Long before the Financial District had towers, Tadich Grill was serving customers on the waterfront. The restaurant at 240 California St. traces its history to 1849, which makes it the oldest restaurant still operating in California. The restaurant says it is the third-oldest in the United States.
A coffee stand on Long Wharf
According to the restaurant's own history, it began as a tent coffee stand on Long Wharf during the Gold Rush and later became the New World Coffee Stand. Its founders were three Croatian immigrants: Nikola Budrovich, Frano Kosta and Antonio Gasparich.
John Tadich, another Croatian immigrant, arrived in San Francisco in 1871 at age 16 and went to work there. He bought the business in 1887, and it has carried his name ever since. In 1928 Tadich sold it to another Croatian family, the Buiches. The restaurant moved several times, most recently in 1967 to its current California Street address. It brought along its long bar from the old Clay Street location.
What to order
Since 1925 Tadich has cooked seafood on a mesquite charcoal broiler. Regulars point newcomers to:
- Cioppino, San Francisco's tomato-based fisherman's stew.
- Petrale sole and sand dabs, local flatfish served simply.
- Hangtown Fry, a Gold Rush-era scramble of eggs, oysters and bacon that columnist Herb Caen championed.
The restaurant serves about 700 meals on a busy day. A Washington, D.C., branch opened in 2015 and closed in 2018, so the California Street dining room is again the only one.
Going
Walk-ins are welcome, and part of the dining room is held for reservations. On Sundays the restaurant is reserved for private parties, so plan for another day. The California Street cable car line and the Montgomery and Embarcadero BART stations are all nearby.