Swan Oyster Depot - San Francisco - 4 stars

Date visited:Sometime in late August

Type of cuisine:
Raw seafood bar

Comments: Recommended for chowder and crab, oysters are a little bit above the average for the price (I still believe going to Tomales Bay is the way to go)

Ordered items:
Clam chowder
Seafood mix cocktail with bay shrimps, one prawn, one oyster, Dungeness crab meat
Open oysters: Fanny Bay, Tomales Bay, Miyagi
Little neck clams
Smoked salmon

General impression:Very, very hard to get a seat. It is a chrome bar with bar stools. No more than 16 seats, probably. Need to stand in the cold.Nice friendly service, but quite forgetful. Totally forgot about what kind of oyster I ordered, just gave me whatever he had on hand.Very fresh seafood, reasonably priced, good variety of oysters.Saw others eating crab salad, big portion, nice chunks of crab meat.Fantastic chowder. It is of a light variation, so ppl who like thick creamy soup might not like it as much. I like a robust flavor of clam that shines through without the hinderance of cream, so I love it. Can actually bite into pieces of clam. Quite a rarity.Amazing smoked salmon. Tender as toro, melts in the mouth without unpleasant fishiness. Served with some bay shrimps, very sweet, a lot better than expected.Good variety of seafood in the cocktail, but so much cocktail sauce that I tasted more sauce than seafood.Oysters....so so. I would still go to Tomales Bay to get the fresh ones directly. Could satisfy a craving if one doesn't want to drive.

Basic info:
1517 Polk StSan Francisco, CA 94109-3606
4156731101
Mon-Sat 8am-5:30pmCash only
Oyster: $1.75 each Seafood salad: $15 Seafood cocktails: Under $10 Whole crab: $25-$30 Chowder: Under $5