Swan Oyster Depot

Once you are seated inside and, I recommend the bar seating, you are transported to Old World Service and Old World charm.  As a native San Franciscan, I was tickled to exchange memories of Old Polk Street and venerable institutions like Swensen's ice cream.

The vintage 49ers jerseys and other decorations demonstrate the old San Francisco roots.

But, I digress.  The oysters and fresh fish are phenomenal and out-of-this-world.  It was indescribable.  The smoked salmon was sublime.  Everything is fresh and simply prepared to allow the quality of the fish to shine.

Many people wait and some people are impatient and leave.  Ironically, it is the personal service and care that the customer receives while they dine that is a testament Swan's excellent service.  You are never rushed and your needs come first.  In addition to the impeccable seafood, these are the reasons loyal customers return.  I was seated next to two young women who grew up in San Mateo.  One of them had moved to Virginia.  She was visiting the Bay but she told her friend that she needed to make the pilgrimage Swan's.

I will be back.  Already looking forward to the next experience.

Swan Oyster Depot is an SF institution that has been serving the city's craving for seafood since 1912. After waiting in the long line outside the restaurant to get in, when you step inside it feels like not much has changed since it opened over 100 years ago. The atmosphere feels like you're dining at a local seafood joint with the home-y features and hospitality of the staff. The most difficult part is deciding what to eat: you can't go wrong with anything on the menu.

The oyster combo displayed the different flavor profiles of oyster varieties. Some oysters were more salty/briny, some more sweet, etc. A squeeze of lemon, horseradish, some tabasco, and some cocktail sauce and you're all set. Out of the 4 selections from the Sicilian sashimi, the scallop was easily my favorite. I typically prefer salmon and hamachi, but the meaty texture and natural sweetness were what won me over with the scallop. The rich, fatty innards of the crab back was a great addition to any bite of seafood and great pairing with the sourdough bread. The crab back together with louie dressing, freshly-squeezed lemon, and dungeness crab meat on top of sourdough bread is an unbeatable bite.

Been here a couple times and it's totally overrated.  It's also very dirty - they'll grab your cash and coins and then launch bare hands into grabbing your seafood.  Service is horribly rude and arrogant.  Did I mention they're also racist?

In all, such a tourist trap.  Food is not even that great had the salmon sashimi, shrimp Louis and crab back.  Not worth the 2 hour wait.

Finally took my boys here! Swan Oyster Depot is like an SF spot you have to experience in your lifetime.
This place has limited seating inside- bar style, you order from the menu above the bar- cash only.
This place has the best oysters, seafood, crab, shrimp! We ordered the mixed dozen oysters, the combination salad- shrimp, crab, prawns, on a bed of lettuce, Louie dressing, and we all had their cup of Clam Chowder!
Hours are 8am to 2:30pm, we went around 10am- no lines on a Wednesday. The weekend- expect a wait.
Since it's cash only, if you do forget to bring cash- there's a Chase ATM around the corner.
Street parking only.
They do offer outside seating also, but if you want to feel the authenticity of the place- sit inside.
We will be back!

Arrived at 8am when they advertise as open.

Pro tip: They're only semi-open. Mostly the 10 people working are prepping to serve for the rest of the day. Only two outdoor tables working, indoor counter closed. It could have been a really long wait.

So.... We ordered to go. Italian Sashimi is their absolute best dish IMO. Scallops, salmon, tuna, etc. Highly recommended! The large portion is $50 so don't be surprised.

The smoked salmon and small shrimp on a bed of lettuce was also good. Perfectly smoked. Terrific with the side of San Francisco sourdough bread they provide.

Pro tip: if they have to open a new smoked salmon, it takes a loooong time (20min) to get served. Because they have to prep the whole thing I guess. This happened to us.

Clam chowder was the only item that was less than perfect. No thickness at all, hardly any clams, potatoes, etc at all. Maybe it was scooped from the top.

This place lives up to the hype. I can easily see why this is Anthony Bourdain's favorite Bay Area spot.

There were 7 of us in our party and we got there early enough that we didn't wait too long -- about 15 minutes. They have outdoor seating, which was perfect because we had kids with us.

We ordered 2 dozen mixed oysters, Sicilian Sashimi, Scallop Sashimi, Whole Cracked Crab, & Crab Louie Salad. Everything was delicious! No joke!

All of the oysters we had were so tasty!!

The Sicilian Sashimi is not what a lot of people are used to (the Japanese or Hawaiian style), but it was definitely tasty! It came with ahi, tuna, salmon, and scallop. It's drizzled with olive oil, red onions, and capers. But the capers add some good flavor to it.

The scallop sashimi was sooooo buttery. It's served w/ ponzu and sriracha, and I think some togarashi pepper.

The whole cracked crab was perfect and meaty. They served us the back first with all the yum yums and brought the crab later, which really was cracked for us and much easier to eat.

The crab Louie salad was delicious as well. There was a perfectly generous amount of crab and the Louie sauce complimented it well.

I really like how everything was brought out in a strategic way. Not all at once, or too slowly, but just enough time in between for us to enjoy each the flavor or each order, and get some rest before digging in to the next dish. This definitely helps you really appreciate the flavor of everything!

Definitely recommend this place. It's worth the wait!

Must know:
This place is cash only and be ready to wait... but it's well worth it!

The long wait is because the place is small; possibly 10-12 seats inside and three tables outside. If you don't want wait and if possible, order take-out.

You know the saying, "early bird gets the worm", well, this place is just that. The earlier you go, the more options you will have.

We only tried a few items but will definitely go back to try more.

We had the fresh oysters, fresh clams, crab back, Sicilian sashimi, clam chowder, scallops, and mix seafood salad. Everything was really fresh and delicious but if I had to pick a dish as my favorite.... hmmm... I can't! I'll tell you this though, when I go back, I'm definitely getting the Sicilian sashimi, fresh clams and oysters, clam chowder and the (egg) scallops again.

I'm so conflicted about the Swan Oyster Depot. I liked the food enough but the way the employees (and owners?) have conducted themselves during the pandemic was really disappointing and it makes me hesitant to go back or to recommend the place to anyone else.

The food is ok. However, I'm on the lookout for other seafood places in the city that were and are respectful of the covid requirements and restrictions.

During covid times but before I was eligible to get the vaccine, we ordered take out. I had read numerous tips and reviews that mentioned that the some of the employees to almost all of the guys were flouting the city/county's indoor mask requirement and they were often seen working without masks or were wearing masks pulled below their noses or chins. I was wary, but I wanted to give them a chance and see for myself. We called in our take out order on a weekday morning to be picked up at 11 am.

I dropped off my husband and circled to find a parking spot. I eventually found a spot and then stood out on the sidewalk, while my husband waited 35 minutes or so for them to get our order ready (he spent half of the waiting time outside in the line and half the time inside the restaurant). They were running late and did not even start to prepare our order until he got there. They didn't forget, they were just really busy and didn't make it in time.

As I stood out on the sidewalk (masked) and away from the line of people waiting for tables, I witnessed multiple, approximately 3, employees with masks below their noses or chins. One employee who seemed to be in charge had his mask under his chin and was talking loudly to customers and fellow employees. I was horrified. We were still in the depths of covid as a country and here was someone who gave off very strong anti-mask, anti-restrictions vibes. I don't know if I just saw them at random time they "forgot" to wear their masks, but I was outside the window for a good 30 minutes. And you can read multiple reviews on here that mention similar experiences. I didn't watch them prepare our food, but I'm scared to read that others have witnessed the workers handling cash and then going right back to handling food. Fyi, they are cash only.

I understand that most people are not having a good time during this pandemic. Most people don't actually like wearing masks all the time or like the restrictions. I respect others enough to take precautions to protect myself and the rest of society thought. As someone who has lost people due to covid, has frontline healthcare workers in my family, and has family members whose businesses have suffered during covid - to see multiple employees unmasked (in small space where people were eating unmasked) before many people were eligible to get vaccinated was really disrespectful and was a slap in the face to the rest of us trying our best.

Anyways, the clam chowder was probably my least favorite item. The soda bread was a bit dense for my personal preference. Everything else was fine. I'll have to think real hard if I want to spend my time and money here in the future.

Overrated. Pretty unsanitary. I waited in a line for take out for a loooooooong time. The process is pretty crappy. And honestly they don't care.

I never got any help. I was spoken to by a worker just to let someone in the dine in line cut in front of me because they "waited longer than me for take out in the wrong line". I obliged but was not so happy BUT I did not show it.

Well, I waited and waited for a good hour. Not once did I complain to a worker. I obediently waited. As I waited, I observed through the front window. I saw masks not worn or worn incorrectly. I saw men picking seafood then wiping their hands on their dirty apron. I saw money paid then the same hands that received the money directly go to make a salad. After watching for awhile I decided to not get anything in the window. Waited and waited for soup and oysters.

I watched a little longer and got grossed out and left. What a waste of time!

Overpriced for what you get. Service isn't great either and you end up waiting in a long line for mediocre seafood. You only come here to experience the hype but that's what it is, hype, and a chance to say you sat in one of the stools and got it eat here after waiting in line for 2 hours.

Not sanitary either they handle food right after handling cash.