I dined at Alioto's tonight and the waiter Albert R.., an Asian who said he was Dutch by origin, altered the final signed debit card bill to increase his tip without my knowledge by almost $15. ... More

I dined at Alioto's tonight and the waiter Albert R.., an Asian who said he was Dutch by origin, altered the final signed debit card bill to increase his tip without my knowledge by almost $15. This is in spite of the fact that my Mom and I dined at this restaurant last week and left the same waiter over a 20% tip. I am contacting my bank, business bureau, restaurant, and will never dine here again. A distasteful experience leaving a bad fishy taste in my mouth.
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In all the years I have lived int he bay area, I have never, until recently been to this restaurant! I am so glad that I did. Yes, it is a little bit on the pricey side, but worth it! The seafood,... More

In all the years I have lived int he bay area, I have never, until recently been to this restaurant! I am so glad that I did. Yes, it is a little bit on the pricey side, but worth it! The seafood, the pasta, the bread, the soup... all of it is great! Even the wine!!! The service we experienced was great... no complaints here.
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Ok, I have read the terrible reviews people wrote about Alioto's and I am SHOCKED!!! I live on the East Coast and every single time I make it out to San Fran or the vicinity I make a special trip... More

Ok, I have read the terrible reviews people wrote about Alioto's and I am SHOCKED!!! I live on the East Coast and every single time I make it out to San Fran or the vicinity I make a special trip to Alioto's. The food is so good, the wine list is great, the service is amazing. The view is spectacular and the seats are cozy and inviting. I really can't fathom having a bad experience here. I always go for dinner and I don't feel like it is touristy and I have never ever had a problem with my bill. In fact, once when I went, I was chatting with the maitre d and this and that for about 10 minutes before sitting down and he ended up giving our table some free appetizers because, I don't even know why, I guess just because he liked us! Please give this place a try, you will not regret it.
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I'm not sure where all the bad reviews are coming from. We walked in early on a beautiful Sunday evening without reservations. It wasn't crowded when we arrived, but it was packed when we left. ... More

I'm not sure where all the bad reviews are coming from. We walked in early on a beautiful Sunday evening without reservations. It wasn't crowded when we arrived, but it was packed when we left. We were given a table by the windows with a spectacular view of the fishing fleet and the sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge, which got interrupted by the even more spectaular rolling in of the fog. The wait staff was nothing if not professional. Not rushed in the least, but very attentive. The salads were crisp and fresh, and the cioppino, fish stew, and calamari were excellent. The stews were steaming hot, and the broths were worth mopping dry with the warm fresh bread offered. I can't say I had the highest expectations going in, but I thought it was excellent. The wine list has a Wine Spectator award level, and rightfully so. It covers everything you need without having 1000 selections, and is reasonably priced. What's not to like? Good food, good service, great view, reasonable prices. I'm baffled by the negativity. Maybe I caught them on a good day...
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MARCH 22 SATURDAY- ATTRACTED BY LUNCH SPECIAL 11AM-4PM- RIPPOFF - has about 12 items on lunch special-ordered salmon- paper thin- salmon steak with mash potatoes- thats it- $12, wife ordered... More

MARCH 22 SATURDAY- ATTRACTED BY LUNCH SPECIAL 11AM-4PM- RIPPOFF - has about 12 items on lunch special-ordered salmon- paper thin- salmon steak with mash potatoes- thats it- $12, wife ordered shrimp scampi- 4 med shrimp- rice- thats it- $11- rippoff- both had ice tea- med glass- waiter said u get a second free glass only--- ordered blowl of clam chower- $9 it was thin and did not taste that good view was good-could see golden gate bridge-- overpriced other dinner fish items start @ $25-28 for fish ripp off-- should have just ate on the street with the street vendors- ya 3 generations- well this last generation does not take pride in there food- - i don't mind paying $12-16 for lunch- for a smaller portion of good fish- terrible-place-- did have good service was friendly- - couldn't wait to get back to chicago to write this- cannot believe they are on the famous fishermens wharf- to bad black eye to the area
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If you want seafood, there is no comparison. Excellent and professional waitstaff, fresh wonderful fish dinners. Calamari steak is the best! Pros: amiable professional waitstaff, fresh... More

If you want seafood, there is no comparison. Excellent and professional waitstaff, fresh wonderful fish dinners. Calamari steak is the best! Pros: amiable professional waitstaff, fresh wonderful dishes
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I cannot believe how poor the food quality was. For a restaurant where prices avergage about $25 per entree, I expect a lot more. Worst of all - our server tried to pass off a small plate filled... More

I cannot believe how poor the food quality was. For a restaurant where prices avergage about $25 per entree, I expect a lot more. Worst of all - our server tried to pass off a small plate filled with canned salad shrimp as a shrimp cocktail! I think he was trying to pull one over on our table, which included several non-English speaking people. When confronted by me, the waiter said the customer should have instead asked for a "prawn" cocktail. When he brought over the "prawn" cocktail, it was a few pieces of old, shriveled-up shrimp. What a joke! After dinner, we confronted the manager about this and he at first agreed with us. After speaking with the waiter; however, he then said we were wrong. That a "California" shrimp cocktail is different than a shrimp cocktail back East (where I am from). What a bunch of B.S.! To think that anyone would pay upwards of $15 for a can of salad shrimp is ridiculous. These people are simply sleazy restaurateurs trying to take advantage of people. Awful, unacceptable. Pros: Decent clam chowder Cons: Poor Service, Decietful Staff, Poor Food Quality, Expensive
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Horrible service and overpriced. The server, Shane, was the rudest server I have ever had. Last year I had a great experience at Nonna Rose, the restaurant directly below Alioto's. We mistakenly... More

Horrible service and overpriced. The server, Shane, was the rudest server I have ever had. Last year I had a great experience at Nonna Rose, the restaurant directly below Alioto's. We mistakenly went to Alioto's this year and other than the view it was a horrible experience. The food wasn't bad, but overpriced.... you are paying for the view. I would have given it an average rating based on that. It was the service that deserves the terrible rating. My advice if you decide to experience it first hand, is to make sure Shane is not waiting on you. When you are paying that much for a meal, you expect great service and great food. If you are in the Sonoma area, The General's Daughter, is a place you definitely get both. As for anonymous, if you think that is the best San Francisco has to offer, you need to get out more. As for the money, I don't think people mind spending money if the quality is there.
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Aug 17, 2007 lovely dinner for two. We knew this was an old faithful sort of place, and they sure did deliver. I am a huge seafood lover, East Coast girl, and great cook in my own right. Our table... More

Aug 17, 2007 lovely dinner for two. We knew this was an old faithful sort of place, and they sure did deliver. I am a huge seafood lover, East Coast girl, and great cook in my own right. Our table overlooked the marina area, so we had a nice sunset view. Our waiter was beyond wonderful. The perfect balace of advice, knowledge, style, personality and yet invisible. Great teamwork with other dining room staff as well. They finely coordinated opening all of the blinds of all of the windows so as to optimize the sunset view. Bartender makes a great Negroni - yummy if you are familiar. Nicely paced service so as to not feel rushed in and out- even though they were quite busy. Food not only tasted very good but high marks for presentation. Take time to read the captions on all of the photos chronicling the development of the restaurant. Very nice wine list to accompany any dinner selection. A very nice dinner and evening.
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I AM A FREQUENT CUSTOMER AT ALIOTS AND IT IS THE BEST IN ALL OF THE WARF. BEING A NATIVE MYSELF I KNOW WHICH RESTAURANTS IN THE CITY TO GO TO AND ITS ONE OF THE BEST SEAFOOD RESTAURANTS AROUND. THE... More

I AM A FREQUENT CUSTOMER AT ALIOTS AND IT IS THE BEST IN ALL OF THE WARF. BEING A NATIVE MYSELF I KNOW WHICH RESTAURANTS IN THE CITY TO GO TO AND ITS ONE OF THE BEST SEAFOOD RESTAURANTS AROUND. THE FAMILY WHO OWNS IT ARE FANTASTIC AND COULDN'T BE MORE KIND. I FIND IT RIDICULOUS HOW PEOPLE COMPLAIN ABOUT PRICES, IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE PRICE AND CANT AFFORD IT, THEN DON'T EAT OUT SOME OF YOU POOR PEOPLE NEED TO STAY AT HOME!ALIOTO'S IS THE BEST!!!!!!
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