Went to eat with my family and the people smoking inside was overbearing. We couldn't breathe and my kids complained so we had to leave. We didn't even have the chance to try to the food. If you're okay with sitting inside of a smoker's lung and eating food, then this is your place! read more

Goetta crisped to perfection and in a greasy omelette with slices of cheddar cheese. Ordering off of the menu, you have a chance of getting out of there at a semi - reasonable price. As soon as you add and substitute, though, things get pricey given the quality of food and the setting. This is good enough to be a backup to other diners when they are too busy, but in general they need to increase quantity, quality, or decrease cost to make this worthy of a regular visit. Also, they only accept cash, so be prepared! read more

Went for a late night breakfast food craving. Not much by way of aesthetics. Very simple, affordable, well-cooked food. Service was pretty strange and slightly unwelcoming -- nobody even greeted us walking in, so we didn't know we could sit wherever we wanted -- but it worked. Great food at a great price, so I'd definitely give it another try. read more

Cash only is a bit of a burden. Besides that, low prices, strong portions, consumable food (Will not tantalize your tastebuds but is very palatable), fast service, and friendly staff. I would recommend for late night/post clubbing diner food!!! read more

I've been here both drunk and sober. That's right, sober. But never during day light. The Anchor Grill will meet any greasy food hankering. The service depends on how crowded they are - you'd be amazed at how friendly folks are at around 8 p.m. versus 2 a.m. Win - cheap, greasy, almost always open, parking lot. Lose - somehow you can still smoke in there, and folks truly enjoy getting their smoke on. Also, cash only. Boo. But they do have an ATM on site, so I guess it's not so bad. I visited last month with high hopes of introducing the Barbie doll juke box to my Anchor Grill virgin husband, but did not see it. Me hopes it still exists! read more

There is nothing more nostalgic about my childhood or young adulthood than hanging at the anchor at odd hours, eating something with goetta in it, or pounding four cups of their (really good!) coffee in one sitting. This is the perfect Sunday breakfast joint, and also the perfect greasy spoon cure for a hangover. Word to the wise- it's cash only! Also, try the grilled cheese. Sometimes there are fruit flies, but it's a part of the charm. Would. Not. Trade this place. read more

Anchor Grill is a dingy looking old-school diner in the South of Covington on Pike St. The lot is easy to spot coming from I-75 with a big 'ol river boat painted on the side of the building. WARNING: CASH ONLY It's Northern Kentucky and smoking, though nominally illegal indoors, is often overlooked, as it was here. I'm not a fan of smoking near me, so I've certainly docked points for that which you may or may not agree with. The food selection is diner food, and the group I attended with just before Thanksgiving ordered a number of options. I went with the Anchor Grill Special Goetta & Cheese Omelette. Not sure what I was expecting, but it was more than I got. Literally a 3 egg omelette with goetta and Kraft american cheese slices melted in. Disappointing to say the last. The hot chocolate was good. Not Swiss Miss or anything, it was thick and creamy. This experience was sub-par. I may return to try one of the double-decker sandwiches. We'll see. read more

Excuse my uncultured palate. I really apologize because I think I just couldn't take my first true Southern breakfast. I got the country ham steak, which came with eggs, toast and hashed browns. I think the eggs were the only things I actually enjoyed. And now you may be wondering what was wrong with everything else. The toast was dripping in melted butter. The hashed browns needed more salt, but was fine. The country ham...I was expecting a ham steak, but I should have checked the Internet first. It did not have a traditional ham taste. It was really salty and really fatty. It also smelled somewhat like rotten meat to me. I had a small bite of it and put it aside. Along with the food, this place has a strong smoke smell. There are 3 dining areas, and I chose the last one since it smelled the least smoky. But there was still a sign on the wall that said No Smoking between 11am-4pm. Errrrr, okay, I guess...I don't know how that changes things since it's not like the smell of smoke will just go away at 4:01pm. I finished ASAP and high tailed it out of there to preserve my lungs. I really think this place just wasn't for me since I'm not into Southern food anyway, but if this place has been around for so long, I'm sure there's a reason for it. Next time, I think I'll just stick to the regular eggs and bacon. read more

Wins: -Goetta -Peanut Butter Pie (come early, they often run out!) -Lemonade that happens to be Electric Blue in color -Sassy Waitresses who banter with their regulars (of which my crew and I definitely are!) -Crazy random decor Not So Wins: -Smoke (they got around the smoking ban by having smoke-free hours during the day) -This place is either dead or absolutely packed. I usually come with a group of 12+ after late night dance events and sometimes we have to go somewhere else because there just is not enough room. That's a good problem for a restaurant to have, though! -Cash only (they have a shady overpriced ATM if you forget) read more

The anchor grill is an American icon. The food is honest, hand made, satisfying. The service is great. The ambiance- photos can't do it justice. You need to be there and be transported. It is a time machine that is spectacular. read more

This is a slice of Americana that is fast disappearing throughout the country. The smoking ban is a load of nanny-state nonsense, and a place like this is really where it hurts. As was reported in a previous review, the smoky atmosphere is part of the charm. There is no better place to eat late at night in the area, hands down. The entire atmosphere reminds me of places that were already old when I was a little kid, and very few of them exist today. Even without the smoking, there is no better place to go to eat in the middle of the night, and especially after drinking. I am with the crowd in the case of Anchor Grill, and though I wrote a bad review of the local worship place Terry's Turf Club, I think the difference between the two is trying to hard (Terry's shithole) and not giving a damn (the glorious Anchor). I've had a lot of menu items and none of the were bad. I recommend something fried, maybe with a potato of some kind, and gravy. But the burgers are good too. read more

The goetta was the best part of the meal. We were there for dinner but chose to get breakfast instead. Everything tasted home-made. My only complaint was one biscuit was a tad hard but it was an odd hour to eat so I assume that was more likely the problem. read more

Listen, if you're going to anchor grill for quick, thorough service you're NOT going to get it. If you come for the kool aid and the best damn bob and dickwhich ever then you're in for a BANGIN time. Anchor grille is a STAPLE to Covington many of drunken nights spent sobering up have taken place in this establishment. We LOVE Anchor grill. read more

Getta & cheese omelet with homefries with onions, plus a coffee! ..........order it!!! trust me! Besides that its a great greasy spoon restaurant. I have been going there for years. Good food that puts a weight in your belly but thats what you go there for. The service can be slow at times but still worth the weight. It is also open 24/7 365 with a slogan "WE MAY DOZE BUT WE NEVER CLOSE" and with that type of availability you can never go wrong with the anchor for any type of dinning either early morning before a long day or early morning from a long night. Oh and it is Cash Only but they have a ATM but you will have a 2 or 3 dollar charge can't remember which one. read more

This is my favorite place to eat. I love old western grills and the waiters are so nice and welcoming I feel very comfortable in this place because it reminds me of my family because of the style of the food my personal favorite is the cubed or chopped steak with a side of mashed potatoes. read more

It's good for food but the service is less than acceptable. I've been going here for a couple months every morning and I've have to wait for service for 10 minuets and another 10 just to get my coffee. The tables are never fully clean or bussed .The waitresses are rude and this morning was the last straw when our waitress finally got to us and we were the only ones there, reeking of liquor. read more

This is your typical, greasy diner. My girlfriend and I went after a day of Bunbury Festival last month around 11pm. The service was a bit delayed, but we enjoyed it. We sat at the bar and I liked the atmosphere! We were half-asleep and just wanted something fast and greasy and this place fit the bill. We also smoked as we ate, so if you don't like smoke near your food, I wouldn't advise going there. From what I can tell, it's a typical hang-out for drunk people, so I also wouldn't advise going there late if you'd prefer to avoid that. Overall we enjoyed it and highly considered going again before we left the city. We probably will be next time we're in Cincinnati! read more

Great food. Fantastic service. "You know I have a gun under the counter to control you drunk fools" attitude. Sometimes dozing never closing. What's not to love? Been going here since I was a kid. And anchor is very close to my heart. Can't beat their BLT and Barbie doll band read more

Best after bar food ever! Full menu, great salad, best liver and onions hands down. The staff is friendly and so are the other patrons. Leaving the bar, go here! read more

I just ate the best Western Omelet ever. It was huge and very tasty. Fresh ingredients, perfect blend of veggies, meats and cheese. The waitress peaceful down in front of me within 5 minutes of ordering. Fantastic! They don't take credit, but there is an ATM conveniently inside. read more

Anchor Grill - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

Where else can you eat a goetta omelette while you watch an animatronic miniature band perform to oldies jukebox music? A legend. Filled with blue-collar locals during the day, and alt-set students on Saturday nights. Also, not a bad place to end a night of drinking and debauchery in North Kentucky, as many people do. read more

I've been going to this place since Highschool. This is the place to go when it's 3am and all the bars are closed and it's time to sober up and get a snack. Love their fries. Breakfast is always a win. Chicken strips are a fail. Burgers are meh. They have a cool puppet show thing it's been there for years and the oldest pin ball I've ever seen. People like going there because you can still smoke inside. Don't expect much from this place. read more

This place is a dirty, smokey, hole in the wall, but it is awesome. It is open 24 hours and serves the best 'drunk' food that you could want...I mean, who wouldn't pass up anything with goetta while under the influence! I came here with a few family members after snow tubing while and filled our bellies with such goodies as 'goetta and cheese omelette, chicken tenders, The Big Anchor (think Big Boy), goetta and eggs, and finally the GLT (Goetta, lettuce, and tomato). It was awesome. read more

The soups here are AMAZING! This is apparently a local dive where people go when they are done drinking. We went and to be honest I had set the bar pretty low based on what I had heard about the place. I had a bean soup that was about the best bean soup I have ever had in my life. It was so good I am still dreaming about it. I also had a steak sandwich which was good considering the type of place I was at. The service was fast and the order was correct and the biggest bonus is that they were open at midnight, which is when eating jags seem to hit in this little town. read more

All Nite Dive Check List: Great drunk people watching - check. Greasy food for a hungry/drunk belly - check. Jukebox - check. Kitschy nautical themes - Check. Creepy dancing puppet band - Check. What's NOT to love??? read more

Okay here I go, so hang on! I am an old timer who grew up in this town in the fifties, so I have squatters rights! This place holds a lot of grand memories for me, I went here with my Mom when I was itty bitty, and i came here with my kids to hear the nitty gritty dirt band, that has a permanent stage up in the corner, complete with a stage, a curtain that opens and closes when the band of barbies starts their act! They perform everytime the juke box gets fed a quarter. The band isn't paid, but it's free, so what do you expect? NOT!! THE PLACE TO CARRY YOUR BRIDE OVER THE THRESHOLD!! The tables are wobbly and warped, the floors are slanted, or maybe my vision was a little cock eyed at that time of the night. The waitresses are stressed and pissed,but they get the job done of feeding your drunken butt, and the prices are real nice and cheap! Over all a grand dining experience, if you don't mind sludging through all the smoke, and the mud, and the blood, and the guts, and the beer! Not a place to take your Minister, unless you want to show him from whence you came, and how far you've come! Love it when I need it! Which is pretty often! Come for the food, stay for the fun! read more

Nothing special about this place, the food is average, the server came to check on me once, it's clean and menu is ok, what really bothered me is they don't accept card and the ATM machine inside charges $2.50 to get money. I ate a Veggie Omelet wish hash browns, super grease and very small portion, their fruits are not even fresh, they are canned. Spent around $16 with tips. read more

This is another one of those places that I've not been in before 2am, and I don't want that to ever change. I'll be honest, I have no idea if they have brunch, if they have good burgers, or if it's a good place to take your kids for dinner. Great little dive that has decent sausage gravy and hash browns. (with cheese, obviously) The prices are good, the food does the trick, the service isn't bad. read more

The epitome of the "greasy spoon" but the food was awesome. It was like stepping back 30 years when I entered this place - terrible wood paneling and decor, OLD jukebox, old school counter and that feel of an old building. You know that smell and feel you get when you enter an old place? This has it in spades. I tried the goeta (sp) omelet and it was so delicious. The portion was adequate and the sides were good as well. Fun, funky, old school little funky country place with good food and service. read more

I am all for little "dive" joints, and this one just makes me smile.. even as the grease from my meal dribbles down my chin. Yum. I can literally feel my arteries clogging with each bite, but I can't resist. It's like a food train wreck that I can't stop eating. I was a poor excuse for a Cincinnatian before I became aquainted with this lovely place. I'm ashamed to say it, but I'd never heard of Goetta.. and when it was brought out of a friend's plate I looked at the brown rectangle and actually curled my lip up at the sight of it. Sigh... that was the night I learned not to be judemental of my food.. I took a bite, with my eyes closed tightly shut, and as that piece of... whatever Goetta is, hit my taste buds my eyes shot open and I was a believer.. I grabbed a fork and stole a rather large portion off my friend's plate. Our friendship was strained a bit after that, but it was WORTH it!! Whenever someone comes to town that isn't from here, I drag them to this place. As they walk in and step back into time they look at me with fear in their eyes.. I think they believe I've actually kidnapped them and there is an ax murderer in the back. I assure them they will love me even more than they already do after they leave here, and so far everyone that I've taken has in fact been a fan. I heart you Anchor Grill and you'd be 5 stars if you only accepted credit cards! read more

Anchor Grill. You have to try it. Food wise it's just your usual greasy diner food. Not amazing, definitely not bad. Definitely best at 3am when you're drunk. Speaking of, it's open 24/7 right down Main Strasse in Covington. The staff is friendly and reasonably quick. You have to try the jukebox. The creepy animatronic barbie dolls dance. I kid you not. A big plus for me is that you can still smoke inside. There's nothing like sucking down a cigarette and killing the bottomless cups of coffee at 2am. If you hate second hand smoke, though, you won't like it. Definitely recommended, and it is one of my favorite late night spots in the Cincinnati area! read more

OMG!!! This is one of the best places in the world! It's especially awesome at 3am when all the nite people are out, and you've GOT to play the jukebox, or you'll miss a huge portion of the experience here. This is not merely a restaurant, this is an EXPERIENCE. The mix of people you get to see at night is soooooooo worth it, not to mention that the food is good and cheap. Are the Barbies still playing? This was my favorite late nite dining spot till I left Cincy...good grub, strong coffee and fun environment. Completely different atmosphere in the daytime, but the food is still great. NOBODY serves goetta outside of the Tristate area...and I miss it!!! I live down South now and they just dont getta goetta...at all. I may have to fly home just to have some soon now that I'm thinking about it! read more

The food is nothing to write home about and the whole place smells like smoke, but you will nevertheless be a fan for the following reasons... 1. It's the only place open when the Fishbone concert ends. This is reason enough to go, but you're really glad you did when, just after ordering your food, Angelo Moore (Fishbone's front man) walks in and sits at the table next to yours and starts to make small talk. Of course he's eating here too; it's the only place open! 2. The Anchor Grill has the largest collection of charmingly kitschy nautical decor you've ever seen. We're talking seas of dusty ship captain a sailboat knit knacks. 3. The characters you will see here will definitely keep you entertained. There is always a table full of stoned high school kids right next to a table where two cops are having coffee and turning a blind eye. No wonder the place has a punk song written about it! Oh yeah, bring cash. It's cash only. read more

Goetta omlette. Who could ask for more? Home fries. Who could ask for more? Toast. Who could ask for more? How about Barbee singing songs? Who knew she had the range she does? And the band played on. Be patient, service can be slow. Especially at 2:30 a.m. when the crowd piles in the front door. The staff here probably deserves a Noble Peace Prize for what they put up with, drunk asses and all. Bring on the B's and G's. read more

Pretty good food. Had breakfast there. Would go back! Home fries were great! Very filling! read more

Anchor Grill - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

I will never forget eating here, it will be a story I tell for the rest of my life.... TLDR: Puke in the bathroom, hair in the food, greasy, cold, hard, rude, yuck don't do it We were in Cincinnati to buy a few things and after some tire issues and a phone charger dying on me and leaving us mapless for a bit, it ended up being after midnight and we were starving. After a yelp search for 24 hour restaurants I found this place. Great reviews and the pictures look pretty good. I was thinking it was a really cool retro place, or whatever the hip term is for an old diner with a jukebox and lunch counter. It ended up being more a creepy weird place. It was freezing in there. Granted, we chose a seat in front of the door that rarely stopped opening and closing but come on. The door needs work so that it shuts completely and add some kind of extra heat source in the front room. We chose the cold seating because the back "room," which was more of a hallway had booths mostly filled with loud drunken people. I suspect this is where the good reviews come from. When your drunk and hungry, a meal handed to you a 3am may seem like the best meal ever. The decor was mostly nautical although they have very few seafood options. Also pictures of the owners on the wall and the menu seemed odd. I had read over the menu on yelp but somehow thought maybe part of it was missing or they have daily specials to fill the gaps. No, the menu was just strangely limited. I get limited for late night, but the options they did have made no sense. The choice of vegetables: macaroni salad, applesauce, and cottage cheese. So, no vegetables. Choices of sides: hash browns, home fries, baked potato. No rice, mac and cheese, and strangest of all, no mashed potatoes. Gravy comes with several meals, even a roast beef, but no mashed potatoes. I can't imagine it'd be that hard to keep some made in the fridge and heat them up. Heck, they could even throw a pile on the grill to warm them. Mashed potatoes and vegetable dreams squashed I was hungry so I chose macaroni salad for my "vegetable" and hash browns with cheese for my side along with the pork steak, or whatever they called it. The macaroni salad came out immediately. Giant shell noodles, many many onions, and few green peppers smothered in a watery mayo, or it could've been a miracle whip. It's hard to say since it just tasted like onions. I tried to help it out with some salt and pepper but the pepper was the size of gravel and I prefer finely ground. The pork steak was ok and edible with a thin layer of brown gravy on it. The hash browns were undercooked and potatoes close to raw. The cheese wasn't even completely melted. The worst part though was the grease. I like grease, it's usually not something I'd complain about but this grease or oil or whatever it was, tasted funny and the hash browns sat in a puddle of it. The dish was complete with one small curved hair. I had added a side of goetta. Having never heard of it and reading the reviews, I wanted to try this local dish. It was ok. Pretty plain and edible. My mother's meal: Eggs medium, good she said. Sausage patties, good. Home fries, the biggest brown squares I've ever seen called home fries with a raw potato inside. They seemed deep fried at a high temp for a short time. Inedible, and I can and will eat most anything, even if I don't really like it. The biscuits and gravy, a water looking gravy that tasted like the cheap canned kind. Cold, absolutely cold. Like someone poured it out of the can and served it. If it's really homemade, they really need to brown the flour more and use some more milk. Our meal was about $33 I think.. Strange highlights: A little girl about 10-11 years old announcing she'd thrown up all over the bathroom and the owner (I suspect) just saying, "we'll take care of it." No attempt to tell her it was okay or ask if she was alright. Someone else asked her if she still wanted her food. Then the owner and employees proceeded to talk about how a child shouldn't be out at that time or in that cold.. Just don't. 1. Not where customers can hear you. If you want to judge people, don't do it where customers can hear you. I don't enjoy supporting someone who judges people. 2. You never know someone's situation. Maybe they were traveling and broke down, maybe they had no heat at home and needed a warm meal. Who knows. 3. Maybe the owner and employees who were judging this girl and her grandmother know them and their situation. Maybe, but they didn't know me. I'm the mother of a special needs child. He rarely sleeps and when he does, it's usually in the day time. Sometimes I have to go grocery shopping, and sometimes I'm so exhausted I need a meal I didn't have to prepare. Don't judge your customers and if you are one of those people who judges everyone, make sure no one can here you. Save yourself some money and the awful experience, you're better off at a drive thru. read more

A northern Kentucky staple. I have been going here since I was a kid, they're normally short staffed but trust me it's worth the wait. My mom and I go here occasionally for old times sake and some good fried food. read more

Great food,Slow service and a Wierd experiance all around. Never had a bad meal here and I highly reccomend everyone eat there at least once in thier life. Its a Greasy Spoon with a Great Greasy Menu. Clean, but Dated for sure. they have a neat assortment of puppets that play a little show. I do like this place. It is what it is. I've only been there late, Drunk, with other drunks. surrounded by other drunks, that are in Need of a Greasey meal before the beer coma sets in. Not sure why I like this place but I do...everyone needs a good place to eat late,drunk or not. Its worth going to at least once, cause its open late when everything else is closed. read more

Great little dive! Excellent breakfast, great atmosphere. Can't find a better breakfast in the Cincinnati area! read more

Anchor Grill - This comes to life every time the juke box is played! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Covington, Kentucky

Well it's been about an hour and half I've been waiting for a cheeseburger now. This place blows. OVERRATED.