Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto | |
---|---|
![]() Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto, historic seafood restaurant. | |
![]() | |
Restaurant information | |
Established | 1890s |
Closed | 2018 |
City | Berkeley |
State | California |
Country | United States |
Coordinates | 37°52′5″N122°17′59″W / 37.86806°N 122.29972°W |
Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto was a restaurant located in Berkeley, California at 1919 4th Street. The restaurant was designated as a landmark in 2001 by the City of Berkeley. A plaque was formally installed at the entrance to the restaurant in 2004.
Johann Spenger emigrated to California from Bavaria and settled in West Berkeley in the 1860s. The original building housed Spenger's business and family residence. [1] Johann Spenger worked as a hook and line fisherman on Lake Merritt in the early days. The restaurant began as a clam stand in the 1890s. [2] The menu originally included clam chowder, baked beans, fish dinners and ten-cent beer. [1]
Johann Spenger's son Frank Spenger (d. 1970) [3] opened a full-service restaurant on the ground floor of the original building in the 1930s. Eventually, dining rooms and bars were added as part of the expansion process as popularity of the restaurant grew. Celebrities enjoyed dining at Spenger's along with local residents. [1] Frank Spenger was also a fisherman. Frank's son, Frank "Buddy" Spenger Jr. (1916–2003) was the family member who really made the restaurant famous. He managed the business from 1940 through 1999. [4] "By the 50s, Spenger's claimed to serve roughly 3,500 pounds of fish daily, more than any restaurant west of the Mississippi. For years it paid more in taxes to Berkeley than any other restaurant." [2] At the age of 83, Buddy Spenger sold the business to McCormick & Schmick's a seafood restaurant chain based in Portland, Oregon. [4]
After the restaurant was sold to McCormick & Schmick's, the facility was closed for a year until late 1999, as it underwent a $5 million renovation. Part of the renovation included replacing the original 1930s electrical system and retrofitting unreinforced brick walls with steel beams to comply with California's earthquake prevention standards. The kitchen received the greatest attention during this process, as it was gutted and expanded with all new appliances. [5]
The restaurant abruptly closed in October 2018, after 128 years of operations. [4] [6]
The cuisine of California reflects the diverse culture of California and is influenced largely by Hispanic American roots, alongside East Asian and Oceanian influences, and Western European influences, as well as the food trends and traditions of larger American cuisine.
Fisherman's Wharf is a neighborhood and popular tourist attraction in San Francisco, California, United States. It roughly encompasses the northern waterfront area of San Francisco from Ghirardelli Square or Van Ness Avenue east to Pier 35 or Kearny Street. The F Market streetcar runs through the area, the Powell-Hyde cable car line runs to Aquatic Park, at the edge of Fisherman's Wharf, and the Powell-Mason cable car line runs a few blocks away.
Landry's, Inc., is an American, privately owned, multi-brand dining, hospitality, entertainment, and gaming corporation headquartered in Houston, Texas. Landry's, Inc. owns and operates more than 600 restaurants, hotels, casinos, and entertainment destinations in 35 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The company also owns and operates numerous international locations. The company is owned by President & CEO Tilman Fertitta.
Cioppino is a fish stew originating in San Francisco, California. It is an Italian-American dish and is related to various regional fish soups and stews of Italian cuisine.
Legal Sea Foods is an American restaurant chain of casual-dining seafood restaurants primarily located in the Northeastern region of the United States.
William (Bill) P. McCormick is an American businessman and diplomat. He served as the United States ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa from October 21, 2005, until January 10, 2009. He is married and has six children.
Fisherman's Wharf is a historic wharf in Monterey, California, United States. Used as an active wholesale fish market into the 1960s, the wharf eventually became a tourist attraction as commercial fishing tapered off in the area.
Bernstein's Fish Grotto was a popular restaurant in San Francisco, California, that operated from 1907 to 1981.
Greens Restaurant is a landmark vegetarian restaurant in the Fort Mason Center in the Marina District, San Francisco, California, overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.
The Tadich Grill is an American seafood restaurant located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1849, it is the oldest running restaurant in California. Based in the Financial District, the restaurant sits on 240 California Street. The dining experience features Croatian-style cooking techniques that include grilling seafood over mesquite- and charcoal-broilers for varying flavor profiles and uniform broiling.
Pat Kuleto is an American designer, restaurant impresario, builder, innkeeper, and winemaker, credited with being the first American to bring recognition to restaurant design as a distinct form of interior design. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Kuleto had designed nearly 400 restaurants as of late 2009, including some of the most popular fine dining restaurants in the United States.
Alioto's Restaurant is a historic Italian fish restaurant located at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf.
Seafood pizza is pizza prepared with seafood as a primary ingredient. Many types of seafood ingredients in fresh, frozen or canned forms may be used on seafood pizza. Some retail pizza chains, as well as smaller restaurants, offer seafood pizzas to consumers.
Forbes Island is a floating island and event space near Bradford Island, California, United States. It was formerly a restaurant, located between Pier 39 and Pier 41 in Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco. It was the only "floating island" restaurant in the Bay Area. The restaurant was inspired by Captain Nemo's marine dwelling. The restaurant closed in 2017, and the floating platform was moved to the Holland Riverside Marina in Brentwood, California.
Swan Oyster Depot is a seafood eatery and cultural landmark located in the Polk Gulch neighborhood of San Francisco, California. It opened there in 1903 and except for a brief hiatus and rebuilding period following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, it has been running continuously in the same venue since that time. This makes it one of the longest continuous businesses and dining establishments in the United States. Swan's menu has remained largely unchanged throughout its history, and it has had exactly the same 18 wooden stools and marble counter that were installed for the post-earthquake reopening in 1912.
Old Fisherman's Grotto is a restaurant in Fisherman's Wharf, Monterey, California. Old Fisherman's Grotto was opened in 1950 by restaurateur Sabu Shake, Sr. The restaurant serves seafood, steaks and Italian cuisine. Their Monterey Style Clam Chowder was named best clam chowder in Monterey 15 years in a row.
Jack's Fish Spot is a fish market and seafood bar at Seattle's Pike Place Market, in the U.S. state of Washington.