Sotto Mare

Memorably delicious.

We understood the assignment. A group of six arrived at Sotto Mare for our 5:15pm reservation in anticipation of what has been called by many as THE BEST cioppino. Escorted down to the basement where two smaller rooms revealed themselves. First to arrive, it felt more like a private party of intimate friends. Within minutes the room was filled and a cacophony of languages overtook the room. It seemed a mix of regulars and first time visitors.

Seriously, we zeroed in on a few green salads, the french bread with butter, and the ever famous seafood stew. In fact we started with two pots then adding on a third pot of cioppino. So much goodness! While each pot had generous portions of clams, mussels, shrimp, dungeness crab and penne pasta, we still wanted more. Until our bellies just couldn't take any more. Good think I wore my elastic waisted pants, in preparation of this evening. Hahah. Good food, great company, a little bit of red, a little bit of white, and whole lotta delicious seafood. Does it get any better than this?!

Thank you Mike C for gathering us for this memorable meal. Thank you AL, Ed, Dennis and Shirley for introducing me to the goodness within the walls of Sotto Mare. Would I return? For that ahmazing cioppino and great company for sure!

5 STARS.

Sotto Mare is easily one of the best places to have a true San Francisco meal because their specialty is one of the most famous dishes created in SF: cioppino! Come hungry to Sotto Mare because the portion sizes are humongous. They don't take reservations so be sure to arrive either before 5:30pm or after 7:30pm (to avoid the rush). Here's what to order:

- The "Best Damn Crab Cioppino" (5 stars, $54.95): this dish is big enough for 2, maybe even 3 people. It's the best cioppino I've ever tried in my life. It's a huge bowl full of clams, mussels, squid, crab, in a tomato based broth that isn't too liquidy. It's delicious with the bread they serve!

- West coast oysters (4 stars, $2/oyster): delicious west coast oysters are an amazing appetizer to share

- Blue cheese wedge salad (4 stars, $10): huge salad to share as an appetizer as well

The service is fast and friendly. The owners are the nicest people you'll ever meet. I used to live in San Francisco and this would be one of my go-to places on the weekends. Now I have to travel up there to go eat here, but it's a MUST try!

Food is great
Service is amazing
Hostess is amazing as well
We ordered fresh oysters and it was fresh

Food seems to taste better with your loved ones and whew, this review is long overdue. My gf and I came nice and early so there was no wait.

All we got was the cioppino and bay scallop fettuccine which theoretically should have fed 3-4 people but oops, we finished it all.

The cioppino is a tomato stew of nothing but seafood and phew, we cleaned house with it. Crab legs, mussels, shrimp, clams littered the trash bucket as we plowed through spoon after spoon. The tomato stew was amazing with the bread they provided. It was all amazing frankly.

The bay scallop fettuccine was also amazing. Nice and creamy and bay scallops that tasted oh so fresh. Even now my mouth waters just thinking about them.

So yeah, my gf and I definitely ate more than we expected but maybe that's what happens when you're hungry and eating amazing food up in Bay Area.

This popular eatery is located in little Italy, North Beach. It is not only popular with the locals, but the visitors. Reservations are only accepted for larger groups. Going early is your best option for a shorter wait. After check in you will be given a restaurant pager notifying you when your table is ready.

The cioppino is a popular dish loaded with seafood, but not my favorite. My usuals are the seafood risottos and the saute scallops.

Classic SF. They know what they're doing. Nice menu that is very focused and allows everyone to get in and out quickly, if need be. That's helpful if you are waiting for a table. Friday evening, 5pm, post-SF Sea Music Festival down at Aquatic Park. Outdoor seating full already, but 2 seats at the counter were fantastic. Hot tip: if you do like to watch the cooks, try to get seated allllll the way down at the end of the bar for a front-row show. Also, if it's warm in there, they have a fan at the far end so you'll feel a nice cool breeze the whole time. There's also a couple of tables back there where you'll also feel it.

We were seated and brought water and a bread basket immediately. Everyone is super efficient and we quickly were offered/given drinks, and our order taken. The buzzy beehive went on around us everywhere and all the employees seemed to like working together...they better because it's tight quarters behind the counter and in the rest of the restaurant. We had west coast oysters, and I added on an oyster shooter. All were fresh and delicious. I guess we were in the mood for clams because hubby ordered clams with linguine and I ordered clam steamers in broth (knowing I'd be dipping that bread basket bread in there). They were the same price and hubby's had a TON of clams, and mine (with no noodles) had TWO TONS of clams. Point being there was more than enough food with both dishes. And the manila clams are just what you want....tiny and flavorful.

And that was that. We definitely want to split the crab cioppino next time - the couple next to us had it and it looked fantastic. Friendly service, quick in and out (although you could linger if you want, I suspect) and good portions. Love, love, love and will be back.

Came across this gem in Little Italy from a You Tuber. Took my family here for some Cioppino and I am so glad we did. Sotto Mare was a casual restaurant. They have seating on the sidewalk outside, bar service and more seating downstairs. Casual setting and the friendly servers. Here is what we ordered...

2 dozen oysters- East Coast vs West Coast 10/10
Clam shooter 8/10
Cioppino- DELICIOUS 10/10
Lobster Ravioli- Yummy and Rich 10/10
Roasted Garlic Crab with Linguini 9/10
Sourdough to soak up all the yummy sauce 10/10

Highlight was the Cioppino! So fresh and flavorful with the perfect consistency. Came with a little Penne. It was a perfect and complete
Dish. We ordered 2 of them. Shares between 3 adults and kids and it was more than enough.
We also got to take some home and it was even tastier the next day!

Recommended!!!!!

This spot was delicious! I would recommend to reserve early as me and my bf had walked in and had to wait 1.5 hours. We were given a buzzer so we were able to walk around the block. There are also other spots to try while you wait. I had the fettuccini with bay scallop! Highly recommend! We also tried the lobster ravioli, it was good. The oysters were so yummy and fresh! We sat outside and it was so busy! We were served bread when we got seated. Definitely coming back!

My wife and I visited Sotto Mare to have some clam chowder and a beer. The restaurant is intimate but we were seated immediately. I requested to sit at the bar. Behind the bar is their kitchen and bar so you can see everything that's going on. They have a lot of decorations which are entertaining to stare at while you wait for your food. They provide complimentary bread and I enjoyed that they gave us a pitcher of water - it sucks when you have to rely on someone else to refill it. The clam chowder was great. It is my personal favorite. The soup has big chunks of fish and bacon. I can't wait to return for another round.

Visited Sotto Mare for the famous cioppino and it didn't disappoint! For starters, every single table ordered cioppino when we went for Saturday. They hand out bibs for the dish so it was funny to see the restaurant full of customers in their bibs. The cioppino is $55 for two and it definitely is a large portion size! It comes with large shrimp, small shrimp, mussels, clams, squid, small scallops and crab as well as penne pasta. There's a side of bread that is great for dipping in the broth.

We also ordered west coast oysters and clams on the half shell. The oysters were really large and I personally would've preferred smaller ones that are less fishy. I also thought the clams could've been removed from the shell better so they would be easier to eat.

We sat at the bar and it was fun to see the chefs chuck oysters and sauté seafood. All in all, it was a great dining experience. The food came very fast, the waitress was nice and I'm glad I can check off cioppino from my S.F. bucket list!