Cioppino's, San Francisco

Was great 2 years ago!! I was at this place 2 years ago and got the cioppino and let me tell you it was amazing. My wife and I could not stop eating it. The crustini bread was crisp and sour and the combination was amazing. We moved out the the bay area this year and had been craving the cioppino ever since we landed in SFO. This time however the cioppino was very fishy and had a fishy after taste. The broth wasn't as thick and hearty and the seafood in it tasted like frozen items thrown in. Even the bread was soggy and tasted bad. My second experience just turned me off and I can't see myself going back. I don't what happened in 2 years where this establishment went from a 5 star to a 2 star in my book!

I'm not sure what happened on our visit but it appears most other people enjoyed their meals. Our meal tasted like it was previously frozen and then defrosted in a microwave. I would not recommend this establishment to anybody looking for a good Italian dinner. On the upside, the glass of Chianti I had with dinner was good.

Had a real nice dinner. Service was good and the food was better than expected for such a tourist area.

The inside is very nice but you really want to sit outside to appreciate the Fisherman's Wharf crowd as it walks by. Their namesake item, Cioppino, is an absolute must: it is the definitive San Francisco meal: Dungeness crab, mussels, shrimp, clams, calamari, and tomatoes in a fennel scented stew. It is served with sourdough (of course) toast. Let your waiter guide you on the wine choice unless you really know Italian and California wines.

This is by far the best cioppino you will ever have and the garlic bread that is served with it is fantastic. Ask them to take the crab out of the shell prior to serving it. One bowl is enough to feed two. We often order one bowl of cioppino and one crab salad sandwich (also the best) and split both between us. The wait staff is often slow. Go early in the day for lunch and avoid the crowds.

My wife and I were in SF for the day and walking through the touristy area, looking for a place to have a late lunch/early dinner. We walked past Cioppino's once and the aroma made us feel even hungrier than we were before. People eating at the sidewalk tables seemed to be enjoying a wonderful-looking (and smelling) stew-type meal. We continued on though not wanting to stop at "the first place we saw". After a few blocks though, I wanted to go back to that place with the incredible aroma and the quaint sidewalk awning. I hadn't taken note of the restaurant's name. Yes, we had stumbled upon Cioppino's, now my favorite restaurant in all of San Fran. Our meal was their namesake cioppino stew. It came in a very large turin and with bread and salad, the two of us had more than we could eat... although I did manage to finish off the last of the cioppino. It was so good I couldn't leave any behind, no matter how full I was. Wonderful, excellent, and a very pleasant surprise.

Great place to take your family. Choose from seafood, pasta and pizza. Several of us had pasta dishes and shared. I love their shrimp & pasta dishes. They serve a load of shrimp and the prices are extremely reasonable! We'll certainly go back on our next trip to the city.

I love Cioppino's. The food is excellent as is the service. A nice bonus is that the prices are very reasonable. It's definitely a laid-back place where you can relax and enjoy some good food and maybe a little wine. The staff is very attentive and makes you feel very welcome. This is definitely a place you'll want to go every time you're in San Francisco.

My friend and I were drawn in to this restaurant by the scent of the cioppino (fisherman's stew). The server was friendly and efficient. I had the cioppino, which was absolutely delicious. The molten chocolate cake was a decadent ending to the meal. He had the seafood linguine, and the sauce was not as described in the menu. His dessert made up for the pasta, as the triple layer mousse was delicious. The coffee was quite good. I would absolutely take visitors back to this restaurant!

Took our doggie to Fishermen's Wharf for a walk, then, was looking for a dog friendly restaurant. Came to Cioppino's and had a wonderful lunch. I had one of the specialties pasta with crab out-of-the-shell. It was yummy and the service was great!