Saturday, September 22, 2007

Photoessay #124 - Spengers Fish Grotto


Both Dennis and myself have memories of going to Spengers Fish Grotto as children. Located in the flatlands of Berkeley, near the base of University Avenue and the marinas, Spengers is a landmark. Fish place, elaborately decorated with marine relics. My parents did NOT go to restaurants much at all but when we went to the Bay Area, we would often go Spengers, I remember baked fish with cream sauces and "shrimp scatter". I almost can smell the lemon juice and the extra sourdough bread. Big treat. Dennis' family went there also.

Last weekend we stopped on our way from Oakland to Marin County. Place could definitely use a paint job but the trademark sign still there. Actually, the place looked pretty good on the inside. We stopped at the little fish market on the left where you can buy items to go. Remember the shrimp Louis of my childhood, I had a salad and a french roll, very tasty. Dennis had fish and chips and they were EXCELLENT. Bought a loaf of that San Francisco sourdough which got folded into the Beittel family dinner later in the day.

Really, the place is nicer than the outside looks. It's now owned by McCormick and Schmucks which is local here in the Northwest. I would expect a new paint job........Dennis standing center right.

1 comment:

Oreo said...

I remember going there every summer before the baseball game. I always ordered shrimp and could not imagine ordering anything else except fish. I think I ordered scalops the last time we went.