Anthony's Clam House & Grill — Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale

I visited this restaurant/bar around 2:30 pm, looking forward to a relaxing afternoon. With my husband out of town, I planned to enjoy a couple of drinks and grab something to eat, leaving well before six.

When I arrived, several seats were open at the bar, and the crowd was primarily older, mid-70s to early 90s. I’ve found this place welcoming during previous visits, so I felt comfortable. Initially, I waited 5 to 10 minutes before anyone acknowledged my presence; my space wasn’t cleaned, and I wasn’t offered water. I sat and waited without complaint except to my husband, who I texted directly. Eventually, a staff member apologized, took my drink order, and I ordered a martini. I wasn’t upset, just ready to relax.

I casually socialized, sipping two martinis over three hours, and ordered food that never arrived, not a first for this place.

Things unexpectedly escalated when staff abruptly accused me of being over served and refused to serve me anything, including my previously ordered food.

Surprised but calm, I asked to pay my tab and leave. However, once I handed over my credit card, staff informed me they’d already called the police, withholding my card until authorities arrived. This was shocking and frustrating.

Strangely, someone from the bar even called my husband directly, claiming I’d been over served, treating me like a child. They told him that I was acting inappropriate and bothering people in the bar. Since I had been texting him and sending him pictures while I was sitting there of the other patrons that we knew he was shocked. He immediately called me and asked me what was going on and I told him that I was gonna walk outside and wait for the cops.

I still cannot believe that My husband, away on business, was contacted before anyone spoke directly to me. I was simply chatting quietly and respectfully with other patrons who I knew, no anger, no belligerence.

I decided to wait outside in the Florida heat, expecting the police. After about 10 minutes without seeing authorities I asked if I could have my card back so I could leave, Hector, the genuinely kind manager ( had zero Clue that they had my card, you could see a weird expression cross his face), he quickly returned my credit card and let me sign out. Despite my confusion and discomfort, I still tipped 20%, unsure who was responsible for this bizarre event.

Hector seemed unaware of the details, and I don’t think he understood or knew what had happened since he had been busy, We typically see him in the bar area from time to time when we’re in there and that was the first time I’ve seen him all afternoon.

I honestly remain at a loss for what triggered this extreme reaction. Perhaps someone at the bar simply didn’t like me for reasons I’ll never understand, my age, my West Virginia accent, or being perceived as some sort of threat. It was especially shocking considering I had watched staff serve repeated shots of liquor to others at the bar while accusing me of being over served after only two martinis over several hours.

The only remotely contentious moment was a brief, polite disagreement with another patron (male) on an innocuous topic, (and before you say it) not even political. There was no hostility, raised voices, or inappropriate behavior.

This entire experience left me bewildered and deeply disappointed.

As a frequent patron, I expected much better.

And while I appreciated Hector’s apology at the end it does not answer any questions about why I was treated so poorly when I had done nothing wrong. How frightening is it that they were gonna call the police on me and get me arrested when I had done nothing wrong. They called my husband…. Let that sink in.

Given this inexplicable and distressing treatment, I will not return nor recommend this establishment. Trust your instincts and consider carefully before spending...

I can't say enough good things about Anthony's Clam House and Grill. This place came highly recommended by a friend who eats here regularly, and I can see why. At the time my mom was turning 90 on 11/21/24. We were looking for a nice place to have her birthday party. Our family of 16 came in from all over the country to attend. The owner Walter was so amazing, along with Louis who helped us plan a wonderful menu, appetizers, main dish, mini tiramisu and we were allowed to bring in our own birthday cake at no extra charge. The prices ranged from $40 a person and up. Each level offers something different. We paid separately for our drinks which were reasonably priced. Walter and his staff were extremely friendly and the service was amazing. Jessica our server along with her assistants worked very hard and never stopped. We started with 3 Appetizers- We stated with Italian Meatballs in Red Sauce with fresh Ricotta- The meatballs had lots of flavor and the Ricotta added a creamy texture. Then on to Fried Calamari which was cooked perfectly, very tender, crispy and light. Even the tentacles were delicious. Thirdly, Clams Casino-they were stuffed with prosciutto,provolone, roasted peppers, onions, garlic, and Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. These stuffed clams had so much flavor. On to our main course. We had a choice of 6 dishes. I chose their Clams and Mussels in a Creamy Champagne Sauce.Manila Clams & Prince Edward Island Mussels sautéed with spinach in a creamy champagne sauce topped with crispy prosciutto. Served over linguine. I loved my dish. It had so much flavor and depth. My bf and daughter both ordered their Chicken Francese- Egg battered, in a lemon, butter & white wine sauce served with spaghetti. My bf cleaned his plate. My brother and Uncle both ordered their Chicken Parmigiana- fried, lopped wilh marinara & mozzarella Grande served with spaghelli marinara.They both loved it. My Aunt, Uncle, and Son-in-law ordered Veal Marsala- Sautéed with fresh mushrooms & Marsala wine sauce served with spaghetti. I got to taste this and the veal was very tender and the sauce was so good. My Aunt ordered Brazino Acqua Pazza- Mediterranean Bass topped with sautéed cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives & Evoo served with spinach. This was one of the best Branzino’s I’ve ever eaten. It was very fresh and light. For dessert we had my mom’s birthday cake which they happily put a sparkler in and plated, along with their mini tiramisu which was very delicious. They have two rooms. The first room has a large rectangular bar and tables. The second room is large and can accommodate two parties plus regular dining. They put black table cloths, and napkins on the tables. We had plenty of room for all of us. My mom was over joyed and loved everything! We all had a wonderful time and can’t...

Update - we came here for my birthday celebration. Everytime we've come here, everything has been spot on. This time was a real disappointment. Our waitress seemed overwhelmed before she even came to our table. I get it, I was a waitress for many years so I'm usually understanding but this was a classic definition of bad service. It took her 4 trips to bring 5 drinks. It took her 2 trips to take our appetizer order (a 2nd trip was apparently warranted because she had to drop off a dirty fork before she could finish getting our apps down). It took her 3 trips to bring out 5 meals and when 1 of our guests told her his steak was undercooked she asked him if he wanted the restaurant to finish cooking it or make a new one...(?!) To which he responded 'neither just keep it'. To top everything off, my husband specifically told her twice we wanted tiramisu for dessert, and at the end, she blurted out the "surprise" was on its way. Well that was genius and definitely ruined the "surprise". Additionally, there were 2 other celebrations there; one was a 4 top and the other was at least a 6 top, they both got a tiramisu but we got 5 cannolis and an Italian cheesecake which we didn't ask for. The only reason my husband mentioned a birthday to her was because they always gave a tiramisu (which i love) but cannolis and Italian cheesecake are not for me and not what he requested. If she or the restaurant wanted to upgrade the dessert, I shouldn't have to pay for what I didn't ask for. She was not attentive to our table and if we even decide to come back, I will walk out if Jamie is our server. Our usual server was on vacation and Jamie should really be taught waitress etiquette. She was sloppy in her looks and waitressing style. You can have great food, but if the service sucks, so does the experience. I'm not in a hurry to go back and I definitely will no longer recommend this restaurant. Unlike other visits, no one said thanks for coming this time and it's not like we were unpleasant or rude so not sure what happened in regards to service tonight (7/2/23). OLD REVIEW: This place was delicious and for what you get the prices are reasonable. We tried the pasta fagiole, grilled octopus, & burrata and prosciutto for appetizers. For the main courses we had fruit de mare, veal scarpariello, fiocchi (super wow), and snapper franchese. We also indulged in from scratch tiramisu. Everything was fresh and delicious and packed with yummy goodness. The service was excellent and we must have been told thanks for coming and have a good night by like 7 people on our way out. I can't wait...