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Anchor Bar

3.6 (175 reviews)
ModeratePubs, Sports Bars
Closed • 11:00 am - 1:00 AM (Next day)
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Anchor Bar Photos

Business Info

ANCHOR BAR ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Juke Box
Divey
Casual
Moderate noise

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Recommended Reviews - Anchor Bar

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Only one wait staff member working on a game day = disaster service
Matt B.

Unfortunately, this review has no redeeming qualities. Our experience was brutal from the moment we stepped into the bar to the moment we left. We went to the Anchor Bar prior to the Lions 4:35pm start against the Steelers. There were two people working in the entire place. A bartender and a cook. When we arrived, there were probably 20 people there. No service available. The server was working her butt off, but she's only one person. However, she really appeared to be so frazzled that her ability to keep the place in running was really impacted. No vodka available. No pizza. No Coors light. Our food was all ordered together, but half the order was served and then 25 minutes later, the rest of our food came. I ordered a spinach dip which I never received. When I told the server I never received it, she said she would ask the cook. He told her it would be another 30-40 minutes for spinach dip. I asked that it be taken off my bill. It wasn't. She was so frazzled and they were so understaffed that she never took it off my bill. I don't blame the server. I don't blame the cook. I have to blame the management. Staff your bar appropriately. If someone calls off, you have to replace them, or come in and work for them. That's how the industry works. Everyone who was there had an experience that was greatly altered and impacted by a lack of service. Patrons shouldn't bus their own tables, clear glasses, refill items all because the bar is short staffed. We all chipped in, but it was mostly because we wanted to have a few drinks and some food before the game. I don't see myself returning to Anchor Bar.

Bar
Vincent L.

Stop by for a quick lunch. Nice place to hangout in downtown. I would say 5 star for service but food is like 2 or 1 star for me. Bartenders were really nice and quick service. But I think food can be better. Fish and chips taste like they pull it out from the freezer at Meijer or Walmart. Maybe I am just picky but I think my picture justified my complaints. Drinks and vibes are very good here.

Wood burning pizza oven
Tammy L.

We had a great time at the Anchor Bar. Great service. The pizza is homemade and cooked in a wood burning stove. The drinks are cold and refreshing. Definitely a great place to check out. Full bar, burgers, pizza, sandwiches and more.

Tim T.

Truly great bar and restaurant serving some new takes on traditional bar food fare like chicken mittens instead of chicken fingers and nice soups (like their cheesy French onion one). Also they serve Detroit classics like coneys (Coney Island dogs) and they also have a wood fired pizza oven and have an assortment of high quality pies. Excellent service and met a badass bartender named Wolf who used to live in Detroit, moved to NY and was surprised by how much the city has changed in 11 years when he returned. Also a world traveler, I told him about reccs in Asia and the UK. The inside is also pretty cool and spacious, the bar has really cool designs, and there is a nice and swanky back room decorated in blue behind a rear door. Also very close to that $10 parking lot that takes cards. Definitely recommended as a must-see and just check out spot if you are ever in Downtown D-Town (not sure if that's an official nickname but whatevs)!

The Anchor Cuban Ruben. Awesome. But, get the tots or fries instead of the chips.
Rob P.

I've been to the Anchor Bar several times, but never in its current incarnation. It's in the same place, but it's been owned by the owner of Parc since 2018. This is a very good thing. But, bringing the Parc menu would have been jarring, because this is still a bar. It's laid out the same way as before, but it seems...cleaner. Maybe it's the lighting? This is the same place that cops and news people would frequent. I recall seeing staffers from the Free Press here many times. They used to have slot machines in the back room (before gambling was legalized...shhhh!) Now, that room can be booked for events. The beer selection seems better, with decent craft brews alongside the old standbys. The food used to be an afterthought, but now is what I'd describe as great bar food. My wife's chicken bacon wrap was excellent: generously stuffed with good quality chicken and bacon. Her fries were crispy and tasty. I ordered the Cuban Reuben. Not only is it fun to say, but it was really tasty. There is a lot of quality corned beef here. The Cuban part was the ham, pickles, and mustard. It works. I asked for the tots for another $3. Totally worth it for perfectly crispy tots, except they forgot the tots, and I got charged full price for it as a side. Service wasn't bad, even though the bartender had to run between us, 3 other tables, and the bar patrons. The prices are higher than they were before, of course, but it's worth it with the food. There are restaurants that that serve alcohol that have better food. But, this might be the best straight up bar food I've ever had.

Brown Sugar Bourbon
Linda N.

Stopped in here on a Friday evening around 7pm and was quite surprised that the crowd was so light but I assume they get more of a crowd on game days. The inside is a nice set-up with a few tables and you can even play games like jumbo Jenga. If I had one complaint it would be that they can do with adding some more liquor brands such as Jack Daniels Honey and more than one Anejo Tequila brand that cost $20 a shot. I ordered their philly cheesesteak sandwich which was really good with truffle fries..I wish they were regular sized and not steak fries but they were still good. My husband had a turkey burger and it was very good. He had beer and I tried Brown Sugar Bourbon which was good. The service was great and staff was very friendly and helpful.

Carolyn E.

We returned for food late one night, and I'm glad they were open. There aren't very many options after 10 in the area, and this was solid bar food for a very decent price. We ordered beer and burgers with fries and were happy. We also ordered wings, which are frozen wing dings fried, but are the best version of that with hot sauce and ranch. You 6 wings and a side of chips was only $5. It might be weird if you come in late... You might be the only ones there for awhile at a time... Service may be reluctant... But you'll eventually get what you ask for. And it will be quite decent. Returned to the newly renovated so space on a Friday night; new paint, new furniture, renovated bathrooms, an overhauled menu. The prices increased dramatically, but so did the quality of the food by the looks of things. Michigan beef, Impossible burgers, that kind of thing. And totchos, apparently. We had the wings, which are $7 now instead of $5, but are not frozen wing dings any longer. They're actually pretty great; perfectly cooked with yummy sauce. I'll keep coming back for snacks. The burgers and sandwiches are $10-$13 now though, not my kind of thing. But everything sounded yummy. We'll most likely keep returning.

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6 months ago

Place is great inside until they don't have nothing. Wait staff is shit and understaffed.

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7 years ago

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The service is amazing and our waiter Jordan was so cool and very attentive to our needs. big shout out to him!!!

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Ask the Community - Anchor Bar

What is the parking situation like? How much does it cost to park in the private parking lot?

Hi April! There is an adjacent lot that is usually $10 unless there is an event. After 5pm, if there are not any events the lot is complimentary. There are quite a few reasonable parking options across the street as well. We do not have a private… 

Is the Anchor Bar a good space for a gathering from an office...about 15 people? Thank you

Yes! We have a beautiful private dining space that was newly renovated. Please email marketing@theiconiccollection.com with the details of what you are looking to hold, and we will have our Director of Events reach out to you!

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Review Highlights - Anchor Bar

“Make sure to try their tatchos (tater tot nachos) They are to die for!”

Mentioned in 2 reviews

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Parlay Detroit - Smash Burger

Parlay Detroit

3.7(87 reviews)
0.3 mi•Downtown Detroit

Dear reader, We…read morestopped into Parlay Detroit after the baseball game and to escape the rain, and it turned out to be a very solid move. The place has plenty of TVs, which made it easy to keep watching games and keep the sports-bar spirit alive a bit longer. The staff was pleasant and friendly, and everything felt easygoing in a way that suited the evening nicely. We got a few pitchers of beer at a great price, which certainly helped morale, and the French fries were an excellent bar bite option. From what others seem to enjoy as well, Parlay does a good job delivering that lively downtown game-day atmosphere without losing the simple pleasures of drinks, solid snacks, and a comfortable place to land. Overall, good postgame stop.

Wow... what a BEAUTIFUL restaurant. At first glance, as I…read morearrived at valet, I was genuinely proud to see this Black-owned brick-and-mortar in person for the first time. Unfortunately, I did not anticipate that it would also be the last. The valet attendant was attentive and professional, and the host staff greeted me as I walked in. So far, so good! The bar wasn't busy, but I figured it was still kind of early and things could liven up. I was meeting friends for a birthday toast, and they were already seated at the bar. When I approached, we were very excited to see one another, so naturally, we took a moment to catch up. I noticed there was one bartender in the service well who was busy making drinks and therefore understandably unable to greet me. There was another bartender conversing with patrons standing next to my barstool and another bartender on the far end. Now, as someone with a background in food & beverage, I naturally exercise patience in casual dining atmospheres because service can be a little laxed--which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I'm not expecting the bartender to teleport across the room because I walked in. However, in this case, after greeting my friends, we wanted to do a round of shots in honor of the birthday girl. After several minutes, we still had not been approached by a bartender. Not to mention, the bartender conversing just to my right was STILL carrying on with the same gentlemen patrons. After a continued wait, the birthday girl decided to flag down the bartender, who acknowledged us with eye contact... ...and then continued her conversation. Ma'am. That was very unprofessional, but we were in such great spirits that we decided to overlook it and try to get the attention of a different bartender. Now, hindsight being 20/20, we should've left right then. This same bartender, standing not even 3 feet away from us, eventually finished her conversation and walked away. She actually ended up standing at the service well in plain sight of us, where she then pulled out her cellphone to devote some obviously much-needed quality screen time. We were in utter shock. Within a few moments, the bartender originally on the far end of the bar had made her way to our side to take a new set of patrons' order who had just appeared to my right. Once again, the birthday girl calls out and asks if it would be possible for her to assist us when she was done. To our dismay, the lady looks at us with absolutely ZERO emotion and simply states, "Yea." Not exactly the response we expected, but hey... it's Detroit. We are natives, although I no longer live locally, so we know customer service isn't necessarily the city's strongest suit. ‍ After Ms. Dead Emotions prepared drinks for the new set of patrons, she followed suit with the previous bartender and walked over to the service well for some R&R with Screen Time Girl. And THAT was the moment we realized these bartenders did not come to work... They came to clock in. At this point, I decided to ask for a manager. The nice woman I approached asked me what it was regarding, and I explained what we had experienced and told her it was disappointing, to say the least. She seemed rational and understanding and offered to send a waitress to the bar to serve us. I thanked her and went back to my seat. It was obvious that the bartenders had been made aware of my grievances because their demeanors and facial expressions suddenly had a LOT to say. At that point, we realized training, support, and customer service may be an unrecognized area of opportunity by upper management. The server was busy with tables but eventually made her way over. She seemed very nice. However, by that point, we had decided we would leave. As we sat there conversing about this unbelievable experience and discussing other bars we could go to instead, a few patrons walked up to our side of the bar to introduce themselves and ask about our plans and whether we would stick around to have a drink with them. When we informed them we were leaving, they asked why. We gave them the short version as we prepared to leave. Sadly, they weren't surprised--but they offered AGAIN to make it right. Imagine customers offering to make it right. ‍ Just before leaving, one of our group stepped away to the restroom. At that point, Screen Time finally walked up and, exasperatedly, asked if we wanted anything. IKYFL. The birthday girl, who is sweet-natured, was understandably disappointed, so I decided, you know what? We'll take a shot for the road. A simple Don Julio Repo shot took longer than it should have... ...but the bill came IMMEDIATELY. And, of course, an automatic 20% gratuity was the cherry on top. At this point, all I could do was laugh. Beautiful restaurant. Great first impression. Unfortunately, the actual experience was a completely different story. WE WILL NOT BE BACK.

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Anchor Bar - pubs - Updated October 2026

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