Community, freshness, and sustainability still the hook at SF legacy restaurant Scoma's

Community, freshness, and sustainability still the hook at SF legacy restaurant Scoma's

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In 1965 when brothers Al and Joe Scoma heard about a small coffee shop for sale on Pier 47 at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf, they didn't yet know they were on the road to creating a landmark restaurant.

The brothers bought the tiny, six-stool shop that served breakfast and burgers to local fishermen, and began the long and ultimately successful process of turning the hidden hangout into one of the nation’s highest grossing independent restaurants.


From the beginning, the Scoma family forged relationships with the fishermen who defined the wharf. They tirelessly renovated Pier 47 to fit the needs of those who wanted to sell their daily catch directly to the family rather than to large wholesalers. A fish-receiving station was built on Scoma’s pier, where you can still watch boats drop off their catch as they arrive each morning from the Pacific.

With a pier steeped in history, a continued commitment to supporting the local industry, and an ever-evolving pier to plate menu of family recipes, Scoma’s—one of the wharf's longest operating restaurants—has achieved legendary status.

(Courtesy of Scoma's)

Legacy Business

In 2019, Scoma’s Restaurant was approved by the SF Small Business Commission for the Legacy Business Registry. The registry recognizes longstanding, community-serving businesses as valuable cultural assets to the city.

With two bars, two cocktail lounges, and seven dining rooms with leather booths and walls covered in nostalgia, Scoma's can seat more than 300 guests for the famous cioppino and garlic roasted Dungeness crab in its location on Al Scoma Way, a street that was dedicated in 2002. Many of Scoma’s white-jacketed staff have worked at the restaurant for 40 years.

(via trip.com)

Bar Program

Scoma’s emphasis on organic and sustainable ingredients extends beyond the kitchen into the bar, which serves both classic and seasonal house-made craft cocktails alongside an award-winning wine program. Most juices, cordials, and garnishes are made in house by the team of cocktail enthusiasts.

Scoma’s has a sustainable wine-on-tap system with several advantages over serving from a bottle. Wines for the tap come in reusable stainless steel kegs that are more environmentally friendly than pouring through tens of thousands of bottles with labels and corks each year. The tap also ensures that wines are consistently served at the optimum temperature.

Of course, Scoma’s still offers an outstanding bottled wine selection, and was recently awarded Wine Spectator's 2022 Award of Excellence.

(Courtesy of Scoma's)

Sustainability

Scoma’s further exhibits a commitment to sustainability in its waste reduction efforts and recycling practices. In addition, Scoma’s is committed to sustainable fishing practices through the FLOSS philosophy (fresh, local, organic, sustainable, and seasonal), and is focused on supporting local fisherman, farms, and businesses. In 2017, the restaurant won the Golden Gate Restaurant Association’s Saucy Award for Most Sustainable Restaurant.

(Courtesy of Scoma's)

Outdoor Dining

One of the silver linings to the past several years of pandemic pivoting has been the addition of outdoor dining. Scoma’s now has dining right along the water, providing guests with one of the most authentic views of a working pier as fishermen and sea lions come and go. On clear days, guests are treated to some of the best views of the sun setting beyond the Golden Gate Bridge. Outdoor dining has also allowed Scoma’s to welcome dogs to dine with guests outside.

// Complimentary valet parking is available; Scoma's, 1965 Al Scoma Way, Pier 47 (Fisherman’s Wharf) scomas.com.

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