ANCHOR BAR & GRILL

Text and photographs by Michael E. Keating

The unsinkable Anchor Grill has re-opened in Covington, Ky., following closure in mid-March due to the state’s COVID-19 restrictions. Proud to call themselves a “dive,” and featuring an iconic neon sign that says “We May Doze But Never Close,” the eatery has remained open since 1946.

Regulars and staff at the marine-themed restaurant were recognizable behind their required facemasks, and tables were taped off to ensure proper social distancing. While many food establishments are experiencing a decline in patrons, Ian and Amy (no last names were given) made a 15-mile trip from a neighboring county to be the first in the door.

The greasy-spoon diner was featured in The New Yorker magazine in January, in an article by food critic Helen Rosner that called out the best meals she has eaten in a decade. Rosner included Anchor Grill’s “GLT” under her list of ‘some really great sandwiches.’

Rosner wrote: “and housed, in a hungover stupor, a GLT (that’s goetta, lettuce, and tomato) at the alluringly grimy Anchor Grill in Covington, Kentucky, which has been open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, since (as far as I am aware) the beginning of time.” Goetta is a regional meat specialty, made out of a mixture of beef and pork, oats, onions and spices, then formed into sausages patties.