The Sam’s Grill entrance on Bush Street is modest, but step inside and the atmosphere shifts. Curtained, private booths line wood-paneled walls. The waitstaff wears tuxedos. Conversations carry softly above the clink of oyster shells and cocktail glasses. There’s a formality here, but it’s anything but stuffy. Sam’s has been doing this for nearly 160 years, and it shows.
Since 1867, the restaurant has served the city through gold rushes, earthquakes, and booms of every kind. It’s the fifth-oldest restaurant in the country and the third-oldest in the Bay Area, but its longevity isn’t the most interesting thing about it. There’s a certain magnetism to places that have nothing to prove. In recent years, Sam’s has found itself in that rare sweet spot—where longtime regulars rub elbows with a younger crowd newly attuned to the charms of white tablecloths, proper martinis, and menus that haven’t been focus-grouped to death. Like Bemelman’s Bar in New York City, which went from overlooked to iconic again, Sam’s is enjoying a quiet revival. It’s not nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake—it’s an appreciation for intention, polish, and a bit of swagger.
The extensive menu stays close to its roots. You’ll find nearly any type of seafood your heart desires, in a variety of preparations: grilled or fried local fish, shrimp or crab cocktail, and a number of seafood salads. The rich cioppino is a classic, best absorbed by crusty Jane the Baker sourdough. And if the Sand Dabs a la Sam’s are available (they are not always), order up. Delicate, sweet, and pan-sauteed in butter and a splash of lemon, they are prized for their moist, flaky texture.
But non seafood fans will also find much to love. There is something for everyone at Sam’s: pesto pasta, a classic wedge salad, a bone-in ribeye, and a braised, bone-in lamb shank are a few of the non-fish options. Entrees are served with fresh vegetables and buttery mashed potatoes.
Classic dishes call for a classic aperitif, and Sam’s delivers with expertly mixed, no-nonsense cocktails made from top-shelf spirits—potent, precise, and refreshingly well-priced by today’s standards.
Peter Quartaroli, who now owns and operates the restaurant, has worked in the city’s definitive dining rooms since childhood. He started at Sam’s more than two decades ago and later helped rescue it with a group of friends and investors when its future was uncertain. Since then, he’s expanded the footprint with a glass-walled patio on Belden Alley, and neighboring Sam’s Tavern, filled with television screens tuned to the latest sporting event. Quartaroli is also a film producer and actor, and is developing a script based on the restaurant’s history—a story shaped by loyalty, near misses, and the city’s ever-changing identity.
The wine list is curated by Lance Tolaio, a certified sommelier with a calm, approachable style. His selections are thoughtful, drawn from both California and abroad, and designed to support—not overshadow—the kitchen’s work. He brings a depth of knowledge honed in wine regions from Burgundy to the Santa Cruz Mountains, with a genuine enthusiasm for sharing it.
Yes, Sam’s is often described as a throwback, but that undersells what’s really happening here. While the curtained booths, formal service, and clam chowder evoke an earlier era, the effect is remarkably current. Sam’s Grill endures not because it clings to the past, but because it understands that “classic” never really goes out of style. In an age of casual everything, dinner here still feels like an occasion. And that, more than anything, is why it matters.
Photos courtesy of Sam’s Grill