Anchor Oyster Bar

Today the hardy Tea Time Adventurers decided to brave the misty weather and visit the Castro. We were hungry, but none of the many restaurants seemed quite right, until we reached Anchor Oyster Bar. There wasn't a menu in the window, so we went to the Internet. After Anchor's site started to load very slowly on J.K.'s phone, we checked Yelp, which gave Anchor two dollar signs and a bunch of rave reviews. So we decided to splurge, and we're very glad we did.

The space is tiny, but it comes across as cozy, and the staff let us take a four-top, even though we got there just before the lunch rush. That gave us space to stash J.K.'s giant tote bag and Angela's backpack and bike helmet. There's a printed menu, but we didn't get any further than the specials board above the bar.

We started with oysters. Today's selection was Kusshi, BeauSoleil and St. Simone. We couldn't decide, so we ordered two of each.

Happy little oysters. And happy Adventurers!

We couldn't resist the crab "burger," a large pile of crab meat on an excellent roll. (Maybe we should blame imotiv and Scoma that we've got crab on the brain.) The staff at Anchor were nice enough to put the house made tartar sauce on the side so Angela could hoard it all.

This sandwich was definitely ready for its close-up.

The burger came with a bowl of clam chowder, which the staff split for us into two bowls. This special was a great choice, giving us the chance to try a little bit of everything in the Anchor seafood world.

You don't have to worry about running out of oyster crackers!

We needed a salad to go with all this seafood, so we chose the dinner salad with shrimp from the menu. The olives were Giant. Angela hasn't had olives like that in a long time, in fact she should ask where they come from next time we stop in for an oyster fix.

Fresh lettuce, Giant olives, perfectly ripe tomatoes and plenty of shrimp.

Altogether a delightful experience. The staff was attentive, pleasant and caring, and the food was delicious. The bill was a shock, but only because it was Less than we had anticipated after deciding we should splurge. Check out this gem to enjoy their generous portions and reasonable prices! Tea Time managed to hit it when there wasn't a line, so we suggest a weekday lunch unless you want to make plans to people watch in the Castro before you eat.  (Which could be an adventure in itself!) There's a long, padded bench in front for the wait line, so your people-watching will be very comfortable. If the weather cooperates, that is.