The Best Seafood in San Francisco, According to Top Chefs

Chef Gabriela Cámara’s photogenic dish—slathered with red and green salsas that conjure up images of Mexico’s flag—is served to almost every table at her Mexico City flagship, Contramar. No surprise, pescado a la talla is also a destination dish at her San Francisco spot, where a whole fish is butterflied and cooked salsa side down to caramelize the two sauces. “It’s just so good,” says chef Ryan Costanza. “It transports you from a cold Bay Area night to a place where mezcal margaritas, tortillas, and grilled fish all make sense.”

“Dungeness crab is a local San Francisco staple. When it’s in season, it’s fantastically sweet and luscious,” says James Shyabout of Commis. He favors the salt-and-pepper-crusted version at Harborview; the year-old, mirrored Cantonese dining room is from Kinson Wong, co-founder of the Chinatown staple R&G Lounge, a crab destination in its own right. “The way they fry the crab creates a nice and well-seasoned, crunchy crust outside, with sweet, translucent meat inside. Paired with a nice, cold beer, this makes for a very addictive, finger-licking-good meal.”

In the impossibly scenic town of Point Reyes Station, about an hour’s drive northwest, the Marshall Store sits right on the water. Its specialty is oysters in multiple guises from the Tomales Bay Oyster Co. “It’s a roadside seafood restaurant with quintessential coastal Northern California views,” says Michael Tusk of the Michelin-starred restaurant Quince. “I’ll order raw and grilled, because I like the contrast of the hot oysters in comparison to the chilled. They also have barbeque, Rockefeller, Kirkpatrick, and chorizo preparations, so the more aggressive flavors are a treat with a cold beer.”

Chef Maria Sinskey goes out of her way to get to Sausalito for these fish and chips, made with local Anchor Steam-spiked batter. (“Perfectly seasoned, super-moist, flaky cod contained by a crunchy cavern of beer batter,” is how she describes it.) Fish.—started by Bill Foss, a founder of Netscape, in 2003—goes out of its way to emphasize sustainability and sourcing and will go into great detail about its choices. “All the Fish That’s Fit to Eat” is the motto of its menu, which evokes an old-time newspaper; chalkboards announce specials.

Whenever he’s in town, seminal chef Eric Ripert tries to go Swan Oyster Depot—one of San Francisco’s most quintessential dining experiences, seafood-focused or otherwise—for an order of crab backs, which he says are some of the best he’s ever tasted. “I like it there because they source the best possible seafood. You can try and get there early to avoid the lines, but it’s worth the wait.” The compact restaurant has been operating since 1903, minus a hiatus following the 1906 earthquake.

Chef Chris Kronner calls Massimiliano Conti’s singular take on Sardinian cuisine “San Francisco perfection.” Among the seafood-focused pasta courses is a straightforward, creamy, salty, briny creation of macaroni with sea urchin, tomato, and grated tuna heart. “It’s an ideal combination of texture and depth, satisfyingly rich while remaining well-balanced—the perfect encapsulation of Massimo’s cooking,” says Kronner. “I don’t think I’ve had a better combination of sea meats and starch anywhere in California.”

Of all the strong food options at the Ferry Building, long-time Bay Area resident Melissa Perello says to join the throngs of tourists and locals at Hog Island Oyster Bar for its clam chowder. “It’s full of sweet Manila clams in this fresh, creamy broth that’s both delicate and decadent. They also have an incredible grilled cheese that I love to order as a sidecar for the soup,” she advises. Just don’t try going on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s Day—the only time it’s closed.

The Bay Area has enough notable versions of deep-fried crab that the streets could be lined with the crunchy nuggets. On the outskirts of San Francisco, in Daly City, a stellar version is served up by dim sum specialist Koi Palace. Omakase’s Jackson Yu says the freshness of the ingredients really takes it over the top. “The garlic isn’t used in a heavy handed way, so that the true flavors really shine through. While this is a luxury dish [the one above costs $344], it’s worth the splurge.”

“Robin is just killer. It’s great what the young chef, Adam Tortosa, does to showcase the best California produce,” says Jen Pelka of this modern sushi spot, highlighting a signature piece: lightly seasoned rice topped with a tiny housemade purple potato chip, grilled ramp aioli, and California white sturgeon caviar. “He also makes these excellent koshos [citrus chili paste], and I adore the shima aji, a striped jack from Japan, with the yuzu one,” she adds. Tasting menus run from $89 to $189, based on guests’ appetites and fish predilections.

Since 2006, the nautically-themed Woodhouse Fish Co. has been serving up some of the greatest hits of American seafood: chowder, Maine lobster rolls, crab cakes, and cioppino. It also serves the only clam roll that’s close to what chef Chris Cosentino grew up with. “I’m from Aquidneck Island [R.I.], near the original, famous Flo’s Clam Shack in Island Park, so the bar is set high for me when it comes to fried clams. At Woodhouse Fish Company, the buns are custom-made and buttered and griddled just like they used to be at home. The fry is perfect, but the best part is that they fly in Ipswich clams for this dish, because there is nothing better.”

Chef-owners Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, his wife, have made a compelling modern American restaurant with a dim sum service model. Exemplifying their point of view is a dish of yuba (tofu skins), cut so they look like noodles, dressed in an emulsified crab butter made with Dungeness head meat. “It’s simple and elegant, really fun and satisfying, with great texture and such a great flavor of the sea,” says Kyle Connaughton of the three-Michelin star Single Thread. “I’ve tried replicating it at home several times, and it never tastes as good as Stuart’s.”

At chef Corey Lee’s ode to the Parisian bistro in Hayes Valley, legendary chef Thomas Keller’s favorite dish is a seafood sausage. “It showcases French technique and is reminiscent not only of a quenelle from Lyon but is also an homage to David Waltuck’s famous grilled seafood sausage from Chanterelle [an iconic restaurant that existed in Tribeca, Manhattan, for almost 30 years].”

Stylish Rintaro is described as a Japanese izakaya by way of California. (Kyoto, Japan-born owner Sylvan Mishima Brackett was formerly creative director at Chez Panisse.) It features local ingredients such as Monterey Bay squid and salt-grilled Mount Lassen rainbow trout. “Anything that Sylvan puts on the menu is going to be delicious,” says activist chef Gabriela Cámara, “but I especially love the daily selection of sashimi, served with the Half Moon Bay wasabi.” When available, raw bites of wild-striped bass and Baja yellowtail amberjack are particular delights.

This tiny place at the western edge of the city, by Ocean Beach, has a chill vibe. “The owners [Christian Morabito and Beau Caillouette] and pretty much everyone who works there are surfers,” says chef Sarah Rich. Orders are taken at the counter, and most seats are outdoors. All oysters and fish are local, sustainably caught, and displayed in a case to take home. “I usually get the rockfish or albacore tacos, grilled—really delicious with the avocado, pickled coleslaw, and aioli that tops it. They make the corn tortillas, so they’re soft and fresh. Definitely hit that taco with some of their hot sauce and lime. And for sure, grab a stack of napkins.”

If the iconic Zuni is associated with one dish, it’s a pretty perfect roast chicken, but local hero chef Stuart Brioza advises against sleeping on the anchovies. “What I love about those cured anchovies is that they are a local ingredient, in season here from April to October. During that time, Zuni will cure several hundred pounds of very fresh ones in rock salt. On a daily basis, the cured fish are revived in cold water and carefully peeled off the bone and served simply with shards of parmesan cheese, celery slices, and Niçoise olives.”