"You go to The Anchovy Bar in the Fillmore to eat your body weight in tinned fish that are served with sides of toasty bread and tomato vinaigrette. The laidback spot, complete with bar seating and a cozy parklet, is where you’ll find couples and groups of friends going wild over a mostly-seafood menu of dishes. There are seafood stews loaded with every possible creature that swims, broiled oysters with an umami-packed date-bacon sambal butter, and smoked mussels spiced up with horseradish crème fraîche." - lani conway, julia chen 1, ricky rodriguez, patrick wong
"A restaurant led by chefs Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski that was included in the awards conversation but ultimately was passed over on the big night, with winners skewing toward New York venues." - Paolo Bicchieri
"The Anchovy Bar is the third spot in the Fillmore from the State Bird Provisions and The Progress people, and it’s the most romantic in the family. Dark tile accents, floral arrangements, and the glow of overhead orb lights sets the stage for flirty knee brushes under the table. Come here with someone you share toothpaste with and debate future pet names over tender anchovies in spicy hot oil or broiled oysters soaking in sambal butter." - julia chen 1, lani conway, ricky rodriguez, patrick wong
"Chef Stuart Brioza of the Progress and State Bird Provisions has long sung the praises of anchovies, and now his restaurant the Anchovy Bar is the home to that obsession. Brioza and the team laboriously preserve the fish in-house during the anchovy season, but there are other seafood dishes to explore, such as tinned fish from Spain and Italy, oysters and clams, as well as seasonally changing options that cleverly combine fish and seafood with equally fresh local produce. Items like halibut crudo and smoked trout riccioli cycle onto the menu." - Flora Tsapovsky
"The Anchovy Bar, the youngest sibling of State Bird and The Progress, is a seafood-centric spot that’s been specifically engineered for date nights. Dark tiles and wavy details on the ceiling set the mood for you and a crush to spoon-feed each other oysters and tinned fish in between sips of wine. And bigger dishes, like spiced tomato seafood stew and seasonal crudos, will make you want to find the nearest fish and kiss it on the forehead in gratitude. If you forget to make a reservation, it’s usually easy to slide up to a seat at the bar." - julia chen 1, patrick wong