Swan Oyster Depot - Review

Intro
Swan Oyster Depot - Highly Recommended
1517 Polk St, San Francisco 94109
Btwn California & Sacramento St
Phone: 415-673-1101

As soon as we landed in San Francisco, I knew there was one place I had to go right away - Swan Oyster Depot. That first bite of fresh crab immediately put me in the mindset of San Francisco and great California ingredients. Swan Oyster Depot does seafood properly and is one of my favorite places on this planet. Overall, I give the restaurant an 90/100.

My Menu
1) Clam Chowder - Recommended
2) 1/2 Cracked Crab - Highly Recommended (must have)
3) Oysters and Clams - Highly Recommended
4) Smoked Salmon and Crab Salad - Recommended

Dish Comments
1) Great clam chowder. Nice and light without having the cream overpowering the clams. However, having been to Newport, RI a month ago Black Pearl's clam chowder definitely takes the cake.
2) 2 dishes here. You get the crab butter which tastes like the ocean that also has a nice richness to it. The star here is definitely the crab meat. It's so sweet and tender and meaty which goes perfectly with butter - they even crack it for you! Again, after recently having crabs in Providence/Newport and also in Baltimore, this crab destroys them all - no contest. Funny thing, is the crabs are not even from San Francisco (SF crabs are only in season November-June), they were sourced from Alaska. Still amazing...
3) The oysters and clams tasted so alive and again tasted like the ocean. The oysters from Nova Scotia were insanely creamy. Again, having had oysters in Providence, these oysters win hands down.
4) Smoked salmon was very good and the combo with the rye bread, capers, and red onion were so tasty. What was phenomenal was the crab salad however. Basically crab meat with some type of mayo sauce and lettuce. Heaps of sweet crab meat went so well with the mayo sauce.

Overall Restaurant Experience (90/100)

• Food 9.2/10 - My idea of the perfect seafood. Make sure to get an Anchor Steam (local SF brew) while you're there, since it complements the crab so well.
• Service 8.5/10 - Definitely a guys place. Funny guys who definitely know their seafood and relatively attentive.
  
• Atmosphere 9.0/10 - Be prepared to get here early since the lines are very long. We arrived Wednesday at 2pm and there was still a 10 minute wait. The crowd is a mix of locals and tourists who all are very happy eating there. Cramped seats like a bar, but for some strange reason I still love it.
  
• Price 9.0/10 - Price point is medium, but for the quality it's phenomenal. Way cheaper than Providence Oyster Bar and about three levels above it in quality.
  

Closing Comments
Great way to start the trip and I'm already looking forward to going back. Although I love the Newport/Providence area, SOD wipes the floor with every single restaurant we went to on the Newport/Providence trip.