Best Waterfront Restaurant in San Francisco

Crab House is widely known for its world-famous Killer Crab (Whole Dungeness Crab roasted in a secret garlic sauce), and sizzling shrimp and mussel skillets served with lemon butter sauce. These mouthwatering dishes are so well-known, you may not know that Crab House also has spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, the San Francisco Bay and Fisherman’s Wharf! Hands down the best waterfront restaurant in San Francisco for dinner with a view.

Spectacular Bay Views

Of all of the restaurants with views San Francisco has to offer, Crab House is the best of the best. Being perched on the west side of PIER 39 in Fisherman’s Wharf on the second level, the Crab House view can not be beaten. What makes the view so great? Since the restaurant is raised up on the pier, it offers an unobstructed view of the San Francisco Bay, Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. Additionally, the restaurant has two dining rooms that both span the waterfront, giving every table in the restaurant a waterfront view. If you are looking for SF restaurants with a view – this is THE place. There are only so many restaurants with views San Francisco has to offer, and Crab House is at the top of that list.

Crab with a view

Romantic

The next time you are planning a romantic meal – look no further. This restaurant has cozy booths where you can snuggle up with your date while overlooking the bay and sipping on tasty hand-crafted cocktails and fantastic California wines. For a truly romantic table, you may choose to sit at the circular cozy fire pit also overlooking the bay. It truly makes this ocean view restaurant San Francisco’s finest. What is more romantic than sipping fine wine paired with a delicious Surf and Turf, and finished off with a shared delicious dessert?

The friendly yet professional staff will make sure you and your date have a great time and leave full and happy. Crab House is absolutely one of the most romantic restaurants in San Francisco with a view. And if this is making you want to take your sweetheart and you’re wondering what you should wear on a first date to Crab House, don’t miss our linked blog post. There really is no comparison when it comes to restaurants with a view in San Francisco, Crab House has the romance plus so much more.

Sustainable Seafood

Dining at an oceanfront restaurant makes us all crave fresh seafood. Especially one you can feel good about. It is especially fulfilling to dine at an ocean-view restaurant in San Francisco knowing that you are supporting the future of the ocean at the same time.

The Crab House is proud to serve only sustainable seafood and offers a wide variety of tasty seafood options including Crab topped Salmon, Cod Piccata, Fish n Chips, and more in addition to the ever-famous Dungeness Crab, shrimp and mussels sizzling skillets.

In fact, of all the San Francisco restaurants on the water in Fisherman’s Wharf, this restaurant group is the first to serve all sustainable seafood company-wide! With 5 restaurants as part of the Simco family of waterfront restaurants, that works out to tons of sustainable seafood yearly.

Fun Ambiance

Dining room with a viewLet’s face it – some restaurants are just more fun than others. Not only is the food delicious, but you can also expect a uniquely fun experience while dining at the Crab House. The most popular items are the “Killer Crab®” (Whole Dungeness Crab roasted in a secret garlic sauce served on a sizzling iron skillet) and sizzling shrimp and mussels served on sizzling iron skillets. The steam and garlic aroma are enticing for adults and kids alike. As is the playful music playing throughout the dining room. How often does a restaurant with a view in San Francisco also have a fun element to it? Not often enough. 

Your server will provide a bib that they help you tie on so you will feel free to relax, really dig in and enjoy as one would expect when enjoying dinner with a view San Francisco.

The crab is of course served with a crab cracker and an empty bowl for you to discard the crab shell you crab off of the succulent crab meat. Pro tip: Dip the sourdough bread rolls into the secret garlic sauce left in the skillet for an unforgettable decadent treat.

If you are a fan of Instagram or Facebook, you’ve probably already realized this is the perfect setting for fun photo and video memories to post that all of your followers will love. All of these fun skillet elements, in addition to the fact that you’re at an ocean view restaurant in San Francisco, lend you the ideal backdrop for incredible memories.

Crab house restaurant

Easy Free Parking

Many of the San Francisco restaurants on the water can be difficult to find parking. If you plan to drive to dinner, Crab House is the perfect place! The restaurant offers TWO hours free parking in the PIER 39 garage. The garage is just steps away from the restaurant and even has a pedestrian bridge over the street right onto the upper level of PIER 39 where you will find Crab House. Your server will happily give you a parking validation ticket that gets you 2 hours free parking during your meal.

Convenient Reservations and Waitlist

Making a reservation at Crab House is easy using Yelp Reservations to ensure your table is ready when you arrive. You can either make a reservation on the Yelp app or Yelp website (Yelp.com) or visit Crabhouse39.com and click the reservation button on the home page of the website. Reserve now.

Can’t find a reservation at the time you want? No worries! The restaurant also saves many tables for walk-in guests. If there is a wait for a table when you arrive, simply put your name on our waitlist and they will text you when your table is ready. It is truly one of the most spectacular restaurants with a view bay area has to offer.

Of all the places to have dinner with a view San Francisco has to offer, restaurants with a view in San Francisco can come with a poor experience if they rely on the view to carry the experience. Not this restaurant with a view in San Francisco – Crab House it all from delicious food, fantastic service, a warm cozy environment and 1 hour free parking.

The next time someone asks you about the best waterfront restaurant in San Francisco, you can send them straight to Crab House to book their reservation and be confident they will have an excellent experience to remember.

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