Best Waterfront Restaurant in San Francisco

Crab House at Pier 39 is widely known for bringing the finest waterfront restaurant experience to San Francisco. Our dining room offers panoramic views of the bay and the surrounding coastline. Plus, our restaurant is famous for its Killer Crab® and sizzling shrimp and mussel skillets served with lemon butter sauce.

These flavorful dishes, coupled with the ocean views, make Crab House at Pier 39, hands down, the best restaurant in San Francisco.

Spectacular Bay Views

Of all of the restaurants with views in San Francisco, Crab House at Pier 39 stands out. Perched on the west side of Pier 39 on the second level in Fisherman’s Wharf, the views can not be beaten. What makes the view so great? Since the restaurant is raised on the pier, it offers an unobstructed view of San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz.

Additionally, the restaurant has two dining rooms spanning the waterfront, giving every table a waterfront view. If you are looking for San Francisco’s seafood restaurants with a view, this is the place. There are only so many seaside restaurants with views in San Francisco, and Crab House at Pier 39 is at the top of that list.

Seafood plate at Crab Pier, a waterfront restaurant in San Francisco

Romantic Spot

The next time you are planning a romantic meal at a waterfront restaurant in San Francisco, look no further. Crab House at Pier 39 has cozy booths where you can snuggle up with your date while overlooking the bay and sipping tasty hand-crafted cocktails and fantastic California wines. 

For a truly romantic table, you may choose to sit at the circular cozy fire pit overlooking the bay. It makes this ocean-view restaurant San Francisco’s finest dining experience. What’s more romantic than sipping fine wine paired with surf and turf, finished off with a shared dessert?

The friendly yet professional staff will make sure you and your date have a great time and leave full and happy.

Date Night Preparations

Crab House at Pier 39 is absolutely one of the most romantic seafood waterfront restaurants with a view in San Francisco. So, if you’re thinking about taking your sweetheart here, be aware of what to wear on a first date to Crab House at Pier 39, as the weather may be different from what you expect. You can also plan other activities with the surrounding San Francisco attractions to really impress your date!

When it comes to romance, there really is no comparison. Crab House at Pier 39 is a perfect waterfront restaurant, with exceptional food and service in San Francisco.

Sustainable Seafood

When you dine at an oceanfront restaurant, you might crave fresh seafood more and more. But what impact does that have on the environment? Our Pier 39 restaurant is proud to serve only sustainable seafood. 

When you dine with us, you’ll view a wide variety of tasty seafood options, including crab-topped salmon, cod piccata, fish and chips, and more. The shrimp and mussels sizzling skillets or the ever-famous Dungeness Crab are also available. All sourced responsibly.

In fact, of all the San Francisco restaurants on the water in Fisherman’s Wharf, this restaurant group is the first to serve 100% sustainable seafood company-wide. With five restaurants as part of the Simco family of waterfront restaurants, that works out to tons of sustainable seafood yearly. It’s very fulfilling to dine at a seaside restaurant in San Francisco, knowing you’re supporting the future of the ocean.

Fun Ambiance

Family enjoying fun seafood restaurant with a view

Let’s face it: some restaurants are just more fun than others. Not only is the food at Crab House at Pier 39 delicious, but you can also expect a uniquely fun experience while dining here. 

Our guests get excited to dive into their seafood feast. The most popular items amongst regulars at our waterfront restaurant in San Francisco are the “Killer Crab®” (Whole Dungeness Crab roasted in a secret garlic sauce) and the sizzling shrimp and mussels served on iron skillets. 

The crab is served with a crab cracker and an empty bowl for you to discard the shells you crack off the tender crab meat. Your server will provide a bib and help you tie it on so you can relax, dig in, and enjoy your meal as one would expect at a waterfront restaurant in San Francisco.

Pro tip: Dip the sourdough bread rolls into the secret garlic sauce left in the skillet for an unforgettable, decadent treat.

The fun is in the food! The steam and garlic aroma are enticing for adults and kids alike, but the playful music throughout the dining room adds to the atmosphere. How often does a waterfront restaurant in San Francisco also have a fun element to it? Not often enough.

Social perk: If you are a fan of Instagram or Facebook, you’ve probably already realized this is the perfect seaside restaurant setting in San Francisco for fun photo and video content you can post to all of your adoring fans and followers. 

All of these fun skillet elements, combined with the fact that you’re at an ocean-view restaurant in San Francisco, provide the ideal backdrop for incredible memories.

Nautical-themed restaurants with a view on Pier 39

Easy Free Parking

Parking can be difficult to find at many waterfront San Francisco restaurants. If you plan to drive to dinner, Crab House at Pier 39 offers two free hours of parking in the Pier 39 garage. 
The garage is just steps away from the restaurant, too. It even has a pedestrian bridge over the street, leading right to the upper level of Pier 39, where you will find Crab House at Pier 39. When you visit our waterfront restaurant in San Francisco, during your meal, your server will happily give you a parking validation ticket that gets you free parking.

Convenient Reservations and Waitlist

Making a reservation at Crab House at Pier 39 is easy using Yelp Reservations, ensuring your table with a view is ready when you arrive at the restaurant. You can make a reservation on the Yelp app, the Yelp website (Yelp.com), or by visiting Crabhouse39.com and clicking the reservation button on the home page. 

Can’t find a reservation at the time you want? No worries! Our waterfront restaurant in San Francisco 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. 

Of all the places to have dinner with a view in San Francisco, some restaurants can provide a poor experience if they rely solely on the view. Not Crab House at Pier 39! Guests consistently report that Crab House at Pier 39 has it all: delicious food, fantastic service, a warm, cozy environment, and free parking.

The next time someone asks you about the best waterfront restaurant in San Francisco, you can confidently send them straight to San Francisco’s favorite seaside restaurant, Crab House at Pier 39, to book their reservation for an experience they’ll always remember.