Anchor Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Superior

UPDATED 8/20/2024: We love the food and atmosphere at the Anchor. But your waitstaff needs to go back to Customer Service School. I asked our server's name (because I like to thank them using their name) and she bristled and got snotty. "Why do you need to know my name?" I explained why, and she said "Call me Molly." Well, OK Molly, you have served us several times since, and you have never once greeted us, never smiled, never thanked us, and never made us feel welcome. And this last time we visited with out of town guests, we were embarassed by your rudeness. OK, you win. We'll take our business back to Gronks. Not the same atmosphere, but the food is good, and at least they're glad to see us. Why would you work in customer service if you hate people? Sorry, Adam, but I have to take away two stars for poor customer service.

Yes, everyone knows the Anchor has been on "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" but the Anchor qualifies as none of these--it quite comfortably refuses to be categorized, thank you very much. Originally the Schlitz warehouse, it was converted to a tavern ages ago, when iron ore was king on Lake Superior, and vessel traffic was enormous (the Twin Ports still holds the distinction of being the busiest port on the Great Lakes). Over the years it became a museum of gifted nautical memorabilia, as sailors are wont to do. Then it became a biker bar. Then it was a feature on TV, and now is a "come one, come all" kind of a place. It essentially serves one dish, burgers and fries (the kiddies can get a grilled cheese if you ask politely), but oh-m'gosh what a burger. If you're an Anchor virgin, order the Anchor burger. Fries are a la carte, but they'll only set you back a buck and change. The staff is friendly (but VERY busy) and there are only three matching chairs in the house, but that's what makes the Anchor the amazing come-as-you-are place where you can drip ketchup on your shirt and everyone understands the reason. Don't like to eat in a "bar?" Please--don't be so stuffy--it's not a bar, it's a museum that just happens to serve alcohol (even movie theaters do that now) and one of the best burgers in the region. But if you come and happen to get the table for 6 or 8, please offer to share your table (like you're supposed to) and get to know your dining companions--you'll probably chat up some great company and everyone will have fun and...

Today, we drove far to be excited to try the experience of raving reviews of the well-known burgers here; however, our experience was soured by the service and unwelcoming atmosphere of the restaurant. We understood that the two waitresses were busy: older lady with blonde hair in a ponytail and the other waitress with brunette hair. We had a kind person with the brunette hair communicate about our tables and tried to help guide us to another table; however, when we sat at the corner table today, I saw 5 people earlier that were kind to allow us to sit there after they finished. When we sat down, we were polite and patiently waited, while telling the waitresses to take their time. The blonde hair waitress came up, asked me how many people we had and we told her. She then began to snap and raised her voice saying, "No, you can't sit here and I am taking the barstools back, only 4 allowed." I sat there shocked by her unkind countenance, as if we did anything wrong. It's our first time there and the berating demeanor that the waitress left in our experience made it hurtful and unwelcoming to stay at the restaurant any longer. We were sad that we couldn't eat the food there; however, I do ask that this employee gets changed, in past reviews there were multiple complaints of someone's rude attitude, and I am sad that we all had to experience this again today. I understand that past reviews mentioned concerns and safety for people forcing themselves in this tight corner and falling down; however, this does not excuse anyone to be disrespectful if they are in the mission of providing proper and professional food service...

I came to this restaurant by recommendation and had high expectations because of this. From walking into the restaurant to getting our food it had taken over an hour. It took 30 minutes just to get our table wiped down. The restaurant is jam-packed and un-organized. There was no hostess and unclear servers. The ambiance was certainly something unique. Some of the many random things surrounding my table were jars of dead fish and globes. Because of this, the atmosphere was chaotic to say the least. The menu lacked inclusion and only offered burgers, a grilled cheese, and blts. It’s important to mention that they don’t accept credit. Our food wasn’t anything spectacular and the fries were under seasoned. Our table was also dirty and there were flies everywhere. However, despite all of this, my experience was amazing. The energy was friendly and there was a strong sense of camaraderie. We were all in it together waiting for our mediocre food. The tables were so close together that it was like being I’m at one big family dinner. We experienced many laughs with our table neighbors and shared life stories. There was even a debate over whether Dr Pepper or cherry coke is better. You can’t get that feeling in many places. Also, prices were so low it was like we were back in the 2000’s. Burgers priced around $6 and my grilled cheese was $3.50. I really don’t know whether this is a place to recommend but if your feeling lonely and need hope for the humanity of the world, stop here and have your...