Sotto Mare Oysteria & Seafood

Sotto Mare smells like seafood in the best possible way as soon as you reach the door. You make a reservation over the phone and need your full party to sit, but after that it's honestly really quick to order and receive your food despite how busy the restaurant is!

My two friends and I split the risotto, cioppino, and a bottle of pinot noir. If you're going for quantity, the bottle was actually a pretty good deal compared to individual glasses since we were each able to refill about once. The cioppino is, unsurprisingly, a must-try here -- it has everything from crab legs to peeled

I've been super excited to cross this off my bookmarks and luckily when I came on a Saturday afternoon I was seated SUPER quickly. But parking on the other hand was ROUGH. (Not surprised, it was a beautiful day out!!)

The inside is quite tight - there isn't much room and there's a bunch of decor all over the walls. There is also outdoor seating available!

I got to taste the East Coast and West Coast Oysters, and of course the "Best Damn Crab Cioppino!" all paired with a nice Sauv Blanc. The East coast oysters were much smaller than the West coast but I enjoyed the texture

Stopped for an early dinner after a show at Club Fugazi. Plenty of room in a downstairs dining room for our party of 9. Everyone loved their entree. Several of us ordered the fresh sole. If you are a chiopino lover, it was also great.
Sadly, no desserts here. A short walk will reveal several options in the North Beach area. I'll be remembering that fish for a while...so hood!!

This whole restaurant is the definition of a chef's kiss. Everything was amazing: fast service, tasty food, and filling.

We also order a dozen of west coast oysters and those really good. My favorite dish among everything was the cioppino. Interesting fact, this stew originated in SF by Italians. Definitely try it-- you won't be disappointed at all!

High level, really love how all the seafood tasted so fresh and the pasta was cook perfectly-al dente.

10/10 will be coming back!

Every food show and food blogger we’ve seen have been here and highly recommends this place for their cioppino. And they are right, the cioppino is great, a must get if you’re in the area. They only take resos for 3 or more. We also had their oysters, clams, steamed clams, risotto with seafood, pasta and seafood and their halibut. The oysters were good, raw clams I do not suggest as they are really Manila clams and tasted too fishy, it’s not little necks or cherry stones. The seafood pasta was good. Plenty of seafood like the cioppino. Good spot. They don’t have hard alcohol though. But

Aaahh, Sotto Mare! Molto delizioso! Finally got the chance to visit this highly acclaimed Italian restaurant and it did not disappoint.

My friend and I met up here for lunch and we were completely stuffed by the end of our meal. Sotto Mare only takes reservations for parties of 3 or more. We had actually planned on coming here as a group of 6, but 1 couldn't make it and the other 3 flaked on us at the last minute. Womp womp! Thank goodness that my Yelp bestie came through and didn't call out sick on me and this amazing meal. More food for us anyways! Since we were only a party of

Amazing pasta, clam chowder. they treated me like I was invisible for 15 min when I was waiting to be checked in, there were multiple people behind me who were being ignored as well. that was a bad impression. I ordered linguini with seafood and that was awesome 👍

Worth the wait. The Crab Cioppino- was really chef’s kisses. The broth was outstanding and the sea food was incredibly fresh. Scallops-were delicious and the sauce was stellar. Lobster ravioli was good too. Will be back !

They don’t call it the best damn Crab Cioppino for no reason ! This place is guaranteed great dining and great service . Highly recommend everyone to stop by if they come across it. We had the Sautéed Scallops , Lobster Ravioli, Crab Cioppino, and smoked salmon fettuccini . ALL AMAZING . Great Selection or wines , Sweet White Dolce Wine really set the night.

Wow to the cioppino! Every SF good eats show we watch has Soto Mare for their cioppino, so it was definitely high on our list to try.

We were able to make reservations because there were 4 of us, but we came in a Thursday night and wasn't busy when we came but later got extremely busy. Outside seating available too.

We ordered raw oysters and raw clams, steamers, cioppino to share, seafood pasta, seafood risotto, halibut and brought 2 bottles of red wine to share. The oysters were fresh... do not get the clams, it's not little necks and just regular clams, too fishy. The steamers

The scallops pasta was awesome.

The risotto also good.

Love the sauce not greasy but special totally bring out the best of seafood.

Ordered two dishes in the afternoon at the bar, would've ate more if it's dinner time!!!! Will be back for sure!!!

My first review for 2022! Sotto Mare is a great place to get seafood. They are known for their Cioppino. My wife was craving for seafood after our hike. Parking can be tough to find,but after driving a couple of blocks we found one. They will asked for your proof of vaccination. We decided to sit outside because the weather was nice. Of course we ordered their famous Cioppino large was $50. And a smoked salmon fettuccine. The Cioppino was delicious and also the fettuccine. We will take the entire family next time. Thank you for the delicious meal...

This place is truly amazing, I am so glad I found it via YELP! A friend and I were casually looking for oysters when we ran across Sotto Mare and were impressed by the prices lol. We always knew oysters were expensive but was happy when we found them for a decent price.

I decided to get in my car and drive to little Italy. When you first arrive, the host at the front desk will trade your debit card for a buzzer on when your table is ready. My friend and I went next door for a beer where they were super cheap, like $6 a beer.

We already knew what we wanted to eat bc we previously checked the

10/10!!!!
Thought that this place may be a tourist trap, but I was completely wrong. Gave off local vibes and was packed even on a week night. We waited about 30 min for a table.

We had the oysters and the ciopinno, which was amazing! There was so much seafood in it, and it was plenty of food for 2 people (who were starving beforehand lol). I cant recommend this place enough if you like seafood!

Delicious! Generous amount of fresh seafood, loved the pink sauce with my pasta but not wise to eat the whole portion alone as it was very big. Certainly a good sharing size. Service was also great, looking forward to our next visit!

Sotto Mare is a staple in SF and a wonderful place for seafood lovers. I'm not sure what took me so long to dine here, but I am so happy we finally made it happen. My husband and I went for dinner at Sotto Mare on the Wednesday before NYE and there was a bit of a wait. The restaurant gave us a buzzer to notify us when our table was ready and in the meantime we grabbed a drink next door at Columbus Cafe.

After about a 30min wait, we were seated at the bar. We ordered some west coast oysters and clam chowder to start. Oysters were fresh and the clam chowder was creamy and had a generous amount

I enjoyed eating here. It’s an old school, iconic place with a focus on sea food. The star of the show is the Cioppino but I couldn’t get it because it’s a two person meal and no one else at my table wanted it. I ended up getting the linguine with clams. Very good with lots of clams. Lots of sauce to mop up with the fresh French bread. The other people at my table got the clam chowder and the halibut and they liked their dishes as well. Good service.

Seafood Risotto $23.95 USD
Sea Scallop Sauté $24.95 USD
The "Best Damn Crab Cioppino" with seafood $49.95 USD
Crab Diavolo over Linguine $28.95 USD

* This Restaurant deserves a 1000/1000 score review. Literally my favorite seafood restaurant in SF . Their "Best Damn Crab Cioppino" with seafood was the best! There was a generous amount of crabs, clams, squid, and pasta at the bottom. The serving size was good for 3-4 ppl;). The scallops were cooked perfectly and the sauce on the top was definitely the best. The Crab Diavolo over Linguine was kind of spicy, but there

We were in town for the Metallica Takeover, and we wanted something to warm us up on a cold San Francisco night. We walked from our hotel and got a bit lost. The place is a bit hard to find, as i think the street name has changed.

The restaurant is small, but they use all the real estate possible to accommodate the customers. Before entering, they ask for your vaccine verification and ID. Then they ask for a credit card as they hand you a pager.

Reservations only for a party of 3 or larger. We arrived on a Saturday at 7:30 pm, and it took about 30 minutes for a seat at the counter. Note

A tourist trap.
Unfortunately, their signature Chioppino seafood stew was disappointing. It wasn't as spectacular as everyone reviewed and raved in the past. It was overpriced as $50 for 2 people and was expecting more in ingredients and execution. I could believe it was great before, but perhaps quality quickly plummeted over the years.

Typical chippino are Italian tomato based broth stews filled with vast amounts of seafood. Apparently, it was invented in North Beach in 1800s as fishermen used leftover seafood from their catch. So many people have enjoyed eating chioppino on cold rainy

Packed to the brim. Make a reservation a day in advance. Wait for the tables on the main dinning floor. Best Cioppino. AYCE bread and butter. Parking across the street for a flat rate of 20.

Came for dinner:

I had the:
1. Cioppino- absolutely delicious. Crab, fish, shrimp, calamari, clams, mussels and scallops in a delicious broth.
2. Scallops: absolutely delicious. Cooked perfectly!

TL;DR. Family favorite. Would recommend it 100

We couldn't do our birthday weekend celebration without a stop at Sotto Mare! I said a very enthusiastic hello to Laura, the owner, and how it has been two years since we've seen here. The pre-Covid time we were here, she gave us some wine while we were waiting! This Saturday evening we didn't have to wait long! And she actually sat us in the two bar chairs we sat at our first time! It was meant to be!

I ordered a crab cocktail to start because sometimes with the cioppino, it takes a while to get to the crabmeat. And then we just dove into the big bowl of love! Great spicy

"THE BEST DAMN CIOPPINO" is their tagline and I agree. Cioppino was invented in North Beach, San Francisco and we keep trying different places in this area hunting for the best.

Cioppino history dates back to the 1800s, when a fisherman came back empty handed, they would walk around with a pot to the other fishermen asking them to chip in whatever they could. What ever ended up in the pot became their Cioppino so it's like a "kitchen's sink" of seafood.

Sotto Mare's take on Ciopinno is so good you'll keep thinking about it after your meal. The tomato-based

As the sign over the bar says "welcome to the chaos"! However Soto Mare manages to run a very well oiled machine when it comes to this chaos! This Italian American seafood restaurant is one of the busiest places in North Beach, hands dow! And there is a reason - great fresh seafood at really great prices. We arrived at 5:00 and got an inside table ( proof of vaccination and ID required). By 6:00 the room was packed. When leaving at 7:00 the line was out the door.

Big servings of fresh fish. Had the salmon last night and it was delicious. The house salad is a little weird and old

Old school San Francisco Italo-American restaurant. The place looks, smells and feels like it been here as it is for centuries.

No reservations taken. Skip lunch. Arrive hungry at 5:00pm for dinner to be assured a table without having to wait an eternity.

Big portions. Nothing is fancy. It's filling chow. Seafood only, no beef, no chicken.

Reminded me of childhood dinners at Italian family places in my hometown, a little place called Manhattan, NYC.

2 people can eat big and drink well (order the house generic red wine, trust me) for $100 with generous tip.

Good luck finding street

This place is amazing. Is well served. try to get a table downstairs to get a more quiet experience.
I tried the lobster ravioli and also the swordfish (it was the daily dish) And both were amazing . Highly recommend this place if you are looking for something not fancy but high food quality!

Good pasta and seafood. Anything in the menu that says pasta "with seafood" is pretty much a mix of shrimps, prawns, oysters, and scallops. I liked how we had our own pitcher so we could self serve ice water. With tips it came out to be about 31 dollars per person. I'd visit this place if I wanted to catch up with friends.

This place is too good to be true!!!! I think it is the best Italian seafood restaurant ever. My friend booked a reservation two weeks earlier and we got a nice seat on Saturday night. I highly recommend everything that we ordered- the seafood crab stew, the seafood risotto, and scallops. I also love their oysters, east coast is better than west coast. Their rose wine is tasty too. I highly recommend the risotto, which is the best risotto I’ve ever had so far in my life.