Broccoli & Chocolate

restaurants * food events * news

  • About
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Giveaways
  • Twitter

Review: Pier 23

October 6, 2014 by Angie Sommer 1 Comment

Let me tell you why I love Pier 23. The food is decent, the cocktails are mediocre, and the service can be sporadic. Ok, those are not reasons I love Pier 23, but I keep going because it’s such a cool place despite all these things.

The front of Pier 23, as shown on their website

The front of Pier 23, as shown on their website

Pier 23 is one of those places in a big city that feels like is has history. It’s got an old-fashioned, super casual vibe to it, but it’s popping with patrons young and old, so it still feels alive and fun. It’s small and oddly-placed along the vast waterfront full of cavernous, mysterious pier buildings — a welcoming oasis along this often inaccessible-seeming stretch.

IMAG1489

Rear patio tent seating

Bay views to the north

Bay views to the north

The marquis out front, as shown on their website

The marquis out front, as shown on their website

A couple things that are a bit more tangible: outdoor bay-side seating, both in the open air and under a tent-like, clear-walled enclosure. I generally opt for the latter since it’s almost always breezy out there, but it’s nice to have both options. Another feature: live music. In the indoor bar area that I would generally describe as a dive bar, they often have musical guests that really round out the feel of the whole place. Last time I was there, they had a rad blues band with a rockin’ piano player. I was smiling and tapping my foot even before we walked in the door.

Shrimp and scallop ceviche -- $16

Shrimp and scallop ceviche — $16

Olives -- $7

Olives — $7

Baked oysters -- $10

Baked oysters — $10

The food is hit and miss, but as long as you’re not expecting gourmet, you’ll be fine. The baked parmesan oysters ($10 for 3) were actually pretty dang good, and I recall enjoying the tuna poke tostada ($12) quite a bit in the past. The pricing is a bit higher than I would expect, but this is primo territory, tourist and otherwise, so I wouldn’t really expect anything less. Plus, I’m actually happy to pay a bit more for seafood dishes… cheap shrimp always scares me.

If you’re heading down the Embarcadero and looking for a place to greet you with a smile, a cold beer, and amazing views of our beautiful bay, stop in to Pier 23 and soak up the San Francisco charm.

IMAG1496

Share this post: on Twitter on Facebook on Google+

Filed Under: Bar, Outdoor Dining, Oysters, Seafood Tagged With: Embarcadero, San Francisco

« Giveaway: Blaze Pizza!
Giveaway: Diestel Turkey Roast + $50 Whole Foods Gift Card »

Comments

  1. Moo says

    October 8, 2014 at 4:36 pm

    Yep…its kinda like that.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Moo Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Giveaways

Here at Broccoli & Chocolate, I love to run giveaways for my readers!
See Past Giveaways
Hey! I'm Angie!

Email Subscription

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

SF Neighborhoods

Chinatown
Cole Valley
Embarcadero
Financial District
Fort Mason
Glen Park
Haight
Inner Sunset
Marina
Mission
NOPA
North Beach
Potrero Hill
Presidio
Sea Cliff
SOMA
Union Square

Bay Area Cities

Alameda
Berkeley
Burlingame
Castro Valley
Dublin
Emeryville
Foster City
Fremont
Hayward
Mountain View
Newark
Oakland
Pacifica
Redwood City
San Francisco
San Jose
San Leandro
San Lorenzo
San Mateo
Sausalito
Walnut Creek

Travel

Greater Bay Area
Greater California
Napa Area
Santa Barbara
Travel

Food Category

Food Blogs

Bay Area Bites
Everyday Bites
Food Fashionista
Food Is Gross
Foodhoe's Foraging
Kels Eats
Vegansaurus

© Copyright 2014 Broccoli & Chocolate · All Rights Reserved · Designed by Michelle