Lou's Fish Shack

This popular restaurant and blues club is one of the few establishments on Fisherman's Wharf that locals will admit they've been to at least once. The bottom floor consists of a bar and bistro-style dining room, while the upstairs hosts blues bands every night of the week, with the occasional Motown, country, and R&B act thrown in for variety. Lunch and dinner items range from a variety of Cajun classics such as gumbo ya ya, jambalaya, and shrimp Creole to baby back ribs, steamed Dungeness crab, blackened swordfish, and New York steak. T here's a lengthy starters menu if you just want to nosh on a Jamaica jerk salad, Louisiana crawfish bowl, or 'peel 'em and eat' shrimp. Budget tip: The Saturday blues show from noon to 3pm is free; otherwise, the upstairs club cover is $3 to $10.