The Anchor

oh , Anchor!  You salty old seabird you...  you've always been a home for those who can't face the idea of going home-  A haven for the true Haveners and a perfect litmus test for separating the wheat from the chaff.  

If you can't find a way to love the Anchor, then the stick in your a$$ is so deeply lodge in there that it's forced your heart out through your ear.  

Get in, get your beer, and be nice...  or get the fvx out.

The Anchor is my favorite bar in New Haven.  Good drinks, Motown on the Juke, comfy round turquoise booths.  The bartenders wear a classic white shirt, black pants and black vest- I never would have thought this would do anything for me, but here, it does.  There is a downstairs room called The Mermaid Room (!!) with a small bar and flat screen tv- it's like hanging out in someone's basement.  Everything feels retro about this place, and not in an ironic, intentional way- you know that you are in one of New haven's older establishments and they've done a great job of keeping the nostalgia alive.  As I am a vegetarian and not a big fan of pub food, I've never eaten anything, but I'd probably skip it anyway.  With so much great food in New Haven, I'd rather enjoy The Anchor for what it does best.

Two girls walk into a bar on a Saturday night. They order two diet cokes and are asked to leave. That pretty much sums up why I'm giving this place no stars. Without wincing after hearing our order the waiter said that this was a bar and we would not have fun there. By the looks of the people in the bar my friend and I fit in perfectly and could have had a great time. My friend with me has never been an alcohol drinker and in her 7 years being of drinking age she has gone out with friends who drink all the time and this has never happened to her. We were stunned. The place was far from packed, in fact there was a man alone at a four person table next to us reading a kindle. The waiter had no tact in asking us to leave. I really wish I could give them 0 stars.