San Francisco Oyster Bars: Which Oysters Are on the Menu

Menus checked on . Raw-bar lists change daily, so use this as a guide and confirm with the restaurant.

Nine of the 12 San Francisco oyster bars we checked post the names of their oysters online. Mission Street Oyster Bar (12), Foreign Cinema (9) and Bar Crudo (6) publish the longest lists. The names that turn up most often are Hog Island Sweetwater, Kumamoto and Kusshi. Each oyster below links to our tasting notes, so you can decide what to order before you sit down.

Oyster bars checked
12
Name their oysters
9
Menu listings
48
Linked to tasting notes
44

Most common oysters on San Francisco menus

Counted across the 9 menus that name their oysters. These are the names you are most likely to see more than once in San Francisco.

Hog Island Sweetwater oyster illustration

Hog Island Sweetwater

US West Coast

The signature California oyster from Tomales Bay. Rich and sweet with creamy, buttery texture, balanced brine, and a slightly smoky finish.

SweetBrinyCreamy
B
S
M
C

On 3 of 9 menus: Bar Crudo, Hog Island Oyster Co., Hayes Street Grill

Kumamoto oyster illustration

Kumamoto

US West Coast

The gateway oyster. Known for its sweet, melon-forward flavor and petite, deeply cupped shell, the Kumamoto is beloved by beginners and experts alike.

SweetMelon
B
S
M
C

On 3 of 9 menus: Mission Street Oyster Bar, Bar Crudo, Waterbar

Kusshi oyster illustration

Kusshi

Canada West Coast

The 'ultimate' tumbled oyster. Intensively shaped in mechanical drums to create a smooth, purple-black shell with an exceptionally deep cup and pillowy meat. Clean, delicate flavor with mild brininess.

CleanDelicateBriny
B
S
M
C

On 3 of 9 menus: Mission Street Oyster Bar, Bar Crudo, Billingsgate

Miyagi oyster illustration

Miyagi

US West Coast

A Pacific Northwest favorite with Japanese heritage. Full-bodied and meaty with a crisp, nutty flavor, mild brine, and balanced fruit and vegetal notes.

NuttyCrispBriny
B
S
M
C

On 3 of 9 menus: Mission Street Oyster Bar, Billingsgate, Little Shucker

Shigoku oyster illustration

Shigoku

US West Coast

Tumbled Pacific with firm texture. Cucumber, melon, clean brine.

SweetCucumber
B
S
M
C

On 3 of 9 menus: Mission Street Oyster Bar, Foreign Cinema, Bar Crudo

Barachois oyster illustration

Barachois

Canada East Coast

A Prince Edward Island oyster from the waters off Cymbria on the north shore, sold in choice and cocktail sizes. Deep cups and clean shells, with a bright, clean flavor that balances sweetness and salt.

BalancedSweetBriny
B
S
M
C

On 2 of 9 menus: Waterbar, Little Shucker

Also on more than one menu: Beausoleil (2), Drakes Baja (2), Hog Island Highwater (2), Kumiai (2), La Saint Simon (2), Standish Shore (2).

San Francisco oyster bars and what they serve

Mission Street Oyster Bar

Mission District 2282 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94110

An oyster bar and seafood restaurant in the Mission District. Beyond the raw bar, the site names cioppino, Dungeness crab cakes and oysters Rockefeller among its dishes.

12 oysters named 11 with tasting notes

Oysters on the menu
The site's online ordering page lists oysters in two groups, "$3.00 Regular Oysters" and "$3.50 Premium Oysters". It names 12 oysters and gives no origins, so our links rest on the name alone. It reads as an ordering catalogue, so not every name will be on ice on a given day. Spellings are the site's own, including "Summer Set", "Steam Boat" and "Kumai". Royal Miyagi appears twice, once as "Rogal Miyagi"; we list it once. We read "Kumai" as Kumiai, since Kumamotos are listed separately.
Happy hour
The site says happy hour is for in-person dining only. It posts no days, times or prices, so call ahead.

Foreign Cinema

Mission District 2534 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94110

A Californian-Mediterranean restaurant in the Mission District, open since 1999, that screens films in its courtyard at dusk. Dinner is served every night and brunch on Saturday and Sunday.

9 oysters named 6 with tasting notes

  • Ichiban Skagit Bay, WA
    CucumberMildSweet
  • Island Creek Duxbury Bay, MA
    BrinyButterySweet
  • Saint Simon Saint Simon Bay, NB, CN
    BrinySweetCitrus
  • Shigoku Willapa Bay, WA
    SweetCucumber
  • Skookum Little Skookum Inlet, WA
    SweetMelonMusky
  • Standish Shore Duxbury Bay, MA
    BrinySweetButtery
  • Birch Point Baja, MX
    No profile yet
  • Blue Devils Baja, MX
    No profile yet
  • Shio Tang Skagit Bay, WA
    No profile yet
Oysters on the menu
The menus page links a dated dinner menu as a PDF; the one we read was dated Wednesday, September 30, 2026. It opens with nine oysters, each with a bay and prices by the piece, half dozen and dozen.

Bar Crudo

NoPa 655 Divisadero St., San Francisco, CA 94117

An oyster and seafood restaurant on Divisadero Street, open for dinner. Its site names arctic char crudo, lobster salad and seafood chowder as its signature dishes.

6 oysters named 6 with tasting notes

Oysters on the menu
The dinner menu's "Oysters and Shellfish" section lists six oysters, each with a region and a per-piece price. Spellings are the menu's own, including "Kumomoto". The menu lists Drakes from Baja, so it links to our Drakes Baja profile, not to Drakes Bay, which covers the closed Drake's Estero farm in Marin County.
Happy hour
Monday to Saturday, 5pm to 6:30pm: an "Oyster of the Day" at $12 a half dozen or $24 a dozen.

Waterbar

Embarcadero 399 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105

A seafood restaurant on the Embarcadero waterfront, open since 2008 for lunch and dinner every day. The site says it donates 5 cents for every oyster sold to a local cause.

5 oysters named 5 with tasting notes

Oysters on the menu
The "Oysters & Caviar" menu lists five oysters, each with how and where it was grown and a per-piece price, plus a chef's selection of three oysters by the half dozen or dozen. The menu places Drakes Bay in San Quintin, Baja, so it links to our Drakes Baja profile, not to Drakes Bay, which covers the closed Drake's Estero farm in Marin County. Tomasini links to our Tomales Bay profile: Tomasini Point is one of Tomales Bay Oyster Company's two growing areas.
Happy hour
The bar menu and happy hour run daily from 2:30pm to 5pm, with drink specials Monday to Friday only. The posted happy hour menu has no oyster special.

Billingsgate

Noe Valley 3859 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94114

A seafood market and cafe on 24th Street, opened in December 2020 by the owners of a wholesale seafood company. It does not take reservations.

4 oysters named 4 with tasting notes

Oysters on the menu
The cafe menu's "Raw Bar" lists four oysters, sold by the half dozen and dozen. Each has only a state or country abbreviation, printed as "CA", "MA" and "CND".
Happy hour
"Oysters & Cava" happy hour in Noe Valley, Tuesday to Friday, 3pm to 5pm.
Other locations
5655 College Ave, Oakland, CA 94618 (Rockridge Market Hall)

Leo's Oyster Bar

Financial District 568 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, CA

A cocktail bar and seafood restaurant in the Financial District, open Monday to Friday for dinner, with lunch Wednesday to Friday. Its two seafood platters each come with a dozen oysters.

4 oysters named 4 with tasting notes

Oysters on the menu
The home page links a "Dinner 2026 Menu" as a PDF. Under "oysters" it lists four to share, each with a province or state and a per-piece price, and two dressed oysters, "Diamonds & Pearls" with caviar and "Eloise". The menu is printed in capitals; "Rockpoint" is its spelling.
Happy hour
Monday to Friday, 3:30pm to 5:30pm. The site posts no happy hour menu.

Hog Island Oyster Co.

Ferry Building 1 Ferry Building 11A, The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94111

The Ferry Building oyster bar of a company that raises oysters on its own farms in Tomales Bay and Humboldt Bay. It is open every day and takes no reservations.

3 oysters named 3 with tasting notes

Oysters on the menu
The Ferry Building page links "Today's Menu", an online document dated 9.30.26. "Today's Oysters" lists three of the company's own oysters, each with its species and bay and priced by 6, 12 and 24, plus an "Oyster Bar Mix" of the three. The menu also has grilled oysters three ways and a tasting pour of wine paired with one oyster.
Other locations
The Boat Oyster Bar, Marshall, CA; Oxbow Oyster Bar, Napa, CA; Marin Country Mart Oyster Bar, Larkspur, CA

Little Shucker

Pacific Heights 2016 Fillmore St., San Francisco, CA 94115 (at Pine)

An oyster and wine bar on Fillmore Street from the team behind The Snug. It runs counter service with a shorter menu on weekday afternoons and full table service from Wednesday evening through Sunday.

3 oysters named 3 with tasting notes

  • Kumiai Baja California, Mexico
    BrinyCrispSweet
  • Miyagi Tomales Bay, CA
    NuttyCrispBriny
  • Barachois PEI, New Brunswick
    BalancedSweetBriny
Oysters on the menu
The menu is posted as an image. "Oysters on the Half Shell" names three oysters with their regions, all at one per-piece price with a three-piece minimum. The menu is printed in lowercase and we have capitalized it. Origins are otherwise as printed, including "PEI, New Brunswick" for Barachois. A "Baked Bar" section has oysters three ways.
Happy hour
Monday to Thursday, 4pm to 6pm: $2 oysters by the half dozen or dozen, plus small bite and drink specials.

Hayes Street Grill

Civic Center area 320 Hayes Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 (at Franklin)

A seafood restaurant on Hayes Street with a menu that changes daily. The site says its fish and shellfish are sustainably harvested and its produce comes from local farms.

2 oysters named 2 with tasting notes

Oysters on the menu
The site says the menu changes daily. Each posted menu has one oyster on the half shell, sold by the half dozen: Hog Island Sweetwater at dinner and Hog Island Highwater at lunch. Origins are as printed, including "Humbolt Bay". Both menus also have pan-fried Willapa oysters.

Popi's Oysterette

Marina 2095 Chestnut St., San Francisco, CA 94123 (corner of Steiner)

A small oyster bar on Chestnut Street in the Marina, from the people behind Tacolicious, with a counter, a dining room and sidewalk seating. It is open daily from 11:30am to 9pm.

This menu does not name its oysters, so we have not guessed. Ask your server what is on today, then look each one up in our oyster profiles.

Oysters on the menu
"Daily Oyster Selection" is described as a rotating selection of market oysters, sold by the half dozen and dozen, with a line telling you to ask your server for the day's picks. The menu also has two grilled oysters, "Milli" and "Vanilli". No varieties are named.
Happy hour
Monday to Friday, 3pm to 5pm. The happy hour menu has a half dozen chef's selection oysters for $12.

Sotto Mare

North Beach 552 Green Street, San Francisco, CA 94133

An Italian seafood restaurant in North Beach whose menu carries the name "Sotto Mare Oysteria & Seafood". Its site leads with crab cioppino and also lists clams on the half shell, chowder and seafood pasta.

This menu does not name its oysters, so we have not guessed. Ask your server what is on today, then look each one up in our oyster profiles.

Oysters on the menu
The menu is posted as images. "Oysters On Half Shell" are priced per piece as "West Coast" or "East Coast", and oyster shooters come the same two ways. No varieties are named.

Zuni Café

Civic Center area 1658 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 (between Franklin and Gough)

A restaurant on Market Street that opened in 1979. Its site lists oysters and shellfish as available all day, with lunch Friday to Sunday and dinner Tuesday to Sunday.

This menu does not name its oysters, so we have not guessed. Ask your server what is on today, then look each one up in our oyster profiles.

Oysters on the menu
The oyster list posted on the site is a sample dated Spring 2024, so we have not listed its names here. Ask for the current list.

How we put this together

We opened each restaurant's own website and its posted menu on the date shown. We read the posted menus of 22 San Francisco oyster bars and seafood restaurants and kept 12: ten whose half-shell list names its oysters, plus two oyster bars that do not. Menus came as web pages, dated PDFs, an online ordering page, an embedded document and images. Neighborhood labels are the restaurants' own, with three exceptions: Zuni Café and Hayes Street Grill name no neighborhood, and both sites give directions from Civic Center, so we use that; Little Shucker (Pacific Heights) is from a press quote on its home page. Leo's Oyster Bar prints its street address only in the event package on its site. Nothing here comes from review sites or other guides.

Oyster names and origins are copied from each menu as printed. A name links to one of our profiles only when it clearly refers to the same oyster. Flavor tags come from our profiles, not from the restaurant. Menus were checked on October 1, 2026; raw-bar lists change daily.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which San Francisco oyster bars list their oyster varieties online?

Nine of the 12 we checked on October 1, 2026: Mission Street Oyster Bar (12 varieties), Foreign Cinema (9 varieties), Bar Crudo (6 varieties), Waterbar (5 varieties), Billingsgate (4 varieties), Leo's Oyster Bar (4 varieties), Hog Island Oyster Co. (3 varieties), Little Shucker (3 varieties) and Hayes Street Grill (2 varieties). The other 3 describe their oysters only in general terms, such as a daily selection.

What are the most common oysters on San Francisco menus?

Across the 9 menus that name their oysters, the most repeated are Hog Island Sweetwater (3 menus), Kumamoto (3 menus), Kusshi (3 menus), Miyagi (3 menus) and Shigoku (3 menus). In total we counted 48 menu listings.

Which San Francisco oyster bars have an oyster happy hour?

Seven of the restaurants here advertise a happy hour on their own sites: Mission Street Oyster Bar, Bar Crudo, Waterbar, Billingsgate, Leo's Oyster Bar, Little Shucker and Popi's Oysterette. The days, times and what is included are in each listing above, as the restaurant states them. Confirm before you go, because happy hours change without notice.

What should I order at a San Francisco oyster bar if I'm new to oysters?

Start with names that are easy to find and easy to like. Of the oysters on more than one San Francisco menu, our profiles mark Hog Island Sweetwater, Kumamoto, Kusshi and Miyagi as beginner friendly. Order two or three varieties, a couple of each, and taste them plain before adding sauce.

What if the menu does not name its oysters?

Ask your server for the name of each oyster and where it was grown. Most raw bars know both, even when the printed menu does not say. As a rough guide, East Coast oysters tend to be brinier and crisper, and West Coast oysters tend to be sweeter and creamier with cucumber or melon notes. Once you have a name, you can look it up in our oyster profiles.

Why is the list at the restaurant different from this page?

Raw bar lists change daily with what the farms ship. This page records what each restaurant's own website showed on October 1, 2026. Treat it as a guide to the kind of oysters a place carries, and check the menu link in each listing for the current selection.

Browse all oyster profiles How to order oysters Best oysters by taste All oyster bar guides