Codmother Fish & Chips in San Francisco
San Francisco is a great city for food, with fantastic restaurants and street vendors on every corner. One new spot that has been able to carve itself a small little slice of that pie though, is the permanent food truck known as The Codmother. When I first heard about it, I was a bit wary that a new place could make an actual play for the seafood/fish and chips market this close to Fisherman’s Wharf. After trying it though, I can easily say it was much better than it has any right to be, and it will likely be a staple on my visits to San Francisco for years to come. Here is all the information.
Details
- $10 – $12
- Not much parking, take public transportation
- Location: 496 Beach St, San Francisco, CA 94133
- This information is from my visit in 2017 and 2018
- Read about all of my favorite San Francisco spots here.
Getting There
The Codmother is only a few blocks from the main eateries of Fisherman’s Wharf, in a small converted corner with a few different food trucks. I recommend taking public transportation and walking as parking is expensive here.
The restaurant is a “blink and you will miss it” food truck with a small wooden fence around it and some benches under umbrellas. It has been packed both times I have gone, and I have to imagine that on the weekends it can be a pretty long wait.
A wait is OK with me though, when the food is this good. I went with a kid’s order of the fish and chips this time since I had just eaten some clam chowder at Boudin, and it was just the right amount of food for a snack.
The thing that sets this spot apart is the perfect fried fish batter. It’s not greasy, and it is full of flavor. It has just a light salting to bring the savoriness out sufficiently. It’s not a healthy batter, but for fried fish and chips like this, I can’t think of any better. The French Fries are great too, but honestly, it wouldn’t even matter with fish this good.
They have a homemade sauce that they serve with it, and I found myself using that more than even the tartar sauce. It had a sweet, tangy taste that I enjoyed with the fries.
Update 2018
I went back in 2018, and it was just as good as I remembered. This time I got the shrimp as well, and I might actually like them better than the fish. Also, the garlic fries are pretty amazing, and you can sub the standard fries for garlic with an added charge on any of the combos.
The Codmother was voted number 83 on Yelp Top 100 last year, so it seems like it is starting to get the recognition it deserves. If you are visiting Fishermans Wharf, considering walking a few blocks up to try this special place. Let me know what you think in the comments.
