As the Port of San
Francisco moves forward with its $10 million plan to transform the popular waterfront
tourist destination with a new public plaza overlooking the inner lagoon, it reports that an
iconic landmark restaurant will be demolished.
According to SFGATE, the nearly century old restaurant
founded by Italian immigrant Nunzio Alioto in 1925 started as a fish stand
before moving into Fisherman’s Wharf Stall 8, selling lunch to local fishermen.
With the business success, Alioto expanded his fish stand into a seafood bar
and the 11,000 square-foot space became the first building on
the wharf.
Though the restaurant survived a devastating 1957 fire and
the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the pandemic proved to be the final straw.
According to Port Director Elaine Forbes report to the
Chronicle, the agency spent several years looking for a new operator, but due
to the three-story building’s size, dilapidated state and the ”multi-million-dollar investment to make it structurally sound,” no buyers came
forward.
Other Fisherman’s Grotto restaurants wracked with vacancies
in the aftermath of the pandemic included Fisherman’s Grotto, Tarantino’s and
Pompei’s Grotto. New eateries however will include Salvadoran restaurant Chasca
Rio, slated to move into the former home of Pompei’s Grotto and barbeque
restaurant Everett & Jones, occupying the former Lou’s Fish Shack.
Alioto’s is scheduled for demolition during the first phase
of wharf construction completion in summer 2026. Visitors will be able to walk
up to docked fishing boats to buy their fresh seafood.
According to a Friday news release, SFGATE reported that the
port also plans to focus on infrastructure resilience along the waterfront
through 2011 “including strengthening or replacing the seawall and wharves,
flood proofing buildings, improving facilities for the fishing fleet and
fishing industry, developing and leasing retail spaces, and enhancements to the
public realm.”
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