So your loved one is always complaining that you never go to fancy places anymore? Cruise over to this plush restaurant and bar for scrumptious food, great ambiance and fine wine. The soft hues, marine-themed artwork and aromatic candles at Bar Crudo will help rekindle your love life! Fresh seafood delights await your palate; try the seafood chowder, the chilled oysters, or the little neck clams. Pick your poison from the colossal drinks menu as you enjoy the soothing indie music. And if the bar setting is too chirpy to handle, just head to the dining room upstairs, which has a far more intimate atmosphere with just ten tables.
Pull up a chair at the counter of Swan Oyster Depot and enjoy some of the best local Dungeness crab and Boston Clam Chowder you will ever taste. Besides clam chowder, most of the offerings on the menu board are served raw, cocktail-style. The Depot is also a fish market. You can buy a filet to cook up at home. The atmosphere is completely informal. Reservations are not accepted, but it is worth the wait.
In a city with an ever-evolving culinary landscape, it is heartening, if not surprising, to find such an old-timer. Politicians and business people have been coming here forever, buying each other martinis and waiting to be seated. The seafood is fresh and fabulous and the décor is turn-of-the-last-century. The wait staff is great, and it's not surprising--some of them have been here more than 3 decades.
Eating seafood comes naturally when you see Waterbar's beautiful view of the bay and the Bay Bridge. Tanks display the fish available for eating and there is a large raw bar in the dining room. The seafood is sustainable for clear conscience eating. Try pressed lobster or whole oven-roasted petit local halibut. There is a full bar to complement your meal, and valet parking is also available.
Located in the Ferry Building Marketplace, a visit to Hog Island Oyster Bar is a great way to start off a San Francisco adventure. The restaurant is owned by the Hog Island Oyster Farm, who farms oysters in Tomales Bay. Established in 1983, today the company raises over three million oysters per year. The casual surroundings of the restaurant, located opposite a retail fish store, provide a gorgeous view of the Bay Bridge. Stop in and grab a glass of wine and down as many oysters as you can. The menu also offers clams and salad, but the main attraction here is the oyster stew, the chowder and the grilled cheese sandwich! Check for the daily specials before ordering. The restaurant also offers a small quantity of live, unshucked oysters to take away, but will have to be ordered three days prior.
Scoma's prepares some of the best seafood dishes on Fisherman's Wharf, which is no small feat considering the competition. The traditional dining room lets the food do the talking. The menu focuses on fresh seafood that is either sauteed or broiled. Enjoy Dungeness crab, prawns, scallops, calamari, abalone, swordfish, salmon, oysters and clams. House specialties include a spicy cioppino (seafood stew) and a filet mignon and lobster tail combo. The wine list is adequate, featuring domestic and imported wines.