Best Seafood in San francisco?
 

Can someone recommend a great seafood place in SF? (Casual & not too expensive)

I'll get slammed for this, but I'm a sucker for Scoma's, in the Fisherman's Wharf area. It's an old-school SF seafood joint, but it's not over-the-top expensive (many eateries in SF are), and the fin fare is great-- not fussy or overworked, just delicious.

I confess that it's been a couple of years since I've gone up to the Bay Area, so I'm sure there are some great new places in the City; I'm planning a trip up this summer, so I'm interested too. Anyone...?

FArallon in Union Square. Great food, great decor (it's art deco under the sea if you can image that).

rjw, I had a shrimp and crab open-faced sandwich (on fabulous sourdough, of course) at Scoma's for lunch about 12 years ago and it was so good I can still taste it! As a first-timer, I thought it was a great way to experience the city.

Jocelyn, that sounds perfect right about now! Or some nice fish chowder in a sourdough bowl....

Great, now I want lunch.

swalter, I do have to try Farallon. Now I make enough money to do SF right...! ;)

rjw, I know what you mean. We went there as our "Splurge" dinner and it was worth it,if for nothing more than the decor. From what I recall it has a bar up front so at least stop in for a drink and look around.

Try the Tadich Grill. If you are going to be in SF through the end of this month, Farallon is doing a DAT lunch for $19.95. Friends just went yesterday and said it was a great sweet potato soup, grilled mahi-mahi and a pear upside down cake. There is also the Hayes Street Grill which is fish grilled or saute and sides.

A group of six of us ate lunch one day at Tadich Grill. While we drank several bottles of good wine and five of us had lots of food, one person who didn't feel well only wanted and ordered a cup of soup. At the end they added the $20 or so required minimum for the light eater to our bill of something like $500. Our host protested politely to the manager seeing as how our average and total was extremely high. They wouldn't budge from their "rule". I wouldn't set foot in that place again!!!

While I love Farallon, it's hard to imagine it fitting into the "not too expensive" category asked for. But that lunch special sounds good.

Local friends once took us to Mae's Seafood on Polk Street, a sort ancient hole in the wall with incredible seafood. Is that still there? Talk about a bargain in San Francisco! Downright cheap, in fact. Normally "great seafood" and "not too expensive" just don't go together in SF.

Swan Oyster Depot; Plouf for lunch; Sam's Grill (another old time restaurant like Tadich's but get's less tourists; Pesce; Hayes Street Grill (but not realy inexpensive).

For anything, Farallon. There is also an Italian place called the North Beach Grill (I think) if you want to step out & try abalone. Also excellent.