NORFOLK, Va. — Brick Anchor Brew House is a quaint little spot on the corner of Granby and Tazewell Streets in Norfolk.
General Manager Brianna West told 13News Now it’s a place that sometimes can be intimidating from the outside, “A lot of people, say they walked past and they want to come in, but they never knew we were a very relaxed restaurant,” she laughed. “Walking in the door we kind of strive to be very welcoming and friendly,” she continued.
Stepping inside, you can tell this restaurant is just what they strive to be. Warm faces, kind smiles, and jokes that you would make with friends. “We like to have the vibe where it can be fun and relaxing, but also a really nice date night,” West said.
The décor around the restaurant is unique, “We’re steampunk theme, so I always like to throw that out there because we have a lot of really cool decorations that you don’t see every day,” said West. Steampunk is a theme is a very 19th century, industrial, science fiction esthetic.
In Brick Anchor Brew House, you’ll find gears, clocks and trinkets all over the walls. You’ll see something your eye didn’t catch before when you look behind the bar. The bar is a big selling point for this restaurant, “We are big on beer, our owner loves beer, so the 60 drafts are because he loves beer,” said West. Most of their 60 drafts are local brews.
The owner, Phil Smith, is more than just big on beer. He’s big on people. Greeting our crew as soon as we walked through the door, but explaining that he likes to stay behind the scenes. “Our owner he’s retired army, he served for, I think over 20 years if I remember correctly,” West boasted about the veteran-owned business.
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This week Brick Anchor Brew House is taking part in Norfolk’s restaurant week, “So we have three menus, we did the lunch and then we have the two dinner options which are $30 dollars and $40 dollars,” West explained. She added that both their dinner options are three courses, giving you so much food for the price.
Behind the scenes, making all the delicious food, you’ll find Ryan Robinson. “What makes this different is how much food you’re getting for your value,” he said. Robinson likes to stay behind the scenes, just like his boss, but when he talked about the food, he lit up. “This is just the good stuff, it’s just wholesome,” he smiled.
“I always recommend the mac & cheese balls,” General Manager West laughed as she thought about her favorite menu items. Outside of the restaurant week menu, you can get things like fried flounder, hush puppies and so much more.
The best part is when you eat at Brick Anchor Brew House, you’re not just supporting local, you’re supporting a veteran-owned business, and you’re supporting a business that supports each other. “It’s just very cool to have an owner that’s proud of his restaurant and his people. So, yeah, I love it,” West smiled.
Brick Anchor Brew House is located at 241 Granby St, Norfolk, VA 23510 or you can visit their website to see their entire menu.
Author's Note: The video below is on file from Sept. 17, 2021.