Alioto's Waterside Café, San Francisco

Located on the first level of its parent restaurant, Alioto's Waterside Café gives diners prime views of the Bay and Sicilian-style seafood, a combination that lead Gayot to conclude that “locals love the place, especially if they were born with … some serious Italian taste buds.”

The fourth-generation family-owned seafood restaurant, which began as a small stand on Fisherman’s Wharf in 1925, lauds its dungeness crab, echoing Frommer’s assessment that whether it’s “cracked, caked, stuffed, or stewed, it’s impossible to get your fill.” The menu lists six official cooking styles for the dungeness: hot or cold, wharf style, garlic-butter sauce, Asian style, Old Bay seasoning, or Cajun style. Each way offers different flavors, but the wharf style’s merger of white wine and garlic might evoke the meat’s richness the best. Lest all six options leave room for more, clams, lobster, scallops, and steak round out the menu. Pair it all with a glass from Alioto’s wine list, winner of a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.