Fifty years ago, Scott’s Seafood Grill and Bar sprang up in San Francisco’s Marina District, before expanding across the bridge to Jack London Square.
Jack London seemed like the ideal destination for Scott’s second iteration — it was growing, a hub lined by retail stores, boats and restaurants. Night clubs like Square Apple hosted popular funk acts like Tower of Power, while restaurants like Kirby’s Elegant Farmer and The Grotto held down the waterfront dining scene with menus filled with fried clam raviolis and buffalo steak.
Some saw Jack London Square as the second coming of San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, as business owners and officials hoped to create an Oakland destination that could rival the wharf’s buzz and active tourism. When Scott’s came onto the scene in late 1984, replacing longstanding restaurant Sea Wolf, that promise was still alive. But that soon faded, and over time, the waterfront tourist destination saw a wave of closures.
But not Scott’s. The seafood restaurant has waded through economic downturns, crime, and even a global pandemic. Meanwhile, the original restaurant at the corner of Lombard and Scott Streets in San Francisco closed in 1998. In its four decades in The Town, Scott’s has become a place where Oakland’s power brokers meet and make handshake deals, and where families celebrate graduations, engagements and other momentous occasions. Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee is a frequent diner, and, thanks to its proximity to the Port of Oakland offices, Scott’s has hosted many high-stakes business lunches. Scott’s managing partner Ramiro Carabez credits this longevity to the restaurant’s staff — stating that their unwavering commitment to service is what has propelled the restaurant through its toughest years…