Serving Since

San Francisco

Serving since

1867

159 years in San Francisco

Sam's Grill

Financial District · Seafood

Go here for
Sand dabs · Rex sole · Celery Victor
Why go
Sand dabs, rex sole and private booths at a Financial District seafood house that opened in 1867.
Local character
Locals + visitors. Its manager tells the SF Examiner (2024) the crowd is regulars, business people and tourists.
Directions Official website

Michael Bolan Moraghan opened it in 1867 as M. B. Moraghan's. It took the name Sam's after Samuel Zenovich bought it in 1922, and has been at 374 Bush Street since 1946.

Why it matters

Michael Bolan Moraghan, an Irish immigrant, founded the business in 1867 as an oyster and fish house called M. B. Moraghan's. Samuel Zenovich bought it in 1922 and named it Sam's, and Frank Seput bought it after Zenovich died. The city's Legacy Business Registry lists three addresses: 416 Pine Street until 1906, 561 California Street until 1946, and 374 Bush Street since.

The Seput family ran it for three generations before Phil Lyons took over. In 2014 it closed for several months. Longtime employee Peter Quartaroli and a group of regular customers bought it, and it reopened that October. The adjoining Sam's Tavern opened as part of the same renovation.

It joined San Francisco's Legacy Business Registry in 2016.

The story

  1. 1867Michael Bolan Moraghan opens M. B. Moraghan's2
  2. 1906Moves from 416 Pine Street to 561 California Street3
  3. 1922Samuel Zenovich buys it and names it Sam's2
  4. 1946Moves to 374 Bush Street3
  5. 2014Peter Quartaroli and a group of regulars buy it; it reopens in October6
  6. 2016Added to San Francisco's Legacy Business Registry4
  7. TodayStill serving San Francisco

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Notes on the record

  • Sources differ on when Frank Seput bought Sam's: the Legacy Business Registry says 1936, the official site says 1937.

Details

Address
374 Bush Street, San Francisco, CA 94104
Neighborhood
Financial District
Ownership
Independent
Status
Open · verified Sep 2026

OldScore

A secondary, editorial measure. The founding year above is the fact that matters most. How it works.

Age35/ 35
Continuity15/ 20
Local significance15/ 20
Local food culture10/ 15
Independence6/ 10
OldScore81/ 100

Local character: Locals + visitors. Its manager tells the SF Examiner (2024) the crowd is regulars, business people and tourists. This is separate from OldScore: a place can be popular with visitors and still belong here.

More like this

Sources

  1. Sam's Grill & Seafood Restaurant (official site) Address, What to order, Current status
  2. Sam's Grill (official site, History) Founding year, History, Ownership
  3. San Francisco Small Business Commission, Legacy Business Registry Staff Report: Sam's Grill & Seafood Restaurant (hearing Nov 28, 2016) Founding year, History, Ownership, Address
  4. San Francisco Legacy Business Program, Annual Report FY 2017-18 History
  5. The San Francisco Standard, Julie Zigoris, on Sam's Grill (Mar 16, 2023) Founding year, History, Ownership, What to order
  6. Marina Times, Ernest Beyl, "Sam's Grill and Seafood Restaurant" (Apr 2015) Founding year, History, Ownership, What to order
  7. SFGate Inside Scoop, Paolo Lucchesi, "Sam's Grill delays reopening (again)" (Aug 2014) History
  8. San Francisco Examiner, 'How 157-year-old Sam's Grill is SF's home for the holidays' (Dec 2024) History