Neptune's Palace & Sea Lion Cafe

Sittin’ in the mornin’ sun
I’ll be sittin’ when the evenin’ come
Watching the ships roll in
And then I watch ‘em roll away again, yeah
I’m sittin’ on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away

The opening lyrics of Otis Redding’s biggest hit song came to him while dangling his legs off the back of a Sausalito houseboat. If Otis liked that view, he would adore “wastin’ time” a few miles away at Pier 39’s Neptune’s Palace. At Neptune’s, ships of all shapes and sizes come within a Frisbee toss of the second-floor windows and hundreds of sea lions bark directly below the Sea Lion Café, which is connected to Neptune’s. But tragically, he died in a 1967 plane crash, six weeks before the song was released.

Neptune’s has the most commanding view of any restaurant on Pier 39 and arguably the best seafood. Its location directly above the pedestrian promenade that wraps around the back of Pier 39 and the harbor entrance for many bay cruise vessels guarantees a steady diet of people and boat watching. The view also takes in the sweep of San Francisco Bay, from the Golden Gate Bridge and Sausalito to Alcatraz, one mile away.

It’s so distracting that it’s hard to concentrate on the food. When you do, it’s a pleasure. Befitting a restaurant named after the god of the sea, seafood is the star of the menu. Signature entrees on both the lunch and dinner menus are the Almond Salmon Fettuccine and Hazelnut Crusted Sea Bass. And the Signature Seafood Salad is a montage of crab, shrimp, vegetables and Sonoma greens.

One of Neptune’s four large, connected seating areas—all with similar bay views—is actually a different restaurant, the Sea Lion Café, which has a separate entrance behind Neptune’s. It’s named after Pier 39’s hundreds of hefty sea lions who have made the old docks just off the pier their home for 20 years. They can be observed directly below the café, which is especially fun for kids. The separate menu is accordingly kid-and family-friendly, with both lunch and dinner entrees priced from $9 to $18 (try the $11 Rock Shrimp Wrap or $11.50 Fried Snapper Sandwich), plus a kids’ menu.

Otis never had it so good.

HelloSanFrancisco Tip: The two-course specials ($24/dinner, $22/lunch) combine a starter like Seafood Bisque or Caesar Salad with an entrée like Split Roasted Jumbo Prawns or Asiago Crusted Rainbow Trout.

- by Bob Cooper, San Francisco Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Bob Cooper

Bob Cooper is a full-time freelance writer (www.bob-cooper.com) who writes about travel, outdoor sports and health. He is a monthly contributor to Runner's World and has written recent articles for other national magazines such as Continental, Ladies' Home Journal and Inc.