The oldest restaurants in San Francisco

North Beach is famous for its quaint Italian charm and nowhere epitomizes that magic better than Liguria Bakery on Washington Square Park. Started by three Genovesan brothers in 1911 as a full service bakery, Liguria has, over the years, dropped all its offerings but one: foccacia. Each morning, Liguria sets out dozens of sheets of its buttery bread in flavors like pesto and cheddar jalapeno. Within hours, the focaccia is gone and the bakery closes its doors. If you want a taste, be sure to get there early.

You might not notice this hole-in-the-wall Nob Hill seafood joint if it weren’t for the long line outside. Part market, part restaurant, Swan Oyster Depot has been hocking fresh seafood since four Danish brothers started the business in 1912. Belly up to the bar to indulge in local oysters, Dungeness crab, chowder and smoked fish. If you’re looking for something a little different try one of their secret menu offerings like Sicilian sashimi (thinly sliced raw salmon, tuna and scallops drizzled in olive oil) or Crabsanthemum (crab legs in a flower arrangement with Louie sauce).

High above the Pacific Ocean, overlooking the historic Sutro Baths, stands the stoic Cliff House. Originally established in 1858, Cliff House was damaged in two tragic fires in 1894 and 1907, causing it to be rebuilt and renovated numerous times over the last century. The current building (its fifth) dates to 1937. The Cliff House boasts two separate restaurants, both famous for their Ramos Fizz (a gin drink made with egg whites and cream) and soft airy popovers. At the more casual Bistro, brunch on Eggs San Francisco, poached eggs with Dungeness crab in a brandy cream sauce. At upscale Sutro’s, classic meat and seafood dishes are perfect complements to the restaurant’s unbeatable sunset view.

This no-frills brunch spot is one of San Francisco’s last real diners. Opened in 1918 as a family-oriented soda fountain, today St. Francis Fountain’s clientele is decidedly more hipster with menu offerings to match. Alongside classic fountain drinks like egg cream sodas and milkshakes, they serve up a variety of vegetarian and vegan options including the SF Reuben sandwich and the Devil Burger made with marinated seitan. Meat-lovers should order the Patty’s Meltdown, their version of an old-school cheeseburger on rye bread.

Fisherman’s Wharf is a labyrinth of seafood restaurants claiming world fame but there’s only one that really deserves the honor: Alioto’s. Named after Nunzio Alioto who began his business selling lunch to Italian dock workers out of stall #8 in 1925, the modest eatery expanded over the years to become a two-story, full service Italian seafood restaurant. Alioto’s offers surf and turf, heavy on the surf, with specialities like Nonna Rosa’s Crab Cioppino and house made seafood sausage. Keep an eye out for the restaurant’s two walls made entirely of clam shells eaten by patrons over the last century.

This James-Beard-award-winning restaurant got its start as a simple coffee stand in 1849. In 1887, a Croatian immigrant named John Tadich purchased the stand and renamed it Tadich Grill. Tadich’s original claim to fame was as the first restaurant in town to cook seafood over a charcoal grill in the Croatian tradition, a method that continues to draw patrons even after the restaurant moved to its current Financial District location in 1967. The charcoal grilled sole, halibut and swordfish remain Tadich mainstays alongside other succulent seafood dishes.