Rusty Anchor

I came to the Rusty Anchor for a Cleveland Stories Dinner Party (which happens on Wednesdays). It was a busy event and much more crowded and claustrophobic than I expected. The stories were funny and touching, the service was fine, but I was not a fan of the food. I ordered a plate with an Erie lake fish and a lobster bisque. I found both to be too greasy and salty. The fish was breaded and buttery, so it felt like it had more calories than a fish should and it masked the natural flavor of the fish. The lobster bisque was also covered with a breaded layer, which felt too fatty and dense to me. For the amount and quality of food, $ 36 + tip is pricey, but perhaps I was paying more for the nice location and show than the food.

I wish I could review the food, but I can’t because the Rusty Anchor just called and canceled our reservation for New Years Eve. It sounds like they took too many reservations and didn’t realize it until the last minute.
Today is December 30^th, so they get two stars — I guess it could have been worse, they could have just turned us away when we arrived tomorrow! Still, kinda the worst night of the year to realize you took a reservation almost a month ago that you can’t honor. Rusty Anchor, I direct you to Jerry Seinfeld for a lesson on the sanctity of reservations:

I want to thank our servers Heather and Nina for their wonderful service. They were very attentive to all of our requests and went above and beyond to assure us as exemplary dining experience. Very personable ladies and would love to sit in their section any time we return to the Rusty Anchor.

Warning! Went here on a Sunday @ 9pm but kitchen was closed. It’s a restaurant but their hours are based around shows at the comedy club. Looks like a nice place to grab dinner before a show but it’s not a restaurant you can just walk up to on a random night.

Late night dining after an event upstairs. With the band playing it was hard to hold a conversation, but the food was pretty solid!
I started my meal with the lobster bisque. It came served in a white crock and was covered in a flaky pastry dough. The soup itself was slightly sweet (as you’d expect) and had a significant portion of lobster contained within. A shot of sherry might have really «jazzed» it up, but the flavor was robust and quite good.
For a main dish, I chose the potato crusted salmon. I came with a side of grilled asparagus and rice. The fish itself was cooked perfectly and the potatoes on the exterior was lightly grilled as well. The accompanying horseradish dill cream sauce was a perfect pairing with this dish.
Was not expecting much from this place at first glance, and other than the slightly high prices I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the meal.

Higher end food, prepared well, (although we did get one cold pasta dish; corrected and brand new dish out shortly thereafter). Not so extensive wine list, but enough to get by.
You’re really paying for the atmosphere, which is worth the price. Great beet salad, goat cheese salad. Skip the meh calamari. Lobster ravioli was yummy.
We were a party of 9 and had great service, with only one server/​waiter. Way to go Drew!

Great location and scenery. Good food. High end cuisine. Good wine prices. I recommend checking it out.
Drew was a great waiter.

I think we went on the wrong night or something, based on all the great reviews on Unilocal.But honestly, my boyfriend and I had such a blah experience that it’s unlikely we’d try it again.
The guy who took our tickets told us when we got there at 8 that the kitchen was running 45 minutes behind because of some large parties. Should have taken that warning as an omen of the clusterfuck that awaited us, but we had already paid for the valet and we’re looking forward to hearing the bossa nova.
The sarcastic, terrible service made me think I was transported back to the 90s Flats, and we were at Dick’s Last Resort. when we declined buying a bottle of wine and instead asked for a cocktail menu, our server huffed and puffed away to get one, slammed it down and then walked away. Rude.
We inexplicably had two servers, and when our entrees didn’t arrive for over an hour and a half (during which time we never got to order drinks or have water refilled), the vile first waitress came over and simultaneously blamed her serving partner and the computer and expressed that «it wasn’t her fault» (we didn’t imply that it was at any point).
We eventually (close to 10 pm) got our entrees — complete with some undercooked rice with his and an ice cold scalloped potato hockey puck and three limp asparagus spears accompanying my fish.
Every place/​server can have an off night, and I swear we are not the kind of people who nitpick or have unrealistic expectations. But at just shy of $ 100 for only one drink, no bread, no water, abrasive service, and seriously mediocre food, it’s enough for me to say Never Again.
Bossa Nova was good, though.

I have only had one comparable dinner to the one I had two nights ago at the Rusty Anchor. The last time I had a dinner like this, it was at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant in Las Vegas in 2007! That’s how good it was!
I enjoyed the steak au poivre with asparagus and a side salad, and a smokey cocktail. My husband enjoyed the scallops, which were huge and also very tender and fresh. Our companions ordered lobster bisque, and seared tuna. The portions were large and of high quality. The steak was cooked perfectly, and the potatoes were sublime. The service was impeccable.
Like another Unilocaler, I would have to agree that the name needs to be changed as The Rusty Anchor sounds like something out of a Spongebob Squarepants episode and does not reflect the polished, upscale dining and entertainment experience offered here.
This is a great place to take someone out to, or to celebrate a special event. Also, there is a large deck with plenty of seats and a fantastic view.

We had been at the Music Box Supper Club for an event so I made last minute reservations at the Rusty Anchor. The prices were much more than I wanted to spend that night so we just got 3 appetizers and split them after finding out they were out of perch fillets. We had the risotto, the scallops and my husband had the lobster perogies. Rave reviews of all three items. The music was a bit loud… and I hate the kind of music that was being played. In hindsight, I wished we’d gone elsewhere but we did get to try a nice restaurant in the flats. The service was good and the food quality was excellent but I’m pretty certain we’ll never return. It’s just not our kinda place.

Great atmosphere! There was a live band there playing which was nice and entertaining. It was pretty dark in there when we had dinner so we couldn’t get a great visual of what the food looks like. ordered the surf and turf for dinner and lobster pierogies and pork belly for appetizer.
Lobster pierogies and pork belly were dry. I couldn’t even taste the lobster in the pierogi and the flavor was very bland. The pork belly was delicious and tender with some bites but other bites were super dry and overly salted.
The surf and turf was beautifully presented! The steak was cooked perfectly how I liked it, leaving it juicy with every bite. It was beautifully seasoned as well so nothing was needed or added for flavor… The mashed potatoes unfortunately tasted and felt like I was eating instant mashed potatoes. I didn’t bother to eat the asparagus because it looked and felt over cooked. The lobster was seasoned and cooked perfectly. Butter was served on the side for dipping purposes.
Overall, the food was inconsistent but the service was great! I felt like everything was a bit overpriced for what they serve, but the scenery was romantic and the live music helped me rate this place a 4 star! Would definitely come back here for drinks and live music!

We stopped here for dinner about 5 pm on a Saturday — we were seated outside on their beautiful patio. The setting was fantastic! Lots of boats, kayaks, a wedding being photographed — and lots of people watching! That might be enough — but our dinner was wonderful! Heather, our waitress was very attentive. I had the crab cake, tempura shrimp — what was outstanding and the most delicious goat cheese salad — my husband, a great burger — a glass of their pinot grigio on tap topped of the meal — go for the views
AND for the food and service!

Rusty Anchor Music Supper Club was a hidden gem! The waterside atmosphere combined with amazing staff and fantastic music made for a top ten dining experience! Hats off to Drew our waiter he did a fantastic job and Crystal the sommelier was knowledgeable and helpful in selecting a wine for the evening! The beet salad and the roasted half chicken with lobster risotto is simple divine! The entire dining experience is one to remember!!!

This is a 4-​star review, bordering on 5. To start, I did not have high expectations of this place, based on all of the poor reviews I had heard of the Music Box and also, just the name of this place is not appealing. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised and am already planning on returning next weekend!
PROS
–You can’t beat the atmosphere of this place on a beautiful summer night. Right on the river with a gorgeous view of the east bank of the Flats. They have a pretty long patio and we were seated there right away.
–Live entertainment. While we were there, a Frank Sinatra cover band was playing and it was awesome.
–The service was super friendly and informative. They were running behind in the kitchen and instead of letting us wonder, or waitress was upfront about our orders and when to expect them. She also made a few recommendations and made sure we were aware of the food and drink specials.
–The food was really quite good. We started with the ceviche and Lobster Bisque. The ceviche was good but the lobster bisque was on point, and I don’t even like lobster bisque! I got the Filet Au Poivre (steak with potatoes and gorgonzola cream) as my main entrée, and while it was not the best filet I’ve ever had, the quality still matched the price I paid for it. Chris got the Pepper Crusted Yellow Fin Tuna and he gave it 5 stars. Next time I go, my entrée will definitely be seafood.
CONS
–As far as I could see, there was no dance floor to groove on. With all of the great artists and bands they have come through here, you’d think this would exist.
–The white wine sangria was just white wine with some fruit thrown in it. Not very good.
–Okay, I am going to say it… I cannot stand the name ‘Rusty Anchor’. When I hear it, I think ‘grungy dive bar’, not ‘nautical, high-​end restaurant’. I hope they consider changing the name!
BOTTOM LINE
–I’ll be keeping an eye on the entertainment schedule so we can plan some group dinners on the patio here!

I have always known this place as a terrific place to hear music that is more diverse, more intelligent and more hip than the pop stuff you get at the big concert halls so it was a nice surprise to discover that it can provide a really very good meal. I try to do the superfoods when I can so I was pleased to see the avocado paired with the shrimp appetizer. OK, OK, I confess it was a guilty pleasure that they put the bacon on also. Hard to pick out a fish entrée from the 11 available options but since I am a fan of piccata sauce I had the Mahi Piccata and very much enjoyed it. No wonder that the general manager came from Blue Point fish restaurant. Server Heather was fun and took good very care of us.

After last night, it’s safe to say that my new favorite night out in Cleveland is dinner on the deck of the Rusty Anchor, overlooking the Cuyahoga River, and a show at the Music Box. Though the food needs a little tweaking, it’s solid. The cocktails are top notch. Most importantly, the service is EXCELLENT. Jillian was one of the best servers I have had ever. I would definitely recommend the Rusty Anchor!

I dine out at least six days a week, but rarely do I have a «wow!» experience. Dinner last night was just that. We had the salt block cured scallops to start, and they were delicious. Our server was very knowledgeable, and pleasant. For dinner, I had the Ribeye, and my date had the Strip Steak. Both were remarkable. We’ll definitely return…

Great meal tonight before going to see BNL at Nautica. I had the salmon and my sister had the scallops, which were sweet and delicious, both served with w red skin potatoes and asparagus. Great view, good service and a band was about to begin playing, but we had to make our show. Will def be back!

We had the Fish Monger as an appetizer. Everything was singed. Burnt or over breaded. Then our bread was cold and underbaked… My sangria was ok. No fruit in it so it may have been a glass of sweet red wine. I did have the oysters and they were fine. The scallop appetizer was good. But very very salty.
And lastly I had the crème brûlée.
It was a tad sour and in some spots cold. This to me means it was microwaved.
I don’t think I would ever come here for seafood again.
Dirty martini’s maybe… But the food, absolutely not.
Hopefully someone else has a Better experience

Went to the Rusty Anchor on Monday and had a wonderful meal and service. I only had a main course but it was superb. I had the pork and the taste was perfect. I had the simple sides with potatoes and asparagus and it was great.
This is a restaurant inside a concert hall the views on the river are spectacular. Service was also very attentive.