Hog Island Larkspur

I’ve been to Hog Island so many times over the last 10 years and love their oysters: clean, fresh, juicy. BUT what the hell is “Wellness Fee 5%”? Do you do therapy for oysters before you kill them? Or massaging each one after killing? It’s a fully made-up LINE ITEM (basically a menu item, not a tax) that they simply decided to include thinking their patrons are dumb enough not to notice it? Very shady and greedy practice. I confronted the waiter about it and he, without any hesitation, offered to remove it. Like it wasn’t a big deal. I made them void my check and decided not even to leave any tips because this is messed up (as you can see, I initially left 20% without even thinking). It’s not just 5 bucks - it’s a very fraudulent practice that gives the owners additional revenue stream. Be

At the Larkspur location, I ordered the clam chowder because other people recommended it, but it turned out to be very watery, almost like water, as you can see in picture 6. Later I realized I had eaten at the same restaurant in Napa before and even recommended their clam chowder back then. But this time, the two of us spent $180 and still weren’t satisfied. The seafood stew was basically just tomato-based seafood, nothing special, and even though we ordered bread separately, they forgot to serve it. For the oysters, we got 12 and picked two of the sweeter varieties, but they weren’t sweet at all—just salty, though with a strong creamy flavor. We also ordered grilled oysters in every flavor, but honestly the raw ones tasted better. Maybe this branch just isn’t that good.

We visited this location on a Sunday night. The restaurant itself was nice, and I usually enjoy the SF location, so it was nice to check this one out. However, our experience was disappointing. We had to wait over 30 minutes for our seafood stew because it was forgotten. Other customers who came in after us had already eaten and left by the time our dish arrived. We had to ask about it, and were told it was “almost here,” then waited another 10 minutes—without any apology from the staff. When we received the bill, there was a 5% wellness fee on both dining in and my to go order, and the tip section was set at a minimum of 18%, with the waiter standing right next to us while we selected the tip. We did tipped 18%, but will not return to the place I believe. Overall, this made the experience

My family and I were in Larkspur and came across Hog Island. We were seated right away. Both the service and food were very good. We would come back again.

Clam chowder and seafood stew were very tasty. We filled the bucket to the rim with shells. Secret menu of fish and chips was unlocked after Roxy our bar tender helped us with the order. It’s crispy outside and tender inside. Enjoyed their Arnold Palmer with the home made lemonade. The grilled oysters were excellent as well with the Paris butter and chipotle bourbon butter. Tasted drastically different.