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    Anchor Oyster Bar

    4.5 (1.8k reviews)
    ModerateSeafood
    Closed 2:00 pm - 8:00 PM
    Updated 2 months ago

    Anchor Oyster Bar Photos

    Business Info

    ANCHOR OYSTER BAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Anchor Oyster Bar

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    Reviews With Photos - Anchor Oyster Bar

    Cioppino
    Manny Y.

    I came here for a late lunch but it ended up being an early dinner. I arrived around 2:40 and was seated about an hour later for one person. Maybe, it's because it's Memorial Day. I ordered Cioppino. This dish is a San Francisco classic fisherman's stew. It came with dungenuous crab, clams fish and mussels in a tomato broth. It has oregano and thyme herbs you can smell and taste them. It is hearty. However, I had 2 clams and 1 mussel that did not open so I didn't eat them. The dish is hearty for one person and I was full. The wait staff here are friendly and accommodating. The place is small with tables and bat seating. There are 3 outdoor tables.

    Caesar salad with crab meat
    Grace C.

    Really fresh seafood. The Caesar salad with crab meat was amazing. Cioppino was the reason why we came here. It was good. But my favorite was the salad.

    cute bathroom
    Criss N.

    An SF institution for a reason!! This small, intimate seafood bar on Castro St. is the perfect way to fuel up while exploring the city. Anchor Oyster Bar will likely have a wait all day, most times of day. However, there are lots of shops to stop into nearby where you can still call your name if called.  The reason to stop in? Their cioppino. A hearty, tomato-based seafood stew chocked full of fresh bay seafood like mussels, clams, crab, shrimp, and white fish. It's served hot and with a side of garlic bread. Do yourself a favor and order an extra side or two of garlic bread to sop up all of that delicious soup. We also got the seafood platter to try a variety of oysters and their shrimp cocktail, which were all delicious. Steamed claims in garlic butter was an obvious order. No regrets. Highly recommended for a good, hearty, true San Francisco lunch.

    Charles L.

    I love a good Cioppino and Anchor Oyster Bar does it extremely well. Can't wait to come back!

    Exterior
    Elvis N.

    Made the trip up to SF yesterday with my bro with the intention of going to Swan Oyster, but they were closed for maintenance so it gave me the opportunity to finally check Anchor Oyster off the Yelp bookmarks. Some things were meant to be. First things first, get your name on that whiteboard asap. We arrived early before opening, but didn't know you had to put your name up. One 10 min mistake created an hour wait. Wasn't too bad though -- they have a cute comfy seating area out front with anchor themed throw blankets. Staff comes by often asking if you want drinks as you wait. Line does move slow because of the limited seating, but if you have an hour to spare it's worth it. Food was excellent. They're known for their cioppino, but I enjoyed it all. You make the decision of yes/no on the cioppino first cuz that dictates the scope of your meal. Waiter is conservative with estimates so I'll share what we had in total which I believe is best for two people: - two beers on draft - small cioppino (the large is enormous); includes a bit of garlic bread - crab cake entree; includes a cup of clam chowder and 6 pieces of roasted potatoes - an extra cup of clam chowder - full order of the Anchor Special (12 oysters, 8 steamed clams in butter sauce, 4 prawns) - combination seafood cocktail Oysters were very fresh. Had a mix of local hog island miyagis and Washington oysters. Mignonette here is different - balsamic vinegar based so it's more briny and salty vs my usual bright preference. Very tasty, poured throughout. Clam chowder was surprisingly good. I love clam chowder. Top 5 fav foods for me and if a place isn't chowder-specific I have low expectations. Chowder here exceeded it. I'm getting a bowl next time. Crab cake was textbook - crisp exterior, fluffy interior with a well-paired tartar sauce & lemon wedge. If you like crab cakes, you'll like them. If you don't, then this won't sway you but worth trying. Combination seafood cocktail to me is the most underrated thing we ordered. Hella seafood at a reasonable price. I'd get one just for myself next time. Choose this over the salad... but I never choose salad to begin with so there's that. The cioppino comes last because it's messy. You get a plastic bin and a pair of crab crackers. Very attentive staff clearing and swapping plates throughout the meal. The service was excellent. It's a very earthy, thyme-forward tomato stew base. Whole lotta brine cuz of the pile of seafood. I give it the edge over Sotto Mare cuz there's no filler here. To wrap it up, I had a fantastic time. At the end I was trying to see where I'd stack it against Swan. But now writing this review, I'm putting them in different lanes in the same swimming pool err ocean. Swan is where I go for the gritty, nostalgic buzz. Anchor isn't a 1:1 alternative -- it's a different swim lane, better for a relaxed, cohesive early dinner experience.

    Cute
    Michelle P.

    We were in the neighborhood when husband said hey didn't you want to try that Cioppino in the Castro? I said YEAH! Showed up and added our name to the wait list on a late Monday afternoon - waited about 30 minutes, walking around the neighborhood - we were seated outside in the street in their Covid seating - love that they kept it - it was a beautiful day, sunny, not too hot - started with champagne and ordered some oysters, their fun crab deviled eggs, and the famous cioppino - amd loved every bit of it! The cioppino was full of fun stuff - fish and clams and crab - oh my! Lots of it! The eggs were fun and delicious, as were the oysters. The waiter was fun and very interactive, and brought me extra napkins - I had a second glass of champagne that I had been thinking about - why not? I'm not driving and we were celebrating my husbands release from the hospital up the road at CPMC! So glad we finally came here!

    Cioppino
    Ted C.

    Super fresh and delicious seafood with friendly service. Came here on a Sunday ~15-minutes before opening and there was already a small line gathering, luckily we were able to be seated outside quickly. For such a distinguished restaurant this place definitely lives up to their reputation. Seafood was fresh and flavorful, the anchor special, clam chowder and prawns definitely stood out for me, however I'd order everything (garlic bread, anchor special, deviled eggs, shooters, Bloody Mary, cioppino) again. I'd recommend the chowder, anchor special, and cioppino if it's your first time to try a little bit of everything they have to offer (and Bloody Mary if it's your cup of tea).

    Kristi Y.

    OMG this is officially my favorite spot for cioppino!! Came here for a girlfriend's birthday and we were ready to feast. I had the Caesar salad with crab and they gave a generous amount of crab meat. We also had 12 oysters to share and they were all clean and kind of meaty. The crab cake was so so good, the outside was fried to perfection, and the inside was full of crab meat. My friend really wanted to try the seared scallops and personally I am not a fan of scallops, but when she said these were the softest and most tender scallops she had ever tried, I was like, fine, I must try this and I totally agree with her. Our main entrée was the cioppino and we ordered a small, which had so much seafood and definitely feeds 2-3 people. The garlic bread in the cioppino was also really good! I'm already thinking about my next visit!

    Crab sandwich (special)
    Caly T.

    Amazing fresh seafood spot!! Very friendly service and love the cozy relaxed vibes. Felt like home with the smaller amount of seating but the noise level was nice. Check out their specials of the day menu before deciding what to get! - Crab burger (special) 5/5: fresh crab portions in this burger, just slightly mayo'd, perfect proportion with the tomato and lettuce - Clam Chowder 4.5/5: creamy and seasoned just right! Only wished for a bit more clams - Cioppino 5/5: best in the city! The tomato broth was nice and thick, seafood was fresh and cooked just right! Nice seafood medley of crab, mussels, clams, shrimp and white fish! Garlic bread on top went so well, needed to order another side of it. - Oysters 4/5: the specials were from B.C. and did not beat our local oysters up north

    Always check the board (or your neighbor's plate) AND ask about the specials.
    Judy F.

    I was picking up something just down the street when I noticed there was no wait at Anchor Oyster Bar. Granted it was a bit in the early side for dinner. Sat at the counter and looked at the specials. And decided I had to have the pan seared dayboat scallops. That Meyer lemon beurre blanc that came with it was so delicious, I switched to eating them with a spoon so I could enjoy as much as the sauce as I could. And I also had the fresh Dungeness crab stuffed petrale sole because the gent next to me had it and it looked amazing. It was.

    Cup of Clam Chowder
    Diego T.

    We came, we saw, we slurped the sea. My friends and I decided to hit up Anchor Oyster Bar after falling down the delicious YouTube rabbit hole of Mark Wiens food reviews. And thank you, Mark because this place was chef's kiss seafood heaven. ‍ We got there before they opened at 2 PM like we were waiting for Taylor Swift tickets, Why? Because we don't play when it comes to fresh fish and flavor explosions . Pro tip: Get there early unless you enjoy watching other people eat while you stand outside drooling like a lost seagull. We started off with the clam chowder . Hands down the best I've ever had. Creamy, comforting, and basically a hug in a bowl . With that cold San Francisco wind slapping us in the face while we sat outside like brave little food warriors, it hit the soul different . Next up: Caesar salad . I know it's a salad, but WHY did it slap so hard?! That cheesy dressing and the homemade croutons deserve their own Yelp individual review. Lettuce so fresh I felt like I was on a farm-to-table cooking show . Then came the scallops--so creamy and delicate . The crab cakes? Let's just say I took a bite and briefly left my body . And finally... the Cioppino . This dish deserves its own national holiday . Every bite was like tasting a new secret from Poseidon's diary ‍--clams, shrimp, fish, lobster--it was like an edible treasure chest . And don't even think about skipping the garlic toasted bread . Dip it in the broth or you didn't actually eat here. That's the rule . Major shoutout to Alex, our waiter . Part food poet , part seafood sommelier . The way he described the dishes... I was ready to order the entire ocean . His words were smooth, passionate, and buttery--just like my scallops . Small interior , a few outdoor tables , but BIG flavor and even bigger heart . Yeah, you're gonna wait . But is it worth it? Absolutely. This place isn't a hidden gem--it's a sparkly crown jewel sitting right in the open daring you to come get your life changed. 10/10 would sell a kidney to eat here again.

    Cup of Boston Clam Chowder
    Amber F.

    Anchor Oyster Bar is a small restaurant located on Castro. They have both (limited) indoor and outdoor seating. I went on a Sunday around 5:15 PM with a party of 4 and was seated about 40-50 minutes later. They have a limited staff and it seems to be always busy, so expect a wait. The hosts and waiters are nice and friendly. There is street parking. I ordered a cup of clam chowder, Steamed Shellfish Combination, crab cake entree, and bread & butter. The clam chowder was very creamy, but I wished it had more of a clam flavor. The shellfish combination was good and I love the broth (just wish it was a bigger portion). It was my first time trying crab cakes and I'm honestly not a fan. Overall, this spot is a good location to grab lunch or dinner. It was $110 including tip for 4 people, but we had smaller portions. Would I come back? Maybe; I wish they served pasta.

    Joanne G.

    Loved my experience at Anchor Oyster Bar. We arrived around 1:30 to put our names down for the 2 PM open. We were able to be seated right away for 2 when the restaurant opened. Service was great and nothing felt rushed. We ordered a half size of the anchor oyster special (6 oysters, 2 prawns, and clams), clam chowder, scallops, and the crab cake entree. Seafood was incredibly fresh and refreshing. Only dish we didn't love was the scallops, which were a bit too salty. However, this didn't take away from an absolutely delicious meal. We were stuffed at the end.

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    2 months ago

    The food is wonderful, the service folks are lovely and it the place has been here since i came here years ago. Wonderful place.

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    Anchor Oyster Bar Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Anchor Oyster Bar

    What form of payment do they take?

    Happy hour menu?

    No.

    What day do they have their oyster deal on?

    How likely are they to seat a group of 6?

    They have outdoor seating that may accomodate a group of six, no reservations though

    What is the best time to go with the least amount of wait time? Is 4:40 pm a good time?

    Ohhh mannnn! 4:40 is better than 6! Anything after 5 requires a wait. Out of all the times I've been there, the shortest wait for me is on Saturday, just before they open for lunch. But I've only tried this once so not sure if it was… Read more

    What happened to all the ol crew? Went 5/20/17-no mama no papa no michael...

    Don't know the answer because I don't go often enough. Once in a while but love Anchor. As I'm sure you know they're pretty nice so I'd ask a current employee.

    View All 10 Questions

    You might also consider

    Sotto Mare

    Sotto Mare

    4.3
    (5.9k reviews)
    3.1 mi
    $$$
    Outdoor seating
    Family-owned & operated

    Amazing cioppino and amazing scallops. They cook all the seafood perfectly. Lemon butter caper…read moresauce on everything Service is old school and great. The restaurant has great decor - you can feel it's been open and they've been perfecting their craft for decades.

    I'm a hospitality specialist that works in SFO and some customers of mine recommended this place. I…read moregoogled them, took one look at the cioppino and it was official: I KNEW what I wanted for my birthday. I talked about going to this place for weeks. Finally the day was upon us. I had called ahead to check on the foot traffic and to determine the best time to get there. As they open at 11:30, after speaking with someone over the phone the week before, my wife and I determined the best time to get there was 12:30pm, they don't take reservations for parties of 2. We arrived, saw they already had a wait but were on the list by 12:30pm. We were told the wait would be 30 minutes. No problem. We received the buzzer from them and walked around the block and ended up two restaurants down the street around 12:50pm. At 1:09pm, the buzzer still hadn't gone off and my wife, who went in initially to put us on the list, went back in to check on the status of our table. At the host stand, she heard the manager tell a woman who clearly didn't have a reservation she would be sat in 3 minutes. After hearing that, my wife showed the manager the buzzer we had been given and asked, "So how much longer for us?" The manager replied "It may be another 10 minutes." We then watched them scramble to clear a table and immediately give the table to the woman who had arrived after us. Upon this disappointment we decided to leave because if they can't get something simple like seating guests respectfully right, I can only imagine what else they'll screw up. People don't remember what you do... They remember how you made them feel. As a hospitality professional, not only was this experience totally unavoidable but it left me feeling disrespected and not valued - as a customer; as a person. In being honest, I have to mention that, oddly enough, as I looked around during this disappointment I noticed that everyone seated and being rapidly seated were of one particular ethnic group. Everyone waiting was part of various minority groups which made this incident even more sickening - reinforcing our decision to not only choose to spend our money somewhere else on that day, but to never spend any money there... EVER. I was extremely excited to visit this place and to be shown this kind of treatment further proves that there are still some places that don't want minority dollars so much they simply don't care how they treat you. And unfortunately for them, I'm certainly sharing this experience with as many visitors to the city as I can letting them know "There a MANY fine places to eat in the city... but I'll tell you where NOT to go - unless you feel like being treated like a second-class citizen." Please check in with your personal values before choosing to support this place. Sotto Mare... you all really need to invest in some cultural sensitivity training. It's 2026. Highly disappointed.

    Photos
    Scallop saute
    Scallop saute
    Crecked Crab
    Crecked Crab
    Steamed clams and mussels is really fresh. And the portion is big!

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    Steamed clams and mussels is really fresh. And the portion is big!
    Hog Island Oyster

    Hog Island Oyster

    4.4
    (7.7k reviews)
    3.4 mi
    $$

    Killer fresh seafood! We generally come here if we're in town visiting the city. The ferry building…read moreis a cool spot to walk around and take in views of the Bay Bridge. So, try to grab a table outside. Service is always superb here - staff is very attentive. You can't go wrong w anything. Char grilled oysters (split 50/50 between jalepeño and chipotle bourbon) are a must. They come out piping hot and are massive. My wife ordered the mussels which she loves and I opted for shrimp and chips. Big meaty shrimp and well seasoned / cooked fries. If you're nearby, this is a must.

    Second time at Hog Island & this visit was certainly not as good as the last…read more Food: 5/5 - always, highly recommend the grilled oysters as an appetizer and then we had the steamers with pasta + the seafood stew. Both were fantastic. Ambiance: 3/5 - ambiance is just okay. It's right on the water so a nice view from the outdoor seating but nothing particularly outstanding about the restaurant itself in terms of decor or architecture. Service: 1.5/5 - huge miss. For the prices on this menu, I would expect service to be a lot better. We waited in line to be sat (no waiting list, just an old school line) and it took only 10 minutes or so to be sat but it was very bizarre, we were a party of 2 ready to be sat & she took the couple behind us and sat them first. No particular reasoning given. The host seemed to really not care about much. From there, service was odd. Our server didn't introduce herself and just asked us what we wanted. Again, not a necessity but you would think for somewhere you're paying $30+ per plate, service would be a bit better. An oyster holder was delivered to our table after we had already finished oysters. Glass was broken near our table and hastily swept up. Bussers were dropping silverware right next to our table. Again, just wasn't great ambiance or service. The food is good but there are other good restaurants in San Francisco. I would really only come here again with low service expectations.

    Photos
    Inside 05-2026
    Inside 05-2026
    Seafood Stew
    Seafood Stew
    Raw Oyster Bar Mix: a selection of the above oysters | $26 (6pcs)

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    Raw Oyster Bar Mix: a selection of the above oysters | $26 (6pcs)
    Seafood Station

    Seafood Station

    4.6
    (250 reviews)
    1.8 mi
    $$

    Seafood Station! This a family owned and run business and they are really sweet and offer GREAT…read morequality seafood. This is a clean small place with 8 tables and few bar tops. I ordered the baja tacos to-go. They come with two fried fish tacos and a side salad. Ok the side salad has a simple but delicious vinegrette! This order was also so big I could've shared with another person. You would think two tacos and a small side salad is enough for one person but the tacos were HUGE! The service was great and attentive but most importantly they have FRESH & QUALITY seafood! They have salads, pastas, seafood boils, sandwiches and a decent kids menu. A must try if you are in the Bernal Heights area!

    Let me start by saying my wife has eaten here many times and really likes the food..and the many…read morereturning customers while we were there the other day is a very good sign. I had steamed mussels with fries. There were not enough mussels because they were huge and the sauce was more a broth and not at all flavorful enough. I usually love sopping up every last drop of the juice. But the really disappointing aspect of our dinner was the service. There were 3 people behind the service station. All of them need a training course on how to pay attention to paying customers. Instead they were all engrossed in private conversation with each other or with one particular customer. And one of the staff was simply intimidating, and very very loud. I suspected his behavior may have been chemically induced. Our waitress was very sweet, cheerful and helpful when we could catch her attention. But as I said a 15 minute training exercise each evening before starting work would work wonders. Like look around each customer every time you are not doing anything. And the more senior staff member was just uninterested and perhaps a little grumpy. So the food was blah, more flavor in the broth would help, and ok but at today's prices a "dinner out" has to be about more than just the food.

    Photos
    Seafood Station
    1lbs Snow crab leg and 1lbs Crawfish, Cajun flavor
    1lbs Snow crab leg and 1lbs Crawfish, Cajun flavor
    Cioppino was delicious!!

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    Cioppino was delicious!!
    Woodhouse Fish

    Woodhouse Fish

    4.1
    (2.9k reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $$

    WHEN: Wed @11:45am…read more PARKING: Paid Metered Parking. A bit tricky since it's a busy area, but we managed to find one! Hung out around Hayes Valley with plans on checking out Japantown, sis and I got hungry and stumbled upon this spot. It wasn't too busy so we were seated right away! The decor inside was quite lovely and cute, too! Here's what we shared: LOBSTER ROLL - $29 (3oz) Chilled with Mayo, Celery & Chives OR Hot w/Butter. This also comes in 6oz for $57 but the smaller option is plenty! We chose the Hot w/Butter, so it looks like order a naked lobster on a roll, and it was quite good. We even asked for a side of melted butter which made it so much better! The roll was buttery, crisp and warm, and we both enjoyed it! BAJA STYLE FISH TACOS (3) - $22 Crispy Battered Cod with Cabbage, Chipotle Aioli, Pico de Gallo and Avocado. You have the option of ordering 2 tacos for $18, but I figured for just $4 more you get another one to take home! These tacos are quite hefty and filling, so one was enough for the each of us! These tacos battered Cod was light and airy, like tempura, and I asked for extra aioli on the side. This was so good! I'm so glad I ordered this!

    Could not have found a better place to end our SF vacation, cute restaurant, great staff, and even…read morebetter food. My kids and I shared a bunch of things and they made sure to bring us extra plates and utensils to divide the dishes. Clam chowder, great consistency and no bacon, just like I like it. We have the $1.25 oyster special, talk about a steal. Fish and chips. The fish melted in our mouths and fries were perfect. My first time having cioppino and it did not disappoint.

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Lobster Roll
    Lobster Roll
    Lobster Roll

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    Lobster Roll

    Anchor Oyster Bar - seafood - Updated July 2026

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