San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf businesses recall golden days as they look forward to major redevelopment

By John Ramos

On Wednesday, officials at Fisherman’s Wharf discussed plans for the redevelopment of a parking area behind the Boudin’s restaurant. It’s intended to breathe new life into an area that was once said to be the third most visited tourist attraction in the entire world, but recently has fallen on hard times.

The first moving images of Fisherman’s Wharf are a film from 1897, taken with an Edison camera. In jittery black and white, it shows the old sail-powered Italian fishing boats, called “feluccas,” arriving at the harbor. Over the next century, the working wharf became an attraction, with tourists drawn to the large family-owned seafood restaurants.

“It’s fashionable to dine at Fisherman’s Wharf,” said an old newsreel from 1940, “where giant crabs and shellfish are served fresh from boiling cauldrons in the open!”

But in 2025, most of those restaurants are closed and shuttered. And the streets are nearly empty of visitors.

“Good afternoon, Fisherman’s Wharf!” Cathy Agustin’s voice boomed from her speaker to a largely deserted sidewalk. “If you guys are walking around looking for something to do, our next cruise is leaving at 1 p.m.”

Augustin works for the Red and White cruise company and said even the foreign tourist trade has dropped in the past year.

“Ever since Trump came into office, not a lot of tourists came here,” she said. “Because we used to have big groups come from different places, like France, Germans, Koreans, Mandarin people. Now, we don’t really get it.”

“I think suddenly the recovery post-COVID has not been easy for a lot of places, I guess,” said Neil Forbes, visiting from the UK. “And maybe people’s habits have changed a bit, too. Um, yeah, a lot of places are a bit more run down than they used to be.”

That certainly describes the wharf today as century-old restaurants – Alioto’s, Fisherman’s Grotto No. 9, Tarantino’s, Castagnola’s, Nick’s Lighthouse – sit dark and vacant. But one still survives. 

Sabella and La Torre is the last of the legacy businesses on restaurant row. Fourth-generation owner Don McFarland said business was better for him when everyone was still open.

“We used to have a crab season that opened on time,” said McFarland. “This place was bustling when crabs would start the second week in November. I think we’re going on four years now with no crab season starting on time. And that has another effect on our business down here, because we do sell a lot of crab.”

It’s also affected Erwin Evacuado. For more than 20 years, he has been one of the famous “crab crackers” who drew huge crowds to the outdoor seafood markets, pounding steaming crab legs as he traded wisecracks with the customers.

“Oh my God. Imagine people would come over here and watch you when you start cracking the crab. Our lines from here ended up across the street. Sometimes the line’s over here and over there,” he said. “I remember those years. It was before. But now, with all the delays and everything for the crab, it’s totally different.”

As he stared out at the four people eating next to an empty street, Evacuado said he’s not giving up his faith that the crowds will return.

“I’m hoping, sir. I’m praying for that one,” Evacuado said. “I’m praying for … that people are going to come back here to San Francisco and enjoy their stay here in the city.”

It’s a prayer being said by everyone who is still there, everyone who knows what Fisherman’s Wharf once was and who still has hope of what it once again can be.