Cioppino is a tomato-and-wine seafood stew of Dungeness crab, clams, mussels, prawns and white fish, invented by Genoese fishermen in San Francisco's North Beach.
Cioppino was born in San Francisco. It dates to the 1890s, when Ligurian fishermen working out of Fisherman's Wharf would 'chip in' a piece of the day's catch to a communal pot, simmered with tomato, garlic, fennel and white wine. The name comes from the Genoese ciuppin, a fish stew of the home country. Bazzurro's, an early Italian room on Fisherman's Wharf, served it from the late 1800s, and Sotto Mare on Green Street keeps the standard now. The dish is Dungeness-led between November and June; outside the season, kitchens substitute King crab. Eat it with the bib, the fingers and a torn loaf of Acme sourdough.
4 editor picks for Cioppino in San Francisco, ranked by editorial score. All San Francisco signature dishes · Cioppino across every city.
Sotto Mare ★ 4.5
north-beach · 552 Green Street, San Francisco, CA 94133
Sotto Mare in San Francisco is the North Beach Italian seafood room that does the city's best cioppino, a 12-table room that takes a few reservations.
Anchor Oyster Bar ★ 4.5
castro-noe-valley · 579 Castro Street, San Francisco, CA 94114
Anchor Oyster Bar in San Francisco is a 22-seat Castro counter that has served Dungeness, cioppino and clam chowder the same way since 1977.
Tadich Grill ★ 4.3
embarcadero · 240 California Street, San Francisco, CA 94111
Tadich Grill in San Francisco is California's oldest continuously running restaurant, opened in 1849 in the Financial District, still grilling over mesquite.
Scoma's ★ 4.3
north-beach · 1965 Al Scoma Way, Pier 47, Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, CA 94133
Scoma's in San Francisco is the 1965 Pier 47 seafood room at Fisherman's Wharf, with the Lazy Man's cioppino served from a 60-year-old family recipe.