The Best Seafood in San Francisco: Superlative Edition

It’s no secret that San Francisco is one of the best places to eat seafood in the world. The abundance and variety of top-notch options can make choosing where to find the best seafood in San Francisco more than a little overwhelming. Pile this on top of the fact that everyone will give you a different answer, and you have reached peak decision paralysis.

Instead of boring you with yet another ranked list of places to find the best seafood in San Francisco, Stretchy Pants is shaking things up a bit. We’ve given each of our favorite (aka the best) seafood places a superlative title (think “class clown”) that captures the essence of what they have to offer. In a city where seafood reigns supreme, we’re here to help you master more than just where to find the best seafood in San Francisco, but where to go if you’re craving something unforgettable, seafood fresh off the boat, a fancy night out, a unique seafood experience, something your Nonna would approve of, and more. You can thank us later.

Photo Courtesy of Bob K, Yelp

Best Seafood in San Francisco #2

Most Authentic: Swan Oyster Depot

• 1517 Polk Street (Nob Hill)
• Highlight: The secret menu

Swan Oyster Depot is the real deal. We wanted to give them “most likely to make you feel like you’re on a boat”, but that didn’t quite roll off the tongue. The pinnacle of seafood royalty in a city full of seafood nobility, this 18-seat counter has been serving some of the best seafood in San Francisco for more than 100 years.

The late and great Anthony Bourdain agreed, and wouldn’t visit San Francisco without stopping by. Everyday except Sundays, customers line-up around the block waiting for their chance to feast on the best seafood in San Francisco. Do not be disillusioned, you will have to wait, but the literal “crabsanthemum” of succulent, freshly-cracked (for you!) crab legs that await you should keep your spirits high.

Besides their legendary hospitality, the highlight at Swan’s is the “secret” menu. If you were to make an album titled “The Best Seafood in San Francisco”, this menu would be its greatest hits. It features delicacies like the “crabsanthemum” mentioned above, and needs no further introduction, as well as a “dozen eggs”, also known as an entire plate of finely sliced raw scallops wading in a shallow pond of ponzu sauce and topped with a drop of Sriracha. Swan’s is proof that dreams really do come true. 

Pro tip: this is a cash only establishment (it’s that good), so be prepared. Swan’s stellar daily menu is handwritten on the menu board, but you can read more about the “secret” menu here: At Swan Oyster Depot, a Menu Built for Regulars

Best Seafood in San Francisco #4

​Most Unique: R&G Lounge

• 631 Kearny Street (Chinatown)
• Highlight: Salt and pepper anything, really

R&G Lounge is a local treasure – there are literal busloads of people coming in and out at any given time. It is not an establishment known for its impeccable service, but what R&G Lounge lacks in hospitality, it makes up for in flavor and variety. What makes R&G truly unique is that it not only serves some of the best seafood in San Francisco, but it also serves some of the best Cantonese food in San Francisco.

The menu is longer than most of the books we’ve read recently, and can be daunting to the untrained eye. Do not be deterred, simply zero-in on anything that has “salt & pepper” written in front of it, and you will not be disappointed. The Salt & Pepper Crab can be found on just about every list of the best seafood in San Francisco, and there’s a good reason for that.

Words to the wise: do get a reservation, and do come with a big group so you can do as the Cantonese do and order twice as much as you could ever possibly finish. R&G Lounge is not the kind of place you go to be dainty. R&G Lounge is a place to be bold. Start studying the menu now so you can flex in front of your friends: R&G Lounge Menu

Photo Courtesy of Raja Iliya

Best Seafood in San Francisco #6

Most Talented: Hog Island Oyster Co.

• One Ferry Building #11, San Francisco, CA (Ferry Building), 20215 Shoreline Highway, Marshall, CA (farm), 610 1st Street, Napa, CA (Wine Country)
• Highlight: Hog Island Sweetwaters

We love a good road trip as much as the next millennial, but the fact that we don’t have to trek all the way to Tomales Bay (which is beautiful, and you should go) to get our hands on a dozen Hog Island Sweetwaters is truly a gift that keeps on giving – every time we stop by the Ferry Building.

The founders of Hog Island Oyster Co. got their start as self-proclaimed, “marine biologists by day, oyster farmers by night” so you can see how the whole “most talented” superlative checks out. After nearly 40 years in business, Hog Island Oyster Co. is one of the premier producers of sustainable certified shellfish in the world, not to mention, a Bay Area institution. When you think about the best seafood in San Francisco, remember that Hog Island Oyster Co. is literally creating it. 

A lot of what Hog Island Oyster Co. sells at its Ferry Building location is farmed just up the coast, so it’s as fresh as can possibly be. On top of that, it also offers an impressive selection of oysters from around the globe. If you’re looking for something warm, try the grilled oysters or Clam Chowder – both of which are as beautiful as they are delicious. The selection changes based on supply, but you can check out a sample menu here: Hog Island Oyster Co. Ferry Building Sample Menu

Photo Courtesy of Jennifer A, Yelp

Best Seafood in San Francisco #8

Most Unforgettable: The Codmother Fish and Chips

• 496 Beach Street (Fisherman’s Wharf)
• Highlight: Fish and chips, of course!

It’s hard to forget the time you ate a piece of perfectly fried Alaskan cod roughly the size of your face, and this is exactly what a visit to The Codmother has in store. A mere $12.49 at The Codmother will get you TWO impossibly large pieces of beer-battered, freshly fried Alaskan cod on a bed of hand-cut fries. It’s almost too good to be true, but miracles do happen once in a while. 

The Codmother Fish and Chips is a food truck near Pier 39 that, conveniently, never moves. It also has a cute, dog-friendly patio to sit-down and enjoy the best British-style fish and chips on this side of the pond. It’s positively delightful!

The Codmother serves nothing but the best seafood in San Francisco, but we should warn you, this is not a light meal. We don’t recommend having any plans outside of napping after eating here, but we wouldn’t want our fish and chips any other way. Take a peek at The Codmother’s menu, and start dreaming about your “chips gone wild”.

Photo Courtesy of Lloyd V, Yelp

Best Seafood in San Francisco #10

Best in Fisherman’s Wharf: Scoma’s

• 1965 Al Scoma Way (Fisherman’s Wharf)
• Highlight: Oyster alla Scoma

We couldn’t highlight the best seafood in San Francisco without including at least one option in Fisherman’s Wharf, right? Sure, it’s crawling with tourists and can be shockingly overpriced, but it’s the place where the story of seafood in San Francisco began. It‘s important to pay homage to that. Of all the places in Fisherman’s Wharf that claim to serve the best seafood in San Francisco, Scoma’s is the one that’s really doing it, and it’s been that way since 1965.  

Scoma’s slogan is “pier to plate”, and they mean that quite literally. It even has its own fish receiving station built on Scoma’s pier to allow local fishermen to sell their daily catch directly to the restaurant instead of wholesalers. You read that correctly, Scoma’s has its own pier on Fisherman’s Wharf. This alone makes it worth going to, but you should also go for the Oyster alla Scoma, an original comprised of Pacific oysters, chopped chard, brandy-garlic aioli, and shredded asiago cheese. Simply put, Scoma’s is nostalgia on a plate best served with a San Francisco Bay view. Browse its complete line-up of classics here: Scoma’s Menu

Photo Courtesy of Amanda Ward Prufer

Love Stretchy Pants?

If you’re canceling all your plans to get in line at Swan’s, might we suggest asking for a rain check to join you on one of our Food Walks? 

—Amanda Ward Prufer

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