The Verdict
Sam's Grill & Seafood has operated on or near Bush Street since 1867, which makes it one of the oldest continuously running restaurants in San Francisco and a fixture of the old-school Financial District lunch. It moved to its current home at 374 Bush Street in 1946, and the room still keeps its hallmark: a row of private curtained booths where a waiter is summoned by buzzer, prized for discreet business conversation. When the restaurant was at risk of closing in 2014, long-time Sam's waiter Peter Quartaroli bought it with a group of regulars, and he still runs it today.
The menu is classic San Francisco seafood, cooked plainly and well. The signature is sand dabs à la Sam — the delicate local flatfish floured, pan-fried, then skinned, boned and finished tableside with drawn butter. Other long-standing orders include the Hangtown fry (an oyster-and-bacon omelette dating to the Gold Rush), Dungeness crab cioppino, petrale sole, and the creamed spinach baked with a poached egg. Expect mains roughly in the $25–$45 range, with the sand dabs around $30 per the current carte.
Sam's is not a chef-driven tasting room and does not chase trends; its appeal is continuity — the same dishes, the same booths, the same white-jacketed service that the city's lawyers, brokers and judges have relied on for over a century and a half.
Why It Works for Closing a Deal
For closing a deal in the Financial District, Sam's offers something newer rooms cannot: a private curtained booth a block from Montgomery Street, summoned-by-buzzer service that lets a sensitive conversation run uninterrupted, and a 150-year reputation that signals seriousness without ostentation. Order the sand dabs and the cioppino, and the table does the rest.
Not for diners after modern, chef-driven cooking — or anyone wanting a lively, see-everyone dining room
Sam's is a heritage seafood grill, not a contemporary tasting-menu restaurant: the menu is fixed, classic and plainly cooked, and the curtained booths are deliberately enclosed rather than social. If you want inventive plating, a buzzy open room, or a long degustation, look elsewhere in the city. It also keeps weekday-leaning hours, so it suits lunch and early dinner more than a late night out.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Sam's Grill and who owns it?
Sam's Grill & Seafood has run since 1867, making it one of the oldest continuously operating restaurants in San Francisco. It has been at 374 Bush Street since 1946. Long-time Sam's waiter Peter Quartaroli bought the restaurant with a group of regular customers in 2014 and still runs it.
What should I order at Sam's Grill?
The signature dish is sand dabs à la Sam — local flatfish floured, pan-fried, then boned and finished with drawn butter. Other classics are the Hangtown fry oyster omelette, Dungeness crab cioppino, petrale sole, and creamed spinach baked with a poached egg. Mains run roughly $25 to $45.
What are the curtained booths at Sam's Grill?
Sam's keeps a row of private wooden booths closed off by a curtain, with a buzzer to call the waiter. They have long been favoured by Financial District lawyers and brokers for confidential lunches, and they are the main reason the room suits closing a deal or a discreet meeting.
Where is Sam's Grill and do I need a reservation?
Sam's Grill is at 374 Bush Street in San Francisco's Financial District, near Montgomery Street. It is walk-in friendly but reservations are recommended, especially for a curtained booth or a weekday business lunch; the curtained booths in particular are limited and book up first.
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