Enjoy classic Italian American seafood

With its accumulation of kitschy, nautical flotsam on every inch of wall space, Sotto Mare might seem older than it is: Founded in 2007 by legendary Bay Area restaurateur Gigi Fiorucci, it’s youthful by North Beach standards. But Sotto Mare has steadily become the local standard bearer for great cioppino. Here, the regional specialty, invented at nearby docks by turn-of-the-century Italian fishermen, is at its best. A silver cauldron serves at least two, brimming with an entire aquarium’s worth of squid, clams, shrimp, scallops, mussels, Dungeness crab and penne pasta (a Sotto Mare innovation) all swimming in rich, garlicky tomato broth. Surrender to the touristy charms of a seafood bib and get cracking. The restaurant has been owned by Rich and Laura Azzolino, who bought it from Fiorucci, since 2014, and its emphasis remains on local classics like delicately battered local sand dabs or seafood Louis salad, a pile of shrimp or crab with a gravy boat of creamy dressing. Reservations for three or more can be made by calling the restaurant, but otherwise, wait times can get long. Fortunately, there’s another highquality option for cioppino and more undersea delights next door at California Fish Market, opened just before the pandemic. 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.

Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. 552 Green St. www.sottomaresf.com

Or try one of these options:

Cassava: After a decade amassing fans in the Richmond District with its Japanese breakfast spread and crispy buttermilk fried chicken, Cassava is right at home in its new location on the busy intersection of Columbus and Vallejo. There, chef Kris Toliao hasn’t missed a beat, continuing to serve his French-influenced, multicourse menus (and earning a James Beard Award semifinalist nod in January.) For a shorter taste, Cassava also serves a two-course daytime prix fixe menu. 401 Columbus Ave. cassavasf.com

Da Flora: A meal at Da Flora feels like going over to a very kind, talented couple’s house for a dinner party, which is not far from the truth: In 2016, wife-and-husband team Jen McMahon and Darren Lacy purchased the corner osteria where they had long worked. They’ve continued to make it their own since then, running it almost entirely by themselves. Repeat customers make up the majority of the 30-seat dining room, clamoring for more house-made focaccia and sweet potato gnocchi with sage and smoky bacon. 701 Columbus Ave. daflora.com

Adam Pardee/Special to The Chronicle Yuka Ioroi, co-owner of Cassava, pours a glass of wine at the North Beach bar.

Adam Pardee/Special to The Chronicle The Best Damn Crab Cioppino from Sotto Mare serves a cauldron of classic Italian American seafood.