Famous Downtown Seafood Restaurants in San Francisco

San Francisco is a city rich in history and local traditions. Seafood is extremely popular in San Francisco, from the four-star downtown gourmet eateries to the frantic crab shacks on Fisherman's Wharf. Downtown San Francisco is home to dozens of famous seafood restaurants, some of which have been in business for decades while others have gained notoriety more recently. Here you can sample seafood delicacies from around the world and dishes both traditional and not.

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1. • This highly regarded gourmet seafood restaurant has received countless awards in recent years, including OpenTable.com's 2010 Diner's Choice Award and the James Beard Foundation Award, often considered the "Oscars of food." Head chef Mark Frantz and seasoned restauranteur Pat Kuleto opened this stylish, Ocean-themed restaurant in 1997 to much fanfare and since then Farallon has been wowing customers with its innovative seafood dishes. The constantly changing menu features fresh raw appetizers like a trio of halibut, scallop and king salmon sashimi, as well as hot plates like white wine braised Mediterranean octopus. Main dishes include delicacies like grilled sturgeon with red candy onion soubise, roasted Maryland striped bass with tiny white bean puree and duck confit with grilled yellow peach. Reservations are a must.

     Farallon

     450 Post St.

     San Francisco, CA

     94102

     415-956-6969

     farallonrestaurant.com

   Swan Oyster Depot

   • Dating back to 1912, this historic San Francisco restaurant is also one of its most famous. Swan Oyster Depot is listed as one of the San Francisco Chronicle's Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants and attracts tourists and locals alike to feast on fresh crab legs at the tiny 20-seat lunch counter. Don't expect any fancy concoctions or exotic Asian ingredients. Boston clam chowder, oysters, clams, cracked crab, shrimp, and Maine lobster are among the few no-frills items you'll find on the menu. The key to Swan Oyster Depot's nearly 100 years of success is the quality and freshness of its seafood. Servers are known for their good humor and excellent customer attention despite the inevitable long lines. Open for lunch only.

     Swan Oyster Depot

     1517 Polk St.

     San Francisco, CA 94109

     415-673-1101

   John's Grill

   • This Union Square restaurant hasn't changed much since the famous scene in the film "The Maltese Falcon," where Humphrey Bogart orders "chops, baked potato and sliced tomato" at the bar. John's Grill is pure vintage San Francisco, a restaurant bursting with history and character, from the original neon sign to the dark oak paneled walls lined with photos of its famous customers. John's is more than a tourist trap though and the quality of its food remains steady after more than a century. Start off with steamed clams in a wine garlic and lemon cream broth or a classic Dungeness crab cocktail. For your main, consider the grilled pacific red snapped with lemon butter sauce or seafood cannelloni.

     John's Grill

     63 Ellis Street

     San Francisco, CA 94104

     415-986-3274

     bestofsanfrancisco.net

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