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Categories: Seafood, Live/Raw Food [Edit]
Neighborhood: Nob HillNeighborhood: Outer Richmond
"This is some posh sh*t. Great views, amazing morning light, historic setting: it's all lovely. Reservations are highly recommended, due to…" read more »
On-the-cheap oyster & beer daily happy hour + super friendly staff + charming nautical decor = A KEEPER!
Did I mention the oyster and beer special?? So great...I'll take 3 dozen please! After you and your honey get an aphrodisiac fix, hop on the cable car, go home and get it on...
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I came here with a person visiting from Atlanta. I pretty much chose the place based on the Yelp review. To be honest, I wasn't incredibly impressed.
The decor is nice enough, murals on the walls, good use of wood and such and standard white table cloths. The service was decent as well, but a bit overt in an effort to be nice (don't blatantly interrupt a conversation to ask if everything is to our liking). The food was the most underwhelming thing. I had the potato crusted King Salmon. The salmon was good, but it was swimming in butter and the it honest looked and tasted like a salmon fillet covered in hashbrowns. That is fine if I am going to the Waffle House for the 2am seafood special of canned tuna, hashbrowns and grits, but for $19 I expect something a bit more presentable.
I guess this place has far more redemming benefits, but I didn't find them on my visit.
This is truly a 'neighborhood' place. If you live in the area and are wanting some decent and fresh seafood, your choices are limited. However, Hyde Street Seafood House is not a bad choice.
Being that my dinner buddy had some dietary restrictions, we were relived to see that their specialty, En Papillotte, was a good option. She had the Butterfish, fresh herbs and veggies - she loved her dish and kept commenting on how the flavors were so simple and yet so delicious.
I had the seafood fettuccine, featured a surprisingly lighter and tastier cream sauce than I had anticipated, small bay scallops, shrimp and smoked salmon. It was quite good!
I did notice that most tables around us had ordered the fresh raw oysters to start with - I felt like I had missed out and am planning on going back. They have a happy hour of special drinks and $1 oysters!
Step inside the Hyde Street Seafood House, tucked into a quiet Nob Hill neighborhood, and the white tablecloths, captain's wheel, marine life decor, and fresh-cut flowers will have you feeling as though you're in a waterfront restaurant on the wharf -- even if your wallet doesn't. Nightly, 5-7 p.m.
You would think finding excellent seafood in San Francisco would be easy....but of course Fishermans Wharf is a travesty....and there are not that many seafood restaurants in other areas. Hyde Street offers very good seafood in a casual atmosphere, with excellent service and no attitude. You can walk in 90% of the time and be seated --- FR's and Sat's may have a short wait...but may not. The specials are always hits, the bisque is outstanding and the salads are also nice. I like the salmon in potato crust --- but it may be an acquired taste (it's like hash browns on salmon). Best of all is the service which is so friendly. Only minor nit -- prices are a *little* higher than they should be....but ultimately worth it. This and Yabbies are my favorite seafood restaurants in the city.
This place - has wonderful food and service, it is set in a very interesting room with fabulous maps spread over the entire wall. If you life seafood and fish - this is consistently a great place to eat.
I really enjoyed this place. We had a party of four here on a recent Friday night, and though we stood around for a good 20 minutes for our 7:30 reservation, the wait was worth it. I had the Cajun combination of shrimp & scallops and it was delicious. I would have maybe liked a larger serving of vegetables on the side, but that's OK. I'll definitely be back to check out their oyster happy hour special.
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Yelp has led me so wrong for the first time. This place had some of the worst seafood I have had. I would bet so much $, that 3/4 of our food was previously frozen. Why have so many of you rated this place as 4 and 5 star? The food was poorly prepared, everything had too much onion (big chunks) and the lobster bisque was loaded with pureed carrots. The scallops and shrimp had the consistency of cardboard. The faults of this place are in no way due to an off night. I will say the service is very friendly and the bread they serve is excellent. Atmosphere and cleanliness are also up to par. If you want seafood, go to swan oyster depot. Parking situation is terrible. Leave plenty of time to park if you have a reservation.
Came here for their happy hour on a Friday, wasn't as busy as I thought it would be. Cool nautical stuff on the walls, friendly staff and the happy hour special: dozen oysters for $12 and $2.50 beers, it made Hyde Street an easy place to like. A little note on the happy hour, the special on beers is for the first 4 beers per person and is good for Anchor, Sierra, Stella and Spaten. They had 3 types of oysters that night, Hama Hama, something from Marin and something else, I wish I'd remembered which, because one of them wasn't as good as the others, but I was told that they have different oysters at different times so definitely want to go back and try some more.
four stars for their oysters and their service.
...three stars otherwise.
This place is a small, cute, very quaint place. It's nestled in a predominantly residential neighborhood so parking is pretty tough. Their service is friendly and helpul. The waiter even went so far as to tell me what NOT to get, as well as his favorite dishes.
So this place is supposedly famous for a particular way they prepare their fish, which is wrapping the fish and some veggies in parchment paper and baking it. This is supposed to retain flavor and moistness of the fish. So we ordered the halibut and the fish was very moist, not dry by any means. Other than that though, the fish was ok. It tasted fresh, but was pretty bland in flavor. The veggies in the parchment package were also not very flavorful.
Their seafood salad was good with really fresh tasting baby shrimp, lump crap pieces, and smoked salmon. A pretty small salad for ~12 bucks though. Their lobster bisque was pretty good...it tasted like their base was pureed corn, and the bisque was yellowish in color. It didn't have a strong lobster aroma to it...the pieces of lobster were almost like the consistency of crab since it was a lot of little itty bitty pieces in the bisque. Tasty, but not amazing.
The stuffed shrimp was pretty good; a little salty and quite buttery. The cioppino was good. The soup was tasty, the shrimp in it was ok, the mussels were pretty good, the big scallops were good, but the baby scallops weren't so good.
Overall, good ambiance, good service, great oysters, everything else is pretty standard for a seafood place. Their menu is pretty eclectic from cajun style scallops and shrimp to steak to their french preparation of fish. Wouldn't mind coming back for the oysters. Three people with three entrees, a salad, a soup, oysters = $100.
P.S. Happy hour between 5-7. Dozen oysters for $12 (SO WORTH IT) and a few types of beers for $2.50.
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Excellent place to eat.
Went with my sister and wife on a Saturday night. I got the seared tuna, which is my staple to judge seafood places and was very surprised with the portion size. I got a really nice sized piece of fish. It also came with potatoes and veggies. Good size plate for $20. The wife got ciopinno with tons of fish. It was a little to stewy for me, I like cioppino a little more brothy. Now onto my sister (get your mind out of the gutter)... She got the crab, $35, but fuck it, dad was paying. Worth every penny. We aksed if it was fresh and it sure was, did not have a hint of that previously-frozen-saltness. It was soooo meaty. Seriously way more than was expected. I will say they cooked it with a ton of garlic, but we like that so it suited our mouths.
It was also nice that it wasn't all touristy, nothing like a Wharf restaurant. It had a good local feel.
Be warned that this is not an in and out type of place. We were there for over two hours. The waitstaff is really nice, but pretty slow as well.
All in all, great place and worth the money. We also had three drinks and still got out of there with just a $100 bill.
Valentine's Day 2008. Already a stressful enough day as it is.
We made reservations for the prix fixe, hoping to be taken aback by the quality and taste of the food. At $65 bucks a pop, the meal was not cheap.
The starters were good - everything really buttery.
The entrees were also on point - everything really buttery. They ran out of some items, so that was a disapointment.
The desert- of which they ran out of numerous types - we a disappointment and really buttery too... weird.
At the end of the night, I left Hyde Seafood feeling like I had just inhaled sticks of butter, with a little lobster to dip the butter in. Kind of the opposite of what you would expect, no?
I'll pass on this place in the future. Unless, of course, I'm really hankering for some warm, liquified butter. And sadly, that day could come...
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Great little place. Good for couples. My bf took me here for VDay this year and it was AMAZING. The staff made me feel okay for staying there chatting and having a romantic evening for a couple hours. There was no rush to get out and go, they were very friendly and awesome. The lobster bisque is TO DIE FOR! Best I've ever had, EVER. AND my creme brulee was FABULOUS!
This should be your neighborhood seafood place. Afforable prices, lots of different fish , and great papillote preparation.
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So comfortable and homely.
I loved the food as everything I ordered was delicious.
I am looking forward to my next meal here.
Very reasonable prices and great food. The only downer was the fact that they double booked reservations and had twice as many people as they could sit standing around at 7:30.
All in all we had smiles all around with the entrees. I would definitely go again.
My man and I discovered this place randomly while walking around the neighborhood. Turns out to be one of the best seafood places I've tried in the city! The prices are totally reasonable and the friendly wait staff give it a great feel. The lobster bisque is so perfect and doesn't leave you feeling too heavy. They always manage to pick out the best oysters, too. An overall awesome find.
Remember the days when mom and dad took you to the pizza parlor and you got so excited to "got out for dinner"? Little did I know that when becoming a grown up, a pizza parlor is the last place to be for an evening out to dinner. I found a spot that has become my "parlor", but a parlor of Fresh Fish!
My boyfriend and I were walking up Hyde street reading the menu in the windows of a few different restaurants, all of which we thought we would turn around and walk back to until we found Hyde Street Seafood House. As I strolled by, the first thing that caught my eye was the scrumptious platter of fresh oysters. I read the menu and got through the first set of the appetizer description. Simultaneously, my boyfriend and I looked at each other and said this is the one.
Immediately walking in the restaurant you are greeted by one or all the staff either at the bar or walking by. We were seated straight away and bread was placed in front of us soon after. The ambiance is warm and relaxing. We sat at the window and would watch the Trolley ring by and gives a sense of old San Francisco.
Of course our first order was the oysters, which turned out to be the best I've had yet. We both had a salad and as a main course I had the snapper (I recommend), and my boyfriend had the Mahi Mahi, which we concluded was both a favorite of ours. We ended the meal with a cappuccino.
The prices are average and you pay for what you receive. For the two of us it was about $70 without ordering wine. Next time I go I expect it to be a bit pricier when wine is selected and their full service bar is consumed.
The service and food was spectacular. I will continue to visit here and I look forward to introducing to friends and family.
Cheers!
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I went here with my parents and I had the hugest salmon steak ever. it was crusted with potato and came in a really good pinot noir sauce. the waiter was nice. my parents are nice. drank white wine which was called Seabiscuit. I like to base wine choice on label and name only. taste? meh. my dad seemed to enjoy his scallops (I think they're nasty). all were happy. i'm still happy just thinking about it. that's probably because i only eat $1.50 tamales from a liquor store when they're not in town taking me to dinner all the time.
the vegetables were really green. i liked that too.
not crowded on a thursday night. nice environment.
big time fish explosion.
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I love to eat seafood and this is one of my favorite place to eat at. When going there I love to eat their fish, chapino and lobster bisque. All of the waiters and waitress are really nice and friendly. The decore of the place is really nice to. They make the place look like a place you would eat at the Pier. Parking is a little hard to find, but it is all worth it to it at. LOBSTER BISQUE is soooo good to eat though.
A good place for a date or a mellow dinner with a couple of friends. The food was excellent. The lobster bisque was swimming with tasty lobster bits, and my potato crusted salmon was super moist. M. had stuffed trout, which I also tasted and it was very good as well. (one benefit of being in a relationship is when I'm torn between two things, M will almost always order one of my choices so that I can try both.) The server kept a close eye on our progress but didn't interrupt our conversation or try to move us along. We'll be back sometime soon for happy hour.
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Tasty food at a reasonable price. Recommend for anyone with a craving for shellfish. Service was good and staff were friendly. Nice quiet neighborhood restaurant.
We had two seafood salads, which were loaded with fresh bay shimp, crab and smoked salmon. I ordered the ciopinno which was delicious! My friend had the salmon with vegies and potatoes baked in parchment paper and the clam chowder.
The entire meal was under $60.00!!! Would have been 5 stars except the salmon was a little undercooked and had to be refired, but all in all, a tolerable mistake considering the cost of the meal.
OK, you know how you meet people when you are out of the Bay area, and you tell them: "If you are ever in the city, call me and we will go out." Well, dammit, a couple just took me up on the offer, and they were the in-laws of my niece. I met them once at her wedding in Las Vegas just a few months ago.
They were in town for an Electrician conference--it was also the weekend of Fleet Week, the Castro Street Fair and the Blue Grass Festival. Great timing. When I asked what they wanted to eat, they said: seafood.
Shit. Now it is not that I do not love seafood, but what is it with folks coming to the city and wanting seafood? I do not do the Wharf, I thought Aqua was too over the top, so, I Yelped "Seafood" and found Hyde Street Seafood House and Raw Bar, and thought: "cool neighborhood, good reviews--done."
They loved being out of the tourist zone and they absolutely loved the food. Started with yummy oysters; they had the cioppino and the potato crusted Salmon, and I had the cajun scallops and shrimp. We split a couple desserts and man we were full. I will go back--with or without out-of-towners.
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I love love love this place! It's so fresh, not too pricey, great food! Oysters galore! I can't remember exactly what I tried but I loved them all. I always crave this place. Great to go with the fam or on a date!
This place has the best happy hour!!! The oysters are wonderful and the parchament paper cooked fish is really good!!!
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If there was an option for 0 stars...that's what I would choose for this place. One word...HORRIBLE...to describe the food, service, atmosphere. My fiance and I felt like we were in some cheesy eatery at Fisherman's Wharf. We would have been able to overlook all this if either the food or service was decent...BUT we ended up spending $160 for cheap, 'can' tasting lobster bisque, soft-shelled crab that was overly fried and sat too long before coming to us that it was soggy! It took us over 1 HOUR to get our appetizers and the waitstaff was ambivalent to it all. Finally we just asked to wrap up our main course and dessert to go!!!! This place is maybe one of the WORST places I have ever eaten and will NEVER go back...would rather have a big Mac at Mickey D's!
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This is one of those times I wish Yelp allowed us to give more nuanced ratings. I went to Hyde Street last night with a few friends and left with mixed emotions...
The food was tasty. I started with the soft shell crabs, which were a bit small, but delicious and served with a perfectly dressed mixed green salad. For my entree, I tried the special lobster ravioli, served with crab meat, shrimp and scallops and once again, I was pleasantly surprised. Dessert let me down though. I had the bread pudding, which was prepared in a way I've never seen it before- essentially chunks of break doused in a super-sweet, marginally banana flavored sauce. It was so sweet that it was almost painful...and I likes me some sweets. Some pretty decent wines and tasty english breakfast tea rounded out my experience, landing them a 4-star rating from me for food.
On decor, I think others have nailed this. Cute place, good for a date night, but not so overly romantic that you couldn't go with friends and family.
Service, however, was a whole different beast. When I drop $70 a head for dinner, I expect 4-star service and here, our friends at Hyde Street greatly disappointed. We had a 7:30 reservation and weren't seated until almost 8:30, only to wait another 15 minutes before being acknowledged by a waiter. When all was said and done, we left the restaurant at about 10:45. I'm sorry, but I just can't see spending 3+ hours at a restaurant that you had a reservation at unless you're being served 5+ courses or have a party of 10 or more. The amount of idle wait time we experienced was truly unacceptable and will likely keep me from going back, despite the tasty food. There are so many good restaurants in San Fran and I'd prefer to go somewhere that offers the full package, especially at this price.
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After six years of eating out in San Francisco, this is by far the best sea food restaurant i have been to!!
Food was amazing!!
totally the best lobster bisque in the city!!!! mmm mmm!!
I give this place a four stars cause though the food was just perfectly timed, and presented the service was lacking. Took over an hour to get a table when told only going to be a short wait. Make sure to call ahead for reservations. Our server was very nice and took time with us, he was spread way to thin, i am assuming it was a off night and that they were short handed.
All in all great evening and totally shocked at how reasonable the prices are. Though i do have to say not the best wine list, and they do not have a full bar, which not a huge issue but would have been a plus.
Love the down to earth feeling of this place. A great neighborhood spot great for dinner with friends are a nice night out with the lover. Took my aunts here for dinner on their last visit, and they were both in love.
Hope you enjoy this place, cause i know i will be going back again and again.!!
Great deals on oysters during happy hour (a dozen for just $12) and a staff that is very knowledgeable about their wine list. They were very accommodating to my weird food allergy as well.
I enjoyed the fish I had as did the rest of the party I was with, but I think there are better seafood restaurants in the general area for the same price or even a little cheaper (I'm specifically thinking of Yabbies). Good place to take visiting relatives though -- all my family thought the food was good and the decor was charming.
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Five stars for the AWESOME $1 oysters and $2.50 pints (Spaten, Stella, Anchor Steam, etc.) at happy hour. Three stars for having no french fries. If we add the five stars plus the three stars and then divide the result by two, we get four stars. The average is equal to four stars.
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This is one of my all time favorite restaurant ... for several reasons. 1. Service is the best! Johnny one of the waiter/owner knows all his customers by name and has great recommendations if you are unsure what to have orun decided between two dishes. 2. Raw oysters there are the freshest I've even eaten and selection changes daily! 3. Happy hour EVERYDAY from 5-7pm where you can get $1.00 raw oysters and $2.00 pint beer (hello!) 4. French style cooking (parchment paper - don't find that often) so the fish & veggies are extremely moist.
I've been bringing friends here for years! After trying it out once, all my friends have brought their friends and family. Everyone's consensus is that they LOVE this restaurant and will also come back.
I can go on and on but my recommendation is head over there and try it yourself ... you wouldn't regret it! Oh, warning - parking sucks since it's in Nob Hill so give yourself (and courtesy to restaurant) plenty of time to find parking or better yet - take a cab!
4 stars for:
-Great service
-Great Happy Hour (doz oysters for $12 from 5-7pm)
-Great food (Lobster bisque and Garlic Prawns were delicious)
Minus 1 star for:
-I ate a bad oyster and had my real first taste of bad food poisoning.
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What a fantastic little place this is. The multitude of oyster shooters, the ambiance with the Cable Car outside the window, the Christmas lights in July....need I say more?
Definitely a great spot for a romantic evening for two or more!
Thanks for the wonderful meal.
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You know those times when you know you are going to be craving the same dish until you go back and eat it again? - well this is what the En Papillote dish I had last night was like.
For those that don't know En Papillote translates to 'wrapped in paper'. The fish is cooked/steamed in parchment paper and then cut open right before you eat it. I had the shellfish combo. The serving was huge!! Not only did I love every peace of shellfish -the veggies mixed in were just as mouth watering.
Before I get to some negatives, I'll say the service was excellent : friendly and my water never got less than half way full.
There was also a few negatives, but my main dish was so good - I will likely go back and know what to expect in terms of the negatives. They include:
-Bread wasn't that great for being a somewhat nicer restaurant. Some nice sourdough would be better. Or a good baguette.
-We got oysters to start. While the oysters were good, many of the shells were cracked, indicating the person shucking was not doing a good job. If you call yourself a 'raw bar' - I expect the oysters to be shucked decently.
-We didn't like any of the wine Granted it might have been bad picks on our part - but in general it detracted from what could have been a perfect meal.
All in all - I'll be going back. I also really like this small enclave in SF.
Excellent service. Order the fish wrapped in parchment paper with julienned veggies and the seafood fettucini alfredo was the best of it's kind that I have ever had!!! The Calamari app is yummy, too. The lobster bisque is to die. Delightful and fresh seafood, and not bad on your wallet either.
I was fortunate to discover this place thru my sis, again. She used to live next door and so she became friends with the owners. I guess that's one of the perks! They're very friendly staff...good food...good service...good ambiance! I've brought many people here and all of them loved it. Its just one of those places that I'll indefinitely will keep coming back...for more!
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This is one of my favorite places to get crab (big enough for two)! it is SO GOOD. The service and ambiance are on point...the only thing that sucks is the parking. Definitely order the crab, lobster bisque, crusted salmon, and oysters. Deserts are yummy as well.
Wow! I used to live across the street from this place in 1996 and even back then, $12 for a dozen oysters and $2 pints (now $2.50) was an unbeatable deal. I'm so happy to see it's still there and doing well. I would eat there about once a week, and became a regular quickly during the early years. They would have great parties there as well, and expanded into the space next to it early 1997 I believe. Awesome staff and the freshest fish made it hard to go anywhere else.
I recommend getting the fish cooked in parchment paper. Your server will open the dish table side and the aroma is amazing. Enjoy!
Went here for happy hour - not a fan.
They have a 12 oyster/ $12 dollar special. We (the 3 of us in attendance) for two plates = 24 oysters.
I LOVE oysters.
There were not good oysters.
An assortment of 3 kinds. Only a few were smallish and tasted ok. Majority of the oysters were super large, phlemmy, and tasted nasty. Not at all fun to eat. I hate the phelly, mucussy oysters. Especially large ones. Ick. no where near the ones we had from hog island.
i will not ever be going back!
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Husband and I ate here by happening upon it since our hotel was nearbly. What a find! The food was exceptional and fresh (maybe the best lobster bisque ever), service was prompt but not rushed and prices were fair. Highly recommend.