Reviews & Ratings for Franciscan Crab Restaurant

08/23/08

Great Fish, Bad Service, Fantastic View, Definite Tourist Trap

by wagkat at Citysearch

We had read some fantastic reviews of the place and thought we would give it a shot. While the food was outstanding, the fish is baked in your choice of sauce in it's own pan and comes to the table hot which is a rarity, the service was poor and not timely. The noise factor was bothersome so we would definitely not recommend this restaurant for a romantic date. We should have known better for any restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf is likely to be more of a tourist trap than anything else. If you travel in from somewhere not known for great food or views The Franciscan would rate but we recommend folks residing in the greater Bay Area go elsewhere.

• Pros: Great Fish Creatively Cooked and Served
• Cons: Terrible Service, Noise, Ambiance

08/17/08

Tourist trap

by Chefamy2008 at Citysearch

I am not so bad that i would give a restaurant an unfair review. This place was a disappointment in so many ways. It was obvious they rely on tourists for their business because they were not overly polite. My first impression was not good. If you are at all leery of health standards at restaurants, then the fact that bread service area is within easy reach of the waiting area will disgust you. While we were waiting a couple walked up the bread table and put their hands all over the loaf of bread that was on the table. 2 seconds later a waiter walked up to the bread table, cut bread from the same loaf and delivered it to his table. My only thought was I dearly pray that the guy who was waiting had washed his hands!!! I told a waiter what had happened and I was appalled at his response, which was ?it?s ok! You can have some bread too!? I was shocked! We ordered the fried calamari; it was ok. Then we ordered clam chowder in bread bowls. The bread bowls were old and hard, the clam chowder was runny. For dinner, the prime rib and tiger prawns. The tiger prawns were over cooked. How could you over cook seafood if seafood is what you claim to be famous for? The prime rib was ok, the mashed potatoes were good but don?t you dare ask for substitutions. I asked our waiter if I could sub zucchini for the creamed collards and he said no, the price of the zucchini is higher than the collards. Wait a minute, I pointed out to the waiter that on the menu, the side items are all the same price, $7. So how is it more expensive? His only excuse after that was to tell me the restaurant does not allow subs. Well, All in all, the view was fabulous; the table was good, giving you the feel that you have some privacy from other patrons. The hostess could use an attitude adjustment but again, I think they cater to tourists so they feel like they just don?t care. Only reason I will ever eat here again is if we have a relative from out of town who absolutely insists on eating there.

• Pros: Ambience was good
• Cons: bread table within reach of waiting area patrons!!! GROSS!!!

05/31/08

Nice Views, absolutely gorgeous

by sarahlane15 at Citysearch

My bf and I went here literally after we had just ate somewhere in the marina, but we had a cocktail here. The Food looks great but I certainly couldn't judge it. The staff was friendly and we met a very nice security guard who chatted us us for awhile. We would definitely be back on our next trip up to the bay.

• Pros: Lovely view of the bay, parking validation, extensive menus

05/02/08

Worth every penny...

by kurdelicious at Citysearch

I loooooved this place! We went without a reservation, yet we were seated at a great table with a great view, Alcatraz literally in front of us.

The crew was very friendly, the service was quick. The wine was fine quality. The food was off the hook!!! I had the combo crabs, mussels and shrimps, my husband had some kind of fish stew.. Wow! And the cheesecake... Yummmm.. =) Great location for tourists like us, very convenient.. Jeeezz... I just cant seem to find one single negative thing about this place!

11/27/07

Worst attitude ever!

by clitie85 at Citysearch

I made a group reservation at 7: 30pm.

Our gruop got there aroun 7:40pm, and they didn't have any tables for us.

They didn't even call us but they kept told us that they did.

So we waited for 20 mins, we got our table, then a manager came over to me and ask me to see my phone! to check if I recieved their phone call!! (which I proved that I didn't receive any phone from them to cancel my reservation). The way he talked was rude and he didn't appolize to us. The food was good but with those attitudes especially from the manager, I would never go back there.

Horrible horrible horrible..

• Pros: Parking service
• Cons: Service

09/28/07

Nothing special!

by mcast2305 at Citysearch

For an SF crab restaurant, this place is nothing special.

The service was terrible and the service was worse.

Try the crab house, the staff is friendlier and food is way better.

• Pros: View
• Cons: service, food, menu selection

09/07/07

Am I a guest or a chore?

by millerheeren at Citysearch

This restaurant offers a great view and slightly above average food, but the service staff made my wife and I feel like a burden. As a restaurant manager myself I understand that servers live off of tips and a higher check average generally means more money. I assume this is why my server looked disgusted when my wife (who was simply not hungry) ordered an appetizer as her meal. The server looked at her and said "is that it?" and then walked away before hearing our answer. When my server next made her appearance it was to slam down a bib and utensils for my cioppino that had just arrived. The only other time I saw her it was when she dropped off my check in another hasty display of inattention, fifteen minutes after I finished my meal and nearly thirty minutes after I finished my drink. I would have asked to see a manager but I was to angry and embarassed to discuss anything at the time.

• Pros: Location, Ambience
• Cons: Awful service

08/30/07

Great location, nice wait staff.

by stineicus at Citysearch

My husband were sightseeing at Fishermans Wharf and stumbled upon this restaurant. The front was nice, and we decided to go in for lunch. We were seated right away at a lovely table overlooking the water. I really liked the layout of the restaurant and thought the old pictures were a really nice touch. It looked like this place was a gem in it's hay day. Two things I could not get out of my mind was: A: a dead fly on the windowsill, and B: The bird dropping stained parking lot we were right on top of. It was entertaining watching the seagulls lay in the parking lot, but wished it had not been there. I recommend them water blasting the parking lot if at all possible. The bread was outstanding, and my arugula pesto pasta was delicious. It was served hot and fast. My husband had the clam alfredo and really enjoyed it. To sum it up. the food was great, but they need to work on the ambiance a little.

• Pros: Great food and service.
• Cons: Stained parking lot and a fly. Yucky.

06/12/07

Great view

by teastburn at Citysearch

The Franciscan was a great place to accomodate my large party of 19 people. We were seated in a fairly quiet area with a beautiful view of the water. The server was polite and patient with my large group of both visitors and SF locals. And my halibat was delicious!

03/14/07

Best Seafood In Fisherman's Wharf

by kanya_dorland at Citysearch

This is definitely the place to go for fresh and well prepared seafood in Fisherman's Wharf . The building?s exterior has had a make over too, and what a view.