Franciscan Crab Restaurant

Review summary

1. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   San Francisco1 review

   5.0

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The food is super delicious it was finger licking good , the staff are so friendly,good ambiance , we want to comeback again next time.
   

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2. R

   Robert VIP

   San Francisco4 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   One of the best views from the Embarcadero. Fantastic service, delicious roasted crab and steamed clams. Save room for the house made vanilla custard ice cream. I would highly recommend this place for the crab, view and service.
   

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3. K

   Karla

   San Francisco2 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 8 March 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great food and service very well recommended Thank you
   

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4. OT

   OpenTable Diner VIP

   San Francisco8 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on 7 March 2025

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 2

   This is a very over priced tourist spot. The view and aesthetic is pretty nice but it’s not worth it. The 17 dollar added crab to my already 17 dollar Louis salad was such a small portion. Maybe this would be good for cocktails but I wouldn’t do a meal.
   

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5. J

   Josephine

   San Francisco23 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 2 March 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Crab sandwich and crab enchiladas were delicious. Perfect restaurant for the view, too. Also, we were able to have a conversation- not noisy.
   

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6. MP

   MPGC VIP

   San Francisco14 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on 1 March 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 2

   The food was good, no better than that. The “famous” garlic roasted Dungeness crab was not at all distinctive. The crab in the cocktail, however, was incredibly fresh and flavorful. Service was attentive. Ambiance is a bit shabby, and if you have a window table you may find that the wide sill in front of you is used as a sideboard for silverware, napkins, etc. final disappointment was that it was very cold in the restaurant— saving money on heat, I guess….
   

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7. B

   Brandon

   San Francisco5 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 28 February 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great experience as usual! The food is good, the views are great, and the ambience makes me want to keep coming.
   

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8. B

   Betty VIP

   San Francisco38 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on 23 February 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 2

   The prices were too high for the portions received. I ordered pasta with crab added. When I received my plate there was no crab added. I had to send it back for the crab to be added. When it came back there was one small piece of crab on top for an extra $17. They charge you for bread, which is ridiculous. When I needed the server it was kinda hard to get his attention. My daughter ordered a whole crab. They must have found the baby crab in the ocean, because it was very small for $50.00. I have ordered whole crab before at other locations and you get a large crab. The choice of desserts was lousy. Ice cream mostly. I compared this restaurant with Fog Harbor and The Crab house behind Fog Harbor. If I had to choose I would pick Fog Harbor and/or The Crab House. I love going out to eat, but I will not go back to Franciscan's Crab Restaurant.
   

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9. S

   Steven

   Las Vegas14 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on 22 February 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We went before the big rush, so we received amazing service and made it out early for a play.. great spot, classic venue, kept in good shape.
   

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10. T

    Tom

    San Francisco1 review

    4.0

    Dined on 15 February 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 5

    I’ve been eating here since I was a little kid in the 1960s. I’ve seen it through a change of ownership or two, but it still remains the Franciscan and a place of special memories for me. The food is good enough the views, especially when seated in those curvy booths near the bar, are unparalleled. The food is good enough for the price. It’s especially wonderful to sit there in the late afternoon on a weekday (when the place is usually quiet) and enjoy a dry martini and a few oysters with someone who is fun to talk with. I am sad to say that I booked a dinner reservation for Valentine’s, showed up on time with someone who is fun to talk to, and saw a line of literally 15 couples, all of whom had made reservations, some of which set for an hour prior to ours. Nothing like standing in line for an hour to put you in that Valentines mood! I’m deeply disappointed that management would have such a little regard for patrons as to set up a system that would waste an hour of their time, thereby negating any possible joy they would’ve derived from the actual dining experience. Judging from how quiet things are whenever I drop in, I imagine that business has been difficult lately and management was eager to capitalize on National Mandatory Date Night. I don’t think they made any new friends for themselves and they may well have alienated a few regulars by the way they mismanaged their schedule. Fortunately, my date was game for turning on our heels immediately and crossing the parking lot to Boudin where there was also a line, but one we were able to avoid it by taking a cocktail table and having fresh oysters and martinis in front of us within about 10 minutes of walking in the door. Happy Ending, after a disappointing start.
    

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