The Crab Station

The best places don't always have a flash!Crab station sits on the corner and from the naked eye, it's just another corner spot. However, you'll see quickly why The Crab Station stays with a line compared to those in the area. Baskets are always fried fresh and plentiful in size. Whether it's the fresh cod, fresh popcorn shrimp or crab, The Crab Station serves it up right. Kudos for a quick lunch while strolling the pier area.

What else do you do on your vacation to San Francisco? You wanted to see a vacation for 22 years? At the wharf...to eat harbor style seafood bistro...crab cakes, fish and chips...harken back to 1997...harken back to your high school days....harbor style seafood bistro...is so fun and it was raining lightly...the world doesn't stand still..the crab shack is backHere's to my father and all the good people...de ja vu

One of the last things we did before leaving SF was to hit up crab shack for a crab and shrimp cocktail. We got there right when they opened, maybe a little early, but they had no problem serving us. We ordered just one to share and it was full of delicious crab and baby shrimp. The sauce and cracker accompaniments made it that much better. It's a roadside stand kind of vibe so don't expect fine dining but for a what it is, it was perfect and hit the spot. Only downside was that it was a little expensive, which may be to be expected since it's seafood and in the most touristy spot in SF. But the taste and customer service made up for that! If you're looking for a quick, yummy seafood cocktail, give this a try.

Been eating the crab on Sourdough since 1986! It's a full to the brim with crab on a fresh roll. We always need a bit of salt on it but it's delicious! Clam chowder is great too! Place is not fancy but food is amazing!

We were visiting pier 39 and we found this place around that area. The whole experience was okay... the crab sandwich was a lot but the sourdough was really hard to eat. I was disappointed with that crab sandwich because I was looking forward to that the most. The shrimp and crab cocktail was okay too and ut came with the cocktail sauce. I did like the fried shrimp, curly fry and small octopuses. The clam chowder was good and probably what I liked best. The service was good. It was outdoor eating cause the restaurant is kind of on the street.

Turns out we've eaten in their dining room before but actually brought in food from a neighboring biz. Whoops!I was extremely saddened to see that neighboring restaurants, Tarantino's and Guardino's, both closed for good due to the pandemic. They were our go-to's for crab and chowder. Luckily, Crab Station weathered the storm. ATMOSPHERE:Located in the heart of Fisherman's Wharf on Taylor Street, the takeaway stand has a few outdoor tables along the sidewalk and a lesser known indoor dining room. The "dining room" is in back of the stand and features three double counter seats and two high tops. We had it all to ourselves until a few stragglers took notice. MENU:Seafood apps, soups & mains. Soft drinks & beer.FOOD:Dungeness Crab - $ MPOur two medium-ish sized crabs came out to $59. They cooked it, cracked it and served it up with lemon wedges, drawn butter and cocktail sauce. Simply divine. Clam Chowder - $10.00 (bowl)Very tasty and creamy. Served in a paper bowl with oyster crackers to the side, we took it to nearby pier 45 where we consumed it all while enjoying the sensory experiences of the area and view of Alcatraz. My heaven...SERVICE:Surprisingly really good and professional, especially from a sidewalk stand. Kudos!OVERALL:This is exactly how we like to consume crustacean in SF. No glass plates, waiters in tuxes, or climate-controlled rooms.

The clam strips and fries were not very good. Could not differentiate between fries and strips, they both tasted the same! You do get a very large order, so if I were drinking and needed something to soak up the alcohol, this would be my order.Maybe I ordered the wrong thing. Service was fast, lots of premade cold seafood in the cases. Next time I might try something from the case.

Was walking around with my wife and son near Fisherman's Wharf and stumbled on The Crab Station. I live in the bay area but don't get a chance to come to the city very often so I was determined to have a cup of clam chowder and a Lobster Roll. I thought the the $10 cup of clam chowder was excellent (5/5). It wasn't too salty and was nice and hot. Since I was eating outside and it was around 50 degrees, it was nice to have some warm soup. The price for the Lobster roll wasn't listed on the menu but I'm guessing it was somewhere around $30. It had a generous amount of lobster on fresh sourdough bread roll. Not the best Lobster roll I have ever had but I would say a solid 3.5/5. In general, I enjoyed the laid back casual outdoor atmosphere and would go back again.

The food was yummy had the crab sandwich & clam chowder staff was nice definitely going back when if I were to go to San Francisco

Let's be real, there are A LOT of clam chowder bread bowls and other seafood options on Fisherman's Wharf & Pier 39. And I'm sure most of them are wonderful. This particular spot is not fancy--it's pretty much street food right there on the wharf. But there's something about it that we always crave and go back to every time we're in the area. The bread bowls are large and hallowed out enough that you're getting a balanced ratio of clam chowder and bread. The chowder is savory and creamy and has an acceptable amount of clams and potatoes and everything else. If they could figure out a way to make the tiny cardboard they put the chowder bowl in edible, there would be no waste with our family. LOL! :-D Their fish & chips are also delicious. It's crispy on the outside and super tender on the inside and the flavor is there. They don't provide tons of tarter sauce (I was only given a packet, but I'm sure I could've asked for more) but the fish itself was tasty on its own that I didn't feel I needed to douse it in sauce.Seating on the outside sidewalk (yup, I meant to say that) can be a little tricky, and huge warning, the lines can get pretty long here. But people somehow manage. As for us, we'll keep coming back.