guessed it, BUTTER. Everything was edible but certainly not the best seafood I’ve encountered in DC or on the waterfront. The only highlight of the meal was the old bay popcorn and then the old bay french fries.
I would come back for a fratty drink but certainly look elsewhere for nautical themed food.

What a great place! The food was tasty and the drinks were too.
We sat at the big table closest to the river and we discovered that not being at one of the places on the river was great, because you’re out of the sun.
The lobster roll and the mussels were excellent! We will definitely return.

Visited Orange Anchor for a late lunch on a Sunday and left very pleased. Definitely try to get outdoor seating if you are able, so you can have a view of the fountain, Georgetown waterfront, and all of the great people watching that comes with it. Orange Anchor is also dog friendly — they even provided their own dog dish and checked in our puppy regularly to make sure she had enough water.
The food was really good. We enjoyed the lobster mac and cheese (this is a must), the lobster roll (mayo-​based rather than butter, good, but there are better options), and crab fritters (very tasty). The brussell sprouts with bacon were the table’s favorite.
The service was good and the wait staff was friendly. They were fairly busy and it showed as it took some time for the order and the check. However, given our view, we weren’t complaining. While Farmers, Fishers, and Bakers might be the more popular option, Orange Anchor should be your choice if you cannot get into FFB.

We missed our Farmers Fishers Bakers reservation and noticed that this was a new place to eat on the Waterfront. We decided to eat outside but realized soon this was a bad idea (windy and cold). If it was a nice day though, the view would be great.
The only qualms I had about this place was the service. Our waiter read our menu to us and service was very slow even though there were not a lot of people in the restaurant. My friend and I started with the crab fritters which were just okay.
It was brunch time so I ordered the Orange Zest pancakes and my friend ordered the Crab Eggs Benedict. My pancakes were SO big but good. My friend seemed to like her food as well but we both were not able to finish our food.
Overall, I would definitely go back. I’m curious to try their dinner options because the food was delicious. The service needs to get better though! A restaurant on the waterfront can’t afford to have sluggish workers.

The food and atmosphere are amazing unfortunately the service is horrific. I went here on a Sunday afternoon for brunch with five friends and 4 of us received our meal, my meal came 20 minutes after. I would have hoped it was a minor error; however, it took us 10 minutes to get seated when we had a reservation, the waiter didn’t even serve us water and or drinks took at least 15 minutes to come. If you want to waste your time instead of eating, come to this restaurant.
This just in: my friend and I shared a fork for our meal.
This just in part 2: friend went to restroom and had to try 3 different stalls to find toilet paper.

I’ve been to Orange Anchor twice for lunch and once for happy hour. At both lunches I’ve gotten their nicoise salad and liked it a lot. I can see, based on ingredient/​plating changes, they’re still playing around… good things happening there. I wish they gave more tuna for the pricetag, but it’s still a nice, enjoyable salad.
My regret with Orange Anchor is about my most recent lunch. My colleague ordered a tuna roll for lunch. She asked the server how big it was, and he indicated that it’s a good lunch portion and stated she’d get six or seven nice pieces. When the roll arrived I was stunned. It was five tiny pieces, maybe each the diameter of a quarter and half an inch tall. Five pieces for $ 14. That’s almost $ 3 a piece. She had to ask for a second order just so she had enough to eat, but that still came in at $ 28! For barely enough food for lunch…
I understand that this dish is listed under the «Small Bites» section of the menu and I feel that this pricing is WAY off. Regardless, the servers need to better guide patrons. It seems very inappropriate that our server not only overstated the portion size but didn’t tell my colleague that she was ordering a very small dish for what was clearly lunch. And when he saw that the portion size was considerably smaller than he’d stated, he didn’t say anything, didn’t offer anything, etc.
So I like Orange Anchor, I’m just really disappointed in that portion/​pricing and then how they handled it. My colleague was too nice to say anything; had it been me, I’d have complained immediately.

3.5 Stars. I stopped by Orange Anchor last night for the soft opening. The restaurant is located at the waterfront by Nick’s. The restaurant is fairly small-​ish with a whole lot of nautical theme going on everywhere. It’s cute. Girls will love it. It’s more casual than Farmers Fishers Bakers and I think it would be a great date spot for someone looking to do a not too fancy first date.
The menu while seafood focused has something for everyone. The food overall was inconsistent.
Fried oysters
The fried oyster batter was too thick in consistency. Perhaps I have never had it with cornmeal batter but it was too mealy and heavy.
Scallops and foie gras
The scallops and foie gras on a sweet corn purée with a balsamic reduction was really great. The scallop was not overcooked and the foie gras gave it a really nice meaty feel to it. This was most likely the best dish of the evening. As a side note, I do think if I was paying full price, I would want at least three scallops though. So be forewarned, you only get two scallops in the dish at a whooping $ 7 per piece.
Filet with peppercorn sauce
The filet was pretty massive. The cut was tender and arrived at the proper temperature. I felt the bourbon peppercorn sauce it sat in was overwhelming for the meat.
Twin lobster tails
The lobster tails were from some hefty sized lobsters. I had to do a double take when they arrived. I found them to be slightly overcooked. The butter sauce it sat in was nice but the meat was a little rubbery.
Anchor dog
The hot dog was pretty good sized. (I should hope since its $ 14). There was a lot going on with it when it came out but after a bite realized it was a tad overcooked. I would recommend not doing the hot dog.
Lobster mac and cheese
The lobster mac and cheese was pretty darn good. It was decadent and rich and oh so cheesy with chunks of lobster in it. If you get a chance, order the mac and cheese!
Service was very friendly. Jokes were made, laughs were had. It was all very good.
Orange Anchor is a great new addition to the waterfront area!

We went on the first night of Orange and Anchor’s soft opening and it was so crowded. Luckily, they accept reservations through OpenTable, even with the 50% off your entire tab deal.
There were some hiccups in service and food, but nothing that will keep me from returning. The staff was friendly and efficient, and there were so many of them. As soon as we were seated, various people came by to drop off flutes for the free champagne, water, and old bay popcorn on the house.
A few favorites from dinner: sex on the boat cocktail (another interpretation of piña colada), lobster tails drenched in rum buerre blanc, seared scallops and foie gras (absolute fav), raw oysters, and lobster mac & cheese.
Things to pass on: crab fritters were way over fried and pork chop was too salty.
The small plates really are tiny and would be suitable for two people max, with one bite per person! The entrée items are all a la carte.
The nautical them is so cute and the design is spot on. Like, they are truly committed to anchors and knots! I really wanna wear a sailing outfit the next time I come! Ha!
It’s at Georgetown Waterfront, so good luck finding parking. Otherwise, there is a pricey lot that’s always open. Not sure if they validate.
Our waitress told us they have happy hour with $ 1 oysters. I am so coming back!