We were treated to impeccable, friendly service and mouthfuls of fresh-caught seafood. My wife ordered Stuffed Rex Sole, which was bursting with baby shrimp in a cream sauce with chives, served on a bed of tender fresh-steamed spinach. I asked the waiter what he suggested and went with an item not on the menu. He recommended grilled Halibut (caught that morning), drizzled with a light lemon butter/white wine combination, with pan fried potatoes and some of the same succulent spinach that my wife enjoyed with her meal. It was wonderful! Along with the meal came a side salad and (of course) fresh, hot sourdough bread.

To top everything off, the restaurant has an unobstructed second story view of the adjacent marina and west toward the Golden Gate Bridge. When a restaurant has been in business as long as Alioto's, they usually figure out how to do things well and it shows! I would definitely recommend Alioto's, it was worth every dime we paid and every minute we stayed!

Seafood is fresh of course. It's definitely a high-end restaurant which you don't really have to dress-up nicely to go to. Definitely order the steamed crabs here, as you can actually sit down and enjoy the best of it. (It is cheaper to buy downstairs, but you gotta stand up.)

We were fortunate enough to secure a window - both sides of the dining room are all windows - table that helped to give some feeling of seclusion amidst the fast paced noisy dining room where the tables tend to be a bit close. Our waiter, a gentleman believed to be in his late 60s, was obviously a very seasoned veteran who'd seen it all when it came to diners. He was a no nonsense type of guy almost barking his request to us and startling the younger members of our party. After asking his recommendation for a little something but not too much, we settled on one pasta entree and two fish and chip platters. When he returned with our drinks, he had a twinkle in his eye almost as if to say "so I didn't scare you off so you must be okay folks". He became very friendly, almost grandfatherly, with the gift of gab about him. Our meals were delivered in a very short time and they were superb, some of the best fish and chips we've ever had.

The bill ran about $10 each, a price we felt was fair just for the magnificent view we'd experienced, much less the great food.

We have sampled Alioto's #8 on several wharf trips over the years, and while it's not the most fancy restaurant we've ever eaten in, it has always been memorable and very "Fisherman's Wharf" in experience. They specialize in fresh seafood, Sicilian delicacies, and homemade pastas.

If you park across the street from the restaurant, take your parking ticket with you and the waiter will validate it for free parking up to three hours. It's a great deal. .