Neptune’s Palace Restaurant, Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco
Share
When you walk along Pier 39, in San Francisco at lunchtime, you pass many tempting eateries among the touristy shops, but there's a restaurant I'd recommend that's well worth walking a hundred extra yards to find, Neptune's Palace Restaurant. It's hiding at the far end of the pier, up a flight of steps on the left, giving no clue from outside as to what lay within.
The amazing view in Neptune's Palace made me gasp. Floor to ceiling, the windows go the full width of the restaurant. Tables are cleverly arranged, so that everyone gets a great view of San Francisco Bay. Alcatraz is directly opposite, the Golden Gate Bridge is to your left and the Bay Bridge to your right. The views at sunset must be mesmerising and I hope to find out, one day.
Neptune's' Palace Restaurant specialises in seafood and shellfish, such as lobster, Dungeness crab, salmon and prawns.
After a complimentary appetiser in a shot glass, my husband started with ‘Coconut Fried Prawns' for $9.95, huge and succulent, as we watched the many boats in the bay circling Alcatraz Island and heading to the Golden Gate Bridge.
I declined a starter having spotted something chocolaty on a nearby table. For main course, we had Grilled Salmon with roasted vegetables and jasmine rice at $18.95, and the ‘Fisherman's Stew' - full of clams, mussels, rock shrimp, scallops and fish, in a rich, spicy sauce, which was superb for just $20.95.
We shared a dessert (well perhaps I had a slightly bigger ‘half‘), then to celebrate our good fortune in finding Neptune's Palace restaurant, we tried some 'Speciality Cocktails' - a ‘Rosey Lemon Drop' - a delicious mix of vodka, cointreau, lemon juice and raspberry liqueur, and a ‘Sunset Splash' - a tangy concoction of Bacardi límon, orange-infused vodka, with a splash of cranberry juice. At $9 each they were the perfect end to a memorable lunch.
After lunch, wander around Pier 39, and spot the famous Californian Sea Lions, literally hundreds of them, looking like piles of wet seaweed, barking and snapping at each other. Above them, a crowd of tourists jostling for position, but above them, with a more comfortable vantage point, and without the yucky smell of the seals, is the aptly named, ‘Neptune's Sea Lion Café' which serves fish and chips, salads and sandwiches at lunchtime. In the evening the dinner menu is the same as ‘Neptune's Palace- such as ‘Seared Thai Salmon, garlic mash and wilted Napa cabbage' for just $20.95. Book ahead if you can, bearing in mind that ‘dinner' in California is usually somewhere around 5pm - 9pm. Enjoy!
Fisherman’s Wharf Pier 39, San Francisco, USA
Contact tel: +1 415 434 2260
Cost 3 course a la carte: £10 - £25 per person
Useful links
Neptune`s Sea Lion Cafe, Pier 39, Fisherman`s Wharf
Neptune’s Palace Restaurant, Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco
San Francisco Tourism
Average customer rating
awaiting 5 vote(s)...
Email
Add to your Pocket Guide
Why Register?
