The Old Clam House

In the area for the Alemany Farmers Market, and found this place in a search on Google Maps. (Rated much better on Google than Yelp). When we arrived we looked at the Yelp reviews and saw poor reviews of the service. Almost turned around, but my wife talked me into staying. Have to say service from Victor was Exceptional!We only wanted a snack, so we shared an order of Cioppino. ($38). It was fantastic and very generous with the seafood. I'm a SF Cioppino fanatic and have enjoyed it at the Bay Area's top seafood restaurants many many times over the last five decades. This one ties in first place for the best!!! (My homemade is the other top winner).

I have been meaning to come here for many years. I love old places that are well kept up and good quality.The decor is great and the service was excellent. I loved the warm clam broth and the bread and the Bloody Mary was quite tasty.However, I had a Crab Louis for my meal and was ill for the rest of the day. The crab or the lettuce was bad. I know it was this dish because I didn't eat anything else for the remainder of the day.I will hesitate to make a return visit, although at some point I will probably give it another chance.

cool old place. one of the oldest restaurants etc. Upside-- Great mixed drinks, super light pour if you just want makers rocks, so, uh, kinda meh.waiter seems kind of like grade b tadich grill guy-- tells us how great bread is, never brings it. fail. crab cakes = pretty good, crisp is slightly confused with hard, but pretty good, not all filler. 'worlds best clam chowder' pretty good, way overwhelmed by pork flavor/bacon. Hey, we like clams and sea flavor (they give you a shot of clam juice when you sit down without any explanation, well, okay) it was pretty good clam chowder. main courses: petrale sole, it was just okay... and, ribeye. asparagus way over cooked, ribeye with mushroom gravy (pro tip, I sensed this place might be mid and ordered the gravy to cover any failures, winning strategy!) Steak was okay. potatoes were weirdly cooked and hard as almost firm cement. the rest of the veggies were okay. slow service and strange. Maybe we caught them on an off day or too early on a friday (we were there in the afternoon.) I really don't know if Id go back. I think no.

Came here with a big group for my husband's birthday dinner! This place has such an old-school feel. There are old photos and SF memorabilia adorning the walls. The seats and booths have the traditional diner feel. Definitely a divey spot, but we loved it! When you sit down, they serve you some clam broth to sip on and it is absolutely divine! I got the Crab Louie salad and the portions were so good. Definitely a fun spot if you're looking for a vibe!

My family and I had a great time eating delicious food at this restaurant. Oscar and the Italian server were very friendly. The atmosphere was awesome too. We'll be back (:

Amazing! We ordered a dirty martini, cioppino, oysters, and angry shrimp linguini. Some of the best seafood in SF. I still can't get over how good the cioppino was. Can't wait to go back!

I've driven past Old Clam House for years and always wondered what it was all about. Turns out, it has an amazing history and is the oldest restaurant in SF. It's in the strangest location and parking is tricky (though there's some behind the building in a tight alleyway), but tough to choose the best location to build when you started it over 100 years ago. The food was solid - it won't blow you away, but it was better than I expected. The garlic & wine clam appetizer was the highlight, and the creme brulee to finish was also solid. I'd definitely come back. The vibes were great.

This place is an SF treasure. The first time I can I was surprised at how good the food was- did not expect much from such a big menu. But it's terrific! Standouts for me are the hot clam broth shooters (so good- a must!), the sole, the seafood linguine and any of the sizzling seafood platters. Victor the waiter is a total pro. Allof the staff I've encountered have always been super nice and acccommodafong - no attitude, friendly and efficient. A friend does her birthday dinner every year and it's always an awesome evening all around.

Loved this place. We were welcomed with warm bread and clam juice which were delicious. We had Fried Calamari, Salmon Piccata, Mussels and Shrimp Skillets, and Old Clam Cioppino. All the food was cooked perfectly, and delicious. The quality of the food was excellent.

It wasn't crowded when we got there around 5pm on a Tuesday, but by the time we left, there were lots of folks, with a good bar crowd. We were greeted with yummy clam juice that tasted like a warm broth. I ordered the clam chowder, grilled salmon with veggies, and a Salty Dog cocktail. My friend from out of town just wanted good seafood. She had a caesar salad (big), and a whole crab. Everything was delish. I had leftovers, and they were so good the next day! Our server was nice and patient. The inside is very cool with the walls covered in nautical decor and memorabilia - incredible that it's been around since 1861. I wish the parking was better, as my Civic almost got stuck in the one-way alley between an SUV and a truck. Next time I will avoid the alley and find street parking. Overall great experience, will recommend to friends and family.