Slurp Francisco – 8 of SF’s Best Oyster Bars

Summer is FINALLY HERE!  It’s that wonderful time of year to shirk your responsibilities, catch some rays (outside of SF, lol) and slurp rosé and oysters, ALL DAY. 

Did you know that eating oysters is actually good for the environment?  Oysters can be beyond sustainable, even regenerative for the environment!  These tasty bivalves filter the surrounding water (which is obviously good for surrounding life forms), AND they can sequester CO2 and nitrogen from the atmosphere in their shells?  How cool is that?!

Ok, enough science, who’s hungry?  Here’s a list of our 8 favorite SF oyster bars, in no particular order.

Photo Courtesy of Maleah M on Yelp

 Red Hill Station

• 803 Cortland Avenue, San Francisco CA 94110 (Bernal Heights)
• Highlight: 50% off wines on tap and $2 oysters 4-6pm every day

Ok, we’ll admit it – Red Hill Station isn’t the cheapest place for oysters in SF, but it’s not offensively expensive and it’s an actually a great deal for what you’re getting.  They host an oyster happy hour with $2 oysters and 50% off of wines on tap that they serve in Erlenmeyer flasks (what up, science), including a fabulous Barbera.  This makes us very happy.  Obvs our favorite thing about Red Hill Station is their rotating selection of oysters, which are reliably fresh and interesting.  We’ve seen rare finds like Olympias and hand-picked Malpeques from Prince Edward Island, all for the same price! The restaurant itself is pretty small, but it’s thoughtfully laid out and doesn’t feel cramped like some spots in SF do.  The kitchen opens up into the sunny dining area, so if you’re a curious eater (and you should be), have a seat at the bar and watch your oysters get shucked up! Oyster selection varies daily, but check out their menu: Red Hill Station Menu

Photo Courtesy of Bluestem Brasserie

Zuni Cafe

• 1658 Market Street, San Francisco CA 94102 (Castro)
• Highlight: an oyster menu with more options than you could possibly order

Zuni Cafe is a preeeeetty famous restaurant – they’ve been open since 1979, and are one of the true pioneers of California cuisine.  A beautiful marriage of Italian and French fare, you’ll see nothing but fresh, seasonal ingredients on the menu, and the oysters are no exception.  Zuni Cafe has some of the best oysters in SF- they’re never cheap, but they’re expertly curated (for example, they’re one of the few oyster bars in SF that Hog Island deems worthy of their Sweetwaters).  The menu often showcases multiple variations of the same few species, so it’s a really unique chance to do a vertical tasting and see for yourself how the environment affects the flavor of a species. Could you taste the difference between a Humboldt Kumamoto and a Redwood Kumamoto?  This could be your chance to find out. Aside from their killer oyster selection, the roasted chicken is at the top of many people’s charts and worth a trip by itself. See a sample of their glorious menu for yourself:  Zuni Cafe Menu

Photo Courtesy of Hieu H on Yelp

Swan’s Oyster Depot

• 1517 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109 (Nob Hill)
• Highlight: secret menu!

Anthony Bourdain (RIP) used to come here every time he came to SF…  We think that’s all you need to know about this place, but since y’all have high standards, we’ll feed you a little more.  Swan’s is an old school, no-nonsense, absolute classic SF oyster bar. Open since 1912, Swan’s Oyster Depot in SF offers delicacies like cracked crab, and of course, a rotating selection of fresh oysters.  You can expect to pay about 2 bucks per oyster here – pretty middle of the road for SF prices. Swan’s also has a secret menu of raw delights; you can impress your dinner date and order things like “Italian sashimi” (raw tuna, salmon and scallops with olive oil and fresh cracked pepper), or a “dozen eggs” (thinly sliced raw scallops with sriracha and ponzu sauce).  You can browse their website to see the goods. Fair warning: Swan’s is so bomb that there’s probably going to be a line out the door by lunchtime.  Also, it’s cash only, so come prepared!

Photo Courtesy of Water Bar 

Peninsula & All Shores Seafood

• 135 El Camino Real, San Bruno, CA 94066 
• Highlight: super cheap DIY oysters

So.. this place is not really an oyster bar, and it’s not in SF, but we just couldn’t keep it off of the list.  Peninsula Seafood is a Bay Area staple and a true local gem – the first Peninsula Seafood opened at Fisherman’s Wharf in SF in 1946, and the business moved down to San Bruno in 1976.  Located right on El Camino Real in San Bruno, Peninsula is a small storefront in an unassuming white building. The interior and experience initially seem like a blast from the past: a seafood counter with amazingly fresh fish fillets and a handwritten chalk board with the seafood for sale that day.  It doesn’t take long, though, to realize that Peninsula is running an incredibly sophisticated business. Peninsula imports seafood from all over the world and places an impressive emphasis on procuring products from sustainable sources. It’s an excellent choice for sustainable fish of all kinds, but we’re talkin’ about oysters today.  One of the best deals for oysters in the Bay Area, you can pick up a CASE of about 100 shuck-em-yourself oysters for just $60. We’ve seen both West Coast and East Coast varieties on the menu. $0.50 oysters in the Bay Area are simply unheard of these days, so even though there’s a little extra work involved, there’s also a lot of fun! If you don’t know how to shuck an oyster, we got you.  Browse Peninsula’s website.

Love Stretchy Pants?

If you made it this far down the list, we know you really love oysters.  Join us on our Stretchy Pants cocktails and aphrodisiacs tour through SF’s Castro district for a tasty oyster sampling and learn why oysters are the iconic aphrodisiac!  Get your tickets today!!

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