I'd give a 3.5 if that was a choice but as it is not, I rounded up to a 4. Had reservations on a Thursday evening but it wasn't busy so I don't think we'd have needed them. Decor is eclectic and menus were printed on a single sheet of white paper. Our server was sweet but service was a bit slow, and the market fish of the day was an appetizer which I thought was strange. I ended up going with the crab cake appetizer as my meal and splitting the bread service. Bread was good but two of the three breads that came out were sweet (with dried fruit inside) and I wish that would have been stated somewhere in advance. The crab cakes however were delicious - definitely the standout. A few of the fish dishes other diners around us ordered looked tasty as well. All in all a decent experience and I would probably go back, but nothing mind blowing. read more

Chowder House Cafe - Inside - Seafood Near Me - Akron, Ohio

Always a winner. Delicious food and well-crafted cocktails. The space can get quite loud on a Friday or Saturday. Have returned many times! read more

Well, where do I start? This was our first time to this area and the location was very nice with lots of parking. The outside of the building was welcoming and had a ramp for handicapped access and just a few stairs. The building was also modern on the outside and when we entered it transformed into an eclectic art deco aesthetic with reclaimed wood floors. We arrived 4 minutes beyond our reservation and was seated almost immediately after they wiped off a table. We arrived at 7:19 pm on Saturday. The first thing that we noticed was a large group in the center of the restaurant of about 15 people. We were greeted by a server who never welcomed us or told us her name. She started right with: " There are a few things things that you should know; which should have been been our clue to leave. We are short staffed tonight and we are out of the following: Lobster bisque, Shrimp cocktail, Crab Stuffed Scampi and Strip Steak." She brought us glasses of water and someone else ( blond young lady) approached our table without welcoming us or telling us her name. We ordered Drinks at 7:30. Drinks arrived at 7:40 by the person who took the order. Food Ordered at 7:41. No Bread Service offered. Appetizer arrived at 8:24 Finished appetizer at 8:35 Appetizer dishes picked up at 8:37 Not asked if I wanted another beer or soda. They have been empty for 1 hour so far. No water refill. Service: Horrible. One Hour to get our Appetizers. So let's talk about the food: Shrimp and grits were not advertised on the menu but offered as a special small plate. To be honest, it wasn't bad. It had a little spice to it and a texture that I wasn't used to but it was okay. I tried my wife's crabcake and it was the worst that I've ever tried. Living in Baltimore perhaps has shaped my opinion of a great cake but never less this had a cold center and full of filler. Having the name of Chowder House, you would have thought we should have ordered the Chowder. Well, they were out of Lobster Bisque and the fact that their Chowder has no Potatoes in it made me think twice. I am assuming by the check (Erin) was our server who seemed liked she didn't want to be there but I wanted to share some feedback. It's not polite to be scratching your inner thighs with (stretchy pants) in front of my wife while you take orders. The table next to us came over when he saw our appetizers arrive and asked how long we waited which was an hour. He thought that was our main meal as he came in after us and received his appetizers before us. Either way, just as we were about to leave and our neighboring table also, our food arrived at approximately 1:40 minutes later and to boot, I took a fork full of the bland mashed potatoes and then tasted the top of my Grouper which was the exact crabcake mixture my wife had for crab cakes. As I went deeper for the fish, there it was glistening at me (RAW). I called our server over and sent it back asking her to take it off the bill and just asked for the check. No apology, no attempt for service recovery. This was a rare moment that I left ZERO tip. I fully Understand front of the house and back of the house restaurant dynamics, but this was a situation of total lack of accountability including management. Did I mention my wife's Seafood Pappardelle? Lobster (Not) Some Imitation Crab (Yes) The flavor was actually good but wasn't tight enough. Please look at the video and you determine if this dish was loose, just right or tight? It was beyond loose and a running faucet. Never again and I would NOT recommend this place to anyone. You have to do better and hire staff who wants to please their customers. I understand how we can have moments and bad times, but you cannot thrive if you want an exceptional restaurant. In moments like this night you need to be prepared for complimentary bread service and keep drinks and water flowing at the very least. You could have made more money just by asking for drink refills which could have been a great diversion, but no management appeared to be present. I'm only providing constructive feedback for improvement and it is not my intention of embarrassing others. read more

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We have been coming to the Chowder House for years. It seems that the last few months things have gone downhill fast. Last night they were out of over half of the menu items and we came at 6pm on a Saturday night. The waitress we had was great and explained there was a chef issue, but she shouldn't have to tell us this, they should have closed until they got a new chef to fill in. I felt so bad for her, having to tell all of her tables they had nothing that the guests were ordering. We were a party of 8 and everyone's food came out besides mine, which came out 25 mins later after the rest of the table had already eaten. And since it was the last lobster ravioli as they told me, it was cut in half. So three total raviolis. They did take $5 off my bill for that. Hahaha. Which is such a joke considering it came after everyone else's. I feel so sad because this used to be one of our favorite places. I'll keep looking for the reviews to get much better before we go back! read more

What a hidden gem! We shared the Arancini, ahi tuna sesame noodles and the mussels, and they were all delicious. The strip steak was also top notch. Worth checking out! read more

Chowder House Cafe - Strip steak with Veggies and mashed potatoes - Seafood Near Me - Akron, Ohio

Great seafood! Our server, Nicole was attentive and very helpful! Love the quirky decor in the Chowder house Will definitely return read more

We went here for a dinner before a play. Large party 9 of us. I think only one person enjoyed their food. The server Julia was on it and great, so this review has nothing to do with her. Our reservation was at 5:45, food in by 6:15, we didn't get our meal out to us till 7:20. Not only did we wait over an hour, half our meals were cold, neither person that got the steaks liked them - said they were chewy, scallop meal was cold, clam chowder had a lot of pepper. They forgot parts of one meal. Total for all of us with tip was over $600 and I wouldn't have paid even half of that for the quality and back of house service. Half our table had to leave and couldn't even enjoy their meal because it took so long. Wouldn't recommend this place, and we love supporting local. Won't be back. read more

First time here! The food was really good. Lobster bisque was delicious. My husband got a seafood pasta dish which was phenomenal but I can't remember the name I will post a pic! I got lobster roll but it's not Connecticut style so I didn't care for that. The fries were amazinggggggg! And I don't even like fries. The shrimp and grits were soooo good too! We ordered Jack and coke at the bar and even those were delicious. The owner came out and sat down and talked with us. The location is under construction but still open . The tables are cute with white table cloths on them. Make a reservation! It's small and gets packed quick! But the food is really good. We will be back! read more

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Went for dinner around happy hour. Server was slow and they were not busy. Cocktail was good. Had the wedge salad and it was delicious! The crab cake was over cooked and salty. Shrimp was way over cooked and difficult to chew. They charge extra if you are using a credit card. Would not recommend and wouldn't go back. read more

I wanted to love this place. I've lived in Cuyahoga Falls for years- and had never been till recently, First off - our server was so sweet but reallly slow and forgetful. I ordered one of the specials was braised beef with parsnip mash and pumpkin seeds. Everything was good. Pumpkin seeds kind of threw me off. But not $35 a plate worth. Perhaps if i had gotten fish or seafood, it would have been better. The vibe is cozy and cute. Definitely a small spot. read more

Chowder House Cafe - Braised short ribs, parsnip mash and asparagus - Seafood Near Me - Akron, Ohio

We celebrated an early Mother's Day at the Chowder House. The food was excellent. My wife had the crusted Salmon with mashed sweet potatoes and I had the NY strip with the cheesy potatoes. Both were cooked to a perfect medium. The sides were also excellent. We will definitely return. read more

We visit Akron often and WE HAVE TO COME HERE! it's one of my favorite restaurants of all time. The food is so delicious. We will visit faithfully every time we're here. Get the chowder.......get everything. read more

Chowder House Cafe - a steak and french fries - Seafood Near Me - Akron, Ohio

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The food Devine, best halibut I have had in a while! Great service! Thoroughly enjoyed our meal.

As always, Chowder house chefs put their whole foot into the food. Service is A1! This is a place where it just seems like people thoroughly enjoy working here! I had the salmon and sweet mashers and I was only sad because it was gone. This was a great meal and experience! read more

Chowder House Cafe - Black Sea salmon. Asparagus and sweet potatoes mashers - Seafood Near Me - Akron, Ohio

Service is excellent, entrees were exceptional, lovely artsy, chilled atmosphere, very relaxing. read more

Chowder House Cafe - Crab stuffed shrimp. - Seafood Near Me - Akron, Ohio

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First visit to the Chowder House. Started with the Crab Cakes, and Twisted Noodles. Then we had Filet and Scallop Risotto for our entrees. Everything was high quality and cooked perfectly. The service was also outstanding. read more

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My husband & I had lunch. The service & food were exceptional. We will definitely be back the next time we are in town!

I was so hoping to have an amazing experience. I read the reviews and weighed the options and thought the odds were good for a pleasant date night location. The restaurant itself had a nice ambience and everyone was pleasant, but there were several misses from the kitchen. My husband had the clam chowder and I had the lobster bisque. We sampled each other's soup and came to the same conclusion . . . we wouldn't order either again. As I can best explain it, the soup was gritty instead of creamy. The flavor and texture was off-putting. We shared a crab cake appetizer which I would recommend. The entrees I think were the biggest disappointment. We could have recovered from the soups had the main courses been outstanding. My husband ordered Shrimp Bucatini -- without bacon -- and I ordered Seafood Pappardelle. After a very long wait, the waitress came out to ask if he didn't eat pork. I'm not sure why that mattered since the meal was ordered without pork so he had already communicated the way he wanted the entree. After answering her question to inform her that we don't eat pork, she advises the meal needed to be remade because they added the bacon. smh Once the meals finally came out, his entree also didn't have the red pepper so she brought out a side and he did what he could do to add flavor with salt and pepper. Apparently when they remade the dish the focus was on getting it out fast even if some of the ingredients and flavor was missing. My dish didn't have any noticeable lobster so I inquired as to whether that was forgotten. The server informed me that it didn't actually include lobster but just a lobster sauce. Since that wasn't what I read on the menu, I asked to see it again. Sure enough, the menu states the entree has "Lobster, shrimp and scallops". I'm attaching a photo of the menu because I was absolutely dumbfounded at the inaccuracy. Other than that the flavors were there. By this point, we decided to take our dessert to go so this experience could end. I wish I had more positive feedback. Since I rely on these reviews I felt obligated to leave honest feedback for the next couple seeking a place to go for date night. read more

Chowder House Cafe - Menu stating that the Seafood Pappardelle entree included "Lobster, shrimp and scallops" - Seafood Near Me - Akron, Ohio

Went for lunch. Really enjoyed. Excellent food. Chowder is fantastic Atmosphere and service was great.

Kind of ended up here randomly. I was working at my restaurant, when a woman came in wearing a shirt that said "Chowder House Cafe" on it. I asked her where it was, and she told me... so I looked them up. Their menu looked really good, and four hours later, we were there for dinner! It's tucked away off Merriman in the valley. Back by Weathervane Playhouse. It's a cute little spot, with a bar and small-ish dining room. Very kitschy art on the walls, but it actually works in a fun way. A unique blend of fine dining and avant-garde. Felt welcoming and warm. Got a corner table with good views of the dining space. Lots of good people watching if you're into that kind of thing. Got seated promptly with some waters and we ordered a drink from the bar and their house Pinot noir. The PEPPER IN YOUR RYE was their take on an old fashioned. And it was a good one at that. Just as we got Into our drinks, the appetizer we ordered, the FRIED SOFT SHELL CRAB arrived. Nice breading, lots of meat, and a tangy remolaude. Came with some field greens. Very nice way to start the meal. For the entrees, we chose the SEAFOOD PAPPARDELLE, and the SEAFOOD ETOUFEE. As first timers, we asked the server for a recommendation, and those two were at the top of his list. The pappardelle featured huge shrimp, lobster and scallops, in a three cheese cream sauce, topped with micro greens over locally made pasta. In all honestly, it was a top three, all-time seafood pasta dish. Including places like Italy and Greece. The scallops were buttery and melted as such. The shrimp was plump, and huge; and the lobster matched wits. The pasta was fresh and cooked perfectly, which made all the ingredients come together in culinary alchemy. The etoufee was a sneaky dish. It had crawfish, shrimp and scallops in a traditional Cajun style etoufee. I say sneaky, because we asked the server "is it pretty spicy"? Knowing that most Cajun etoufee are. He said "I don't think it's really spicy at all". Well sir, you have a stone for a tongue palate! Not that it was a bad thing. After a few bites of the stew with the sweet white rice, we tended to agree with him. It was only a few minutes later that the heat started to kick in. It's a slow burn dish all the way. I love that kind of development, but it's not for everyone. Like the pappardelle, the meats were perfectly done, and complimented all the other flavors exquisitely. On the 1 to 10 scale of spicy, this is probably an 8 or so. For those who like it hot like me, I encourage you to dig in! Since the heat from the etoufee was still lingering, we heard dessert options. Not really expecting to get anything, until I heard CHERRY COBBLER. I'm a sucker for a good cobbler, and based on the entrees, I was thinking their cobbler would be worth the extra calories. I was correct. It came out a la mode, in a small cast iron skillet. It was sweet and crunchy on top, with warm, tart cherries throughout. Combining bites with the vanilla ice cream was an absolutely perfect ending to an almost perfect meal. So happy the culinary gods were smiling on me that day, and happenstance got me through the door. I'll have to imagine this is going to be a new spot of the semi regular rotation. Two drinks, appetizer, entrees and dessert with tip was about $150 out the door. Not an every week kind of place, but like I always say, "you get what you pay for". The Chowder House Cafe was worth every red cent. read more

Had the prime rib special, 14-16 ounces. The fat side was an inch thick, the meat was 1/4 inch thick. I've never had such a thin cut. Too bad outings there in a row. The tuna appetizer was excellent. read more

Went here for my best friends birthday dinner. It was one of the only places that were able to get us in, but I'm thankful because it was amazing! The inside is moreso a typical restaurant setting, but the outside is so gorgeous with umbrella-covered table and string lights in the downstairs portion. I ordered the lobster ravioli (AMAZING) and we shared some cosmopolitans which were tasty as well. The best part, besides the delicious food, was our waiter. I cannot remember his name but he was very sweet and had great conversation with us. Also, their parking lot made for a great photoshoot spot LOL. Highly, HIGHLY recommend this place! read more

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Overpriced and overated.. service was OK but food did not meet expectations. Everything was overpriced and was not exceptional. read more

The food was delicious. This was my second visit and the food has been exceptional both times. The service on this visit was slow though.

I'm so upset because I REALLY wanted to like this place. I got the risotto. I was awful. The server disappeared for most of the meal. It's WAY overpriced for the food. Really disappointing read more

Went for lunch Tues. 8/22. Ordered Seafood Pappardelle - although the sauce was outstanding, I was miffed that for $19 all I got was a minimal amount of pasta, a tablespoon of lobster crumbs, one shrimp and a 1/4 inch slice of sea scallop. The service was good at first, but when a few more people came in, one server took forever to do anything. What a ripoff! read more

The service was unfriendly. Our food was very slow to come out despite the fact that they didn't seem busy. No explanation or apology for how slow everything was. My husband said the French onion soup was just ok. The dinner salad was good but you could get the same salad anywhere. The mussels were flavorless, the worst mussels i have had in a long time. At least a third of them weren't opened. Halibut special was ok. Didn't like the mashed potatoes and the broccoli had no flavor. Server never asked me if i wanted another drink. We looked clearly displeased and no one was concerned. We won't be going back. I did enjoy the art on the walls. read more

My wife and her friends went there and won't go back. They completely messed up the reservation. The manager was useless when it came to straightening out the situation -- but the waiter was later awesome. The food was blah -- she order Cioppino, but the menu didn't indicate that it contained mussels. It also contained two small scallops and was small shrimp for $32, which was way overpriced, had no spice, and was not true "Cioppino." But the drinks were bad -- their $10 martini was only half-filled. Skipping it until it comes under new ownership/management. read more

What an amazing combination of excellent quality food prep and perfect customer service and a menu with many perfect choices and a beautifully designed restaurant! Our excellent server, Edward, was very prompt and full of suggestions and daily specials. He quickly answered all our questions and gave us his recommendations politely. I was very impressed by his service and complimented him often on the same. We started with recommended cocktails, then a dozen raw oysters and the house specialty's clam chowder. I then had the Coquille St Jacques which was amazing. Then my wife had a wonderful seafood pappadelle combination with lobster, shrimp, and scallops, with an amazing new item for us - Ohio City pasta. This pasta was fantastic - cut wide but very thin, and wow what a taste! I ended with the scallops risotto which was also excellent. I would be back to this amazing restaurant every week if it wasn't 8 hours from our home, but I hope y'all try it now and come back often. read more

It was so good I forgot to take pictures. We sat at the bar on a Saturday evening and our service was kind and overall helpful. They had lots of weekend specials although I did not order those. The regular menu has choices plentiful! We got crab cakes as an appetizers and they were just WOW! I had the scallop risotto for a meal and it was a hearty portion with 4 large scallops. My husband got the braised lamb with lobster Mac and it was also hearty and incredible. They have a pretty unique cocktail menu and we were also pleased with our drink selections. I hope to return soon! read more

The clam chowder was lumpy and had too much pepper to eat. I sent it back and got the lobster bisque which was perfect. The chef sent a message that he/she would correct the clam chowder. The seafood etoufee I had was also lumpy and stiff. It was supposed to be over fluffy jasmine rice but was not. The seafood and rice was all mixed together when I got it in a lumpy mess. I took most of it home and eventually threw it away. The three stars was for the bisque. read more

Chowder House Cafe - Not over fluffy jasmine rice like the menu indicated. - Seafood Near Me - Akron, Ohio

Went to their clambake and it was delicious! The clam chowder was very nice. The clams and mussels were fantastic. An ear of corn, 1/2 a chicken, bread and dessert completed the meal. Everything was wonderful. read more

Chowder House Cafe - Clambake - Seafood Near Me - Akron, Ohio

Too loud, could not hear the person sitting across from me. The food was good but unable to carry on conversation with guests

New location - Food is still excellent. Best Crab Poutine I've EVER had. (actuall, I've never seen someone do crab poutine!) Fish dishes always done to perfection. Can't wait to try their Brunch! read more

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This should be 3.5 stars not good enough for 4 but passable. The outside is quaint with a beautiful courtyard so if you're lucky enough to be in town on a pleasant evening I would highly suggest this option. The interior is tastefully done with nice art but I found it extremely loud. The service was a bit slow but she tried. I started with the Maine Nut, their take on a Manhattan. Yummy. We then had Stuffed Calamari. The poor Calamari was just overwhelmed by the sausage stuffing and the heavy tomato sauce. The sausage was good. Finished off with Halibut served with sweet potato mash and limp asparagus. The Halibut was delicious once you removed the hard glazed crust. Let's just say they have potential but could use some tweaking, read more

Chowder House Cafe - Halibut - Seafood Near Me - Akron, Ohio

I've been here several times, the food is always excellent and so is the service. Upscale dining experience in a comfy, not too stuffy atmosphere. Everyone from the bartender to the hostess, to the servers are friendly and attentive. Highly recommend this hidden gem! read more

Don't let the white tablecloths and high prices fool you into thinking you will get great service. Strictly hash house. When the server stands at your table holding your entrée and waiting for you to move your empty soup bowls out of the way and not knowing who ordered what, well, welcome to Denny's. In addition, two of us were served our entrees while the third person had to wait for his dinner to come out of the kitchen. Having said that, most of the food was quite good. I had the halibut special which was slightly undercooked, (which is better that overcooked), with perfectly cooked asparagus and great mashed potatoes. My friend had the seafood risotto. It tasted OK but was very mushy. Yuck. read more

The ice wine was delicious, and our crab cake appetizer to die for. I ordered the crab stuffed scampi which was good but the potatoes were so over salted I couldn't finish my meal. read more

What a great experience. We had an excellent waitress and fabulous food. I had the ahi tuna cold noodle appetizer which was 5 star! The grouper was perfectly cooked, and the strawberry Gâteau cake with mascarpone was such a delight. The libations were the peppered rye and the Aviator. read more

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I am not a seafood lover and was dragged to this restaurant by a friend. To my surprise - it was the best dinner I have had on a long time !! Service - Amazing Drinks - Amazing Food - Amazing We usually go to the local higher end restaurants in Akron .... this was better then all of them. Can't wait to go back - Highly recommend!!! read more