Crab Louis (Crab Louie) and the St. Francis Hotel claim

The Crab Louis (also Crab Louie) salad is often linked to San Francisco, with the St. Francis Hotel among the establishments claimed to have served an early form of the dish in the early 20th century. Culinary historians note competing origin stories for the salad, with claims also arising from Portland and other West Coast locales, so its precise birthplace is disputed. The St. Francis Hotel’s long culinary history and banquet menus are cited in accounts that connect the hotel to the Crab Louis tradition. The salad remains associated in many sources with classic San Francisco hotel and seafood dining of that era.