Having lived in San Francisco and visiting there often I know the last place to go for really good Cioppino is the Wharf. I am bringing on the next trip, however, friends who have never been to San Francisco before, and the wife has her heart set on doing dinner at the Wharf. So, what is the best of the bad????
Hughlipton
Feb 18, 2008 04:05PM
Giovanni's Fish Market Cioppino
Grilled Beef Heart with Roasted Golden Beets and Horseradish
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I usually make my Own when I'm in Fremont. But eating out at the wharf I've always had good Cioppino at Aliotas 8
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Too bad you can't talk her into Tadich's, but seriously my second favorite cioppino in SF is at Scoma's. If I could have Tadich's broth with Scoma's fish, I'd die happy. The thing with Scoma's is the broth is thick, almost a tomato sauce. It is also a large serving. If you do go to Scoma's consider splitting servings because they are beyond huge ... and expensive.
Scoma's fish is very fresh. They have their own boats so check which fish is fresh caught and local.
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If you absolutely must eat at the Wharf, I'd second the recommendation for Scoma's. It's an institution and their seafood is generally very good to excellent. But get ready for chaos -- they don't take reservations and tourists line up to wait for 2 hours or more on weekends. Truly, you should go to Tadich's for cioppino. Spend some time at the Wharf -- to please your wife -- but then hop in a cab and go to Tadich's for dinner. It's worth the 5 minute cab ride, and it's as much of a SF institution as the Wharf.
240 California St, San Francisco, CA 94111, USA
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Scoma's is a huge portion--easily two meals. It's a bit pricey but when you consider what you get it's not a bad deal at all. I've never had Tadich's cioppino but I don't see how anyone could be disappointed with Scoma's version.
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I actually liked the version at Scoma's even better than the Tadich version-the seafood was cooked perfectly at Scoma's, and I remember the broth having a fresher taste than most cioppinos I've tried.
For some reason, the broth at Tadich didn't wow me the day I had it, although I would still consider it a good cioppino.
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