Castagnola's San Francisco - Review

My husband and I went to eat at Castagnola’s in Fisherman’s Wharf one evening while in San Francisco. We called in advance for reservations and requested a seat near the windows (I highly recommend doing this as these are the best seats in the restaurant). Our request was accommodated and we were seated promptly upon our arrival. Within minutes, our server came over and read us the specials and took our drink orders.

From their website (http://www.castagnolas.com/ ), you can learn the following about Castagnola’s:

Thomaso Castagnola opened the first crab stand on Fisherman’s Wharf in 1916, selling fresh crab to passersby. His family owned and operated the restaurant until it was sold in 1975. The Castagnola family played a major role in building San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf into the famous icon and incredible destination it is today. Castagnola’s continues the Fisherman’s Wharf tradition offering exceptional dining and entertainment.

Oine on Fisherman’s Wharf and watch the boats come and go from Pier 47 as they have since the Gold Rush. Castagnola’s Restaurant has been serving delicious food for all occasions since 1916. Castagnola’s Restaurant in San Francisco is known for great steaks and seafood specialties in Fisherman’s Wharf; one of the most famous of San Francisco’s neighborhoods.

Come for an intimate evening with someone special, or bring a few hundred friends. Tourists and local residents alike have been coming to relax at their favorite restaurant for generations. Our dining room boast floor to ceiling windows where you can watch the fishing boats return from early morning fishing trips for lunch; during dinner hours the boats serenely float on sparkling waters in the evening light.

Castagnola’s offers a changing menu to reflect local flavor, old world specialties. We’re also expanding to offer Live Stand-Up Comedy 5 nights a week in our second floor showroom. Be sure to check out our entertainment page and discover some of Fisherman’s Wharf best entertainment.

For a starter, we both ordered cups of Lobster Bisque ($7 a cup) and were extremely impressed with it. It was a chilly evening and the soup instantly warmed us up.

My husband ordered: Cedar Plank Salmon 8 oz. – $26 Broiled on a Pacific Northwest cedar plank. Topped with Lobster Brandy sauce, allow additional time.

I ordered: Seafood Sauté – $26 A combination of jumbo shrimp, scallops and fresh Dungeness crab are sautéed with lemon, butter & white wine.

Both of our meals came out in a decent amount of time and tasted delicious. The only criticism was from my husband, who said his salmon could have been cooked a little longer. However, neither of us left hungry from this restaurant!

I would definitely recommend this restaurant to others who are looking for a nice dinner with a beautiful setting. I have read where others think this restaurant has bad service, poor quality food, and high prices. I can honestly say that we have eaten other places where the setting wasn’t nearly as nice and the food not as good with subpar service and paid roughly the same. For San Francisco, these prices are reasonable, especially with the location. My only regret is that I didn’t save room for dessert, I was hoping to try their Crème Bruleè.