Raw Bar Little Shucker Splashes Into Pac Heights With Caviar Service and Lobster Rolls

Pac Heights locals likely know the Snug, the spacious but cozy neighborhood bar that’s been perched at the corner of Fillmore and Clay streets since 2017. They love it for being an approachable watering hole, the reliable kind of place where you can get a solid cocktail and an heirloom tomato salad or a cold pint and a basket of tater tots. And, as of early August, fans will have a new option for a drink and a bite in the area when the Snug team debuts their latest project, a modern oyster bar just up the street from their popular bar.

Little Shucker, first announced last summer, will open its doors at 2016 Fillmore Street on Thursday, August 3. Expect a seafood-focused menu that includes raw bar standards such as oysters and, of course, an impressive seafood tower, plus a trio of small plates, a pair of salads, and three larger plates coming out of the kitchen. Beverage options will be focused on wines and low-ABV cocktails built on the bar’s selection of aperitifs and amari.

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Owners and managing partners Shane Matthews, Zack Schwab, Jacob Racusin, and Liv Ringo, who also teamed up on the Snug, say their longstanding connections and understanding of the neighborhood make them confident they know what Pac Heights diners want. “We really feel like we know this neighborhood well,” Ringo says, adding that this is a city with a deep affection for seafood so a raw bar is a natural fit. “San Francisco is obviously known for its oysters and seafood and we have all these beautiful oyster beds in our backyard.”

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Executive chef and fifth managing partner/owner Adrian Garcia hopes the Little Shucker menu will a gap in the neighborhood for a casual and elegant all-day — or at least, lunch and dinner — dining option. The idea is for customers to be able to come in during lunch for a salad and a white wine spritz or during happy hour for a platter of oysters and a glass of brut crémant or Lambrusco. For dinner, customers can start with miso bone marrow baked oysters, a local halibut crudo with avocado mousse and gooseberries, and a whole roasted branzino served with herb pistou and potatoes. The menu will rotate with the seasons, so expect new dishes to enter the mix every quarter, plus a selection of daily specials as ingredients allow.

Bucking the trend, the wine list at Little Shucker keeps things pretty traditional. “There will be the occasional orange sprinkled in,” Ringo says with a smile. But this isn’t a list stuffed with funky reds and zero-zero selections. Beverage Director John Fragola worked on a list of four spritzes that include the Pink Spritz — no, it’s not a Barbie collab — made with rosé vermouth and a Vermouth Hi Ball starring vino amaro, reserva vermouth, and Okinawan umeshu.

Ringo took the lead on designing the space, which formerly housed a location of the Grove, aiming to transform the 60-seat dining room into something light, bright, and modern. They brought in a forest of light wood elements including wainscoting and tables custom-built by co-owner Racusin. Blue-grey tiles wrapped around the two bars aim to echo fish scales, while the curves of the shelving on the back bar roll through the room like ocean waves. The bank of windows facing Fillmore can also be opened up wide, to bring the energy of the street into the dining room. They plan to plant a few tables on the sidewalk as an outdoor dining option for sunny days in the neighborhood.

Ringo says they got the keys to the space about a year ago, so the project has been both a while in the works and, somehow, also feels like it came together as quickly as possible. They’d been thinking about opening a second spot for quite some time, so when the opportunity to open an oyster and Champagne-soaked spot in their own backyard came around, it felt like the perfect fit. “We really love operating in this neighborhood,” she says. “It’s coming back better.”

Bread & Butter

Bread & Butter

Bread & Butter

Bread & Butter

Little Shucker (2016 Fillmore Street, San Francisco) opens on Thursday, August 3, and will serve lunch, dinner, and happy hour from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Reservations will be available starting August 1 at noon on Resy.