Swan Oyster Depot, perhaps the city’s most famous and idolized seafood restaurant, has come under fire after a local food influencer posted an image suggesting the owners are supporters of President Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, content creator Kat Ensign posted a photo, ostensibly shot at the famed Polk Street fish counter, showing a navy-blue cap with the numbers 45 and 47 (opens in new tab), references to Trump’s two terms in office. “Spotted at swan after waiting in a long ass line,” text on the image read.
A Reddit user reposted (opens in new tab) the image, which gained hundreds of comments and upvotes by Wednesday morning. Yelp users began flooding the restaurant with one- and two-star reviews (opens in new tab) criticizing the owners’ alleged political stance. “Not comin here anymore,” one reads. “The MAGA vibes are gettin creepy.”
“I can’t imagine ever going back,” another reads. “Why patronize a place that supports a President who attacks everything that the City stands for?”
Swan Oyster Depot proudly lacks a website, and its most recent Instagram post states that it is currently closed for vacation (opens in new tab). (That post, too, is filling up with negative comments, as well as U.S. flag emojis from staunch supporters.) The last day of service was July 3; it is due to reopen Monday.
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It is unclear when Ensign visited the restaurant. The Standard has reached out to her as well as to several members of the Sancimino family, who have operated the restaurant for decades. None have responded.
Opened in 1912, the once-humble Swan counter earned a reputation for blue-collar charisma and intense customer devotion — with lines stretching down Polk Street from 8 a.m. opening until closing at 2:30 p.m. Its fans include the late chef Anthony Bourdain (opens in new tab), who stopped by every time he visited San Francisco.
This is not the first time Swan Oyster Depot has faced controversy. In August 2021, there were accusations of racism when a staff member (opens in new tab) allegedly yelled “Dim sum!” at a Vietnamese American customer. After that incident, the volume of one-star reviews became so heavy that Yelp froze the restaurant’s page.
Reached for comment Wednesday, a spokesperson for Yelp said the company had again placed an “Unusual Activity Alert” on Swan’s business page and temporarily disabled the ability to post reviews.
Ensign is likewise no stranger to online fights. In December, she claimed that chef Geoffrey Lee of Michelin-recognized omakase counter Ju-ni sent her a stream of abusive messages after she posted a middling review of Hamburger Project, another of his businesses. Shortly thereafter, Lee stepped down as executive chef at all three of his restaurants.
This story has been updated with a comment from Yelp.