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This CA restaurant is a hidden gem, Tripadvisor says. And it’s on an artificial island

A California restaurant was named one of the “Top 10 Hidden Gems in the U.S.” by Tripadvisor.

Mersea Restaurant & Bar in San Francisco’s Treasure Island ranked No. 2 in the country in the “hidden gem” subcategory on Tripadvisor’s “2022 Best of the Best Restaurants” list.

To find the best restaurants, the online travel company ranked restaurants based on the quality and quantity of reviews from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022, “specific to each award subcategory, as well as an additional editorial process.”

Mersea Restaurant & Bar means “Island Oasis” in Old English, according to the restaurant’s website.

The restaurant is nestled on San Francisco’s Treasure Island a 400-acre artificial island that was built from 1936 to 1937 by the Army Corps of Engineers.

It was built to host the Golden Gate International Exposition, a fair to celebrate the completion of the Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Bridge, as well as “the ascendancy of California and San Francisco as economic, political, and cultural forces in the Pacific region.”

The restaurant is constructed with shipping containers and has views of both bridges and the city skyline.

“This entire restaurant is constructed from shipping containers. But let’s be clear, you won’t feel like you’re eating inside the back of a semi tractor trailer. These shipping containers are decked out in every way,” one reviewer wrote.

It also serves an American-style food menu that changes often and includes daily dishes.

“Hands-down the best clam chowder I ever tasted and I am from Boston. The chicken and fish dishes we tasted were absolutely superb,” one Tripadvisor reviewer recommended.

Menu items include Parke’s fish chowder, Caesar your way, crispy tacos, pizza, a double-stacked cheeseburger and fish and chips.

“For a unique people watching experience; spectacular view of SF and the bay; good food and excellent friendly service try Mersea,” one reviewer said.

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