Anchor — Restaurant in Port Townsend

If you’re looking for a phenomenal small-town bar in downtown PT with exceptional food, friendly service and knowledgeable bartenders- look no further than the Anchor. You have likely heard of the concept of a “third place” in life. You have home, work, but the “third place” refers to somewhere that “anchors” you in the community. In a sense, it’s a home away from home. I believe this to be true for many PT locals that frequent this hidden gem. Walk into this establishment and you will feel a real sense of community. I especially love the artistic vibe with cool art on the walls and exposed brick in the historic building where the Anchor resides. The “bar food” is a gastronomical experience! I’m currently working my way through their menu and have found one thing in common with each menu item that I order- everything is cooked to perfection, the portion is hefty, the service is prompt, and the food is reasonably priced. I have yet to experience the full menu but among my favorites are the Smash Burger, Garlic Truffle Fries (with house made ranch dressing), the Salmon Sandwich, Uncle Gino’s Italian Beef, the Pub Dog, and an array of house made dressings/sauces to dip to my heart’s delight! There are signs posted above the kitchen window that read “Do not make eye contact with kitchen staff” and “Beware of Attack Chef” – just a fair warning from this reviewer. Unlike many PT businesses, the Anchor is open daily, serves food daily and I can always count on them for a great snack or meal, a friendly bartender, and a clean...

This a cool little tavern at the far end of Water, glad my motorcycle-weary legs needed a walk or I may have settled on pizza. While 2 gents played folk tunes on strings up front I sat back near the bar and ordered the Uncle Geno's pepperoni beef sandwich- SO SO BOMB!! Toasted french roll w a generous pile of spicy tomatoey shredded beef, sauteed sweet peppers (and I think some sauteed shrooms in there too) with crispy fries and 2 pints of PNW ale, totaled around $35. I sauntered back to my hotel fat and sleepy.

Only downer was when some alpha jackass tried to start a fight w the bartender- and then w several patrons, as well as calling a female customer a foul name- because in his hauty opinion "the oysters were too big" so he was refusing to pay (no lie). It was handled as well as can be expected without police or violence, and the door was finally closed in the face of the jackass. I got the impression this definitely doesnt happen often in this friendly place, but of course that all depends on who's riding in on the island ferry.

I strongly recommend this place- and the Uncle Geno's sandwich! And I guess you should expect...

My family and I have lived in PT for a few years now and LOVED going to Anchor in the beginning. It had been awhile since we got to go there but we were finally able to yesterday, Sept 7, 2025. Our food and experience a year ago was fantastic. Our food and experience yesterday was terrible! We spent a lot of money there for lunch and the food wasn’t good and wasn’t cooked all the way. We found raw fries in our basket and the bacon on my husband’s burger looked uncooked as well. He couldn’t eat it. On top of that, the girl that took our order was very rude and uninviting. She gave my husband a hard time while placing our order and then again when I asked to get our food in to go boxes. We have to eat outside because we have a young child. So we wanted to go sit at the picnic tables away from the bees out front of the restaurant. We were very excited to go there yesterday after not being there for awhile but after the experience we had, we will not be returning....