123 Powell Street
San Francisco
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Bernstein’s Fish Grotto was opened by Maurice Bernstein (1886-1932) in 1907. It was known for its unique entrance, a ship’s bow jutting into the sidewalk. The ship was a faithful reproduction of Christopher Columbus’s Nina. Inside the restaurant, the marine theme continued. Bernstein’s had seven colorful dining rooms: the Fisherman’s Cave, the Pilot Room, the Sun Deck, the Main Salon, the Cabin Nooks, the Upper Deck, and the Porthole Counter.
Located near the end of the Powell cable car line, the Grotto was a popular tourist attraction for many years.
Advertising called it “The Ship that Never Sailed.” Despite the fact that the restaurant never saw the sea, they did serve fresh fish and a number of signature dishes. Maurice Bernstein was an Oakland fish merchant who ran a number of eateries in the Bay Area. According to San Francisco’s Lost Landmarks the Fish Grotto served three dishes found nowhere else in the city: abalone steaks, mussels bordelaise and and coo-coo clams (from Coo-Coo Cove).
Bernstein’s Fish Grotto closed in 1981
In 1988 the owners of the Mermaid Seafood Bar and Bar opened across the street. Michael H. Casey Designs was asked to make a mold of the original and repair the original.
She sat outside for many years with a plaque that read:
We dedicate the opening of the Mermaid Seafood Bar and Bar at the Hotel Union Square with this mermaid whose journey began across the street at Bernstein’s Fish Grotto in 1907. Though she has lain dormant for many years, she is again ready to lift the spirits of those who sight her and welcome them for a respite from the sidewalk seas. May she again shine like a beacon in this city’s future as well as illuminate the memories of her past.
February 1989
The restaurant has since closed and I have no idea where the original went, but I know where a copy graces someone’s backyard.
