The Anchovy Bar
Erik Sandquist and Sean Hodges are the only two men fishing anchovies out of San Francisco Bay. They work a 65-foot boat called the Cape Knox. Stuart Brioza reckons he has about two hours from the dock before the fish turns. His kitchen drops everything when the delivery lands. Most of it goes straight into a lime cure with basil, jalapeno and garlic.
Why go
Brioza and Nicole Krasinski opened this room in October 2020. They own State Bird Provisions and The Progress, both on Fillmore Street. The menu leans on what reproduces fast and cleans the water it grows in. That means oysters, clams, mussels, seaweed and small fish. The pair were James Beard Foundation finalists for Outstanding Restaurateur in 2025, across all three rooms. Julia Chen scored this one 8.2 for The Infatuation in July 2023. She called it the most romantic of the family.
Soleil Ho reviewed the room for the Chronicle in August 2022 and said she had not been won over at first. One dish changed that. Brioza and his sous chef Tif Thomasz dressed lime-pickled anchovies as a Balinese sambal matah. Raw lemongrass, coconut oil, shallots and makrut lime leaf go under the fish. Cured Spanish fillets sit on the same card. The Callol i Serrats from L'Escala come layered with fried onion, quail egg and Idiazabal. Sara Deseran watched a butchery demo here in March 2026. The walk-in held a whole goat from Anderson Ranches and quarters of Petaluma veal.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the local boquerones when the season is running, spring through autumn.
- Order: the Western Addition Oyster, broiled under a butter whipped with Fresno chile sambal, smoked dates and bacon.
- Order: the cod roe and Mendocino nori butters, spread thick on cracked hot potatoes.
- Avoid: the bay shrimp smothered avocado. Chen found it one-note and short on crunch.3
What locals & experts say
- Stuart Brioza, to the San Francisco Chronicle in October 2020:
We're not just a raw bar with crudo,
he said.We're showcasing the whole fish in different ways. It'll be present but not so in your face.
1 - Erik Sandquist of J & P Bait, on why the fish is sold alive, to The San Francisco Standard:
They have, like, a 24- to 36-hour shelf life.
4 - Soleil Ho, San Francisco Chronicle, August 2022:
I really think Anchovy Bar, as it is now, has really got 'it.'
2
Good to know
- Getting in: the venue takes reservations, in two brackets, one for parties up to six and one for seven and above.
- Price: the seafood tower for two ran $92 in April 2024.
- Where: 1740 O'Farrell Street, at Fillmore.
Verdict
should-visit — Book it; the room is small and a walk-up is a coin toss. Two of you should split the tower and add one hot plate. Ask what landed this morning before you order.