Incredible Mesquite-Grill Seafood Dinner at Pier Market
This post discusses an Incredible Mesquite-Grill Seafood Dinner at Pier Market in San Francisco. The article highlights my wife and my experience dining on Legendary Pier 39 in San Francisco overlooking the sea lions at Pier Market.
The review is part of my San Francisco Foodie Adventure.
San Francisco Travel introduced me to Pier Market who generously hosted our meal at the restaurant. The views expressed below are my own.
Pier Market
Pier Market is family owned and operated and has been in business since 1983 on Pier 39.
The restaurant is located along the waterfront and it offers views of the sea lions and some of the boats traveling near the pier.
If you are in a hurry you can try some of the great food at their counter Crab Stand.
The restaurant specializes in a mesquite-grill which adds and amazing flavor that you don’t find these days on seafood.
The menu is extensive and it offers sustainable seafood along with steaks, burgers and many other items.
Location
Our Incredible Mesquite Grill Seafood Dinner at Pier Market is located within PIER 39, which is a popular tourist destination for shopping, dining and catching some amazing views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge.
The restaurant is located about halfway inside the Pier 39 complex.
An outdoor patio is available as well as indoor seating.
Arrival
My wife and I arrived at Pier Market and were greeted by the host who prepared a table for us and then offered to seat us within a minute of our arrival.
The host welcomed us to the restaurant and he escorted us to a table with a water view in the side room at the restaurant.
The host assisted us with seating and then provided menus for my wife and I. The host asked us to enjoy our meal.
Our server arrived at the table within a minute, introduced himself and welcomed us.
In addition, the manager greeted us at the beginning of our dining experience and he welcomed us and provided an overview on the location. The manager pointed out the unique mesquite options and he recommended.
The server offered cocktails as well as provided water upon our request.
The server could recommend a specific cocktail when I asked a question about the options and he also assisted my wife in ordering her drink by customizing it with her alcohol preference.
The server highlighted areas of the menu before giving us a few minutes to decide.
Menu
The menu at Pier Market is large and it offered a mix of local sustainable seafood which is cooked on a mesquite grill.
The appetizer menu features calamari, grilled sourdough garlic bread, mussels, crab and many other options.
The restaurant is also made famous for its Clam Chowder as well as offers seafood cocktails including fresh shrimp, oysters and crab.
The main feature of the menu is the mesquite grilled fresh seafood.
The grilled options include Salmon, Rock Cod, Pacific Sole, Trout, Mahi Mahi, Ahi Tuna, Swordfish, Shrimp and of course Lobster Tails.
The grill also offers chicken, steak and ribs.
A variety of pastas are also available.
The entrée specials include Crab Cakes, Shrimp, Whole Dungeness Crab, Ciopinno and Jambalaya.
The menu offers something for everyone but I would highly recommend the mesquite items and they offer an incredible flavor.
Dinner Experience
Our server provided my wife and my cocktails a few minutes after we ordered them.
I selected a Golden Gate Cooler.
The Golden Gate Cooler was made with coconut rum, banana liquor, orange and pineapple juice with grenadine.
The drink was shaken and garnished neatly with a pineapple.
The Golden Fate Cooler had a well-blended taste and it was refreshing and light. The rum was excellent and I enjoyed the cocktail.
My wife ordered a dirty martini.
The martini had an excellent alcohol level but it could have used more olive juice to make it dirty. It was prepared well though and was served in a decorative glass.
When we were ready to order our meal, the server made recommendations throughout the menu.
In addition, the manager made a few suggestions to help us with ordering.
We ended up ordering a small order of mussels to share along with a small order of crab cakes.
The server thanked us and he asked us about our entrée selections.
My wife ordered the Mesquite Grilled Lobster Tails and I ordered the Mixed Seafood Grill to sample several options from the Mesquite Grill.
The server thanked us and he asked us to relax and enjoy bread and our cocktails while our meal was prepared.
Appetizers
The appetizers were served about eight minutes after ordering.
We ordered Steamed Mussels from the appetizer menu.
The Steamed Mussels were served in a tangy red coconut broth. The mussels were also cooked with onions and peppers which were seasoned well in the coconut curry broth.
The mussels were cooked perfectly and they were fresh and had an excellent taste. The coconut curry was slightly sweet, which didn’t overpower the mussels and it was excellent. The dish was served attractively at the table.
Our second appetizer was crab cakes.
Two medium sized crab cakes were provided on a decorative plate. The crab cakes were served hot and they were filled with a lot of crab. The cakes were seasoned well and they were cooked perfectly and presented attractively.
A tangy Cajun remoulade was served with the cakes which further enhanced the flavor.
The server checked back with us several times while we were enjoying the appetizers.
After we finished, he offered to remove the used dishes and we accepted.
Entrees
The entrees for Incredible Mesquite-Grill Seafood Dinner at Pier Market were served about four minutes after we finished our appetizers.
My wife ordered Lobster Tails.
The Lobster Tails were served hot. The Lobster Tails were grilled perfectly on the mesquite grill. The lobster tails were tender and they were easy to take out of the shell. The lobster tails were served with a warm butter sauce which enhanced the flavor and was rich.
The Lobster Tails were served with grilled potatoes and vegetables. The vegetables and potatoes were excellent and they further enhanced the meal.
The portion of the Lobster was generous and the dish was excellent.
I ordered the Mixed Grill.
The Mixed Grill was served hot. The dish included salmon, swordfish and shrimp.
The three seafood options were grilled perfectly and they took on an incredible mesquite flavor. The swordfish was mild and it went well with the tartar sauce that was served on the side. The swordfish was tender and it had an excellent taste. The salmon had the most flavor of the dish and it was enhanced from the mesquite flavor. The shrimp was also cooked perfectly and had a good flavor. The portion size was generous and I could not finish the dish.
The mixed grill was served with fresh potatoes and vegetables. The potato and vegetables were excellent. Fresh lemon was provided for the seafood as well and it was fresh.
The server checked back with us a few times during out entrees. In addition, the manager checked in with us and confirmed that we enjoyed our selections.
After we finished the meal, the server cleared the table and he encouraged us to try dessert or after dinner drinks.
My wife and I were full at that point. The server thanked us for dining and he provided the check.
The server invited us to return and he thanked us sincerely,
As we departed the restaurant, two other servers thanked us for dining and they wished us a good evening.
In addition, the host thanked us as well and wished us a good night.
Overall
Our Incredible Mesquite-Grill Seafood Dinner at Pier Market did not disappoint. The mesquite cooked seafood was incredible. The recommendations from the server and manager were excellent. We found the service attentive and both the manager and server made us feel warmly welcomed. The menu was extensive and we enjoyed every bite. The only thing we would change, would have been to have more olive juice in the martini. Otherwise the meal was incredible. We would recommend a mesquite seafood dinner here and would be happy to return in the future.
Have you dined at Pier Market? How did your experience compare?
Photos: With the exception of four photos provided by Pier Market, the images were taken by me.