The Anchovy Bar

Cuisine	Seafood, American (New)
Price	$$$$ (51-100)
Rating	8/10
Last Visit	March 11, 2025
Location	SFBA: San Francisco: West

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General Notes

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Excellent seafood restaurant, owned by the same people who manage State Bird Provisions and The Progress. In my experience, most seafood-forward restaurants tend to be pretty bland / uninteresting flavorwise, but this was definitely not the case here. The flavors were incredible while still showcasing the natural flavors of the ingredients. Not surprisingly the anchovies in particular were incredible -- definitely get some. Also definitely get their focaccia. I like that everything is small plates style -- you can try all kinds of things on their menu. It's a little bit on the pricier side, but a great choice for a seafood enjoyer for a special occasion.

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Dishes Tasted

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• ★★☆☆ albacore -- albacore 'au poivre' cara cara, castelvetrano olives. Pretty good, solid flavor
• ★★★☆ smoked fish chip & dip -- excellent, nice to much on
• ★★★★ local pickled anchovy-edamame toast -- the anchovies are SO GOOD. The toast is also nice (has a sesame flavor), and the edamame puree rounds it out nicely. Definitely get some pickled anchovy in some way.
• ★★★☆ anchovy pintxos -- smoked castelvetrano olive. pretty tasty, i like that the olive also has a strong anchovy flavor.
• ★★☆☆ gulf shrimp -- served with green curry + salad. shrimp is solid but not particularly noteworthy, the green curry is a nice touch though
• ★★★★ mussels -- served with a kind of green sauce, it's super good and comes with a couple of mussels each.
• ★★★☆ clams -- cherrystone clams, tomatillo-jalapeno, nuts, seeds. The flavor combination of this is delicious.
• ★★★☆ oysters -- mignonette, atomic hot sauce. Solid oysters, the yuzu mignonette is a nic touch. $4.5 each is a bit much though.
• ★★★★ Focaccia -- focaccia & whipped butter, some of the best focaccia I've had, this tastes so incredible.