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Little Shucker debuted on Fillmore earlier this year.
Bread & Butter

14 Fresh Seafood Restaurants in San Francisco

Where to feast on sweet oysters, the king of salmon, and cioppino

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Little Shucker debuted on Fillmore earlier this year.
| Bread & Butter

San Francisco is a major port city, surrounded by ocean and bay, and the seafood tradition runs deep. This city has salty old-school restaurants that go back a century, oyster counters, woodfire grills, and more recently, the city by the bay has continued to attract bold and modern fish restaurants, several from star chefs. Many prominently feature the local holy trinity: oysters, king salmon, and Dungeness crab. But year-round and all across town, here are the freshest seafood restaurants in San Francisco.

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Scoma's Restaurant

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Scoma’s is a seafood institution, literally sitting on the dock of the bay since 1965. Longtime regulars love the warm leather and wood interiors, where they slide into a favorite booth and chat with servers who have been there for decades. Scoma’s known for old-school cioppino, strong Manhattans, mixed grill platters, and ice-cold shrimp cocktails.

A crab and shrimp cocktail. Lauren Saria

Popi's Oysterette

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Frequent Top Chef viewers will recognize chef Melissa Perfit, a former contestant on the Bravo show, and now they also have the opportunity to sample her brand of seafood dishes at Marina District restaurant Popi’s Oysterette. There are outsized raw bar offerings, including oysters, mussels, clams, and caviar; two styles of Dungeness crab, roasted or whole; plus Perfit’s take on cold options like Louie salad and shrimp cocktail, or hot dishes such as the green cioppino.

Lauren Saria

Portofino

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There’s no shortage of great Italian restaurants in North Beach, but when it comes to seafood, Portofino earns special praise. The small casual restaurant crouches on Grant Street and cultivates an old-school vibe, in a good way. There’s no website and the best, freshest options are the ones scrawled on the hand-written menu board. Order from the chalkboard list and you’ll be treated to dishes like roasted sardines; whole steaming branzino laid atop a medley of tender vegetables; and squid ink pasta tangled up with chunks of swordfish, saffron, and veggies.

A fish on a sizzling platter at Portofino Lauren Saria

Hog Island Oyster Co.

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The big oyster farm that supplies many star restaurants around town is worth the drive up to Marshall, but it also has an outpost in the Ferry Building. The classic order is a dozen of their famed sweetwater oysters, but they also have creamy clam chowder and thick grilled cheese.

Oysters and caviar from Hog Island Hog Island Oyster Co.

Estiatorio Ornos a Michael Mina Restaurant San Francisco

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In mid-2021 San Francisco’s most prolific chef and restaurateur Michael Mina flipped his FiDi flagship restaurant into Estiatorio Ornos, an upscale Mediterranean restaurant that draws inspiration from his Greek heritage and Aqua, the seafood restaurant where he launched himself to stardom more than two decades ago. A fish sommelier will walk you through menu options that range from grilled sea bass to phyllo-crusted sole.

Whole-Roasted fish at Estiatorio Ornos David Varley/Mina Group

Angler opened on the Embarcadero in 2018, as a spinoff from Michelin-starred Saison, and it’s focused on seafood with some luxurious options and add-ons. Fish picks up flavor in the woodfired oven and smokers, and there are Parker House rolls with cultured seaweed butter, grilled whole lobster and abalone, not to mention urchin, uni, and more.

little shucker

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Those who enjoy the vibes of the Snug will most likely love visiting the team’s modern oyster bar spinoff Little Shucker. The menu includes oyster bar standards such as baked oysters and oyster shooters, but those who want to splurge can do so on a seafood tower stacked with oysters, mussels, prawns, crudo, and Maine lobster. Beyond oysters, the restaurant serves smoked salmon tartine, mussels, whole branzino, and a lobster roll, alongside wines by the glass or some zero-proof drinks, if preferred.

Bread & Butter

The Anchovy Bar

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This latest restaurant from the State Bird team is an ode to chef Stuart Brioza’s obsession with anchovies, and when in season, the local little fish are laboriously preserved in-house. Year-round, there’s also tinned fish from Spain and Italy, as well as a selection of oysters and caviar and hot dishes including Meyer lemon-miso clams and squid with kimchi served over bouncy rice cakes.

Anchovies from Anchovy Bar Patricia Chang

Aphotic

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Chef Peter Hemsley’s moody new fine dining restaurant earned its first Michelin star this summer, plus a Green star for the restaurant’s efforts toward sustainability. The 10-course menu ($135) teems with seafood of all kinds including a wreath of creamy spot prawns and caviar, skate with green garlic, and even oyster ice cream with tart mignonette foam.

Aphotic

Bar Crudo

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This Divisadero Street standard serves fresh seafood at all hours of the evening, but the happy hour draws big crowds thanks to deals such as $2 oysters or herb- and jalapeño-marinated mussels (all sold by the 1⁄2 dozen or dozen), fish tacos, and seafood chowder. For a fuller meal try one of the crudo, a whole branzino, or a platter of grilled octopus.

Woodhouse Fish Company

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The MacNiven brothers grew up in the Bay, but their two seafood restaurants in San Francisco are New England-inspired. Both offer a fresh and casual menu filled with Dungeness crab rolls, lobster rolls, fish and chips, and fish tacos.

Hook Fish Co

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Join crowds of Outer Sunset residents and their four-legged friends at Hook Fish Co. for thoughtfully sourced seafood served in burritos, tacos, sandwiches, and atop salads. This is California beach food at its finest, and best enjoyed either on the wooden parklet out front or with your toes in the sand — the restaurant is just two blocks from Ocean Beach.

Thanh Long Restaurant

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This understated Vietnamese restaurant out by the beach lays claim to having invented the garlic noodle and crab combination that’s since become a Bay Area staple. Obviously, then, a whole roasted crab seated over a pool of garlicky, peppery butter sauce is a must, along with a bowl of bouncy egg noodles absolutely smothered in more garlic.

Lauren Saria

Anchor Oyster Bar

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Anchor Oyster is a neighborhood classic, holding it down in the Castro since 1977. The cioppino is jammed with mussels and crab claws, and don’t be shy about accepting the bib, it’s a full garlic steam facial. They also sling oysters on the half shell, creamy clam chowder, and chewy sourdough.

Cioppino at Anchor Oyster Anchor Oyster Bar

Scoma's Restaurant

Scoma’s is a seafood institution, literally sitting on the dock of the bay since 1965. Longtime regulars love the warm leather and wood interiors, where they slide into a favorite booth and chat with servers who have been there for decades. Scoma’s known for old-school cioppino, strong Manhattans, mixed grill platters, and ice-cold shrimp cocktails.

A crab and shrimp cocktail. Lauren Saria

Popi's Oysterette

Frequent Top Chef viewers will recognize chef Melissa Perfit, a former contestant on the Bravo show, and now they also have the opportunity to sample her brand of seafood dishes at Marina District restaurant Popi’s Oysterette. There are outsized raw bar offerings, including oysters, mussels, clams, and caviar; two styles of Dungeness crab, roasted or whole; plus Perfit’s take on cold options like Louie salad and shrimp cocktail, or hot dishes such as the green cioppino.

Lauren Saria

Portofino

There’s no shortage of great Italian restaurants in North Beach, but when it comes to seafood, Portofino earns special praise. The small casual restaurant crouches on Grant Street and cultivates an old-school vibe, in a good way. There’s no website and the best, freshest options are the ones scrawled on the hand-written menu board. Order from the chalkboard list and you’ll be treated to dishes like roasted sardines; whole steaming branzino laid atop a medley of tender vegetables; and squid ink pasta tangled up with chunks of swordfish, saffron, and veggies.

A fish on a sizzling platter at Portofino Lauren Saria

Hog Island Oyster Co.

The big oyster farm that supplies many star restaurants around town is worth the drive up to Marshall, but it also has an outpost in the Ferry Building. The classic order is a dozen of their famed sweetwater oysters, but they also have creamy clam chowder and thick grilled cheese.

Oysters and caviar from Hog Island Hog Island Oyster Co.

Estiatorio Ornos a Michael Mina Restaurant San Francisco

In mid-2021 San Francisco’s most prolific chef and restaurateur Michael Mina flipped his FiDi flagship restaurant into Estiatorio Ornos, an upscale Mediterranean restaurant that draws inspiration from his Greek heritage and Aqua, the seafood restaurant where he launched himself to stardom more than two decades ago. A fish sommelier will walk you through menu options that range from grilled sea bass to phyllo-crusted sole.

Whole-Roasted fish at Estiatorio Ornos David Varley/Mina Group

Angler

Angler opened on the Embarcadero in 2018, as a spinoff from Michelin-starred Saison, and it’s focused on seafood with some luxurious options and add-ons. Fish picks up flavor in the woodfired oven and smokers, and there are Parker House rolls with cultured seaweed butter, grilled whole lobster and abalone, not to mention urchin, uni, and more.

little shucker

Those who enjoy the vibes of the Snug will most likely love visiting the team’s modern oyster bar spinoff Little Shucker. The menu includes oyster bar standards such as baked oysters and oyster shooters, but those who want to splurge can do so on a seafood tower stacked with oysters, mussels, prawns, crudo, and Maine lobster. Beyond oysters, the restaurant serves smoked salmon tartine, mussels, whole branzino, and a lobster roll, alongside wines by the glass or some zero-proof drinks, if preferred.

Bread & Butter

The Anchovy Bar

This latest restaurant from the State Bird team is an ode to chef Stuart Brioza’s obsession with anchovies, and when in season, the local little fish are laboriously preserved in-house. Year-round, there’s also tinned fish from Spain and Italy, as well as a selection of oysters and caviar and hot dishes including Meyer lemon-miso clams and squid with kimchi served over bouncy rice cakes.

Anchovies from Anchovy Bar Patricia Chang

Aphotic

Chef Peter Hemsley’s moody new fine dining restaurant earned its first Michelin star this summer, plus a Green star for the restaurant’s efforts toward sustainability. The 10-course menu ($135) teems with seafood of all kinds including a wreath of creamy spot prawns and caviar, skate with green garlic, and even oyster ice cream with tart mignonette foam.

Aphotic

Bar Crudo

This Divisadero Street standard serves fresh seafood at all hours of the evening, but the happy hour draws big crowds thanks to deals such as $2 oysters or herb- and jalapeño-marinated mussels (all sold by the 1⁄2 dozen or dozen), fish tacos, and seafood chowder. For a fuller meal try one of the crudo, a whole branzino, or a platter of grilled octopus.

Woodhouse Fish Company

The MacNiven brothers grew up in the Bay, but their two seafood restaurants in San Francisco are New England-inspired. Both offer a fresh and casual menu filled with Dungeness crab rolls, lobster rolls, fish and chips, and fish tacos.

Hook Fish Co

Join crowds of Outer Sunset residents and their four-legged friends at Hook Fish Co. for thoughtfully sourced seafood served in burritos, tacos, sandwiches, and atop salads. This is California beach food at its finest, and best enjoyed either on the wooden parklet out front or with your toes in the sand — the restaurant is just two blocks from Ocean Beach.

Thanh Long Restaurant

This understated Vietnamese restaurant out by the beach lays claim to having invented the garlic noodle and crab combination that’s since become a Bay Area staple. Obviously, then, a whole roasted crab seated over a pool of garlicky, peppery butter sauce is a must, along with a bowl of bouncy egg noodles absolutely smothered in more garlic.

Lauren Saria

Anchor Oyster Bar

Anchor Oyster is a neighborhood classic, holding it down in the Castro since 1977. The cioppino is jammed with mussels and crab claws, and don’t be shy about accepting the bib, it’s a full garlic steam facial. They also sling oysters on the half shell, creamy clam chowder, and chewy sourdough.

Cioppino at Anchor Oyster Anchor Oyster Bar

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