Bodega Bay isn’t the kind of place you go for fine dining. It’s fishing boats, seafood shacks, and tourists stopping on their way up Highway 1. But tucked into the harbor area is Fisherman’s Cove, and they make an oyster po’boy that has no business being this good.

The bread is the thing. They use Acme sourdough rolls — proper San Francisco sourdough with that tangy bite — instead of the soft French bread you’d get in New Orleans. It shouldn’t work, but it does. The crust holds up to the fried oysters without getting soggy, and the chew complements the crunch.

The oysters are local. Tomales Bay, most likely. They batter them light — just enough coating to get crispy without overwhelming the oyster. They fry them hot and fast so the outside shatters and the inside stays tender. The remoulade is house-made, heavy on the lemon and capers, less mayo than you’d expect. It cuts through the richness without drowning it.

They serve it with pickles and shredded lettuce, simple and right. No tomatoes (correct choice — they’d make it soggy). The whole thing costs $18, which feels steep until you realize you’re eating oysters pulled from the bay that morning.

Sit outside if the weather’s decent. The harbor smells like salt and diesel and fish guts — which sounds bad but isn’t. It’s the smell of a working waterfront, and it makes the food taste more authentic.

Go midweek if you can. Weekends get crowded with Bay Area day-trippers. We went on a Thursday in late spring, got our sandwiches in ten minutes, and ate them at a picnic table watching fishing boats unload the day’s catch.

Not worth a dedicated trip from San Francisco on its own, but if you’re driving the coast or heading to the Sonoma wineries, it’s an easy detour. Order the oyster po’boy. Get it to go if you want. Eat it by the water. You won’t regret it.