Anchor Wine Bar is an Italian restaurant and wine specialty store. The interior of the restaurant closely resembles many small stores and markets travelers might have seen visiting Naples or Rome. Anchor features lots of small tables for intimate date nights as well as several large, family-style booths that encourage guests to bring out all their friends or family members for an evening out.
Despite its name, Anchor Wine Bar is much more than simply a place to get a fine glass of Chardonnay. There is a brunch that is served every single day until 11:00 a.m., and then after that the lunch and dinner menus take over. Shared plates are common here, with guests ordering several and passing them around the table. The other entrée options are divided into pasta and grilled Italian entrées like the braised lamb shank with mashed potatoes or the branzino in a white wine-cranberry sauce.
Menu
We dined at lunchtime on a Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, we didn't reach thoroughly before reserving that they only serve a brunch menu and we were so looking forward to tasting a few other dishes. We will return during the week or evenings and sample their fare.
My home away from home!
Jeff was amazing host. The food was outstanding. This is definitely a hidden gem.
Phenomenal food. Great service. Perfect ambiance. Will be back!
Our overall experience was fantastic! The food was delicious, our waitress was amazing, the ambiance was perfect... our only complaint is that the host was EXTREMELY RUDE. When we arrived we said that we had a reservation at 8 PM for two and he told us that there are no tables available and that we would have to wait 20 min. Confused we noted again that we had a reservation, and his tone became very aggressive and he pretty much told us to wait or no table; so what was the point of even making a reservation? No offer to sit at the bar for a drink or to look over the menu — nothing. Thankfully we got seated in about 10 min and the rest of our night went great. Just wish that the host didn’t leave such a sour taste in our mouth before the meal even started
Food and service was great. There were 5 of us and we could actually hear each other talk! really nice ambiance, we would definitely go again.
We’ve only been there for brunch the food and service are pretty great.
Everything I've had here is always amazing.
Food was great! Presentation and service to match
Really good experience. Would definitely go back.
Great food, excellent service, always a fantastic choice.
Our dinner experience improved as it went on, but it was not as good as other Saturday night dinners we’ve had here. An energetic group at the bar made it hard to hear ourselves and our server. Later, things returned to the normally enjoyable noise level. Our first server seemed impatient and was hard to find; our second server listened and made us feel more relaxed.
This is the neighborhood restaurant every neighborhood should have! The menu features a good sampling of mostly Tuscan, not-too-trendy dishes, and the wine list is excellent, with great bottles (mostly Italian) for every price range. The pastas shouldn't be missed! Service was professional and courteous. Only complaint is it can get really noisy; we were there on a Friday night and the folks eating at the bar were so loud we could barely hear ourselves. But it looked like a fun scene.
The food and service is always great here. I usually drink awe a bottle of wine. This time I ordered a drink called pear and ginger and it was great.
Fathers Day and Birthday Dinner always a great experience at this local eatery.
I often eat at Anchor Wine Bar and am always pleased with their excellent food from pasta (spaghetti con console & cavarelli alla salsiccia) to seafood (red snapper with clams and mussels in saffron sauce) to red meat (veal picata & braised lamb shank) are outstanding. Specials are also spectacular. The best specials are the osso buco (best I have had in New York) and pasta with baby octopus! The ambiance is cozy and friendly and the wine list good. This is a top star gem in Harlem.
Very chic. Nice specials, menu, and service. The bread they give is really good. Notches above anything else in the neighborhood.
I live in the neighborhood and this is always my go to restaurant. The specials are always amazing just as everything on their menu. Looking forward to my next meal there.
I have had great experiences for dinner so tried brunch.
Made a reservation for 5 on a high top.
When we arrived we were not expected and host/ owner tried to place us at a table. The brunch menu had no vegan options and they did not allow us to order off the main menu.
Non vegan friends saw steak and eggs on near by tables to ordered. Steaks were inconsistent in size and texture. Person we were there to celebrate ( birthday) got a visibly smaller dried up steak. Pancakes were also very dry and disappointing.
Mimosa pitchers were reasonable and delicious but beyond that we regretted opting for this vs/ Fumo.
Our home away from home; we love the space, the mix of people, the way we are treated and -- of course -- the food!
I like this little place very much. They really make you feel welcome. Very good drinks!. The wine menu is not good enough, they should add more variety and quality. Usually the food is good but on Wednesday the pasta was not and the pannacota was too hard.
I came here eith my family for brunch. A party of 7. We ended up staying for dinner. Overall we were there for 5+ hours. Good ambience. Great food. Services on point. Orlando is the best. Always on top of what’s going on in the restaurant. Would definitely come back.
Great food, good service and ambience, nice and quiet. Would recommend. Prices are high for the neighborhood though.
I feel more at home here than any other restaurant.
Cozy and inviting; excellent, friendly service and delicious food!
Great place for couples night out!
Excellent Service and atmosphere but above all the food
We will return
Our home away from home.
The staff is lovely- warm and attentive. Made our family feel right at home.
The hostess was unaware of reservations for that night so he seated us at the bar and made us wait for 20 minutes until our table was ready. He was a great server and very energetic, but the food was very bland with no seasoning. The wine was great though! Probably wouldn't come back, great ambiance though.
The food and service is always great.
Good & drinks are on the expensive side - not sure the noisy cramped seating is worth the expense. If this is for a romantic dinner, plan on not talking with all the noise!
I love this place, the ambiance, the music, the food was great!!!
Fabulous food, friendly staff, great place!
Excellent Italian food in Harlem. Good lighting, fun European ambience. Worth the trip if you're not local.
Love Anchor. It is our favorite neighborhood place to eat. Excellent food every time!
I simply love Anchor Wine Bar. It’s where I want to go with friends for dinner and also where I want to spend special occasions. The food is consistently superb and the menu is creatively interesting with some traditional offerings sprinkled throughout so there’s something for every discerning palate. Everything they do, they do well. The ambiance is cozy and warmly inviting with a European feel. The service is attentive in an unhurried way. Do yourself a favor and go. You won’t be sorry you did.
FAQs
Anchor Wine Bar is rated 4.7 stars by 36 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.
