The Anchovy Bar, the latest restaurant from the team at State Bird Provisions, is finally, officially open. It’s splashy news for fans of this star restaurant group, which also includes the Progress. The concept includes a full seafood-forward menu, which will be especially enticing for anyone who loves oily little fish. This new restaurant dives into the depths of chef Stuart Brioza’s obsession with anchovies, which are caught locally but can be under-appreciated.

“I root for the underdog,” Brioza says, who describes the revelatory experience of making Caesar dressing as a young chef, before understanding how “truly exceptional” this local ingredient can be when pulled fresh from the ocean. “It’s not a humble ingredient,” he insists. “It’s definitely more work than caviar.”

The menu starts with anchovies, including local fish that the team quick preserves in house, a labor of love. But as the season winds down, they’ll also be rounding out the list with tinned fish from famed regions in Spain and Italy. Those are just the first bites. The menu keeps rolling through half a dozen fresh oysters, big meaty broiled oysters, a trio of exciting butters, fish, meat, and more. Here’s just a taste to start licking those whiskers, and for the full menu, scroll down to the bottom.

Anchovies from Anchovy Bar — Anchovies with toasted ciabatta, creme fraiche, cucumber, tomato, radishes

SF Bay “boquerones” on avocado-tomato toasts

Oysters from Anchovy Bar — Half a dozen different types of raw oysters are sourced by Hog Island, from farms up the West Coast

Broiled oysters from Anchovy Bar — Broiled Hog Island sweetwaters, smoky sambal butter, date, bacon

Butters at Anchovy Bar — An entire section dedicated to butters and spreads include a yogurt butter with fish floss and radishes

Potatoes from Anchovy Bar — Inspired by a trip to Hokkaido, Japan, simple steamed potatoes get a duo of butters infused with cod roe and local nori

Clams from Anchovy Bar — Littleneck clams and chorizo

Desserts at Anchovy Bar — Star pastry chef Nicole Krasinski never disappoints on dessert, with caramelized arlettes, honey semifreddo, and spiced chocolate pavé

Arlettes from Anchovy Bar — The arlettes are almost like a palmier cookie made from puff pastry, but rolled in sugar, stuffed with Meyer lemon curd, and served with coconut cream

Wylie Price design group completely reimagined the space, which given the circumstances, flows from an outdoor parklet to an indoor dining room with a big bustling fish bar and a mini market filled with tinned fish and olive oils. Good luck getting a reservation at one of only nine tables: The Anchovy Bar is only doing sit-down service for now, and declining to offer takeout.

Outdoor seating at Anchovy Bar on a sidewalk. Some diners are seated under an overhang. A family with children sits in the foreground. Plants and heat lamps are scattered about. — There are six tables outside, between the sidewalk awning and green parklet

Indoor seating at Anchovy Bar — There are three tables inside, spacing out a few indoor diners

Kitchen at Anchovy Bar — The open kitchen includes a raw bar filled with ice and the oysters of the day

Market at Anchovy Bar — A market stand offers tinned fish, olive oil, vinegar, and exclusive imports

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The Anchovy Bar is Finally Open, and Here Are All the Shiny Little Fish

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The Anchovy Bar is Finally Open, and Here Are All the Shiny Little Fish

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The Anchovy Bar

A Charming Neighborhood Trattoria From a Team of Restaurant Pros Opens on Ocean Avenue

The Chef Behind Michelin-Listed Empress by Boon Just Opened a More Casual Pan-Asian Restaurant

The Best Dishes Editors Ate This Week

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