Sotto Mare
The Verdict
"Great Italian seafood in North Beach. Known for their Cioppino. "
What you need to know
Sotto Mare calls itself an oysteria. It’s a North Beach seafood counter on Green Street serving cioppino, fresh oysters, and Dungeness crab from a tightly packed 30-seat dining room.
What to Order
Cioppino: A large bowl with Dungeness crab, clams, mussels, shrimp, and fish in a tomato broth. Bring an appetite and ask for extra bread. Cioppino is the seafood stew associated with the Italian-American fishing community in North Beach, in use since at least the late 1800s.
Crab Legs: Prepared with butter and garlic.
Oysters: From the raw bar. Ask what’s in that day.
Calamari: Fried, tender inside, crisp outside.
Pasta with Seafood: An alternative to the cioppino.
The Space
A narrow space on Green Street with a counter wrapping around the open kitchen and a few tables against the opposite wall. About thirty seats, usually full. The counter lets you watch the kitchen work.
Practical Info
Price: Cioppino around $35 to $40
Reservations: Parties of 3 or more only. Parties of 2 are walk-in. Waits run 45 to 60 minutes during peak.
Hours: Mon-Thu 11:30am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11:30am-10pm, Sun 11:30am-9pm
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What to get
Great Italian seafood in North Beach. Known for their Cioppino.
