A San Francisco Classic: Cliff House

In an effort to dine at all 3000 San Francisco restaurants(850 and counting), my wife Linda and I recently had the pleasure of dining at Sutro’s at the famous Cliff House.

The rich Cliff House history goes back to 1858 when it first opened. With stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and Ocean Beach, it is a favorite destination for locals and tourists. It is no wonder that City Guide named it “best view restaurant in the city.”

There is a casual Bistro restaurant that does not require reservations and a more elegant one called Sutro that requires a reservation. 

Sutro’s 2 story windows allows memorable vistas, sunrises and sunsets over the deep blue Pacific to be eternally deposited in your memory bank.  In 1896 former mayor and wealthy businessman Adolph Sutro opened the Sutro baths on this property. The Sutro Bath was the largest indoor public swimming pool in the world.  It was open to the public and remained open until 1966 when a fire destroyed the facility.

We enjoyed a window table at Sutro that immediately removed any stress one may be feeling from the rigors of modern life.  Our server was very helpful and radiated with joy feeling fortunate to work at this famous restaurant. There is an exceptional wine and beverage list and extensive variety of foodie delights.  We always bring our own wine and the corkage fee  is $25.00.

We began our dinner with the Ahi Tuna Tartare with pine nut, Asian pear, mint, quail egg yolk, habanero infused sesame oil, and Aleppo pepper that was as soothing as watching the waves crashing on Ocean Beach outside our window view table.  For the main course, Linda ordered the bacon crusted Scottish Salmon with pink lady apple, full belly farm rainbow chard, potato purée and whole grain mustard sauce that was presented perfectly and tasted even better.  I ordered the Sakura Pork Chop“Crepinette” with pistachio parsley crust, grilled broccolini, guanciale cauliflower purée and toasted cumin pork jus that was sensational.  For dessert, we shared the Carmel Apple Cheesecake with roasted apple compote, apple chip and salted carmel sauce that was a regal ending  to a great meal.

At the end of the day, the iconic, classic Cliff House perched high above the “great city by the bay” is a “must do” for lucky people that live nearby and for tourists visiting from all over the world.

For more informative n and to make a reservation go to:

 https://cliffhouse.com/