Bay Area Diner

I have to admit, I like going to restaurants that are a part of local history, that help provide not only food for body but spirit, that provide a sense of place.

One such is Alioto’s
#8 Fisherman’s Wharf at
the Foot of Taylor, facing
the San Francisco fishing
harbor
415 . 673 . 0183

You can buy from their outdoor crabstand, or you can go inside for formal dining.

According to their website:

“What grew to become an institution in San Francisco dining actually began as a fresh fish stall, founded in 1925 by Nunzio Alioto, Sr., a Sicilian immigrant. At the time, the Wharf consisted of an enormous lumber yard, train tracks, a union hall, canning plants and wholesale fisheries. At Stall #8, Nunzio sold steamed crab, and shrimp and crab cocktails to the Italian laborers.

In 1932, he constructed the first building on Fisherman’s Wharf. After suffering a bout of double pneumonia, Nunzio died suddenly at the age of 41, leaving behind a wife, Rose and three children. Strapped for a way to support her family, Rose took over the business becoming the first woman to work on the Wharf. Initially, she was shunned by her male neighbors, who refused to sell her fish. Luckily, Phil Rubino, who had formerly worked with her husband, stepped in to help.

A number of historical events contributed to the restaurant’s phenomenal growth. With the completion of both the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges in 1937, San Francisco was quickly becoming the urban center of Northern California. In 1939, the San Francisco Exposition and World’s Fair brought tourists from around the world to the City.

The restaurant flourished, yet it wasn’t until the onset of America’s participation in World War II that its reputation became firmly established. Fisherman’s Wharf became one of the Ports of Embarkation for sailors, who were often accompanied by their families. While Rose’s sons, Frank and Mario, were called off to serve in the armed forces, Rose and her daughter Antoinette were kept busy serving fresh seafood and hearty clam chowder to these men and their families–and word about Alioto’s Restaurant’s food quickly spread.

The restaurant continued to expand as public demand grew for Alioto’s delicious seafood. By 1950, Rose enlarged her restaurant by purchasing her neighbor’s stall building a one-story brick building, then adding a second story in 1957 making it the tallest building on the Wharf.

Today, the restaurant remains as popular as ever, with Nunzio and Joe Alioto, the third-generation is in charge. Rose continued to work in the restaurant and lived to see Fisherman’s Wharf become San Francisco’s most popular tourist destination.”

http://www.aliotos.com/fisherman_wharf.htm