Swan Oyster Depot
We thought we would be clever to hit Swan Oyster Depot on Monday, a holiday, and right when it opens, at 10:30am. Well, there were plenty of people who thought the same. Preparation got us parked and in line by 10:15, misfortune placed the cut off line for first seating right at us. That sucked. But it only took half an hour before people finished and freed up seats. The run shop quite efficiently here. It’s small inside and looked like a seafood grocer more than a restaurant. In fact, people came by to get their daily morning cuts of fish as we stood there at the door.
Once we got seated, the people there were attentive. You practically get one person tending your meal as they shuffled about behind the counter. What seemed like chaos was actually years of running the place. A unique experience that makes it what it’s famous for, which follows their wonderfully fresh seafood.
Swan Oyster Depot
1517 Polk Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
+1 (415) 673-1101
sfswanoysterdepot.com
Verdict: I do like this place more than the ones in the wharf. It’s small but you’re up close and personal with the people there.
Look at those chunks of crab and assortment of shrimp on top of the salad. Amazing that people are drawn to the dressing. Not me, I loved the seafood and the shear amount of it. A little salad with my seafood please. $24.50USD
The Dungeness crab, oh how I love thee. And to have it cracked for you, makes it all the more enjoyable. It’s served cold and with utensils to minimize the mess. You’ll still get your hands into it. But don’t worry, they have wet naps for you. $22.00USD
This was good, if you like cocktail sauce with your seafood. I preferred the dressing on the salad more. Not that this was bad. Maybe it was the raw oysters that threw me off. I dunno, but I devoured everything else. $14.50USD
As you can see, there’s not much room in here. It’s all counter seating, but if you’ve noticed, there’s plenty of people working. There’s no shortage of service here.
With our cracked crab came the crab fat mixed in the head of the crab. I wasn’t sure what to do with it since it was served cold as well. I used it as a dip for the crab meat and occasionally had a spoonful of it. If this was hot I’d scarf it down easily.
If you’re patiently waiting in line and happen to be the next, this would be what you have to look at. Yeah, it was torture for us.
There hasn’t been a time that there wasn’t a line outside this place. Even when we got there before opening, there was a healthy line. So make sure you’re set for wait. In our case, we needed to make sure we dressed warm.