The Anchor Inn has been around a while. Its current location is on North Landing Road, down by the Virginia Beach Courthouse. This weekend my husband and I went there with two other couples; comprised of my brother and sister-in-laws. With recent news highlighting restaurants going out of business due to the current economic conditions (Magnolia Steak, The Winehouse Bar and Bistro) I think Anchor Inn is really being smart about offering daily lunch and dinner specials. And by specials, I don’t mean something fancy the chef is preparing. I mean special pricing.
Monday through Friday they offer $5 lunch specials. These come with 2 sides and a dessert. Now that is a deal anywhere. I cannot think of a single place downtown where I can get a lunch for five bucks. My brother-in-law works out that way and says he has become a lunch regular. Dinner is served Wednesday through Sunday nights, each night having a different special. The special on our night, Saturday, is called “Cheap Date Night”. This is a 3 course meal with beverage for $35. That is $35 for two, not each. The diners get two salads or shared appetizer, two entrees, shared dessert, selected beverages including glass of wine or large draft. The portions are hearty and there are multiple choices.
When ordering, me being me, I promptly told my husband I was not going to be a cheap date. He didn’t bat an eye. I had a hankering for the steamed platter featuring crab legs and shrimp, which was not one of the cheap date night selections. He skipped the shrimp and went for just the crab legs. It’s pretty hard to screw up either of these unless you overcook them, which they didn’t. We started out with the raw oyster appetizer. I thought these were just okay. Not bad, but not very plump or “meaty”. One couple got the crab dip appetizer. The portion quite large and we all were invited to share. It was delicious.
I find the interior very reminiscent of old Virginia Beach. There are all types of fish mounted here and there, round wooden tables, an open bar area and primarily nautical accessories. The server was great; very warm and friendly. After eating, our server brought the crab eaters each a finger bowl. I have to admit that I was expecting something more like an individually wrapped hand wipe. Anchor Inn really isn’t fancy and this surprised me. The one negative I have is climate related. We were seated close to the front door. It was cold, wet and windy last Saturday night. Every time someone entered or exited the restaurant we got an arctic blast of air. It was uncomfortable.
Finally, I have to talk about the restrooms. As I mentioned earlier, this is not a fancy place. I know that in some very high end establishments there will be a porter in the restroom who may hand you a towel, or offer a spritz of perfume, etc. Other locales may offer some of the amenities, but in a self serve manner. Perhaps they may display a nice basket on the counter with a variety of items to choose from. Well, Anchor Inn has its own take on this. Located next to the single sink is some sort of cart or shelf upon which several full sized toiletry items are located. Several perfumes and lotions, a full sized bottle of Scope mouth wash, and a full sized can of Arid XX deodorant.
Even now as I sit here and write this it is making me giggle. The Scope was pushing the limit as there were no little cups or anything offered for dispensing it. The deodorant I found hilarious. I was really kicking myself for not having my camera with me. My brother-in-law confirmed for me, upon request, that the men's room did NOT have deordorant. Interesting....Overall, I enjoyed myself at Anchor Inn. The food was all good, the service very nice and prices are great. They have a children’s menu for kids 12 and under. All of these items are $5 except Fried Shrimp, which is $8. Again, very reasonable pricing. It is definitely the type of place you could bring children for dinner, although I didn’t see many there. The restaurant was mostly full during prime dinner hours, so I would recommend calling ahead and making a reservation on weekends, especially if you have a large party.
_Laine
Winter Specials
Anchor Inn
2484 North Landing Road
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
(757)689-3456
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