New restaurant and bar open in Centerra – Loveland Reporter-Herald

Xzavier Morrow prepares an order of Buffalo wings Monday at the new Anchor Bar at the Promenade Shops at Centerra in east Loveland. (Jenny Sparks/Loveland Reporter-Herald)

Since July 2022, Bryan Brown has been trying to bring a chicken wing mecca to northern Colorado.

On June 10, Anchor Bar soft-opened its first Colorado location at The Promenade Shops at Centerra in Loveland. The restaurant took over the space that formerly housed Bent Fork Grill, which closed on January 17, 2022.

Anchor Bar is an award-winning restaurant from the shores of Lake Erie in Buffalo, New York, that is credited with creating the Buffalo wings as they are known today. The recipe was invented in 1964 by the original restaurant owner, Teressa Bellissimo, after frying and flavoring the chicken wings in her “secret sauce.”

The public reception to the Loveland restaurant since it opened has been great, according to Brown, who owns the franchise. He said they haven’t done any major marketing for the restaurant outside of social media posts on Instagram and Facebook.

“It’s kind of crazy because it seems like word of mouth spreads. I’ve even had employees tell me they stopped at a gas station before coming in and people were like, ‘You’re the talk of the town,’” Brown said.

He also said the reception from the people of New York and Buffalo has been tremendous.

“We’ve had a lot of Buffalo natives come in, thousands of them. Some have told me they’ve driven up to five hours to get here,” Brown said.

Brown is originally from Buffalo and prides himself on the quality of his wings. He said he feels the quality of wings in the northern Colorado area is not what he is used to in his home area.

“If you ask anyone on the street in Buffalo, they’ll tell you (wings) have to be crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, evenly coated in sauce, just high-quality chicken… For Buffalo, chicken wings are everything,” Brown said.

Anchor Bar is well known for its chicken wings coated in their signature medium original sauce, but the menu is much more diverse. Pastas, sandwiches, wraps, pizzas, appetizers and burgers also make up the menu.

They also offer a diverse cocktail menu that pays homage to Buffalo and Loveland. The Anchor Bar Bloody Mary is mixed with their original Buffalo sauce and topped with a chicken wing, while the Buffalo Betty uses Buffalo’s signature flavor, Loganberry, which is a blend of blackberry and raspberry. The Sweetheart City Punch and Rocky Mountain Sunset cocktails are aptly named to pay homage to the city of their new location.

Anchor Bar also developed a regional wing flavor, green chile, that is only available at the Loveland restaurant. Brown said they use green chiles from Colorado farms to make the sauce.

The restaurant renovation began in February and took 14 weeks to complete. The restaurant’s private room was retained during the renovation, and Brown said there was no charge to reserve the space. He said he hopes the space can be used by youth sports teams to celebrate the end of their respective seasons.

“I would like this room to be filled with pictures of local youth sports teams after their season is over,” Brown said. “I’m open to other suggestions, but I would like this room to be filled with pictures of local youth sports teams.”

More than 40 televisions showing a multitude of sporting events cover the walls of the restaurant alongside memorabilia from the original restaurant, license plates from around the country and military patches in glass frames.

Brown is an Air Force veteran himself and turned to law enforcement after returning from deployment. He is a former Fort Collins police officer who served nine years on the force and is now a first-time business owner. He said he hasn’t been overwhelmed by the trials and tribulations that come with being a first-time business owner and is quickly learning what it entails.

“There have been things that have surprised me, I’m still learning every day and that’s probably what I’ve enjoyed the most. I’m here every day, whether it’s in the kitchen or out, but I’m constantly talking to customers, trying to get feedback and improve on whatever was happening the day before,” Brown said.

The Anchor Bar is also planning a grand opening in mid-August, pending planning with the Loveland Chamber of Commerce. Brown said they also plan to add a lunch menu, a happy hour menu, more wing offerings and possibly a trivia night in the near future.

To view Anchor Bar’s full menu and hours, visit the website at anchorbar.com/locations/loveland-co/#.