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Cash only, no website, a line down Polk Street, and they open at eight in the morning if you'd rather eat crab than sleep. Swan is an old-school seafood counter, marble-topped and tight on stools, where the Dungeness arrives cracked and the raw bar runs to sea urchin when they have it. The noise is mostly shells and sourdough. San Francisco Chronicle calls it a classic for a reason, but the line will convince you faster.
Three honors, in evidence:
The record strongest first
- San Francisco Chronicle Best classic San Francisco restaurants
- San Francisco Chronicle Best seafood restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle The Best Classic Restaurants in San Francisco
One number, weighted & current 68
How we scoreThe dishes from the writeups
- Cracked crab San Francisco Chronicle
- Sicilian sashimi San Francisco Chronicle
- Sea urchin San Francisco Chronicle
Nearby in the record closest first
- Cordon Bleu Vietnamese Eat · 78
- Goldenette American Eat · 65
- Acquerello Italian Eat · 95
- Mymy American Eat · 65
- Friends Only Sushi Eat · 80
- Bob's Donuts Eat · 81
- Sorella Northern Italian Eat · 69
- House of Prime Rib Steakhouse Eat · 84
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