11/18/13 Crab House on Pier 39 in S.F. - San Francisco Chronicle

www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/article/Crab-House-on-Pier-39-in-S-F-4985777.php#/0 1/4

Restaurants

Crab House on Pier 39 in S.F.

Liz Hafalia/The Chronicle

At the Crab House on Pier 39, above, customers enjoy crab in a variety of forms.

By Michael Bauer

November 17, 2013

This is part of a series exploring the Port of San Francisco restaurants. These waterfront

Image 1 out of 4

11/18/13 Crab House on Pier 39 in S.F. - San Francisco Chronicle

www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/article/Crab-House-on-Pier-39-in-S-F-4985777.php#/0 2/4

spots embrace and reflect the city's oldest, and newest, culinary traditions, and have plenty of

stories to tell. Previous articles are at www.sfgate.com/food and

www.sfchronicle.com/food.

Sandwiched between the trinket and T-shirt shops on Pier 39 are some culinary finds. And that

includes Crab House. It does as the name implies: serves the real San Francisco treat, and lots of it.

On any given week the restaurant goes through more than a ton - literally - of Dungeness.

In 1998, Jerry Dal Bozzo took over what was

the Old Swiss House and gave Fisherman's

Wharf what he says was, at the time, the first

full-service crab restaurant.

"There wasn't any crab house on Fisherman's

Wharf," he says. "And since we're known for

crab, I decided to do all kinds of crab dishes."

The star is the whole roasted crab splayed on a

cast-iron platter with sizzling garlic butter that

begs to be sopped up with the sourdough baguette-like loaves that are put on the white marble

tables, no matter what you order.

You'll also find mounds of snowy crab flesh in the Louie salad with tomatoes, olives, eggs and

avocado; and a generous serving topping the rich tomato-y cioppino filled with shrimp, calamari,

white fish and mussels. It's a great version for anyone who wants to taste this classic fisherman's

stew.

Then there are crab cakes, crab chowder, crab Caesar, crab angel hair lasagna, a crab melt

sandwich and crab enchiladas. If you can put crab in it or on it, it's probably on the menu.

Dal Bozzo, who opened the Stinking Rose in North Beach in 1991 and a branch in Beverly Hills four

years later, is well known for showing love to restaurants that have become long in the tooth. He was

responsible for reopening the Cliff House in 1973. And in 2005 he acquired and remodeled the

Franciscan, which originally opened in 1957. More recently, he purchased the Old Clam House on

Bayshore Boulevard, which has roots back to 1861.

11/18/13 Crab House on Pier 39 in S.F. - San Francisco Chronicle

www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/article/Crab-House-on-Pier-39-in-S-F-4985777.php#/0 3/4

At 73 years of age, he could retire. But the North Beach native continues to look for places that

need a second chance to go along with his other classic properties - Calzones in North Beach,

Salito's in Sausalito, Dead Fish in Crockett, and Osso Steakhouse, which took over the former

Vanessi's on California Street.

"I like the idea of fixing places up," he says. "It's what I do, and it fulfills me."

He also fills people up with the generously portioned food at the 150-seat Crab House, which has a

pristine look with white tiles on the wall and a black-and-white tile floor. The splash of color is saved

for the hand-painted crabs along the tops of the walls. The windows frame views of the ocean and

Golden Gate Bridge on one side, the bustle of Pier 39 on the other.

Dal Bozzo knows he chooses lots of touristy locations for his restaurants, but his goal is also to

attract the local crowd. And at the Crab House, the staff has a neighborly attitude, and the food is

good enough to make locals want to come back.

Crab House

203C Pier 39

(415) 434-2722

www.crab house39.com

Lunch and dinner daily

Main courses, $17-$37

Michael Bauer is The San Francisco Chronicle's restaurant critic. Find his blog daily at

http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com and his past reviews on www.sfgate.com. E-mail:

mbauer@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @michaelbauer1

11/18/13 Crab House on Pier 39 in S.F. - San Francisco Chronicle

www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/article/Crab-House-on-Pier-39-in-S-F-4985777.php#/0 4/4

© 2013 The Hearst Corporation