50 Best Seafood Restaurants in San Francisco

“Came here with some coworkers for a team bonding dinner and it was fantastic--definitely didn't expect to love Liholiho as much as I did. Their cocktail selection was great and it seemed that they had their own takes on just about any kind of drink you'd normally get.

It's best to order family style so you can have everything/as much as possible. The highlights for us were the fried chicken (the cornbread was the real dark horse), fried rice (homemade spam is so good), duck mousse on banana bread, chips and dip, mom's butter mochi (kind of reminds me of filipino cassava cake) and the baked hawaii.

The ambiance is nice but definitely loud as it's always packed so don't come here thinking you're in for a quiet romantic night. That said, the lively atmosphere and sharing plates really make it perfect for a group!“

“everything about the restaurant, from the heated outdoor dining, people who work there, the food so deliciously great especially the one that prepares and cook it, THE CHEFS, amazingly incredible they are and not so pricey above all.“

“Amazing food and wine, great view“

“I've been here twice in the past few months. It's small and cozy and I've sat at the bar both times. The owner “T” was there last night and is very kind and personable. The oysters were fresh and mignonette and yuzu tobiko were great accompaniments. Limited wine list but what is there complimented the food excellently. I'll be back.“

“Amazing food, attentive and knowledgable service made for a memorable first night in San Francisco!!!!“

“I am visiting San Francisco from Denver and I was looking for an amazing lobster roll, and I found it at Luke’s Lobster. The roll had nice big chunks of lobster meat on it and the bread was delicious, toasted and buttery. The clam chowder was meaty and flavorful and the lobster bisque had good sized chunks of lobster, was creamy and so tasty. This was an easy 5/5.“

“This a place to visit,great food and service“

“What an amazing culinary experience! We had a three course meal. The waiter was very helpful, friendly and had great recommendations! I highly recommend this place if you're in San Francisco!“

“I must say i had high hopes but the meal was tasteless but my friends had too much salt. I wanted to like it. Wont return, wont recommend. ☹“

“Amazing food and loved the atmosphere“

“Was there to celebrate these two nuptials. The food was OUT OF THIS WORLD !!!!! That bread …..that bread …..DAYUM!!!!! Thank you for an amazing experience“

“We love this place! The quality of the ingredients they use is excellent and that's why their food is so good imho. It's always a treat and the staff is so well acquainted with the menu they can help you order if you are not sure. We will definitely go again and again!“

“We celebrated our anniversary there and it was wonderful! The food and drinks were outstanding, the ambience was lovely, and our server, Robbie, was excellent! He started us out with a lovely complimentary glass of champagne! The service was pretty slow and my husband mentioned it and we were each brought a glass of wine on the house. We highly recommend The Water Bar and will visit again next time we are in San Francisco!!!“

“The dishes are creative and visually pleasing, but unfortunately, they were way too salty. I woke up the next day with some swelling, which has happened to me before when restaurants use a lot of salt. My other friends, who prefer stronger flavors, didn't report swelling but also found the food salty, even though they usually like salt.“

“Had San Francisco Cioppino (Mussels. Clams, Crab, Cod, Prawns, Scallops and Garlic Bread that was the bomb). Only giving 2 thumbs up as I only have 2. Great food, great service!“

“Great bartender! Right on SF Bay.“

“What a great place, a hidden jewel in the city! Fresh fish, fresh chips and guacamole… Everything was perfect! DELICIOUS❣️ We will return…“

“super yummy I loved every bite“

“I visited Aphotic for an anniversary celebration. I learned about it because it won a special Michelin award for cocktails. The drinks did not disappoint and are among the best I’ve had. In particular, Aphotic will make you a custom cocktail based on your tastes, and the one they made me with house-made plum blossom botanicals was fantastic.

As for food, Aphotic is primarily a seafood restaurant. My partner loves seafood, but I am a vegetarian, so I came in with lower expectations. They don’t have a vegetarian tasting menu, but their bar menu does have a few vegetable dishes, so that is where we sat. I had the seaweed salad starter, fried potato middle, and maitake mushroom entree, which were all very good, surpassing expectations.

The service at Aphotic is next-level. The bartenders went into great detail explaining the drinks, even showing me the bottles they used. Because it was our anniversary, they gave us complimentary pours of amaro with our dessert. I think the bartender also overheard us mention that the house-made marshmallows they brought with the check probably contain gelatin and therefore are not vegetarian, and had the waitress bring me a fruit candy from the kitchen!

We stayed for nearly three hours. Maybe don’t come if you’re in a hurry, though I saw people at the bar come after us and leave before us.

The only slightly disappointing thing was to see the 5% “SF Mandate” surcharge, which I find mildly deceptive (print $20 as the price but it’s actually $21) and petty (blaming the government). It’s not uncommon nowadays, but I’d have preferred if the menu prices were just a bit higher instead (it’s not like I checked them in advance, I expected to splurge here). There is also an automatic 20% gratuity, even for small parties at the bar. I get why (with their quality and volume, a stingy customer could really hurt their take-home), but I missed the feeling of giving the tip myself, which was absolutely deserved.

Overall, if you like cocktails, Aphotic is a must-try, and you can get a nice dinner even if you are a vegetarian (if you eat seafood, I’m sure you are especially in for a treat).

Vegetarian options: Aphotic has a few vegetable dishes on their bar menu: seaweed salad, cheese, potatoes, and maitake mushrooms.“

“We dined at Little Shucker for lunch while in SF - we ordered the oysters along with fries and roasted cauliflower. I really enjoyed the Pink Spritz cocktail and the atmosphere was perfect for lunch in the city on a sunny day but I wasn’t as impressed with the items that we ordered.“

“Their service was very accommodating and friendly. Also their food was excellent. I wish I could learn how to make their Cioppino so that I could make it at home!!! So good!! We waited about an hour with my 6 year old nephew, he said it was more than worth it! And I agree!“

“Hermoso servicio y buenas personas.“

“Amazing service and food!!!!“

“Great spot for music. Classic SF waterfront dive bar with great food“

“Delicious garlic crab and noodles“

“This place was recommended to us by a bartender at Mr Bings and we were not disappointed. The food was delicious. And the servers/owners were so friendly. Highly recommend.“

“I had originally given them a one star review. Was contacted by Chris the owner with an apology for a reservation they canceled. They asked us for a second chance and we gave it them. They totally made good and we had a very pleasant evening.“

“We had the seafood platter, t bone, brine pork chop, fish and lots of sides. But stop at the bar and get the popcorn. It has a nice truffle flavor. Go with an empty stomach. Lots of good.“

“We dined at Barberio last night, our third time the past nine months. TBH, it wasn’t my favorite meal at Barberio. So why five stars? Because it was still the best meal I had eaten so far in July.

We always start with the fired ascolane olives, which are delicious and snackable. Get two orders if you have four people, otherwise one order is good for two people.

Last night we spotted “bruschetta” on the menu and ordered it without reading the description. As an osteria, Barberio’s menu changes regularly to highlight seasonal ingredients. While we probably normally wouldn’t order a strawberry bruschetta, we were pleasantly surprised by the flavor of this one (once we got over the initial shock of strawberries!). Not too sweet at all.

Pasta is always delicious, I went with the classic 10 hour bolognese papardelle, and my partner had a different meat based sauce with guinea fowl. Both delicious, with a good serving of meat. I’ve had pasta dishes I liked a little more on past visits, but these were still very good.

Closed out with an affogato; such nice gelato that is almost elastic (in a good way, for gelato!) and what was clearly high quality espresso. It was perfect.

Our server helped us out with an excellent wine recommendation we both loved.

So yeah, even though I’ve just had better meals overall here (ie, a menu that had flavors I liked a little more), I still walked away from this place excited for what I’m sure will be our next visit in a few weeks. Lucky to have it in the neighborhood!“

“We went here for dinner yesterday, the food and service was absolutely incredible! I can’t believe how each dish had so many great flavors. We ordered several dishes ranging from vegetarian to meats, all were spectacular! Thank you for introducing Burma food to us!“

“First time in San Francisco, didn’t know anything about the area or restaurants, but the outside and the atmosphere of Fog City drew me and my family in. We were seated and greeted by the friendliest waitress, Brittany, ever! I’ve never had a better experience regarding my server. There were three of us, and we all were pleasantly surprised with how good the food was. It was my birthday and she offered to get vanilla ice cream, which the ice cream was amazing! The entire experience was great, and it made my birthday just so much better, would definitely recommend to anyone“

“The Peking duck and sea bass are amazing. So is the duck bone soup. Service is lacking. Waited 22 min by a very crowded door with reservation. The waitress is not friendly. Never talked to us to make us feel welcome. Never smiled. She did not act like she wanted to be there. She just took our order. Spooned some soup into our bowls but placed all the noodles from the soup in one bowl only! Added extra duck pancakes order without informing us. Luckily it never came. I had to tell her to take it off the tab after I saw it on the check. They added 10% employee benefit automatically. Normally it's about 5%. We will return for the food but not service.“

“Great dim sum. Friendly service. Great location in the fisherman’s wharf area where locals and tourists can enjoy the food and the scenary“

“Everything about Gozusf is unique. From the furnishings to the restrooms... yes the restrooms are next level. Every dish is presented as a work of art, and is filled with so much flavor it's hard to describe. You simply need to try EVERYTHING. The service is impeccable and this is an experience that should not be missed!“

“Just had a phenomenal meal with a large group to celebrate a great friend. The food was incredible - we seriously had almost every item on the menu. Everything was delicious but my top three were the Lechon Paella, the Tomate, and the Chuleton; it was difficult to not eat second and third helpings of each of those, but I knew we had several more tasty dishes to come. The service was fantastic; my sangria and water glasses were full at all times and we never had a moment without something yummy on the table in front of us. We had quite a bit left over and everything was boxed a labeled for us so we could take home more of what we loved. I highly recommend Bellota if you have a special occasion or if you just want to have a fantastic dining experience.“

“Amazing quality and rich tasty food proportions are Awsome high class spot love it !!!!!! Never been to such an excellent Burmese restaurant!! Great cocktails service & food & price is outstanding I give it 5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“

“Tomasso’s pizza is among the best I’ve ever had. Been coming here for 30 years.“

“Really great crab! Right when you walk in, you’re punched in the face with an incredibly fragrant garlic aroma. Sides and apps were great, but the star of the show was this incredible dungeoness crab. Wow. Garlicky, peppery, buttery, and just hot enough to have to take care (at the beginning). A true feast for the senses. Smell, texture, sight, taste - everything is activated simultaneously when this dish arrives. Not much else to report. Just a simple, excellent crab dish and worth repeating as often as possible.“

“Great spot for happy hour or to grab dinner before an event at Chase Center! Easily my favorite place at Thrive City.We've been in several times: GluGlu has a great rotating wine selection, incredibly friendly and knowledgable staff, a tasty tapas-style menu. The owners are master sommeliers, so all of the wine is on point. Definitely try the patatas bravas, the pan con tomate, and the bocadillo de jamon.“

“I got the kampachi and king salmon with wasabi dressing and the fish was so fresh. There were so many options of fresh fish to choose from and I really appreciated the inclusion of the avocado and nori seaweed. My only complaint is that there were two pieces of bone in my kampachi, but other than that, I would totally come back to try the other fish options!“

“Bar Gemini exceeded our expectations from the moment we arrived. Despite not having a reservation, we were seated promptly at the bar. Great happy hour. The staff offered insightful recommendations based on our preferences. Their knowledge and passion for wine truly enhanced our experience. The Cacio e Pepe deviled eggs were a delicious. The ambiance was stylish and inviting. Overall, a fantastic experience that we'll definitely repeat.“

“I met the owner John in town at the Giants game while visiting from Philadelphia with my father and son. He mentioned that he had just opened up a place in town and we stopped by the next day. Our dinner was fantastic, the service wonderful, and I can't wait to get back on the West Coast to stop by again. The Cioppino was 110% amazing. A wonderful experience.“

“Great bar with awesome service and atmosphere“

“My fiancé and I found your restaurant Saturday afternoon while sightseeing the city. We were so impressed with the atmosphere and hospitality. This place is the best for nice afternoon seafood lunch! Thank you so much for the delicious meal.“

“Almost 50 years and still serving“

“Nelson de gaucho, excelente servicio y muy atento.“

“Best poke in mission district.“

“This is one of the best restaurants, that I have eaten on six continents. And nearly 150 countries - Chef Tran is currently The Bear. The simplicity of steamed pork dumplings- for a tear to my eye -for I marveled in their delicately deliciousness The pancake with Beef牛肉捲餅; Sliced Pork with Spicy Garlic Sauce蒜泥自肉 are sumptuous and complex - their structure amazing - their lingering, mint, cucumber, parsley - unforgettable. I fell in love with Chef's Nuleigu This restaurant is a charm and should be cherished.“

“Excellent food and service, and quiet ambience, so you can still hear yourself think.“

“amazing food wonder staff“