We tried their clam chowder and it's the best we've had. We compared it to Boudin and whether you're comparing the price, quality, or quantity of the clam chowder, this place is better than Boudin. The inside is very clean and staff are friendly. Great experience. Thanks! read more

Although busy, the people behind the counter moves fast. Placed my order and bam it was already ready. Granted it was just putting premade clam chowder in a bread bowl but still pretty impressed. The sourdough bread bowl was amazing, not much of a bread person but being in SF this was a must try and I'm glad I did! Perfect consistency, shiny tough shell on the outside but soft and fluffy breading on the inside. The clam chowder to eat with it made it so much better! The clam chowder wasn't fishy like other places I've gone to which is definitely a plus. It was also thick and creamy, but I do have to say they were a little scant on their clams and had way too much potatoes in it. Still a tourist must try! PS. be aware of seagulls, they will take your food and you will not be refunded for another bread bowl. It literally says so on one of the signs by the cash register. read more

Chowders - Clam chowder bread bowl - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

This is the BEST clam chowder I've ever had. Hands down. And their fries were so great too. I definitely recommend this spot.

This place is amazing. The best quick lunch on the pier, while also enjoying the hyped up seafood of San Francisco's Pier 39. Would recommend this place for a good quick lunch in between shopping and enjoying the views, games, and rides. read more

Chowders - Tuna Sandwich - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

I absolutely love this place and I always stop and get a bowl of clam chowder when I'm walking through pier 39!!! The reason I'm giving them four stars is because sometimes they are truly unorganized it's not a matter of the crowd that their trying to service. The cashier has far too many responsibilities there that slows the line down and there has been times where my potatoes were pretty hard and not as soft as they should be in clam chowder nevertheless they always give me another bowl without any issues so I truly believe that sourdough clam chowder bowl here is fantastic! There's are also really good places further down Fishermans Wharf for clam chowder bowls closer to the fish market that are excellent as well, but I like that place has seating available! read more

Chowders - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Most affordable place to eat at the pier in my opinion. Clam chowder was really good definitely had to get one to go. Fish and chips were good too read more

Chowders - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

Chowder's has become a once a year tradition for my family and I. Yea yea, it's touristy and in a super touristy part of SF, but their clam chowder's their claim to fame and it's become tradition to pay a visit here when we roam SF . Usual orders: -Clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl: you're given the option of white or red cream. I usually go with the white clam chowder because I think it's a little more flavorful than the red one. -Calamari and chips: fries are cut in a steak-cut style so yes...chunky fries. Calamari is breaded and seasoned lightly but so well that it's got me comin' back a ton! They serve cocktail sauce and/or tartar sauce and a lemon wedge on the side. Today I ordered the crab melt sandwich, and it was meh. Although the crab was generous, I felt the flavors hadn't combined well... usually I'm used to a bit more flavor in my crab sandwich- maybe it's due to a garlic butter addition but that was lacking in this sandwich :( Maybe if the recipe is tweaked, I'll try it again but I think I'm gonna stick with my usuals! read more

Chowders - White clam chowder (always served in a sourdough bread bowl!) - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I don't know why but my family just loves this place. Every time we come to SF, everyone and I mean everyone in my family says that we have to go to Chowders for a white clam chowder in a bread bowl. I don't know what it is? It's almost like a tradition. There are others places around Pier 39 that has just as good or even better food but it is what it is. Basically, it's order at the counter. If you order the clam chowder they will give it to you right away. Other food, they will call you number and you can pick it up. They have indoor seating and outdoor seating. If you get outdoor seating, I recommend you get the tables in front of Chowders. They have outdoor seating on the side of Chowders too but if it's the last resort then take it but the only problem is that it's really windy. You have to watch your napkins and stuff cause it blows and quickly. Only good thing about the side tables is that it has a view to the bay with all the boat. Anyways, my wife, son, and daughter will always get the white clam chowder bread bowls. I usually get the seafood platter or the shrimp and calamari plate. Never got any sandwiches there but they do look really good. This place gets really busy too so I recommend someone search out a table while someone orders. Again I would call this probably the only fast food seafood place sorta like the In-N-Out on Pier 39. Hahaha. I've been coming here for the last 30 years. So this is probably the oldest restaurant that has stood the longest on the Pier. Our favorite. So enjoy cause we will be back as usual. Hahaha read more

Food is decent not great but good choice when you don't want a long wait and want to eat outdoors in a relaxed setting with a view with your toddler. read more

March 25, 2015 Our first morning here and our first craving was the clam chowder sourdough bread bowl! We couldn't share so we ordered two! Got come crab cakes and calamari. Come one, Go BIG or GO HOME and am I right? Lol No complaints! Loved it all! read more

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This place is just average on the fish and chips spectrum...especially being in San Francisco. I guess I had a higher expectation of their food. Although they do have fast and efficient service. They do have tasty tartar sauce as well. It's located on pier 39 and it didn't have long lines or waits like the other restaurants on the pier did. I wish I knew that they didn't validate the parking for the pier 39 garage before I ordered, I would have gone elsewhere. Overall, it was just ok. read more

Chowders - Sampler (1 fish, 3 shrimp, calamari, and fries) - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

The white clam chowder was good, but not great. I was hoping for it to be tastier and more flavorful, but to me it was just average.

If you're coming here, then you should really be coming here for 1 thing, clam chowder! Specifically the white clam chowder! For the clam chowders, it's surprising, but they only have 1 option for the size of it, which is the sourdough bread bowl. Although I'm not a fan of bread bowls, mainly because there is more bread than chowder, I pleasantly enjoyed the chowder in the bowl. As expected, the bread bowl was huge and there was plenty of bread surrounding the chowder. I saw many customers sharing their bread bowls because it was so big! As for the clam chowder, it was good and had all of that great clam chowder flavor, but was supposedly loaded with plenty of clams (as they claimed on their menu). To our disappointment, there were few clams. Woomp Woomp! With the exception of that, we didn't have much to complain about. On top of the chowder, we also ordered the Fish & Chips. It was nothing extraordinary, but it was a nice compliment to the chowder and it helped fill us up. One final note, the restaurant had plenty of seating on the Friday evening we arrived so we were able to eat our dinner comfortably. read more

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Had a great time. Huge portions at reasonable prices. Highly recommended! The seafood platter is the best deal. I will certainly return. read more

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I'm from Boston and really like clam chowder so when I was visiting SF this weekend and went to pier 39 I found chowder place and was surprised how GOOD it was. Highly recommend 10/10 read more

Chowders - SF - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

I don't care if this place is in a "tourist trap". It was YUMMY and even better inexpensive!! A bread bowl is only 7 something... cheaper than Boudin's at close to 10! Download the Local advantage coupons and it's half off!! My brother and I got 2 clam chowder bread bowls for $8.50!! Now that's an amazing deal!!! The staff was very nice and took the coupons without any dirty looks or questions. The clam chowder was rich and yummy and I never kept count of the clams, but it seemed like there was a sufficient amount. Everything tasted fresh and a warm bowl of clam chowder was perfect for a rainy cloudy day. Next time I am in San Francisco, I am for sure coming here again for clam chowder!! They also had the red clam chowder, but it looked like everyone went for the white one. read more

Chowders - White clam chowder. Used a coupon. Both for 8.50!! - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Chowders was great. The clam chowder was very flavorful and the onion rings were seasoned to perfection. The price wasn't too high. Would highly recommend. read more

I've been coming here since I was a kid and I love it! Has barely changed (in a good way), still super polite and speedy service. Our cashier, Erica, was lovely and gave OUTSTANDING customer service and I left impressed and full :) Anytime I come to Pier 39 I always come to Chowder's! Serious props to Erica for making my experience visiting my hometown so awesome read more

Chowders - Chicken Ranch Sandwich + Chicken Tenders & Fries with a (free refill!) cherry coke - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

The Chowder is always very good. But they've really been skimping on the crab when ordering the crab melt sandwich. If I expect to pay around $14 for a sandwich I expect there to be decent amount of crab. But certainly not last Saturday. Most of it was lettuce and tomato, I couldn't even see the crab. I was surprised. I go here quite a bit too. Hopefully someone from the staff will see this so this hopefully won't be an issue (next time I visit). I'll be asking for a lot of crab! read more

Fresh Clam Chowder on the Bay The name captivated me and I begged my better half to have a bowl of clam chowder here. Besides the cool name 'Chowders' the fact that the chowder is made fresh all day. The resturant was big with lots of seating outside by the pier and inside.  It was disappointing that there was no air conditioning. Other than that the resturant was clean and service was quick and polite. We had the sourdough bread bowl filled high with white clam chowder, with tons of fresh, well cleaned clams, fresh crunchy celery, onions, diced potatoes and topped with crispy bacon pieces. We had a side of steak french fries with a side of ranch to complete the meal. It was all very satisfying. read more

Chowders - Sourdough white clam chowder bowl with French fries - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

Chowder soup in a big bread bowl is just average. Amount of clam is very little with more potatoes. Calamari is not that exciting, crunchy but starchy. Fish & fries have the same fate. Pricey considering the quantity & quality. Drinks are not even included. read more

Chowders - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

Got some fish and chips. Was delicious. Oh and of course beer! Tartar sauce tasted just like what you get when eating a filet o fish at McDonald's! Yum! read more

Chowders - Front - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

I came for another visit to try the fish and chips. Chowders' fried fish is coated in sourdough breadcrumbs which gave it an almost chewy texture to the outside. It actually worked decently well and the fish was not greasy whatsoever. However, I definitely felt like I was missing the crisp crunch from your average battered fish. I wanted it to be "fluffier", more like the ones you might get in English-style pubs or overseas. I don't think it's amazing here, especially given the price point. It's a little high, which probably reflects high price points of this tourist area in general. I did see other fish and chips options along the pier that had prices a dollar or two lower. The fish pieces at Chowders were also a bit smaller than others I've had outside of this area. The fries underneath were OK, crispy but required more seasoning. This review is an update from a previous review in which I enjoyed the clam chowder and the calamari. I feel compelled to write a second review because of the horrible service I received. The cashier was just not having a good day at all and I felt like ordering from her did her some sort of injustice. It was a super uncomfortable experience because she was just so impatient and kind of gave me attitude the whole time. (If you hate taking orders so much you probably shouldn't be working in the service industry....). When our fish and chips came out, the cashier called out a number and another table mistakingly grabbed our order. Nobody behind the counter decided to check the numbers on the receipts. (There was really only one person working behind the counter...guess who?) When we gave her our receipt and asked for our order she proceeded to ASK FOR THE FISH AND CHIPS BACK despite the other table having already started touching the food. She brought it behind the counter, put a new sauce cup in it, and gave it to us. We reluctantly grabbed our order because we were on a time crunch even though the whole ordeal didn't seem very sanitary to me. read more

Chowders - fish and chips - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

This place is delicious. Perfect spot to enjoy a bowl of fresh chowder. I didn't want the bread bowl but I am glad I got it. Something about fresh sour dough bread bites that have been soaked in chowder. It's in a great location to people watch and take in the sights. read more

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I was told more than once "you have to get the clam chowder in the sourdough bowl!" I keep seeing them everywhere at the pier, so now I'm going to get one... where do I go?...Chowders the original... it has to be the best right? It's the original... the one that statred the trend... the one everybody hopes to imitate.....Well....DON'T! The service was fast... but that's it. The description describes everything in the bowl that you won't find. There wasn't one chunk of anything in mine and quite honestly, the bread was almost too sour for me to eat. I really wish I would have had my first ever bowl anywhere else but here. I seen the others... chunky and looking good. Chowder, you really need to step your game up if you are going to keep competing with everybody else. You are the original... own that shit read more

Chowders - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

This has been one of my favorite spots to eat since I was a kid.. it seems like that change up a little chowder is not like it use to be but still decent.. read more

Chowders - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Coming here since a kid whenever family comes to visit. Delicious, clean and the staff is always more than friendly.

Was getting late and wanted to have crab cakes quick before leaving the pier. As seen in the pic I got 2 small, pathetic, semi burnt and sad looking cakes for $9 + tax + 10 cents for the takeout bag. The lemon slice was bigger and meatier than those so called crab cakes. Save yourself the sorrow and go next door for 2 crab cakes, fries and cole slaw for $13. read more

Chowders - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

The stand offered its clam chowder in a bread bowl for $5 when it is $8 here but then again I get a table under a roof instead of eating my food out in the open where hungry and giant pigeons roam about. My Daughter enjoyed the shrimps and chips meal.. the shrimps were big, worth every penny of that $8 something dollars. Establishment is somewhat clean due to the crowd.. bussers are constantly at it.. I just wish they get rid of the glass ketchup bottles, haha. Quick service. read more

Chowders - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

Taste not good ,Table is dirty ,Bread is very tough it was not what i expected. it was so stuffy inside read more

Chowders - Taste not good - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

I love this place w all my heart. Every time I go down to the pier, I have to go get some of their white chowder and the fried seafood mix. The food is pricy but you get what you paid for. It's immaculate. Don't go next door for cheaper chowder. I did it once to try cause it was cheaper but that was a waste of my money. Pay for the chowder here and I promise you won't regret it. read more

Chowders - Fried seafood mix & fish and chips - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Don't know if it was a bad clam, soured wine or bacteria on utensils or just unclean overall, but I got sick 20 min after eating there. Also, and I would have overlooked this if I didn't get sick, but I was expecting something a little nicer than the McDonald's of clam chowder. Discount was not worth it. Go for a real restaurant if you want good, fresh and clean clam chowder! read more

I have never had New England clam chowder, but I have had horrible imitation chowder from restaurants here in LA. Comparing imitation canned chowder to Chowders clam chowder... Chowders win by a landslide! Before I went up North for the weekend, I had a bowl of clam chowder from Boudin's here in LA. It was thin, watered down, fishy, and very salty and of course, there were absolutely no clams. The day after we arrived we went to the Wharf to eat at Chowders. It was cheap, fast, and tasty! The chowder was thick and creamy. It was not salty or had that fishy taste to it. There were real clams and plenty of it! It came out piping hot and very tasty. It was just what I needed for a muggy afternoon in the City. We also ordered crab cakes. I'm not a big fan of it, but I liked it here. Can't say much for the sauce, but the crab cake was tasty for me with just a bit of squeezed lemon juice. Chowders is cheap & quick and it's light which makes it a perfect lunch stop for a day in the City. read more

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We always come here when we visit fisherman's wharf in San Francisco! My dad absolutely loves their clam chowder! They offer both red and white but we always get the white. It's normally fairly crowded so sometimes you have to sit outside which isn't too pleasant if it's freezing outside but a bowl of clam chowder is the best on a cold day. During my recent visit, the clam chowder was a bit too salty for my tastes but the sourdough bread bowl was delicious! It seems the workers don't turn around the tables fast enough so we had to sit at a dirty table which wasn't really too pleasant but we were only there for a couple minutes. I did eventually see them clean some open tables once they became available though. read more

Chowders - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

The food was good but it is definitely a tourist spot. I got the fish sandwich. It was good but a small size sandwich for $10. My husband had the chowder which they served in a fresh sourdough bowl and he loved it. We got a table overlooking the bay with good views. read more

Chowders - Lunch on the bay with my husband - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Love coming here when I'm in the city! Best food in pier 39 and best clam chowder! They have home made sauces which is a plus. Great customer service and good is served quick compared to other spots at pier 39. Definitely recommend this place! read more

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If you don't mind the touristy area, Chowders is a must stop! Where the Clam Chowder Sourdough Bread Bowl supposedly originated, I 100% recommend stopping by if you're in SF! It's a little hectic to find a spot to eat, and it can be a little windy the closer you are to the water, but don't let it detract you! The chowder has a lot flavor, though it's not SUPER thick, but I love all the ingredients that go into the white clam chowder. I'm excited to try the other chowders in the area as a comparison. Can be a little pricy for just a bread bowl (about $10 each), but if you're there, might as well do as try! Definitely will come back to fisherman's wharf just for the bread bowl alone! read more

Chowders - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

"Send in the CLAMS" If you want to taste the clam chowder, this is one of the best places in Fisherman's wharf to have it. My personal favorite is the red clam chowder, which differs from the conventional milk based white chowder by the addition of tomato, bacon and others. I also tried the Tuna sandwich here, which was also tasty. Pros - Nice view of the SF Bay, prime location in the pier 39, ample outdoor spaces available, stuffs are very friendly and the tables were getting cleaned very swiftly. Cons - None read more

Chowders - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

This was a very quick place to get a delicious meal. I loved my chowder. It was thick and chunky. I highly a recommend you check it out. read more

Chowders - Chowder with top open - Seafood Near Me - San Francisco, California

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The "Crab house" only serves their crab meat pre-mixed, and always with onions, so nuts to that. We decided to eat here instead.... While we were waiting for our crab melts, my fiancee and I were handed our french fries. They were my favorite type...thick steak fries cooked perfectly. Then the sandwiches arrived... Hell no!!! Does every place in pier 39 pre mix their crab with onions, celery, and mayo??? As for the actual taste, my fiancee said "meh." The fish, while fried well, had literally no seasoning. If not for the fries, this would be a 1 star rating. We're 0 for 2 in supposed seafood restaurants who are unable to make "fresh crab" that is not pre-mixed. This is 2 star rating is a shared rating between this stand and the nicer sit down Crab House upstairs. Its sad that Red Lobster has more crab options. Once again, San Francisco keeps letting me down. read more