Crustacean Cements San Francisco’s Financial District as a Dining Neighborhood | Eater SF

"Opened on Pine Street in 2025, this legendary California Vietnamese restaurant’s Financial District location immediately pushed downtown’s dining scene to raise its game, offering dishes that few other spots in the neighborhood produce. The restaurant is beloved for its singular preparation of crab, with butter pooling beneath strikingly red shellfish that can arrive untouched, pre-cracked, or cracked for different prices, and in December 2025 the market-price crab ran about $88 with a $5 cracking fee; the salt and pepper crab here is very much the main character, and licking the seasoning from oily fingers makes it all worthwhile. Garlic noodles are described as a mandatory $16 side order, and the drinks are serious, with an inventive Saigon 75 that weaves together lemongrass and bergamot and an Oa-Hoi-Can Negroni built on Mal Bien Zacate Limón mezcal. Dessert demands the baked Alaska, which comes with thick, lightly torched meringue, untreated strawberries scattered over the plate, and a thin layer of chocolate underneath. The overall vibe feels born in a Beverly Hills Shangri-la, with a check-in room, a lounge and bar for waiting, and a sprawling dining room that could fairly be called glittering and plush. Practical considerations include the famously difficult parking situation in the FiDi, making nearby BART stations and plentiful bus routes attractive options, while those who do drive should be prepared to pay for a parking garage." - Paolo Bicchieri