Tadich Grill

Tadich Grill, over 175 years old, claims to be the longest-running restaurant in California^{1The Old Clam House, founded in 1861 and still open in the same location, disputes this claim.} and the third-longest continuously running restaurant in the United States.

It began in 1849 as a fish-selling coffee stand run by three Croatian immigrants, none of whom were named Tadich: Nikola Budrovich, Frano Kosta, and Antonio Gasparich. John Tadich, who started work there as a bartender in 1871, purchased the restaurant in 1887. Since 1928, the restaurant has been owned by the Buich family, descendants of former employees Mitch, Tom, and Louie Buich.

Tadich Grill has changed its name, location, and ownership, but still uses a mesquite broiler and charcoal to grill seafood, Croatian-style. Some days it goes through up to 160 pounds of charcoal and turns out up to 800 dinners.

One of the names you’ll see on the walls is “The Original Cold Day Restaurant.” “Cold Day” refers to Alexander Badlam Jr., a San Francisco assessor who campaigned for re-election in 1882 with the slogan “It’s a Cold Day When I Get Left.” To make the day colder, some anonymous voters dropped a carriage-full of ice on his stoop. Badlam lost reelection and licked his wounds at Tadich Grill. “The Original” recalls one Sutich, an erstwhile partner of John Tadich, who left a few years later to start a now-forgotten restaurant called Cold Day.

The service, by some of the most experienced waiters in San Francisco, is fast and cordial, and the seafood is amazing. The menu is extensive and changes daily, depending on the catch. If you cannot decide what to have, try the cioppino or the Hangtown fry (beloved by columnist Herb Caen), with rice pudding for dessert. The pudding recipe has not changed in over a century, because it’s already perfect.

Come early or slightly late for lunch; Tadich Grill does not accept reservations, and businesspeople in the Financial District can crowd it. You may not feel entirely comfortable if you are dressed too casually, but a tie or heels are not necessary, and there is no official dress code.

^{1The Old Clam House, founded in 1861 and still open in the same location, disputes this claim.} The Old Clam House, founded in 1861 and still open in the same location, disputes this claim.