Hook & Cook

Maybe it’s because I’ve lost my interest in tourist traps like Pier 39, or because I’m tired, but I was not impressed with this place. I got the seafood combo which was shrimp (2), fish (2 medium size) and calamari (maybe 5 or 6 pieces). No cocktail sauce in this entire place, or at least I couldn’t find it. Staff seemed disinterested in everything. Had to ask for my drink because they weren’t going to give it to me –and apparently they were supposed to give it after I paid for my order while waiting for my food. It wasn’t busy but it was a longer wait than what it should have been. Several others got their order before me and they had been behind me in line. Birds were in the restaurant and they unsuccessfully tried to shoo them out. I think everything I got was frozen and they just dumped it into the fryer. Needless to say, if I ever come back to Pier 39, I won’t be stopping here.

I don’t often look up places before I eat there but today I did. Most of the reviews are bad but I decided to try hook & cook anyways because most people are complaining about the stupidest things. I ordered fried shrimp, garlic fries and a Heineken. The beer was a little on the flat side but the food was really good. The fried shrimp was perfect nice and crispy The garlic fries were good but I’ve had better. With that being said when I do return to the pier I would definitely eat here again.

We ordered fish and chips, the fish was dripping with oil an the fries were dry and unpleasant. I wish he had gone somewhere else, this place made us ill.

My bf and I were being super touristy and thought that this place looked more «authentic» than wipeout. There were 4 groups in front of us and the line moved quickly. We waited no more than 5 minutes for our food and it was good. We got the crab cake sandwich and the seafood combo. The crab cake was good and was on a soft, light roll. I wouldn’t recommend getting the seafood combo because everything was fried and slightly greasy… Doesn’t sit too well if you eat the whole thing. I sampled the clam chowder as well. If you like bacon, you’ll like the chowder here. You can really taste the bacon. The only downside is that we sat by the door and watched as pigeons (not sure how they got inside) almost decapitate guests… :(

Huge mistake, should of checked Unilocal 1^st.
Mediocre food, tourist trap prices and a buck fifty charge for a refill of your coke.
2016 and they don’t do free refills? Whaaa?

Slow service, employees are more concerned with answering the phone than serving customers.
Food is very expensive and nothing you could not get in a gas station. You would have less stomach trouble eating some roadkill than after eating the food offered at this «restaurant.»
This is the typical tourist trap, in general stay away from the pier
This place is not fast and they don’t even offer edible food. Get roadkill instead.

Typical pier food. Overpriced/​poor value. Quality is not so great. Don’t expect fresh seafood just because they’re located by the pier.
Fries sucked. Tasted like frozen fries from the supermarket.
Fried fish tasted like cheap frozen fish.
Clam chowder in sourdough bread: bread didn’t seem fresh, and clam chowder was too thick and boring in flavor. I’d be happier spending $ 2 for canned clam chowder.
Tourist trap.

Good food, good prices (especially compared to most other places on Pier 39). There were other people there, but no line for me. The seating was comfortable as well. It was a nice place to relax for a bit after spending a lot of time driving to SF & walking around.
I had a couple problems with this place, though. I felt like the staff there didn’t have enough to do, although they probably should have been cleaning tables and floors. They all stood and stared at me while I tried to figure out was to order (there were three people behind the counter, none of which spoke to me at all before I approached to put in my order). Also, there were constantly birds walking and flying through. Seemed unsanitary. I witnessed one bird poop on the floor right next to my table, as well as an employee pass right by the mess, notice it enough to step around it, but did NOT clean it up.

Great chicken wrap and nice atmosphere. Good views of the bay and great for people watching. Would definitely come back here again.

The fish to chip ratio was a little low. Really good food, ate there with the family, but for the price, three pieces would have been better.
Garlic fries were also great!

Not bad, It was a tad crowded and the clam chowder breadbowl was very dry but the soup itself was good! its nothing compared to boudins but my friend wanted to tried the chicken sandwich and he was prettty happy about that. I also got the garlic fries and that was yummy

We stop here for their great clam chowder in a bread bowl. It has been one of the best clam chowder we have tried. I definitely recommend this place.

Such a disappointment. It’s a restuarant on a pier and they’re serving frozen food. Garlic fries? Disappointment. It came out cold and soggy like it’s been sitting there for an hour. Calamari? Gross too. Batter was shameful and it was small. Not fresh. Fish? Looked at the sister eating it, and i didn’t want to try it. She was just eating it to not waste her money. The only thing that was okay was the clam chowder. I didn’t really care for Chowder (couple doors down), but it was soooo much better than this place. Go there instead!

This place sucks. Fish is frozen. Small portions. Expensive for what you get. Do yourself a favor and wait in line at one of the better restaurants. You came all the way here after all. Spend a little more to enjoy the experience.

I don’t understand why the rating is so low, had a cup of crab soup and crab cake sandwich, soup was amazing! Definitely hit the spot on a chilly windy day

Although the food they had sitting out for show didn’t look very appetizing, it was cold and late and they had indoor seating so we decided to give it a try.
We got the fish wrap, shrimp and chips and two clam chowder bread bowls. Price came out to about $ 42 which wasn’t bad for eating at the pier.
The fried shrimp came in 6 pretty large pieces. Freshly fried, they were delicious! I actually wish we got more of them. The fries were good too.
The clam chowder bread bowls were creamy and tasty. They had bacon in it so that probably made it taste even better. Good amount of clams. I do wish they cleared out the bread bowls more so we could have had more chowder.
The fish wrap was just ok to me. Not that much fish in it but a ton of lettuce, tomato and a bit too much sauce. If they put more fish in it, it would be pretty bomb. The fish that was in it though was nice and crunchy.
Lots of indoor seating as well as outdoor. Staff was friendly. Food is made pretty quickly. I think most places have things that they make better and things they don’t. With this place, I’d definitely just stick with their clam chowder and shrimp and chips.

Considering this place is on the pier, I’m very disappointed in the quality of fish & chips.
They give you the tiniest little paper basket to hold your fish & chips and it is the smallest portion for the amount you pay! I ordered a clam chowder in a sour dough bowl (came out to be around $ 10 for the clam chowder) and it was alright. The only reason why I settled for a clam chowder bowl here is because the line at Boudin was incredibly long.
The girl at the register was not having it. There were maybe 10 people standing around the register waiting for their orders (and I can understand because there is absolutely no place to stand considering the place is so small). The girl at the register would constantly shout «I CAN HELP THE NEXT PERSON IN LINE» with the most aggravated face. I was stuck behind all the people waiting for the orders when I was trying to get my order in. I was completely polite to the cashier and she was still stuck with an irritated face and gave me so much attitude. (I feel you girl, I have RBF too, but that’s no way to treat a customer, ever).
Needless to say I will not be returning.

Not bad for a place on the pier. Get the seafood combo/​platter and upgrade to garlic fries. You have to pay extra for the garlic fries but they give you more than what comes in the combo. You get a full order of garlic fries. Which, by the way, were absolutely BOMB.
Still a bit pricey for what you get, but I’d say this was the best value.
I also tried the clam… and shrimp chowder, but I don’t recommend this at all. Very little seafood in it, and it tasted like straight up melted butter! :(Pricey for what you got too.
One thing I didn’t like about this was how long it took me to get my food. People who ordered after me got their food before I did.

I went here once and got their clam chowder in a bread bowl and the clam chowder was delish! So much better than Boudin’s. There were lots of clam, not so much potatoes (which I like), it’s more flavorful than Boudin’s in my opinion. The bread wasn’t that good though.
The next time I come back I will get the clam chowder in a cup.

I’m warning you, you’re not going to like it here.
Visiting family in the bay area and feeling somewhat touristy at the time, we decided to stroll on down to Pier 39 and grab some «fresh» clam chowder. It was Christmas Day and packed, so instead of being more selective about where we chose chowder, we instead opted for a shorter wait time. Hook & Cook, even though we waited 10 minutes or so in line before ordering, won (unfortunately for us.)
Look, I know you’re hungry – you’ve had to fight traffic just getting down to the pier, and you’ve spent time searching for over-​priced parking – and since you’re already here, you’re kind of at the mercy to whatever restaurants are made available. And I also know that you’re thinking «fresh» clam chowder would hit the spot about now. But here at Hook & Cook, the clam chowder isn’t fresh. It’s from a can. And it’s pricey, over $ 8.00 for what little you’ll receive in that sourdough bowl you’ve been eyeing. Maybe you should just move on.
How do I know it’s not fresh? Check out the potatoes: the uniformity, the perfect cubes. It’s processed, canned. Hook & Cook certainly isn’t promoting «fresh» clam chowder, and that’s fine, but neither are they revealing the chowder’s true origins. I’m not bashing Hook & Cook or anything; I’m just letting you know what you’re getting, that’s all.
Added, we also ordered fried calamari (see photo). I’m not sure as to why our $ 9.25 order of previously frozen calamari was half-​filled with french fries, but it was; however, given the chowder letdown, we didn’t question. Maybe you should.

Snack /​fast-​food plutôt sympathique dans la surenchère touristique du Pier 39. Fishermen obligent, l’offre tourne principalement autour des fruits de mer et mon double sandwich au crabe et coleslaw était très honorable.
J’aime bien les assiettes/​soupes témoin sur un présentoir devant le comptoir, histoire de savoir exactement ce qu’on va obtenir.
On commande au comptoir, paie à la caisse où on obtient un numéro crié quelques minutes après à travers la petite salle lorsque la commande est prête. Rapide, efficace et je pense que ça vaut bien mieux que de perdre temps et argent dans les restaurants classiques qui se battent pour la clientèle du Pier.