Do you absolutely love oysters and seafood? Then, the next time you are in San Francisco, take yourself down to the Swan Oyster Depot, at the end of the California Street Cable Car route, for some of the best seafood in the city. Swan Oyster Depot has been open since 1912 when four Scandinavian brothers started a fresh fish market on Polk Street. Over time it was sold and evolved into a tiny seafood depot, run for generations by the same family.

We get to Swan’s about noon — and the line is already long. But it doesn’t matter, the four of us are determined to eat here! We wait about 45 minutes, using the time to make friends with others in the line, including both tourists and San Franciscans. The window is filled with tubs of seafood — tiny pink bay shrimp, large scarlet prawns, mountains of Dungeness crab, smoked salmon, smoked trout and a large tray of purplish-blue sea urchins, their sharp spines twitching. Locals come in to buy their fish, chatting with the servers, with whom they are on a first name basis.

When you get inside the door of the depot, you are offered a glass of wine or beer, making the last few minutes of waiting more bearable. This is old-time San Francisco — a long, diner-style room, maybe 10-feet wide, with a long marble counter and about 20 stools. The wall is covered with sports memorabilia and pictures of fish. An old-fashioned cash register and antique black rotary telephone complete the decor.

You sit elbow-to-elbow with your neighbor, hoping that you don’t send crab or oyster crackers flying into someone else’s lap. The menu is listed on the wall. We start with a cup of creamy clam chowder with vegetables, chunks of potatoes, clams and a soupçon of herbs, so good that a piece of sourdough bread is required to sop up every last drop.

Try any of the combination seafood salads. Ours is heaped high with fresh crab, bay shrimp, prawns and chunks of lobster, covered with a creamy pink Louie dressing on a bed of fresh, crisp, iceberg lettuce. We wash it down with a glass of ice cold California chardonnay recommended by our server.

But what we really came here for are the oysters — shucked in front of us at the counter. We go for a mixture of a dozen kumamotos, miyagi and bluepoints, glistening on their scalloped half shell on a large platter of shaved ice. Spritz them with some lemon juice or dunk them in the pink mignonette of shallots and red vinegar before popping the smooth, briny, buttery, juicy fresh crustaceans into your mouth. Ecstasy! It doesn’t take more than a few minutes before a second dozen is being prepared.

The service is very friendly. The servers are constantly moving, checking on the customers, offering advice, chatting. Even though there is a line outside, there is never any pressure to “hurry up and move on.”

This tiny hole in the wall was named as an American classic in 2000 by the James Beard Foundation. It is easy to understand why. Be sure to make it a stop on your schedule the next time you are in San Francisco. There is one requirement. You have to love oysters. But if you have never tried an oyster, this is the perfect place for a first bit. Bon appetit!

IF YOU GO
Swan Oyster Depot is at 1517 Polk Street, San Francisco (between Sacramento and California Streets on  Polk). Open from 0800 to 1600; cash only. No reservations. Get there as early as possible to avoid a long line, and be aware that if you are a group, it is unlikely that you will be able to sit together.

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