San Francisco Seafood Restaurants: Reviews and Dining Recommendations

Located right on the water, it is easy to find great San Francisco seafood restaurants. However, there are also a large number of seafood restaurants in San Francisco.

Here you will find information on some of the best restaurants in San Francisco for seafood. Each one is a little different to give you a range of options.

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Swan Oyster Depot: Fresh Seafood in a Casual Environment

Let's start with a San Francisco seafood option that is very popular with both locals and visitors. The Swan Oyster Depot is not your typical seafood restaurant. It is a little bit of a dive, but it is clean and the food is fresh and amazing.

The Swan Depot is only open for lunch. It is located at 1517 Polk Street. You will find it in the Nob Hill area of San Francisco between California and Sacramento Streets.

If you have access to a kitchen to make your own seafood, this place also has a market. You will see the fresh fish and oysters for take out located in the front windows of the restaurant.

The easiest way for you to get here from Union Square is to take the 1 California up and over the hill. Get off at the Polk Street stop. You can also take the Hyde Powell cable car and get off at the Hyde Jackson stop. From there, walk down the hill and take a left on Polk Street.

From Fisherman's Wharf, the best route is by using the Hyde Powell cable car. You will also get off at the Hyde Jackson stop, walk down the hill and south about three blocks.

Scoma's: Beautiful Views at Pier 47 in Fishermans Wharf

This popular San Francisco seafood restaurant is in the heart of Fisherman's Wharf. It is located right along the water at Pier 47 on Al Scoma Way.

You will enjoy this place because of the great food, friendly atmosphere and convenient location. Entrees range from around $20 to $50 and they have a large selection of seafood options.

One of my favorite parts is the extensive wine list. You can choose from a list of wines from around the world. Since they have such a great list, I recommend trying them out for dinner, although they are also open for lunch every day of the week.

Pacific Catch: Seafood with a Twist

Pacific Catch is another one of my favorite, casual San Francisco seafood restaurants. It is very popular and has a couple of locations in the city. It is a great option because prices are reasonable and the service is usually fast.

They are open for both lunch and dinner. The seafood dishes here have Pacific Rim influences including dishes such as Cabo Calamari, Thai Coconut Shrimp and California Salmon.

The best location is the one in the Marina District near Chrissy Field, the Palace of Fine Arts and the Golden Gate Bridge at 2027 Chestnut Street. There is another location, but it is quite a bit further out in the city and harder to reach.

Take the 30 bus from Union Square or Fisherman's Wharf. Get off at the Chestnut and Fillmore stop. The restaurant is on the south side of the street next to Wells Fargo Bank.

Ozumo: High End Sushi & Dining Experience

If you are looking one of the higher end San Francisco seafood restaurants, then I recommend you try Ozumo on the Embarcadero. The food here is amazing and if you are lucky enough, you can get a great view of the San Francisco bay and bay bridge.

It is also great because it has both sushi and other Japanese dishes. I usually head straight for the sushi rolls.

I recommend trying their Sumo roll, a slight twist to the standard California roll. I also recommend their Spider roll.

You can easily get to Ozumo from Union Square by either walking or taking one of the many Muni options down Market Street. You can also take a cab down to the Embarcadero for about $10.

Other restaurant options you may enjoy:

Here are more recommendations by neighborhood: