Pacific Cafe

We visited Pacific Cafe over 45 years ago, and little did I realize they are celebrating their 51 year. We brought our daughter and son-in-law who are San Francisco residents, and hadn't frequented the restaurant. Come to find out, partial owner is a person who was the host way back then. He appeared to be enjoying himself, talking to the patrons, and helping out when needed. I had the sole with mushrooms, while my husband had the oysters. We both enjoyed the salad with shrimp louie sauce that came with it. We look forward to our return, and it won't be 45 years from now..!

Pacific cafe is in its own way a love letter to the San Francisco of old. The ambiance inside makes you feel like you are in a restaurant from another era. I have been many times and can say this is the only restaurant I have ever been to where you are perfectly happy to wait for a table. The reason is the complimentary wine they serve you while you wait. On my most recent visit we got there right as they opened and were already behind several other patrons. Our unfortunate/fortunate timing meant we had to wait for a table to clear. But they brought even a second round of complimentary wine to make the wait go by quickly.Once you sit down, they quickly bring out complimentary bread and butter. Most modern places you have to wait to order bread. As other reviewers have mentioned they don't have an extensive entree menu, but what they do they do exceptionally well. We opted not to get appetizers this visit but I have never been disappointed with their calamari. The Entree's we ordered were the scallops baked in garlic butter and grilled salmon. My personal taste is I would rate the scallops 5/5 and the salmon 4/5. But the portions are very generous regardless of you personal preference. I have ordered other menu items in the past and been satisfied every time. We opted not to get dessert as well, but I have tried their ice cream and cheesecake in the past and really enjoyed it. I think they source the desserts from other local spots in the city. Overall, you wont be disappointed in this place and it is a great value. The prices are a bit high with the entree's being in the $30-$40 per plate range. But the prices are more than justified given that it is seafood and all of the other elements of service they provide.

Came to Pacific Cafe for the first time tonight, based on all the positive Yelp reviews. Gotta say, those reviews did not steer us wrong.We arrived shortly after opening and the place was completely filled. So, we were the first ones on the wait list. The wait couldn't have been more than 20 minutes and during that time we were given a complimentary glass of white wine... Nice way to wait.Once seated, we were served by Joe, who, along with associate staff members made sure we were well taken care of. I was very pleased with the service. And waiting for us on our table was a big portion of very fresh sourdough bread along with a decent supply of butter!On to the food... I had the Caesar salad, which I quite enjoyed. The dressing had a good balance of garlic, lemon and anchovy. There was a healthy portion of Parmesan cheese and the croutons were wonderfully crunchy and garlicky! My partner had the clam chowder, which definitely tasted house-made and was thick and filled with clams. She enjoyed it.For entrees, I had the petrale sole dore, which was pan fried and served with capers and the freshest mushrooms. Really well prepared and delicious. It came with a side of rice pilaf which was also very tasty. My partner had the combo of grilled salmon & fried prawns. The fish was perfectly cooked and she loved the prawns, which she said were crispy on the outside and tender in the middle. She also enjoyed the rice pilaf as her side dish. The house-made condiments of cocktail sauce and tartar sauce were two of the best I've tasted.To end our meal, we chose to go with the raspberry swirl cheesecake, which did not disappoint. The cheesecake was creamy and not overly sweet, and was served on a bed of raspberry sauce. Sharing a single order was more than enough to satisfy us.I did notice some reviews complained of the pricing, but I felt for the quality, portion-size and service that we received, that the pricing was more than fair.Would I come back again? Most definitely!

One of the best restaurants in the Richmond and the city! Cozy, non-pertinacious neighborhood joint. With a simple yet incredibly fresh seafood menu. The whole team at Pac Caf is amazing. If you haven't been, you're missing out!

Came to the cozy and charming Pacific Cafe on a date night and we were delighted. The atmosphere is unfussy, the staff is absolutely wonderful (right down to offering to loan us an umbrella when it started pouring as we began to leave), service is fast and the food is delicious and fresh. We shared a cup of creamy clam chowder and the crab cakes to start. Both were terrific and the crab cakes are very rich. Following that, I had the filet of sole newburg which was piping hot and full of flavor, while my SO had the grilled snapper... also fantastic. Parking is not too difficult and just know that there is always a line right when they open. Get there early, enjoy a complimentary glass of wine and have fun! It's now a favorite spot, and I look forward to returning.

Our go to seafood restaurant in San Francisco! Been coming here a long time and the food quality has always been fantastic! Pro Tip: COMPLEMENTARY white wine while you are waiting for your table, so make sure there's a line when you arrive.. although we have never been there all these years where there was no line .....

Happy 50th anniversary, opened 7/4/74, for this iconic legacy SF restaurant. One of my favorites over the decades. When I found out they were celebrating their 50th, I called up my BFFs and headed over for dinner. The men loved their sole newburg and ate every last bite with rice pilaf. I jumped at the fried oysters with rice. The breading on the 6 oysters didn't hold up as well compared to the past but they were fresh and delicious. BFF loved her baked scallops with fries. I was a tad disappointed with the chowder. It was more starchy-potato-y tasting than seafood but still decent amount of clams. They gave everyone a tiny complementary bit of their celebration cake. They now have a raspberry drizzled cheesecake and no longer carry Zanze's. Mr. Z deservingly retired a couple years ago and the recipe was sold to the owners of Little Joe's where you can find boxes of the cake in the freezer but it no longer tastes the same. But glad to know local Mitchell's ice cream still served here. We're big fans so we had to purchase their 50th anniversary t shirt. 100% cotton, $25. Can't wait to come back for dinner again. Happy to see the staff and Frank, the mgr, who has been there 49 years!

The pacific cafe has been in operation since 1974; they are approaching their 50th anniversary and celebrating this coming week. I was a little disappointed because the effects of Covid -19 and the economic impacts they've had to make some menu changes including fish options due to the cost of products today. As a result the fish option have been scaled back. However this is a group of employees that own, and work this business and have worked together as a family side-by-side all this time. You see the same familiar faces in the kitchen and dining room. It's a secret place no one likes to talk about because it's so popular for locals who know about this spot. I only gave them 4 out of 5 because of the menu limitations. The food is always great.

Amazing restaurant, food is great their special tonight was scallops awesome and then the crab very good. See you again.

A Richmond district classic. Love the food. Great service from Paula always. Maureen and frank are the best too. Sol neuberg my favorite go to. They do scallops perfectly too