Steak & Anchor Restaurant & Lounge — Restaurant in Fresno

A great place for a date

I gave 5 stars because everything was perfect on this visit. There are things that I could pick on, but why when everything was just so on point.

We walked in and we both felt transported to a visit worthy of mentioning that feeling of entering a nice Vegas casino lobby that had a lived in feeling and a touch of luxury. The bar and restaurant on the left walking in you're met with a divide. We did have to sort of guess to seat ourselves, they seemed minimally staffed. On the left the bar dining and bar, and on the right the more formal dining area. The bar had half a dozen or more people and TV's with some booths and the bar seating as well. We wanted quaint so we went right. The waitress was friendly and attentive. There were two other couples and it was quiet! The seating was comfortable with armchair padded seats and cloth table linen. Lighting was perfect if not just a touch bright enough to feel on display for all to see.

The sad news is just that there was no "anchor" on the menu. A remnant of the pandemic. This was not my first time here but I don't recall this perfect feeling the way it had tonight. Some crab legs on the side or as a starter would have been unbelievable. I asked the waitress and she mentioned the return of the seafood is in the planning. Fingers crossed for that!

We decided on a starter of buffalo wings and they were amazing! Crunchy, a good spicy vinegary sauce and a side of carrots and ranch dressing for cooling down with. Served piping hot.

We both ordered the ribeye, we both wanted to take some home :) The plate landed piping hot with steam rising from the all the food! The potatoes tasted like actual potato, so much that it stands out. Aren't we all so used to done-up potatoes with butter or herbs and whatnot? This flavor with the beef was a refreshing departure from what you're used to getting. The vegetables were buttery and had slices of celery which is another component that is not very typical and I found refreshing. We both ordered medium rare and our waitress gave us the heads up that chef liked to go on the cooler side of medium rare. Fine by us, and they were so juicy and perfect! No frills here either, beef on grill no flash ingredients on them. The two cuts of steak were perfectly beefy flavored and tender enough for a fork to cut.

I would have liked cloth napkins but I get it these days with the costs of everything being so insane. The meal was so good you really don't even think about what it cost. That said, with a ten dollar tip it came out to eighty five dollars. Worth every penny!

Nearly every other steakhouse I walk away with significantly lighter pockets and a feeling as though I could have just done that better at home. On this visit it was so good I didn't get that feeling in the slightest. Maybe I could have done that at home, maybe. But not having to lift a finger except to eat exceptional food in a great environment and with my most favorite company, it just doesn't get better than that.

I'll be frequenting this establishment more. Go here to refresh your time with loved ones, to meet someone for the first time, to keep your fire burning hot, and to...

Highly disappointed. I tried to make a reservation the day prior but the lady that answered the phone told me she couldn't do it and transferred my call to the manager. I got the managers voicemail. I left a msg but never got a call back. When my large group arrived I was happy to see that they did have a table set up for us. I guess they got my voicemail. From there the whole experience went awry. I took my staff there for Christmas lunch and I am so embarrassed that they were not treated respectfully. There were only two waiters and one of them just kept walking around trying to look busy but he ignored our table. Although he wasnt assigned to our table he could have been more attentive considering the restaurant was practically empty. Our waiter was trying but he was not very attentive either We arrived at 11:40 AM but half of our group got served at about 12:30 and the other half at 12:50. By that time we had to leave so a couple of us had to ask them to pack our food to go. I noticed my staff picking at their food and I could tell they were choking it down. My dish was bland and I had to add a lot of salt to it. The tri tip sandwiches were plain and gristly. Someone ordered a BLT and they brought out a turkey club with only turkey and toasted bread and the waiter asked if she wanted lettuce and tomato on it because he forgot to ask. WTH??? One person ordered a salad and they didn't bring any dressing . She had to ask for it and when he brought it out he accidentally stuck his thumb in it and didnt offer to bring any more. The food was mediocre at best and the service was the worst I've ever experienced. They need new management. I...

We waited 15 min and no one came to seat us or even aknowledge we were there so I asked a woman who was also at the front with her family if she had been waiting long. She said, "Oh yes, a very long time!" I looked a the nearly empty in-hotel restaurant (two tables with one patron at each) and we decided to go to the bar side that had a handful of people. Our order was taken promptly. The wait for our food was at least 30 min. I ordered my ribeye medium well. It arrived very rare. The bar tender/ waitress never returned to ask if everything was alright. After the long wait I decided to try to eat it. My son warned me to be careful not to choke because it was so rare! I couldn't eat it. The bar had cleared out of the 5 or 6 customers when a man came in wanting to order food. It was 9 pm by now and she told him he was too late for any food and served him a drink. The bartender by this time had no one in the bar but me, my son, this unhappy hungry man, and what appeared to be her boyfriend with whom she was engrossed in unhappy conversation with. She continued to stand outside of the bar with her back to us. I finally got up and interrupted her conversation to ask if she could at least microwave my steak for a min. She seemed annoyed but took it to the microwave. I have no idea why this aging hotel even has a restaurant if they are not going to staff it with enough people to serve patrons efficiently. From other reviews it appears this is customary for this "restaurant".

By the way, once microwaved (uggh) the steak had a wondeful flavor. The waitress was at fault here as well as the hotel management for not having any staff...