California Fish Market Restaurant

I was craving seafood one day and came here for dinner. We sat outside and the restaurant wasn't too crowded. Seafood was excellent and fresh and the service was good. We ordered the squid with arugula for appetizers, squid ink linguine with seafood, and lobster roll.

I am looking for an opportunity to come back because it was so tasty.

Friendly staff
Clean restaurant
Delicious bread & ice cold butter!
It was absolutely freezing inside restaurant. Maybe 50 degrees, maybe. Music was very loud. We asked them to turn it down, they did.
Ok my plate was scallops & pasta w/red sauce. Mine was the best out of all 4 dishes.  Scallops were cooked to perfection! Pasta was homemade al dente and fabulous!
5 stars for mine!
Cioppino 3.5 stars. Sauce was heavy thick red tomato sauce & the mussels were not as fresh as they should have been. Crab was good.
Fish & chips. Fish was a little mushy. Fries were good.
Lobster roll was good. Not great but good!
I would go back to have scallops & pasta!

I'm still going to say this over and over again me and my fiancé been to SF 4 times the past 2 years.

Every time we there it's always a must that we need to stop by this place.
It's no question mark anymore and let me tell you guys.

First off service is phenomenal second the food is so good literally watering in my mouth right now when I'm writing this.
We did our annual trip me and my fiancé but obviously I didn't like the road-trip so we canceled it and ended in SF.
So this time we introduce my stepson to this restaurant and food and he felt in love.
Right away after dinner he asked can we go back soon because the food is so good.

So guys don't overthink I really recommend this place specially go for the seafood

My friends and I were checking some things out around North Beach, and we decided to come here as we were able to get a reservation pretty last minute. The inside isn't the largest, but since we made a reservation the four of us were able to be seated pretty quickly. I definitely got Fish Market vibes from this place, as the decor was all ocean/seafood related and was pretty nice. The waiters here seemed fine, and usually were pretty responsive when we called them over.

   For the food, we decided to get a crab chowder, lobster roll, and grilled calamari (along with some complimentary bread and butter). The grilled calamari was pretty good, as it was flavorful and had a lot of sauce in it. The lobster roll seemed pretty standard as it didn't blow me away or anything, but I think it is still a decent dish. The crab chowder seemed pretty similar to clam chowder to me to be honest, and I feel it wasn't anything too special.

   Overall, I think this place is pretty good to check out if you want some seafood around North Beach. While there definitely are places with higher quality seafood, California Fish Market Restaurant is not bad for the price.

Little Italy gets really busy on Saturday so you should make a reservation if you decide to go. We didn't make a reservation but we got lucky that there was no wait to be seated outside around 6:30pm. It was sooo windy and cold, I swear we our fingers were numb lol the heater didn't really reach us and there was not enough outside.

We ordered fresh oysters for appetizer and Ravioli con Aragosta and Scallops with a side of  1/2 pasta with pesto sauce. The oysters were fresh and tasty! It was cleaned well too. The ravioli was delicious! It had a generous amount of lobster inside. The scallops were cooked perfectly and tasted good. The pesto pasta was alright, a bit plain but the noodles were soft just the way I like it.

Service was good! Despite only having 2 servers outside, they were both attentive and fast. Will be back for more but will make a reservation for sure lol

I came to California fish market after attending a comedy show with some friends and it was some of the best seafood I have ever had. U decided to order the lobster roll and it was incredibly fresh with tons of lobster packed into a buttery soft bun. The lobster itself was juicy and had a spicy tangy marinate which elevated the taste exponentially! The fries as well were thin and crispy just the way I like. I highly recommend checking out California fish market if you are looking for a great seafood restaurant!

4.5 stars! We came here on a Saturday afternoon, there was no wait! They have indoor and outdoor seating in a parklet

For 3 people, we got the scallop hamachi, pasta with uni and branzino.

The scallop was so so fresh and the spices had a nice kick to it !
The pasta with uni, was lacking flavor for me. It tasted pretty bland, but I did like the noodles because they were thicker and Al dente, but next time I would pass on this dish
The branzino is a must try! It is so fresh and crispy!! I highly recommend it if you come here!

I've been looking forward to this restaurant since they opened. Service is speedy and friendly.

We ordered the salmon and scallop crudo. Fish market deluxe combo. And a half order of pesto fettuccine.

I had high hopes for the crudo but found it underwhelming. It was overly salty and small portion. I'd skip next time.

The fish market deluxe is full of shell fish. Oysters we're briny and delicious. Not too salty. Shrimp cocktail were good. Salmon roe is good. The sea urchin was not good. Really bitter  and I usually love uni. Crab claws were delicious despite the amount of work it takes to crack open.

Half order of pasta was a good contrast to the raw cold seafood. And the pasta tasted homemade with a nice chew.

I'd come back but skip the crudo, and try more seafood pasta dishes instead.

Drink: Spritz. I haven't had a Spritz in 11 years, since I had it for the first time in Italy. I wasn't a fan then of Aperol but I figured since my taste has evolved over the years, let me try the Spritz. Also, this Spritz did not have Aperol which also was the reason why I ordered it but whatever it did have was bitter until I mixed it around and with the champagne and club soda it tasted so good!

Bread: they served bread which was very dry. It came with butter. Wish they'd served it with oil though instead. Might have helped

Entree: family style pasta - I ordered the linguine alle vongole (clams) and it was divine. This is my go to Italian dish and it did not disappoint. Absolutely loved it and finished every last noodle

Service: 12/10

Reservations: on Yelp. Was able to make a Saturday reservation a few days prior

Definitely recommend

Very enjoyable dinners to be had here thanks to the fresh, never overcooked grilled seafood; availability of yummy oysters; excellent pasta; and, really friendly service. Only wish the Sotto Mare customers waiting for a table next door didn't crowd the sidewalk!

Favorites: grilled calamari & squid ink pasta!