Twisted Anchor — Restaurant in Channahon

I wanted to like this place. The location is nice, right on the river, the building is a neat old cement structure with large windows and lovely views of the marina and river. Walking in during a non peak time we were greeted warmly and seated quickly with a choice of table or high top, the men's bathroom was spotless. Unfortunately those were the highlights of our visit. For appetizer we ordered nachos with BBQ chicken according to the menu. What we got were bagged food service chips with canned cheddar cheese sauce topped with a handful of canned black beans, canned corn, and shredded unseasoned chicken which may have been pre-prepared or packaged but definitely not fresh, along with 3 small cups with sour cream, pico, and salsa. The sour cream, pico, and salsa were fine. For entree we ordered brisket tacos and BBQ pulled pork sandwich, and requested a slice of cheddar cheese on the pulled pork. The tacos didn't have a lot in them, but it was definitely beef with a smoky flavor so brisket of some kind but cubed very small. Flavor was good, tortillas were fresh. The pulled pork topped with a slice of cheddar came out with a slice of American cheese. The kitchen needs to communicate with wait staff if a customer request isn't possible instead of subbing. The bun was good, not stale or soggy, the pulled pork was average with a good smoky flavor but a little fatty like it hadn't been cooked long enough to render the fat down well. I asked for a lemon lime soda and was told they had Sprite, I was given 7up which tasted like the can had been stored somewhere very hot and absorbed a stale flavor from the can, at first I thought it was the ice but I checked my water and it wasn't the ice. Overall the food was a huge let down I'm very sad to say. If this place can get it's kitchen and food quality issues sorted it could be a real gem, between the kind welcoming staff, unique building, and lovely location I hope they can make it work. 5 star for service, atmosphere, and location and 1 star for the food, 2 star overall. I might take a chance and try them again for something more simple like burger and fries if I'm in the area but I think we'll stick with Hayden's...

Walked in at 6:45pm. Place was half empty. We had made a reservation but wait staff had no record of it. They stuck us in the round room which was closed off and unused. It was hot and had a stale smell. Our drink order was slow. Had our appetizer (chips and queso) and meals ordered by 7pm. Chips and queso didn’t show up to the table until 7:45pm. Server attempted damage control by trying to explain that they make the chips fresh and they only have small friers in the kitchen and there was a lot of fried cod orders, and that’s why there was a delay on the appetizer. Queso was watery. Server hardly came around to the point I had to go to the bar on the other side of the building to get refills on drinks. Entreés showed up after 8pm. Both orders of Chicken tenders were scorched (how do you over fry tenders if they friers were overloaded?). Our order of smashed potatoes was a small bowl of unseasoned quartered potatoes with what tasted like 1000 island dressing, they didn’t get eaten. The tater tots tasted stale, they didn’t get eaten either. The mostaccioli alla vodka had tomato sauce on it instead of vodka sauce, as one would think, the noodles were overcooked, and the flavor of the sausage was peculiar. And how on earth do you screw up Kraft Mac and cheese? Soap dispenser in men’s room was empty.

Overall a horrible experience. An attempt was made at a nautical theme but the menu didn’t reflect it. Would hate to see this place if they ever got busy. Miss the days when it was Big Fish...

Valentine’s Day 2025 This was a first time trying Twisted Anchor. My husband and I had high hopes after reading the reviews and website. For us, this restaurant was mediocre at best. Tried to order an appetizer of candy bacon and they were out. Changed our mind and went for the soup, only for the waitress to come back and tell us they were out. I had the brisket my husband had the pulled pork. Food arrived pretty quickly, but was basically lukewarm. Taste of the food wasn’t bad, but our expectations were a lot higher. I had potato salad and over half the potatoes in the side weren’t cooked properly- they were extremely hard. We ordered dessert and that was mediocre at best as well. I had a turtle brownie. My husband had the lemon bar. Both were served cold and both were a little too sugary tasting. The waitress was very nice, but we could tell that they were shorthanded with serving staff. Atmosphere was a little loud and it was chilly in the...