The Anchor
Address and Contact Information
Address: 235 Main St, Venice, CA 90291, USA
Phone: (310) 664-9696
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Customer Reviews
We were looking for a place to eat and my daughter was craving lobster bisque. Found the Anchor with a quick search. We walked to it but got nervous that it was empty on a Saturday evening. The hostess that greeted us was very friendly and we were hungry so we decided to stay. It turns out that most people canceled because of the tropical storm that was coming. Anyway we had a great dinner with great service. My daughter was happy with the lobster bisque but it was a little too much tomato flavor for me. I liked the clam chowder, and the Brussel sprouts were unique and totally worth a try. We also had the shrimp Tacos and the lobster roll. Both were really good.
In A Nutshell:
-If you are in the mood for some Lobster Rolls & Clam Chowder, then swing by The Anchor.
-It's constantly rated as one of the best seafood restaurants in L.A. county.
-The Lobster Roll comes with hunks of lobster & the bread could be the real winner out of the entire sandwich.
-The clam chowder is made w/ a lot of clam meat which is really, really good.
-I really enjoyed eating both, while guzzling a nice cold beer.
Overall, this is really good seafood restaurant w/ great service too.
We went on Wednesday night at 7pm for a birthday dinner. Parking was convenient on the street at a meter.
I liked everything we ordered except for the Lobster Mac and Cheese, which was really lacking in lobster and didn't have the ideal cheese but was cheesy enough. It would have been better with white cheddar or asiago or even both. I liked their attempt at making it crunchy with breadcrumbs, but it was just lacking in many ways.
We started with a dozen oysters, shrimp ceviche, roasted corn, and the calamari. The shrimp ceviche was my favorite as there was a generous serving of plump shrimp, and the flavors were on point. The calamari was my second favorite. The oysters were fresh and attractively priced at $24 per dozen. The corn was lightly sprinkled with shredded cheese and had good flavors, but I wouldn't order it again. We had Allagash and IPA with the appetizers.
For entrees, we had the lobster roll and octopus, both of which were fantastic. The lobster roll is served on toasted Hawaiian bread, and there is a very generous serving of truffled lobster with melted butter and chives. The octopus was plump and perfectly cooked. Both were excellent, and they went well with the bottle of white wine.
The atmosphere was comfortable for a bar-type restaurant but lacking in general. We had to "squeeze" 5 people inside their only booth indoors since it was chilly outside, and often times I had to move out of the way of passing servers when I was standing on the other side of the table. There were outdoor heaters, but our older parents felt it was too chilly to sit outdoors.
The live music outdoors was a nice touch, but the talent was somewhat subpar. The singer played guitar and his band mate played the trumpet, which you don't see everyday. They played mostly good songs, but their execution was a bit lacking.
Lastly, there are no dessert options, even though we were celebrating a birthday.
All in all, I would go back for the food, and their prices are better than similar restaurants in the area. But I wouldn't go back for a special occasion.
Good vibe. Had the Oysters, Lobster Mac n Cheese, Clam Chowder, and Lobster Tails. Oysters are supposedly out of season in June, but these were medium-sized and good. Lobster Mac n Cheese was a little thick for me, could a used a lil more cream. Lobster Tails were excellent and got three medium sized, seasoned and cooked perfectly. Hey, that Street Corn that comes with that dish was ridiculous, yum!
Came for the famous lobster roll I keep hearing about, but I ended up there at brunch and got the Lobster BLT.
WOW. This is probably the best biscuit I've ever had in my life, let alone the rest of the sandwich was perfect. The tomato was the most flavorful I've had all year, the bacon was thick and crispy, lobster super buttery and rich. The homemade potato wedges that came with it were next level as well.
My friend is vegan and he really enjoyed they're vegan version of their fish tacos. Loaded with fresh grilled veggies and rich guac.
Now I still need to come back for the lobster roll. But if you go for brunch try this BLT!