TONY BENNETT’S SAN FRANCISCO
Visit crooner’s restaurants, landmarks and hangouts
With his arms wide open – and that radiant smile – Tony Bennett welcomes you to San Francisco.
The larger-than-life statue of the late, legendary crooner – microphone in hand, smile as warm as California sunshine – basks outside the posh Fairmont hotel, on a block named Tony Bennett Way.
Bennett famously left his heart in San Francisco – and left his mark on the Fairmont. In the lobby, a large heart sculpture by Bennett beckons, finished with his painted expanse of the Golden Gate Bridge. In the hotel’s Heritage Hall, there’s the unofficial Tony Bennett Corner, featuring old photos, a huge plaque for the million-selling “Duets II” and signed sheet music for “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”
This display is around the corner from the ornate Venetian Room, where Bennett first performed his signature song in 1961.
The Fairmont and Bennett are inextricably linked, from a photo portrait of the singer made up of hundreds of tiny album covers to the Tony Bennett Suite, all 1,125 square feet on the 22nd floor. Rates start at $3,000 per night.
On this year’s Valentine’s Day, there was a heartfelt tribute to Bennett as a San
Francisco cable car was named for him, the first time this has happened for a person. He died in July 2023.
Since the proud native New Yorker is so closely identified with the City by the Bay, we wanted to know his favorite places there. His widow, Susan Benedetto, sent us a list.
RESTAURANTS
Benedetto would always call ahead to make sure Sotto Mare, an Italian seafood bistro in the North Beach neighborhood, was featuring her husband’s favorite
dish, crab diavolo.
It’s a long, narrow trattoria with a 20-seat counter and a handful of tables inside and outside (with heat lamps for those wimpy Californians). The cluttered decor is nautical, with giant mounted fish, antique angler gear and pictures of previous diners smothering the walls. Tony Bennett merits three photos, including one with the restaurant’s owners.
The crooner had his favorite table, a four-top near the front. He didn’t have to get on a waiting list, owner Rich Azzolino
told me. C’mon, he’s Tony Bennett! People recognized him, always dapper in a suit or sports jacket, but Azzolino wouldn’t let people bother him.
The main attraction at Sotto Mare is the “best damn crab cioppino,” for $54.95 and enough for two people. Azzolino and his wife, Laura, will provide a special bib if you order it. They offer clam chowder with bacon, as well as many kinds of seafood – from lobster ravioli to salmon in lemon caper sauce – plus wine and beer but no dessert or coffee. There are plenty of options for those in North Beach.
Also on Bennett’s list is the oldest restaurant in San Francisco, the 175-year-old Tadich Grill. It’s an oldschool steak and seafood joint with white-jacket waitstaff. The Tadich evokes Murray’s in downtown Minneapolis except it has a staggering 75-plus entrees, ranging from filet mignon to halibut in soy ginger broth.
A few times a year, Bennett would sit in one of the secluded booths, perfect for a romantic, autograph-free lunch or dinner. The singer favored the petrale sole filet, according to general manager Jose Maxmilian Paredes.
For breakfast, the Bennetts frequented Sears Fine Food, a few blocks downhill from the Fairmont. It’s a comfy old-fashioned place, decorated with photos and posters from other eras, reminiscent of the longshuttered Becky’s Cafeteria in Minneapolis. Order the 18 Swedish pancakes, the house specialty.
PLACES
An exhibited painter who traveled with his tools, Bennett had two favorite San Francisco spots to inspire his artwork – the Japanese Tea Garden and the Palace of Fine Arts.
Located in spacious Golden Gate Park, the Japanese