Alioto's Plaza Unveiled at Fisherman's Wharf, With New Seating, Beer Concession

The new waterfront plaza, in the wharf space where Alioto's restaurant once stood, had its ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, with Mayor Daniel Lurie calling it "a new reason to return" to Fisherman's Wharf.

Alioto's Plaza, as it is now called, opened to the public on Wednesday, complete with new picnic-table seating, benches facing the Bay, landscaping elements, sculptural seating that looks like ocean waves, and a pop-up space for retail that is currently a temporary home for Woods Beer & Wine Co. — which has plans to open a new taproom nearby in the former Fishermen's Grotto No. 9.

We last saw the plans for the plaza, which was built by the Port of San Francisco, almost exactly one year ago, ahead of the demolition of 100-year-old Alioto's in January. The massive, 11,000-square-foot restaurant had sat closed for several years, and neither the Port nor the city could find any takers for it. A decision was subsequently made to turn the space, which sits between two other buildings facing the harbor, into a public plaza.

Alioto's, which began life as a fish stand in Stall #8 at the wharf in 1925, later becoming Alioto's No. 8 restaurant, was a fixture at Fisherman's Wharf and touchstone for many local families. Its original proprietor, Nunzio Alioto Sr., died in 1933, and the restaurant was then operated by his children and grandchildren. The restaurant, like others at Fisherman's Wharf, closed when the pandemic hit and the family closed it for good in 2022 after being let out of their lease.

"For generations, San Franciscans and visitors from around the world have come to experience the history and excitement of Fisherman’s Wharf,” said Assemblymember Catherine Stefani in a statement. "Today, we celebrate a new chapter for this beloved neighborhood by honoring its deep roots in the fishing industry and the countless Italian immigrants and families who helped shape the wharf into the destination we all know and love today."

Mayor Daniel Lurie was on hand for the ribbon-cutting, along with members of the Alioto family. (FYI, the family of Joseph Alioto, the former mayor of San Francisco, is linked a bit distantly to this family in that his father, fisherman Giuseppe Alioto, was cousins with Nunzio Alioto Sr.)

"Fisherman’s Wharf has long shown us what a vibrant waterfront can mean for our city," Lurie said in a statement. "Today, we are giving people a new reason to return with the opening of Alioto’s Plaza."

The mayor added, "The wharf is a famous destination, but it's also a working neighborhood where local businesses support thousands of jobs; when it succeeds, workers earn a living, small businesses grow, and visitor spending helps fund clean and safe streets, public transportation, and parks. Alioto's Plaza opens the wharf to the water, creating a new place for people to sit and gather, while honoring the fishing industry-proof that even our most established destinations can evolve while holding on to what makes them special."

As the Port explains in a release, the new plaza is one of a number of new amenities at the wharf, along with a new lagoon overlook on Al Scoma Way that has been hosting a weekly fish market since it opened in May, and new restaurants and bars including Humble Sea Brewing, Taco Bell Cantina, and Nation's Hamburgers.

Coming soon, as we previously learned, in addition to the permanent Woods taproom, Oakland-based barbecue restaurant Everett & Jones is taking over the former Lou's Fish Shack, and a couple of Foreign Cinema vets are teaming up with former Boudin Bakery owner Lou Giraudo to open a Salvadoran and Honduran seafood restaurant in the former Pompei's Grotto.