Best build your own sandwich shop in Fairbanks. I hear they have Chowder too.

Had the halibut corn chowder. Was pretty good but could use more of the halibut and corn to live up to the name. Also tried the broccoli cheddar quiche. Slightly oily from what I feel was a cheaper cheddar but it was still very good and seasoned well. Parking and seating is crazy but the service is still fast and seems to be very friendly. Not as crammed if you go at 11am or around 2pm to work around the lunch rush. The prices were pretty reasonable and pretty typical for Alaska. read more

The only reason I cannot give 5 stars is because of how difficult it is to find a seat during the lunch rush. The sandwiches are great...especially crab salad on croissant. Also love the Clam Chowder and Halibut Chowder. The deserts are great and in spite of the restaurant being packed at lunch time, I have always had great service. read more

Deep in the heart of Fairbanks, Alaska, across from the local nerd shop is a relatively small building with a large sign featuring a stylized fish in a bowl of soup. The building in question is light green in color with dark green trim. There are typically four to five cars parked in front. This veritable wonderland of chowder is aptly named the Chowder House. It is best to visit the location at non-typical meal times. If one tries to go during a standard meal time they are likely to find the place filled and need to wait for seating to open up. Once inside of the building, customers are expected to seat themselves. This works fairly well in terms of customer service as the inside of the restaurant is of a relatively small size. It makes it easy for the wait staff to notice new faces. After the wait staff gets to you, they hand you a small menu slip and a pen. One's meal choices are on the slip. After one has decided on what one would like to eat one circles their meal selections on the slip of paper. The waitress then comes by and takes your slip of paper into the kitchen to have your meal prepared. Approximately ten minutes later your meal is sitting in front of you, comfortably hot and perfect for consumption. Your choices for a meal include sandwiches that are custom made on your slip of paper and then assembled by the cooks. The choices for the sandwich filling include a delectable crab salad, roast beef, and various other typical meat choices. Assorted vegetables and cheeses can be added. Combine this all on an assortment of breads including sourdough and croissants and the result is one mean sandwich. While the sandwiches are quite delicious, this restaurant is called the Chowder House for a reason. The Chowder House has some of the best chowder I have tasted in all of my years. Through the works of proper culinary wizardry the cooks at this fine restaurant have managed to create chowder which is thick enough to not be soupy, yet not so thick that it feels gelatinous. They have even managed to make it at the perfect level of richness where it is flavorful but not so rich that the meal takes an expedited route through you. These bowls of culinary wizardry come in three flavors; smoked salmon, halibut and corn, and clam chowder. Not covered in this review are the various quiches which can be ordered though I can personally recommend the sausage, egg, and swiss quiche. The service is quick, the meals are always hot, and the wait staff is very polite and sociable. Some may consider the menu to be a touch limited but what you have available is prepared well enough to make up for a four page menu. As for pricing, I have found it to be fairly reasonably priced in relation to other restaurants in the Fairbanks area. I give the Chowder House a five out of five. Bravo! read more

First time at the Chowder House. The New England clam chowder was ok on the texture and taste, however, the lack of clams and potatoes in the chowder made it lackluster. I have been spoiled on real clam chowder back in Massachusetts I guess. My wife got the quiche, which was small, oily and had a mushy crust. Also, the quiche had a melted piece of cheddar over the top which had cooled and left a nasty texture about it. Tuna sandwich was excellent but gave the impression that I could have made it at home. The sandwich bread and veggies were fresh. Espresso was good as well, but overall, not too impressed. read more

Best soups and sandwiches I have ever had. Sweet tea and desserts are also excellent. The service is great even when they are busy. It is so much fun to sit down and create your own meal with fresh ingredients. Suggestions: you can add up to two meat and cheese options, the sweet tea is great, daily soup specials are consistently yummy, and the green pepper vinaigrette is to die for. Military get a free cookie! read more

This is a must eat place in Fairbanks!! My regular is a crab salad sandwich and salmon chowder.

The halibut chowder didn't blow me away (I came in with high expectations) but it was fine. I will try either the New England clam or the smoked salmon chowder next time. I want to come on a Thursday to try their Hungarian mushroom soup. I opted for the French dip, which was pretty good. The au jus wasn't quite as flavorful as I'd hoped. I'll come back, but I'll probably order something else next time. Desserts looked good but were pricey! I passed. read more

It is a good place when you just want a sandwich or a bowl of soup and don't wanna wait. I like that you can choose what you want on you; bread, veggies, etc. You may have to put a little bit of lemon juice on the chowders to get rid of the 'fishy' taste, but it is good. read more

Overrated. Service was awful, sandwich was something my kid could make at home and soup was just ok. Overpriced for mediocre food.

Wow, what a nice cozy place to have lunch. Halibut corn chowder was awesome, and the sandwiches and brocolli and cheddar quiche was good too. read more

Good service, solid food. Chowder could have been hotter, but taste was good. There was a good variety of food options, so I would definitely go back again for lunch. read more

Okay soups and fairly good sandwiches, not my favorite place in town but my significant other and a lot of military people love it. Kind of crowded and cramped in the interior. read more

Good soup and sandwiches. The reason for the 3 stars is because they are closed on Sunday's and that is a huge day for church goers to go out to eat. read more

My husband and I ate lunch here and just loved the food. Everything was fresh and tasted amazing. We had the creme de broccoli and cheddar soups, which were very great! Then both of our sandwiches were made perfectly. Cannot wait to go back! read more

The best servers ever! They're so patient, kind, and understanding - it made the whole dining experience just that much better! The halibut chowder that one of the servers suggested tasted so good and the sandwiches are so awesome! THANK YOU CHOWDER HOUSE FOR MAKING US FEEL LIKE HOW CUSTOMERS SHOULD BE TREATED! read more

Not worth the walk from the downtown area. The salmon chowder was a bit lacking. No real salmon flavor. The sandwich was your typical sandwich with a small bag of chips to accompany it. There are better options. read more

The DIY sandwich creation was a little intimidating at first, but came out deliciously. I chose two types of meat expecting to get two portions and be charged accordingly, but it seemed like they simply split the portion size for each in half and charged me the regular price. Not what I wanted, but fair, since I didn't explain what I wanted upfront. Staff was super nice and attentive read more

Local haunt. Good quick sandwiches and chowders. Super casual.

Can't go wrong with the halibut or salmon chowder. I usually get half sandwich and cup of soup! Simple little place. Get there early usually packs out during lunch hours. read more

Great salmon chowder and soups. All their sandwiches are delicious, with everything made to order. I've never had a bad meal here. But I think the menu is a little over priced especially for soup and sandwiches but for the occasional lunch with friends I enjoy heading to the chowder house. read more

The chicken salad sand on a pretzel bun w/ sprouts was as good as mine. Love it here! I'll be back. Clam chowder was excellent

First time here, a little hard to find if visiting area. We both ordered different chowders; salmon & halibut served hot and very tastie, no table seasoning needed. We ordered one side salad and we both had chicken salad, full of grapes & coconut, different texture, very good. Friendly staff gentle ambiance. Overall good value for the money. read more

So good and so friendly. Great variety of soups and sandwiches at a great price. First place we dined in Fairbanks and I'm glad we came here

This my was our first time coming here after driving by this place often. After getting our drinks and waiting for the server to come back to order, the server went to the two tables that came in after us and took their orders first. Both tables got clam chowder, and when it was time for us to order they had said they just sold their last bowl. It's understandable being a small place, but the frustrating part of it was that we would've gotten what we came for if the server had taken our order before the people that came in after us. Husband ended up getting the chili, which he liked. As I said before, it's a small place, and I don't think the servers knew that I could hear them talking about us. I recommend getting there earlier in the day as I guess they seem to run out! Will give it another shot and hopefully get clam chowder. read more

I came, I ordered, I chowed down! time. What a great place to eat. Very casual, you fill out your order and give it to the waitress, delicious. I recommend the halibut corn chowder. It was rich, sweet with a hint of garlic and, really, a bowl is a meal by itself. But, I had a sandwich, too. Turkey, bacon, Swiss cheese with tomato, onion and Dijon mustard on sour dough bread. I left with a full belly. The damage? $18 plus tip. Not bad at all. My only critique-the menu deserves better than off the shelf breads. read more

A great S&S (soup and sandwich) place for a casual lunch. I would suggest trying more than just the chowder, as my personal favorite is the Hungarian mushroom soup when it's available. The desserts are also quite good. The place is a bit cramped, so be ready for a cozy experience. read more

Offer delicious custom sandwiches, soups, & desserts! Great casual dining

The Chowder House is one of my favorite Fairbanks' secrets. It's a little whole in the wall place that is quiet, good food, decent prices, and is reasonably quick. The service isn't awful which is a compliment in this area. read more

Great customer service, I love their milkshakes and smoked salmon chowder. The sandwiches are a little on the pricey size for how big they are but it's still good. read more

Kind of a hole in the wall. Not anything fancy but don't judge a book by it's cover the service is pretty good and the food hits the spot every time. I would compare it to the cookie jar but smaller and about the same quality of food. Which is pretty good nothing exceptional but pretty good. Overall pretty good service, food, experience. Definitely worth the time to check it out for yourself. read more

I call in an order looks like my sandwich was made by someone that was mad. Not very good service ither.

This is a nice lunch stop. The smoked salmon chowder is a must try. You can completely customize your sandwich, including various bread options. My favorite is the ciabatta bread. read more

This place is great. Many of the items are things you could easily make at home (sandwiches), but the atmosphere is nice and the chowders are awesome! I love the halibut corn chowder. Plus - you can get a peanut-butter milkshake here too, to offset the taco shell salad you had for lunch. The only caveat is the lack of seating, which can be an issue during the lunch rushes. The only downfall is that I think some items may be slightly over-priced, but it's not too bad. Service has almost always been excellent. read more

Love the Chowder House. They have the best homemade soups/chowders. My kids love coming here. My favorite is the Garden Salad with the green pepper vinaigrette- only thee best dressing around. Also they have great bread and make one mean BLT. Great place, great food- a place to stop when in Fairbanks. read more

I love the Chowder House. Their soup is great and I love their sandwiches. The inside is kind of cramped, so its easier to get things to go. I always have good service, they are friendly. Great place to eat on a cold day. read more

Good food, good service, good value. Ate there twice during a visit to Fairbanks. Doesn't look like much, but its a good place for a fairly quick, casual, good meal! Coffee is good too! read more

Ate here today (12-20-2014). I had the soup off the day which happened to be steak chili. While not overly impressive it wasn't bad at all. Its not the best I've had and not the worst. It lacked that real chili flavor. I also made my own sandwich with turkey roast beef,cream cheese, cheddar, and guac on a pretzel bun. The sandwich was great but I dont think I can give the chowder house credit since I made it myself. Seriously though I wasn't overly impressed by this place. I will probably come back but I'm not in a rush. read more

Decided to grab a bite out for dinner. When I did a search on Yelp, the first listing was an ad for Chowder House. I don't usually click on ads but was curious so gave it a shot. I saw the reviews for salads, soups and sandwiches and thought it was just what we were looking for. We wanted something out, but more on the light side. When we arrived, we were greeted and found a seat. Our server gave the ins and outs on how it works at Chowder House. She asked what we wanted to drink and left us with the form to fill out (our first test). There's a variety of sandwiches that you get to pick from, along with the bread, toppings, cheese, etc. The same goes for the salads. We decided on each of us getting a cup of soup. I got the haddock chowder and my partner got the salmon chowder. A couple of the potatoes were a bit under done and not super hot but they were so thick and creamy that it almost didn't matter. The haddock chowder is a bit smokier than the salmon but other than that, the ingredients are very similar with potato chunks and corn kernels. Wanting to try a couple of things, I got the side of pasta salad which could be a meal in itself after the chowder. It was served with choice of dressing which I couldn't decide on between the house green pepper dressing or the italian so the waitress suggested I get one of each since they're served on the side. That was perfect and both ended up being so good that I used them both. My partner got the Baked Salmon sandwich and chose the sourdough bread with a spread of cream cheese. The bread was so fresh and soft, the salmon, a large slab and the seasoning just perfect. It was served with a side of dill sauce that the sandwich didn't need but I really liked it in addition to the cream cheese. I think she made the wisest choice possible and I'm positive we'll be back. The soups will be great during the colder months and I can't stop thinking about the sandwich! The servers are awesome, really nice and the restaurant is relaxing and comfortable. read more

Went there as I had heard suck great things about it. The sandwiches were dry and not very good and 3 outta the 4 bowls of clam chowder had long black hairs in them. The service there was horrible as well, the waitress did not come to check on us for nearly half an hour, drinks were empty, bowls of soup had been pushed aside and the sandwiches sat half eaten. I have no intention of returning there again. read more