Anchovies

I order a salad and it consisted of lettuce and half a tomato. Not terrible but not great. Linguine with meatballs was not good. Over cooked pasta with meatballs. Meatballs had way too much bread and sauce tasted of tomato and a little garlic. Service was very attentive and atmosphere seemed fine to have a drink and watch a Bruins game but if you are looking for great meal you might be disappointed.

Great drinks priced just right! I work in the south end and this is a perfect place to go at the end of the night. One of my co-​workers recommended this place to me since I’m a «dive bar junkie.» Not to mention the pizza and basket of fries I got were spectacular! Thanks guys!

This bar perfectly summarizes of my recent trip to Boston. It’s in the south end, tucked away inconspicuously on a seemingly sleepy street, and it well, screams Boston.
After a fairly late flight in, my friends and I were running out of options for food and booze since most kitchens close around 1 A.M. However, luckily for us, Anchovies does not close that early.
The main bar area is in the front of the venue and there is additional seating in the back for diners, and or drinks depending on how drunk you are and how much space there is. It’s a very lively environment and has this dark and dingy feel to it.
We ordered two pizza, truffle fries and a calzone. Our server was this sweet, adorable older man with a very quintessential Boston accent (obviously I’m not from these neck of the woods).
The servings here are HUGE. GIANT. Oh my gosh everything was the size of my upper torso. Along with a few beers, this was a perfect carb centric meal to round off the night and kick off the rest of my Boston festivities.
When I’m back in the northeast, I’ll be sure to drop by again for a local IPA and a calzone.

My sister and I wanted to try a new place so we decided to check out Anchovies as it was walking distance from my sister’s place. It reminds of a billiard room with a disco ball/​neighborhood bar. We did not have to wait that long for a table. I ordered the pumpkin martini while my sister got a glass of wine. My pumpkin martini was the best one I have had all season and they were generous pourers. This is why I gave 2 stars. My sister and I split the italian nachos, which were heavy and a generous portion. Since we were kind of full, we each got a small dinner salad and split the palenta dish. The palenta dish was not what we expected at all. It had a different flavor and looked like someone chewed the meat then spit it out. We were truly disappointed with the food and could not finish it. I would just come back for the drinks as they were cheap. The staff were nice but the food we got was lacking.

Wow. We’ve been coming here for many years now but I am reminded what great food they serve at an affordable price.

The service here is great and the food is slightly above decent but nothing to right home about. It looks more like a bar than a restaurant. The pasta is cooked perfectly al dente. I would order the truffle fries, skip the meatballs, and always recommend the Riccardo pasta!

Not sure if it’s hipster or actually going for vintage Italian… We brought our in-​laws here after getting bounced from Giacomo’s next door. The menu is short and interesting enough and is a good mix of classic American-​Italian dishes and more exciting things. Everything we got was very good. Mussels appetizer is very nice. The free bread + heavily spiced olive oil is surprisingly good. The pasta dishes are all good. This place should get more rage! Oh they don’t have dessert… Come on. Some lame gelato or tiramisu would have finished the deal more sweetly (no pun intended?). I’m a fan! Will come back again.
Oh definitely get a glass of wine. It’s really heavy pour!

Even though this cozy bar can be super crowded and loud at times its sooo worth it… They have the most delicious Eggplant Parm!

Stopped by for a drink and a snack while waiting for dinner next door.
Bar tender was attentive and got our drink order right away. Tasted exactly as we had hoped. Added a garlic bread. I would definitely recommend the cheese and tomatoes on the garlic bread. It was delicious! Nice crusty bread with melty cheese. Yum!
I keep seeing delicious entrees coming out! Definitely thinking about cancelling the reservation next door to eat here!

What a chill place to get a night cap at. Warm, friendly, and cozy atmosphere. It’s a nice place to have a relaxed conversation over a drink. I will definitely be visiting again next time I’m in Boston from Naples, Fl.

The wait was too long at Giacomo’s, so we ducked in here for dinner. Anchovies is a dive bar with a kitchen. The atmosphere is as one would expect. The service was earnest and straightforward. My martini was generous. We had a nice bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. The food was good. There was a lot of fried food and a lot of cheese. Everything was competently prepared. The food turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

Ok this may be my new favorite bar. It is funky and has a very welcoming vibe here. The bartender we had (I didn’t get his name but he worked on a Tuesday night) was awesome! He was so quick to get out our drinks and check on us. All the patrons talk to one another and make you feel like you’ve known each other for years. There are a pair of shoes on the ceiling which entertained me.
We also ordered Italian nachos which were amazing. It was chips covered with mozzarella and ricotta and a bolognese which had me hesitant at first but once I tried them I couldn’t not stop eating them.
This full bar also features good beers that I enjoy one in particular is the delerium tremens.
I would def come back to this place and recommend it to everyone for sure.

I don’t know why people find it necessary to negatively review this place.
It’s clear from the name and location that this is a Boston dive bar. I love dive bars.
My food was absolutely acceptable. And Tess made our specific drinks with attention and also importantly, in a timely manner.
Negative reviews were probably at the wrong location but hey. To each their own.

I came here as a result of recommendation from a friend who lives within two blocks of this bar/​restaurant. It is probably more accurate to describe it as a bar with a few tables in the back section, where you really can’t see them when you first walk in.
The décor is a mix of faux Tiffany lamps, eclectic collection of antique carnival nick nacks, non-​descript black and white portrait photos from the early last century. Kind of whacky but I can see how it appeals to some locals. It is dark inside and narrow.
I think you will be ok if you know that it is a bar with good reputation for decent food, rather than being a great restaurant. The name is kind of deceiving because its main theme appears to be Italian restaurant, but it is a bar; although I had a good chicken piccata with penne here. If you want a full service restaurant, go next door to Giacomo’s.
The piccata that I had is probably close to how I would serve it at home — in a large bowl with lots of olives, capers, shallots, garlic, artichoke hearts, sort of home style presentation. Nothing fancy but good decent home meal. The chicken was perfectly browned. They were cut up into bite size pieces and sautéed, rather than the usual filet. Delicious. The portion was a little too big for me, but if you are a hungry person, this dish certainly will fit the bill.
The garden salad with pesto dressing, for me, was just OK, contrary to many reviews here. The greens were not that fresh and there was too much dressing. I should have asked to put it on the side, because the greens were sort of swimming in the dressing.
I will probably come back here for the bar and the bar type food, like burgers and hot dogs, although I may opt for that piccata special if they have it.

I lived in the South End for two years and this was one of my favorite spots. The food is great especially for the price. Fast service, large pours of wine and usually pretty good beers on tap. My favorite things to get are the ricciardi or the orichiette with broccoli rabe and sausage. All entrees (including pastas) come with a side salad (which is pretty plain, but still nice you get it as a free side). Their bread and dipping sauces is so good! I also love how they decorate for Christmas! I miss Anchovies…

I lived in the south end for three years and this was easily one of my favorite haunts. Nothing beats shacking up in here on a winter night and ordering a big bowl of the pasta special. Can’t go wrong with any of the menu standbys either — ricciardi never gets old. Definitely get pesto on your salad. Affordable drinks & generous servings on martinis. The chicken wings are an absolute hidden gem on the menu — very crisp with a good kick to them.
One of my favorite neighborhood spots, I’ll always try and come back here when in Boston.

Hidden gem!
Love this neighborhood place. Easy in and out grabbing take-​out. Food is absolutely always good.

For a restaurant called «Anchovies», you sure won’t find that ingredient here! Well, except in their special oil for dipping bread.
The place is pretty small and hidden. The first time, I walked right past it without even knowing it! If I recall correctly, there is one long main bar area and only about 4 – 5 tables that each sit around 4 – 5 people.
The waitress was… ok. Neither nice nor mean. Had a bit of spunk, which I personally had a hard time clicking with.
The place is pretty dark, and a little grimy looking. It is definitely due for a renovation.
The dish I got was some sort of Chef’s special. It included lamb, hot italian sausages, chicken breast, and fried polenta. The first couple bites were absolutely delicious. The italian sausages were on point. Chicken breasts were super dry, lamb was a little bland, and the polenta was a bit odd. I can’t really say whether the polenta is bad or not because it was my first time having it. It was sort of like a fried cornbread with a lot of cheese inside. All I can say is that I personally wasn’t a fan.
I was also here for my birthday and when my roommates mentioned it to the waitress she didn’t even bother saying happy birthday or offering a free dessert. Isn’t that a pretty common practice?

Came here with my friend on Superbowl Sunday night, to stake out a spot where we could watch that wasn’t a live stream from our 13″ laptops. After searching for «sports bars» on Unilocal,we ventured out into the frozen tundra of south end to come to this place.
I’d consider this a pretty hole-​in-​the-​wall place, with a bar section and just a few tables for restaurant style seating. They have 3 TVs, but you’ll be able to see a TV from anywhere you are seated. Surprisingly, we came at around 6:40 (ten min after superbowl started) and the bar was occupied, but not crowded. The tables were for the most part, not crowded as well. I’d say there were always a few tables empty throughout the entire night — not sure if this was due to the game, but I was afraid that they were going to be too busy & we’d have to wait /​leave right after we finished eating! Good thing it never really got crowded so we were able to stay the whole time :)
We ordered the little neck clams, parmesean truffle fries, and lobster ravioli for two to share. (They ran out of wings, but I wasn’t surprised seeing it was SB night) Food was delicious: the clams with the garlic butter sauce was great, and the lobster ravioli was nice and cheesy without being too heavy along with the great flavor from the grape tomatoes. As we kept watching, the fries that once seemed too intimidating to finish dwindled down to an empty basket — they were really good. With the bread and the salad that came with the ravioli, we had more than enough food at a really reasonable price (came out to around $ 37 excluding tip). Our server was really friendly, came to refill our waters constantly, and when she left, the bartender (?) came to fill since we were there for like four hours hahaha.
All around, a really friendly and homey vibe — people at the bar were super friendly too as they walked around and talked about the game. I loved the spirit of everybody here as well as the cozy ambiance… will definitely return here! My friend and I were already talking about returning for next years’ Superbowl — hopefully they don’t get annoyed of us haha
(Ps dudes — good date spot! Very intimate and I feel like it’s really romantic just because it’s such a hidden/​lowkey spot)

Went here with a friend to grab a bite to eat on a Sunday night.
The place was actually pretty crowded but we were seated at the back of the bar right away.
For my meal, I went with the orecchiette pasta with broccoli and sausage in a sun dried tomato sauce. The dish itself was a huge portion. The flavors went well together and the noodles were cooked perfectly, but I did wish that there was a bit more sauce with the dish.
Overall, this place has friendly service, a very homey vibe, and decent pricing. Great neighborhood spot to check out if you’re in the area.