Coming from the same chefs/owners of two very popular San Francisco restaurants, The Anchovy Bar is another hit.

Literally around the corner from State Bird Provisions and The Progress, The Anchovy Bar is more quaint compared to the other restaurants. The seafood driven menu focuses on a plethora of various types of local and imported anchovies, raw oysters, and vegetable and warm seafood dishes.

Of course we had to try their specialty…anchovies!

“Anchoas Don Bocarte” from Cantabria, Spain (9/10).

First we tried the imported anchovies served with toasted ciabatta bread, crème fraîche, tomato, and radishes. I loved everyting about this platter where the anchovies were most definitely the star of the show and the accompaniments just elevated the flavors of the fish.

Local “Boquerones” (9/10).

The second anchovy dish we tried were local lime cured anchovies served with cucumber, mint, and espelette pepper. Very refreshing.

Geoduck Clam with Umeboshi, Tomato, Eggplant, and Somen Noodles (8.5/10).

I loved this fresh cold somen noodle salad with thin slices of chewy geoduck clam, tangy and sour umeboshi (Japanese sour plum), marinated eggplant, fresh cherry tomatoes, and herbs.

Monterey Squid with Koda Farms Sticky Rice, Kampot Aioli, and Pickled Fresno Chile (8/10).

Another delicious dish with charred squid with tons of aromatic herbs. The kampot (a type of pepper) aioli added a bit of heat along with the fresno chile.

Chiara Mortadella IGP with Black Butter, Balsamic Fig, Pistachio, and Arugula (7.5/10).

I was really looking forward to this dish but it was least favorite out of all the savory dishes. I wish this came out before our hot squid dish as it’s more of an appetizer. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the type of cracker used and the figs weren’t sweet enough to counterbalance the acidity from the balsamic.

Left: Bourbon Peach & Cinnamon Semifreddo (8.5/10), Right: Caramelized Artlette (8/10).

Both desserts were pretty spot on. The semifreddo had a burnt muscovado meringue with candied pecans and apple balsamic. The artlette, a type of French biscuit, was flaky and crispy and was made into a “sandwich” with a meyer lemon curd and coconut cream in between.

The food at The Anchovy Bar was solid especially if you are a seafood lover. Without a doubt, you have to try their various preparations of anchovies as those were the highlights. Overall, my rating is an 8/10.