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Swan Oyster Depot

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Swan Oyster Depot
  

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1517 Polk San Francisco, CA 94109

415-673-1101 

 

1 User review Write A Review
1517 Polk San Francisco CA 94109

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  • Seafood
    Mon-Sat 8am-5:30pm
    $$ $$
  • cash
    Casual.
    Takeout, Delivery, Catering
  • Dinner, Lunch
    Not Accepted
    Street
Description

There are only 18 stools at Swan Oyster Depot's well-worn marble counter (continuously in use since 1912), so you often have to wait in line for a crack at the fresh oysters and clams opened to order here. But the seafood at this Polk Gulch restaurant is worth the wait. We also love the buttery, creamy clam chowder, and can't resist the lush crab Louis salad.








Back to TopSF Weekly Critic News & Reviews | Write a Review
  • To Do This Weekend: Eat Dungeness Crab

    To Do This Weekend: Eat Dungeness Crab

    By Anna Roth | Fri, November 30, 2012

    It's Dungeness crab season, guys! The waters opened up for commercial and non-commercial fishermen a few weeks ago, but we just got around to having our first taste of the sweet, sweet crustacean at S... More »

  • Step Inside S.F.\'s Oldest Restaurants With New Interactive Book

    Step Inside S.F.'s Oldest Restaurants With New Interactive Book

    By Anna Roth | Fri, November 16, 2012

    Food history buffs, take note: a new digital book available for the iPad through Apple's iBookstore takes a behind-the-scenes look at some of the city's oldest restaurants that opened in the years aft... More »

  • Where in the World Is Anthony Bourdain? Swan Oyster Depot!

    Where in the World Is Anthony Bourdain? Swan Oyster Depot!

    By Dean Schaffer | Wed, August 10, 2011

    Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain of No Reservations fame is visiting San Francisco, according to his Twitter feed. And where does a famous chef choose to eat his lunch? Bourdain just posted this photo... More »

  • TV Show Reveals Swan Oyster Depot\'s Secret Stew

    TV Show Reveals Swan Oyster Depot's Secret Stew

    By W. Blake Gray | Mon, July 11, 2011

    Swan Oyster Depot has a secret: If you ask nicely, owner Tommy Sancimino might make you an oyster stew that TV host Ben Sargent called "one of the best stews I've ever had." SFoodie learned this beca... More »

  • Brought to You by the Letter \

    Brought to You by the Letter "R"

    By Matthew Stafford | Wed, September 08, 1999

    I had to wait all summer, so almost the very minute I found myself in a month whose name contained the letter "R" (Sept. 2, at the unseemly hour of 10:30 a.m., to be exact) I high-tailed it over to Swan Oyster Depot, San Francisco's top temple to... More »

Back to TopUser Reviews & Comments | Write a Review
  • jbuck23
           (0)    (0) Flag

    | San Francisco, CA | 3 Reviews

    4
    | Mon, September 20, 2010

    I love how the guys behind the counter will laugh at the phone when it rings, and refuse to tolerate assholes. A San Francisco landmark, and one of the few places I will wait in line for anything. Oysters! Crab Salad! Yum!!!!

Back to Top SF Weekly Awards | Visit the Best Of Website

  • 2010 | Best Naked Taste of San Francisco

    Tourists sometimes remember what we locals forget: the glory of a boiled, cracked Dungeness crab scarfed down at the scarred and sunken marble counter of the Swan Oyster Depot. Eat it adorned with nothing more than a dish of sticky yellow mayo (you can also just order it for tradition's sake, then leave it untouched) and slices of late-bake sourdough caked with cold butter. The taste of sweet flesh roots you in the city every bit as firmly as Swan's bolted-down stools. More »

  • 2007 | Best Chowder

    Unlike most of the thick, gloppy chowders you see around town, Swan's is more in the nature of a light, revivifying bisque, a briny bowl of bivalves with soul-warming properties ideal for enduring our foggy climate. Fresh, fragrant clam broth, simmering milk, and a dollop of golden butter are the primary components of this piscine elixir, with bits of potato, onion, and clam thrown in for ballast. One heady sniff is like a relaxing stroll by the seaside. Swan's long marble counter is well... More »

  • 2005 | Best Classic San Francisco Lunch

    Decades before some overpaid restaurant consultant coined the term "raw bar," this unpretentious landmark was serving up fresh seafood to a clientele of working-class regulars. Located in the same Polk Street storefront since 1912, Swan now attracts devotees from every niche of the social strata (although the Pacific Heights elitists prefer delivery service to eating elbow to elbow with the hoi polloi). The lunch line winds out the door year-round as folks patiently wait for one of the 15... More »

  • 2005 | Best Oyster Bar (tie)

    Swan Oyster Depot 1517 Polk (at California), 673-1101 Hog Island Oyster Co. 1 Ferry Building, No. 11A, Market & Embarcadero, 391-7117, www.hogislandoysters.com We can't choose between these two places: one of San Francisco's oldest eateries and one of its newest. It depends on our mood. Is our mouth watering for the world's best crab Louis? Then we wait in line on Polk Street for a seat at Swan's well-worn marble counter. Do we hanker for a view of the bay? Then we wait... More »

  • 2002 | Best Reason to Wait in Line

    This popular hole in the wall, home to the freshest seafood around, has become an S.F. institution. Throngs of food enthusiasts pour onto the sidewalk as they wait to sit on one of the 20 stools at the narrow counter packed with oyster crackers, sliced lemon, and Tabasco. This family-run establishment opened in 1912 and has been operated by the current owners since the '40s. The owners/staff take pride in making wisecracks, being extremely efficient, and knowing both their fish and their... More »

  • 2001 | Best Lox & Bagels

    So what do you do when you have a hankering for really good lox and bagels and you live 3,000 miles west of Amsterdam and 86th? Make the trek to upper Polk Street, where a six-block jaunt between establishments will yield a brunch well worth the Muni fare. Start at Swan Oyster Depot, where the gregarious countermen will fillet and slice the creamiest, butteriest smoked salmon in the city before your very eyes. Next, hoof it on up to the Bagelry, home of the Bay Area's best bagels, for a bag... More »

  • 2000 | Best Place to Hang Out and Feel Like One of the Guys

    You sit down on a rickety old stool at Swan's long, narrow marble counter and before you know it you're part of the establishment's large extended family. The humming atmosphere is warm, witty, and blue-collar, Old World courtly. The behind-the-counter wisecracks flow fast and furious as oysters are shucked, Dungeness is cracked, and regulars drop by for a bowl of chowder or the latest neighborhood gossip, adding to the whole schmooze-friendly experience. Watching the shucker-artists fillet... More »

Back to TopMenu
Main Menu
Appetizer Special
Calif Cut $4.25
Tempura String Beans
with ginger dipping sauce
Calif Cut $6.75
Deep Fried Squid
Calif Cut $6.95
Mirugai Skewer
Calif Cut $5.95
Tako Ginger
with house sauce
Calif Cut $4.50
Black Pepper Beef Skewer (2)
Calif Cut $7.95
Shrimp Callop Salad
Calif Cut $4.95
Tofu Dango
tofu egg seaweed red pepper deep fried (6 pcs)
Salads
$13.50
Shrimp
$15.25
Prawn
$16.85
Crab
$15.25
Combination
$25.00
Lobster
Nigiri Sushi
Sliced Or Raw Fish Over Vinegar Rice - 2 Pcs. Per Serving.
Calif Cut $6.25
Amaebi
sweet raw prawn
Calif Cut $4.25
Albacore
white tuna
Calif Cut $3.95
Ebi
cooked prawn
Calif Cut $4.75
Hamachi
yellow tail
Calif Cut $4.25
Hirame
flounder
Calif Cut $3.75
Hokigai
ask shell clam
Calif Cut $4.25
Hotategai
scallop
Calif Cut $3.95
Ika
squid
Calif Cut $5.25
Ikura
salmon roe
Calif Cut $2.95
Inari
sweet tofu skin
Calif Cut $3.25
Kani-kama
imitation crab meat
Calif Cut $4.25
Maguro
tuna
Calif Cut $6.95
Mirugai
giant clam
Calif Cut $3.95
Saba
mackerel
Calif Cut $4.25
Sake
smoked salmon
Calif Cut $4.25
Salmon
fresh salmon
Calif Cut $4.25
Suzuki
striped bass
Calif Cut $6.95
Sun - Rise
sake tobilo quail - egg
Calif Cut $3.95
Tai
red snapper
Calif Cut $3.95
Tako
octopus
Calif Cut $2.95
Tamago
sweet egg omelet
Calif Cut $4.50
Tobiko
flying fish roe
Calif Cut $4.25
Unagi
fresh water eel
Calif Cut $6.95
Uni
sea urchin
Calif Cut $4.50
Seared Albacore
Sashimi
Slices Or Raw Fish
12 Pcs $21.25
8 Pcs $14.50
4 Pcs $7.25
Amaebi
sweet raw prawn
12 Pcs $14.95
8 Pcs $10.25
4 Pcs $5.25
Albacore
white tuna
12 Pcs $20.95
8 Pcs $14.25
4 Pcs $7.25
Ankimo
munk fish liver
12 Pcs $16.95
8 Pcs $11.25
4 Pcs $6.25
Hamachi
yellow tail
12 Pcs $13.95
8 Pcs $10.25
4 Pcs $5.25
Hirame
flounder
12 Pcs $11.50
8 Pcs $7.25
4 Pcs $4.25
Hokigai
ask shell clam
12 Pcs $14.95
8 Pcs $10.25
4 Pcs $5.25
Maguro
tuna
12 Pcs $21.95
8 Pcs $14.85
4 Pcs $7.45
Mirugai
giant clam
12 Pcs $14.95
8 Pcs $10.25
4 Pcs $5.25
Suzuki
striped bass
12 Pcs $13.95
8 Pcs $9.50
4 Pcs $4.75
Saba
mackerel
12 Pcs $14.95
8 Pcs $10.25
4 Pcs $5.25
Sake
smoked salmon
12 Pcs $14.95
8 Pcs $10.25
4 Pcs $5.25
Salmon
fresh salmon
12 Pcs $13.95
8 Pcs $9.95
4 Pcs $4.95
Tai
red snapper
12 Pcs $13.95
8 Pcs $9.95
4 Pcs $4.95
Tako
octopus
Side Order
$2.95
Green Salad
$3.95
Cucumber Seaweed Salad
$1.50
Misoshiru
special soy bean paste soup (no refill)
$1.50
Steamed Rice
(no refill)
Menu
$7.95
6 Cherry Stone Clams
$7.95
6 Blue Point Oysters
Makimono Roll
Served 6-8 Pieces
$6.50
Beijing Roll
roast duck with cucumber & special sauce
$4.75
Avocado Roll
avocado
$10.25
Alaska Roll
avocado, ebi with salmon on the top
$7.95
Avocado - Special - Roll
imitation crab meal with avocado on top
$6.50
Astoma
asparagus, tuna, tobiko
$4.50
Asparagus Roll
asparagus
$6.50
Asparagus With Shrimp Roll
$6.50
Aimee Roll
tobiko, onion, ungai, cucumber, yamagobo
$6.50
Boston Roll
tobiko, salmon, cucumber, onion
$4.25
California Roll
avocado, imitation crab meat, & tobiko
$3.95
Crab Roll
imitation crab meat
$10.25
Cindy Roll
tobiko with sake, salmon, lemon, on the top
$10.25
Caterpillar Roll
tobiko with unagi, avocado
$10.25
Checkerboard Roll
imitation crab meat with tuna, hamachi on the top
$5.95
Chicken Teriyaki Roll
bbq chicken with lettuce & teriyaki sauce
$10.25
Dragon Roll
imitation crab meat, tobiko, with unagi & avocado on the top
$6.50
Dynamite
spicy hamachi, tobiko, cucumber
$6.50
Daegi Roll
spicy tuna, scallop, & tobiko
$6.50
Ebi-kyu Roll
ebi & cucumber
$4.95
Futo Maki
kani, tamago, vegetables
$6.50
Golden Gate
tuna, avocado, tobiko, onion
$6.50
Hamachi Negi Roll
yellow tail, onion, tobiko
$6.50
Jims Roll
tuna, shitake, tobiko, onion
$3.50
Kappa-maki
cucumber
$6.50
Negi-sake-roll
smoked salmon, green onion, tobiko
$6.50
New York Roll
shrimp, avocado
$3.50
Oshinko Roll
pickled radish
$6.50
Philadelphia Roll
sake, avocado, cream cheese
$6.50
Poki Roll
spicy tuna, tobiko, green onion
$10.25
Rainbow Roll
imitation crab meat, hirame, avocado, salmon, hamachi, ika & tuna
$6.50
Rock'n Roll
unagi avocado
$6.50
Sake Roll
smoked salmon
$6.50
Salmon Skin Roll
salmon skin, onion, kabo, cucumber
$10.25
Sexy Roll
imitation crab roll top with fresh salmon lightly baked with cheese
$4.95
Shitake Roll
black mushrooms
$8.95
Spider Roll
soft shell crab, avocado, tobiko, onion
$10.25
Special Tuna Roll
imitation crab with tuna on the top
$3.95
Tamago Roll
egg
$5.25
Tekka Maki
tuna
$7.95
Tempura Roll
shrimp - tempura, avocado, tobiko, onion
$6.50
Tokyo Roll
salmon, avocado
$3.50
Umeshiso Roll
plum paste, shiso leaf (vegetable)
$6.50
Unakyu Roll
unagi, cucumber
$7.95
Una - Ten - Roll
unagi, shrimp tempura, avocado, tobiko, onion
$4.95
Veggie Roll
all vegetables
$10.25
49' Ers
tobiko, tuna, salmon on the top
$6.50
Spicy Scallop Salad Roll
$9.95
Special White Tuna Roll
deep fried asparagus, imitation crab meat, & white tuna
Rock Box Special
Choice Of Any Three Items Served With Rice, Miso, Soup, And Salad, No Substitution, Any 2 Items Above With Choice Of Sashimi Below Add $1.00 Tuna 4 Pcs, White Tuna 4 Pcs, Salmon 4 Pcs, Smoked Salmon 4 Pcs, (or Nigiri Sushi) Inari 3 Pcs, Unagi 2 Pcs, Tuna
$11.95
Rock Box Special
vegetable tempura, chicken, katsu, california roll (4 pcs), avocado, roll (4 pcs), chicken teriyaki, seabass teriyaki or shioyaki, shrimp tempura (3 pcs), ton katsu, oyster katsu, beef teriyaki, saba teriyaki or shioyaki, salmon teriyaki or shioyaki, kappa roll (4 pcs0, tofu-teriyaki, tempura.
A La Carte Teriyaki
Served With Miso Soup, Salad & Rice (small Or Regular Order)
Regular $10.95
Small $8.95
Chicken Teriyaki
juicy tender chicken broiled and basted with teriyaki sauce
Regular $12.95
Small $9.95
Beef Teriyaki
tasty rib steak with house special teriyaki sauce
Regular $11.95
Small $8.95
Salmon Teriyaki
selected salmon broiled and basted with teriyaki sauce
Regular $8.95
Small $6.95
Saba Teriyaki
tasty king mackerel with teriyaki sauce
Regular $11.95
Small $8.95
Shrimp Teriyaki
jumbo prawns broiled and basted with teriyaki sauce
Regular $13.95
Small $10.95
Seabass Teriyaki
sea-bass broiled and basted with teriyaki sauce
Regular $14.95
Small $9.95
Grilled Miso Black Cod Teriyaki
marinated with teriyaki sauce
Regular $8.95
Small $6.95
Tofu Teriyaki
fried tofu broiled and basted with teriyaki sauce
A La Carte - Shioyaki
Served With Miso Soup, Salad & Rice (small Or Regular Order)
Regular $11.95
Small $8.95
Salmon Shipyaki
select salmon broiled and light salted
Regular $8.95
Small $6.95
Saba Shioyaki
tasty king mackerel broiled and lightly salted
Regular $11.95
Small $8.95
Shrimp Shioyaki
jumbo prawns broiled & lightly salted
Regular $13.95
Small $10.95
Seabass Shioyaki
sea-bass broiled and lightly salted
Regular $14.95
Small $9.95
Grilled Black Cod Shioyaki
black cod broiled and lightly salted
A La Carte - Katsu
Served With Miso Soup, Salad & Rice (small Or Regular Order)
Regular $9.95
Small $7.95
Ton- Katsu
breaded pork cutlet deep fried and served with katsu sauce
Regular $12.95
Small $9.95
Beef - Katsu
breaded rib steak cutlet deep fried and served with katsu sauce
Regular $10.95
Small $7.95
Chicken - Katsu
breaded chicken cutlet deep fried and served with katsu sauce
Regular $10.95
Small $8.95
Fish-katsu
breaded dove sole filet deep fried and served with katsu sauce
Regular $11.95
Small $8.95
Shrimp-katsu
breaded prawns fried and served with katsu sauce
Regular $11.95
Small $8.95
Oyster - Katsu
breaded fresh oyster deep fried and served with katsu sauce
A La Carte - Tempura
Served With Miso Soup, Salad & Rice (small Or Regular Order)
Regular $10.95
Small $8.95
Tempura
deep fried jumbo prawns and garden fresh vegetables
Regular $11.95
Small $8.95
Seafood Tempura
deep fried seafood (shrimp, scallop, squid, kani, fish)
Regular $8.95
Small $6.95
Vegetable Tempura
deep fried garden fresh vegetables
Regular $11.95
Small $8.95
Shrimp Tempura
deep fried prawn
Donburi
(over Rice) Served With Miso Soup
$7.95
Oyako Donburi
chicken, egg and onion with sweet sauce
$7.25
Katsu Donburi
pork cutlets, egg and onion with katsu sauce
$11.95
Unagi Donburi
broiled eel seasoned with sauce
$7.95
Niku Donburi
tender beef cooked with egg and onion
$7.25
Chicken Teriyaki Donburi
juicy tender chicken broiled and basted with teriyaki sauce
$8.95
Beef Teriyaki Donburi
tasty rib steak with house special teriyaki sauce
$8.95
Seafood Donburi
shrimp scallop sole cooked with eggs and onion
$14.95
Tekka Donburi
sliced tuna sashimi served over sushi-rice
$6.25
Tofu Teriyaki Donburi
deep fried tofu with teriyaki sauce
$8.95
Sukiyaki Beef Bowl
tender beef, mixed vegetables with sukiyaki sauce
$7.50
Sukiyaki Chicken Bowl
chicken with mixed vegetables with sukiyaki sauce
Udon & Soba
(all These Items Take 15-20 Minutes To Prepare)
$7.95
Tempura Udon
noodles soup with shrimp and vegetable tempura
$7.25
Kitsune Udon
noodles soup with chicken and vegetable
$8.95
Beef Udon
noodles soup with beef and vegetable
$6.95
Vegetable Udon
noodles soup with mixed vegetable
$9.95
Nabe Udon
cold buckwheat noodles
$6.95
Zaru Soba
cold buckwheat noodles
$8.95
Tempura Zaru Soba
combination tempura and cold buckwheat noodles
$11.50
Maguro Zaru Soba
6 pcs of tuna sashimi and cold buckwheat noodles
Nabe (iron Pot)
Served With Miso Soup & Rice (all These Items Take 15-20 Minutes To Prepare)
$13.50
Yose - Nabe
seafood, fish cake, vegetables, tofu, and clear noodle in clear broth
$14.95
Beef - Sukiyaki
beef, vegetables and bean thread noodle with sukiyaki sauce
$12.25
Chicken - Sukiyaki
chicken, vegetables and bean thread noodle with sukiyaki sauce
$14.25
Seafood - Sukyaki
shrimp, sole, fish, squid, vegetables and bean thread noodle with sukiyaki sauce
Curry
(over Rice) Served With Miso Soup
$8.25
Curry Chicken Over Rice
$8.95
Curry Beef Over Rice
$6.95
Curry Vegetable Over Rice
$7.95
Curry Ton - Katsu Over Rice
$8.25
Curry Chicken - Katsu Over Rice
$8.95
Curry Salmon Over Rice
Dessert
$1.50
Ice Cream
$3.50
Fried Banana
Seafood Cocktail
$9.75
Crab
$7.50
Shrimp
$8.25
Prawn
$1.95
Olympia Oyster
$7.25
Eastern Oyster
$7.25
Clam
$8.25
Combination
$15.00
Lobster
Beverages
$4.00
Anchorsteam
$6.00
Wine
$2.25
Lemon Lime
$2.25
Pepsi
$2.25
Coffee

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