Latest visit to Sam's was not good. We waited over an hour and a half to be seated only to add another hour wait for the final entrée to arrive. Luckily, our server, who actually came up to apologize, remarked that there was a screwup in the kitchen with our order hence the extra 30 minute wait. Also the fettuccine with shrimp was watery, rubbery tasting shrimp - not a good combination. The shrimp cocktail was subpar, no flavor from being re-frozen. We used to rely on Sam's for Sunday lunch in years past, maybe you'll need to wait a little longer for management to get their act together. A few tables that were seated after us got their food before we did- unacceptable. It seemed like they had too many waitstaff and not enough kitchen help. Our only grace was our penitent server. read more

Great view. Quickly seated. Sunset seafood and beach steps after. Great evening enjoyed my clams, chowder and oyster read more

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Honestly the best lobster roll I've ever had! The Bloody Mary was outstanding too! The showstopper is the garlic pesto shrimp appetizer! We topped off our delectable dinner with their amazing key lime pie. We're already looking forward to returning! read more

Food was delicious. We had the fried calamari (amazingly light - best fried calamari here); seafood risotto (lots of bay scallops and shrimp); lobster roll (delicious); and the entrees went very well with the potato chips and pickles. 1 star off for seating plan. We sat outside in the area with the wind-shields. The table was right at the bottom of the stairs. Way too much traffic. Every wait person and customers going to the restroom walked close to our table. Not sure why any restaurant would put a table right there...really uncomfortable feeling. Definitely ask for another table if they try to seat you there. read more

After hearing about it numerous times from friends and coworkers, I finally made my way to Sam's this past Sunday. It was our first time physically eating at a restaurant since the pandemic started so we were pretty excited. Considering the long line of people waiting for tables to open, we were seated within only 20 minutes. I ordered the Dressed Lobster Roll with fries and I was pleasantly surprised as my previous experiences with lobster rolls were pretty bland and flavorless. This however was flavorful and the portions were plentiful. The service was attentive and very helpful in terms of explaining everything that they offer along with their new COVID protocols as well. This was only my third time dining in Half Moon Bay and my experience at Sam's is for sure the best to date. read more

Excellent seafood and service!!! Fun atmosphere, great for business groups and families!

4 only because of where it's located and the food! It's so busy that you have to literally hunt your server down! Go in advance get on the waitlist and enjoy a stroll around the beach right below!! Great place to go if you have dogs! We had a l group and even after waiting a while we're placed facing the water with direct sunlight although there were plenty of empty tables not filled till we left which was annoying! Would come again to take advantage of the beach underneath for my dog and grab something to eat but will not be on my top places in HMB! read more

Sam's Chowder House - Seafood Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

Highly reviewed place by the beach in Half Moon bay! Simple from outside, good seating inside & heated Patio with open bar.. coupled with the picturesque views of the sea, makes this a perfect date spot! Surprised that it was not too crowded on a Friday evening, we went in at about 7pm.. we got good seats! Our Server was great, greeted us & told us about the specials & we ended up ordering the Rose.. Drinks: Rose - specials of the day.. was flavorful & heavy on taste! Food: Shrimp Popcorn - Perfect Crispy & great flavor! Lobster roll - Favorites in the house.. buttery bread & well cooked lobster made this one enjoyable with decent coleslaw.. View, view, view! Perfect for a date & watching the sun setting on the horizon! read more

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We came here for lunch in a Saturday afternoon. We were seated outside since the weather was great. The view is awesome! We ordered the lobster roll, a crab roll and their clam chowder. Their chowder was good but nothing spectacular. They weren't shady with the lobster which was nice but the bread kinda sucked. Being the bread man, good quality bread would make a huge difference. I wasn't a big fan of the crab roll though. It was bland and was served on a bun which was mediocre. Service was super slow but since it was our first time here, I don't know if we just had a slow server. We pretty much saw her twice the whole time we were there. Well three times if you count the time she picked up the bill. Luckily they had a good amount of food runners which I feel deserve all the tip for their great service. Price is a little on the high side. I gave this place an extra star for the view. read more

Sam's is the closest you can get to fresh seafood unless you were on a fishing boat off shore. Located in beautiful Half Moon Bay, you know you are getting close to this Hwy 1 iconic seafood eatery by the increase traffic and highway parking. Weekends it is packed so prepared to wait. But it's worth the food and views. Everything on the menu that has been in the sea is fantastic, fresh and will be in your culinary dreams long after your head back to San Francisco or wherever you roam. Highly recommend this HMB classic restaurant. read more

Very busy restaurant, I recommends you walk up to bar. The service was great, Peter Noah and Domingo will take good care of you, the atmosphere at the bar was great. The food was great as always. read more

Ordered from the Togo line, then the staff informed us after we paid that the wait for our food will be 45 minutes. Where is the common sense? We should be informed before ordering. Waste of time read more

The food was all amazing wish the chowder had a little more pepper, we took ours to go. The wait times are a little long but with great food that's to be expected! The staff were all very friendly and helpful with choices. Next to the ocean and very beautiful to eat next too. We ate everything and totally forgot photos. read more

Very good seafood and most of it local and fresh. Can't beat scenery of the ocean as well as a very good diverse menu with other options than seafood. Large wait staff means you usually are served pretty promptly. Overall a vary good restaurant with local flair. read more

Terrible crab sandwiches, lousy services, what a waste of time and money, never come back again

To say I'm disappointed is an understatement. Serving old brown fish that designates like moon sand is not only horrid but shows the lack of quality in the food. I was looking forward to my first time at Sam's and to try their fish and chips but instead after one bite I had to spit it out. The smell and color showed me how old it was. The stale fries and flavorless tar tar sauce didn't help at all, I had to throw my whole meal away. It shows that Sam's is only around because of their cockiness knowing that every white tourist in half moon bay will come by and support a frozen restaurant that doesn't care in quality only quantity in how much money they can make. You need to do better. Burger King is so much better and they are a chain restaurant when your supposed to be this one of a kind half moon bay specialty, when I would rather sit in a drive through and get chicken fries. read more

Great place to dive into your lobster or crab roll. We started with two lovely Mai Tai's which were very good, served with no straws, which is of a challenge! I should have asked our server who was sweet, if we could get straws. I thought it was a Eco statement, until I saw a straw in a soda glass. We started with a special appetizer. Sorry, not sure if it's name. It was very good and super fresh petite diced ahi on a creamy foundation. No chips like with a Poke, but, some crispy strips on top. I think it would have been even better with fresh chips to use to scoop up and eat. I ordered the Crab & Shrimp salad. It was very tasty, a good blend of fresh ingredients, but seemed super skimpy and needed some avocado. It was really not instagram worthy. So, no photos! My husband got the Crab Sandwich, which he loved. read more

Review based on our last visit, for a Friday dinner at around 6:00. We have eaten here a couple times before, but it's been a few years. Pros: - Wife enjoyed her clam chowder, and would likely order it again if we ever return. - Spicy popcorn shrimp appetizer was pretty good, very hot and fresh and a big portion (but, see below). - The restaurant itself is right near the water and has great views before dark- good for lunch or an early dinner. Cons- - Except for the above, the food overall was just average. The "spicy" popcorn shrimp was NOT spicy at all, and could have used a bit longer in the fryer to make them crispier. My Caesar salad was just so-so... not terrible, but not that great either. Greens were a bit limp and some anchovy would have helped. My blackened fish sandwich was way too salty, and the cucumber salad on the side seemed like it had been sitting in a fridge for a week. - Poor value- Prices are high, and not at all justified by the overall quality of the food. Verdict- - We might be back sometime for just a light lunch or a cocktail, and if you have never been then it may be worth a visit for the view, but overall it's hard to really recommend- high prices and just average (at best) food. read more

Service was outstanding, The Chowder was great loved it Large Bowl and plenty of bread Fish N Chips was another great hit. Parking was the greatest challenge. read more

LOVELY scenic view of Half Moon Bay and great service BUT the food is so incredibly mid...

This a beautiful place to enjoy a drink during the sunset. The views of the ocean are unbeatable and they have tons of outdoor seating. They have fire pits outside and it is very dog friendly. You can literally walk from the beach to the outdoor patio to sit. They have live music fairly often and the waitstaff is very knowledgeable, friendly, and nice. But there are some cons which led me to giving 3/5 stars. For a place that is on the ocean and revolves around seafood, their seafood is not that good. You know what they say, the better the view... The food is fairly pricey and definitely not even close to the best seafood you can get. The food is not terrible, but the price does not match up with the food quality. All in all, although the food is not the best, the views are unbeatable, the customer service is excellent, and it's a great place to relax and have a drink after a day on the coast. read more

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Earlier today I ordered the New Orleans Style Gumbo with sausage and crab. What I received was a vegetable soup with about 1/2 teaspoon of crab and two, very tiny fragments of sausage. When I asked my server about the extremely sparse portions of sausage and crab, she told me that was how it's served. Not good, and very deceitful marketing. read more

if you in a hurry don't come here.. I ordered salmon and it took 45 minutes for me to receive my dish.. their clam chowder is more like soup so watery and not much flavor. this is my first time coming here I usually go to Princeton cause theirs is the best chowder, but they are closed for renovations .. so if you don't mind watery clam chowder or slow service be my guest won't come back here.. buyer beware . read more

Came here with my family last month! The view is beautiful. The stay is very nice. Being seated next to the bathroom would have not been my first choice. We all enjoyed our dinner minus whatever the soup of the day was but was about to get a chowder instead and that was enjoyable. The crab cakes were delicious three of us ordered that and was pleased. I was told the lobster roll was amazing and the seafood platter was yummy! Thank you for an amazing dinner read more

Very touristy, but awesome nonetheless. The lobster roll is for real, a full lobster packed in there for $26. Unreal views in Half Moon Bay, good service, well worth a stop!! read more

Sam's Chowder House - The Famous lobster roll - Seafood Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

Place was a little expensive for the food but chowder was good. Little bummed they didn't have Pepsi but the water was good. The first bread they gave us was cold but second loaf was nice and hot. read more

Got here around 4:00pm Saturday, still lots of people waiting outside. The wait time was about 45 minutes for 2 first available seating. We opted for take out instead. Fried calamari, very tasty! Fish n chips nice portion served with french fries. Lump blue crab sandwich, lots of crab meat, very lightly salted and fresh (I liked it a lot but hubby thought it was too flavorless). Large New England clam chowder (portion is huge!!) taste too watery for me, but hubby loved it. We ended up eating in the car because it was too windy outside, but there a nice picnic area down the wooden stairway with great beach front view. Take out took about 15 min, received a pleasant call from staff once food was ready for pick up. Loved this location, highly recommend! read more

Sam's Chowder House - Lump blue crab sandwich - Seafood Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

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Really loved the place. Nice location, with a beautiful view. There is a broadwalk along the ocean so you can take a walk after the dining. The place itself is very nice and cozy. We went for a lunch but it should be amazing for a dinner as well since they have fireplaces, heaters and lights. Place is huge and it was pretty busy but food came fast and it was delicious! Poke tuna, fish and chips and lobster roll was so yummy, absolutely loved it. My bf thought clam chouder was overcooked though. Anyways , will be back for sure! read more

Sam's Chowder House - Poke tuna - Seafood Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

My first time here. Excellent food and great customer service. Nice outdoor and in door seating.

We wanted to try this place after seeing all of the raving reviews so we stopped by here while on the road. We came here around 10:45am and there was no line, but that quickly changed because as soon as it hit 11am, the parking lot was so full of cars and there was a long line to order! It's pretty efficient, you order at one window and go to the other to pick up. We got the clam chowder (delicious! highly recc) and also the fish and chips (the fries were ok, but the fish was really good!). Really enjoyable meal - it can get busy though, so beware! There is a beach area right next to it that you can go to to eat your meal with lots of cute doggos :). We'll definitely be back! read more

Sam's Chowder is always a great visit. Our server was wonderful, of course, we always over-order. Portions are enough to share with the whole family. We got a little of everything to try. I was really looking forward to the lobster roll. We ordered a couple of lobster rolls to try. I thought the lobster was a bit on the drier side. The bread was also not as soft and toasty as I would like it to be. It's a bit pricy I think they raise their price, but nevertheless, it's still good. Our seafood platter was delicious, it had a mixture of everything. If you come during peak time, you do have to wait at least an hour plus. So do plan accordingly. read more

Sam's Chowder House - Seafood Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

We ordered spaghetti and lobster for two it was tasteless watery lobster was chewy and dry . Ordered bread with butter got cold bread. read more

Sam's Chowder House - I was disappointed with the food . Spaghetti was watery lobster was dry tasteless - Seafood Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

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Food was ok. The fries in my fish and chips were cold, and the fish was not thoroughly fried. Couple of the female servers were extremely rude. We got seated outside and the weather was cold. We requested to switch seats to be closer to a patio heater and the lady just yelled, "No, you can't!" without asking why. Just eat somewhere else if I were you. read more

A couple weeks ago, we actually drove from Salinas to eat at this spot we love. They were closed to stopped here instead. Pros- Fish sandwich was tasty Shrimp pasta was really good! Fresh pasta...or at least it seemed so. The fish in the fish n chips were good. Cons- Poke was not something we will order again. It was pretty pricey and the portion was so small. I guess it didn't matter much since we didn't even eat it all because of our disappointment. The fries (in fish n chips) were not good. I mean if you are going to use frozen fries take the time and money to buy good frozen food. Fresh fries are so easy and cheap to make. When you charge as much as you do, take the time to use fresh ingredients for everything. I think so often fries are an after thought by so many places. Clam Chowder was so sad. We didn't really eat much of it. Living so close to Monterey's Fishermans Grotto and eating my dads homemade, we have pretty high standards. This did not taste homemade at all. I was so very excited to eat this since it is called "chowder" house. It just really lacked flavor and was very watery. UGH! Our meal for 3 was well over $100. Not worth the drive nor the money. I reluctantly giving 3 stars because the sandwich and pasta were both very good. read more

The clam chowder here is to DIE for. You will not find better anywhere on the peninsula. However, I decided to order spaghetti and meatballs with a Caesar salad. The spaghetti was ok. The salad was great but definitely not worth $15. I couldn't believe how much it cost me and it didn't even have protein on top. Not cool. Also, not even two cups of lettuce. Ridiculous read more

Sam's Chowder House - Caesar salad - Seafood Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

A lovely lunch spot in Half Moon bay. Right by the beach. Generous portions on all of the food. This was my first time getting a crab sandwich that had more crab meat than celery and other filler. Highly recommend. read more

Sam's Chowder House - Calamari appetizer - Seafood Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

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The food here is ALWAYS fantastic. The staff is friendly and the views are gorgeous. The chowder isn't the best chowder I have ever had but it's still good. The lobster roll is what they are famous for and it's delicious! The Cippino is also very good and fresh. read more

Super quick service and I was able to happily sit outside with my dog. I had a small bowl of New England clam chowder and The Naked lobster roll. Incredibly delicious! read more

Sam's Chowder House - The Naked lobster roll - Seafood Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

Line looks long but is super efficient and moves fast. Order on one side, pick up on the other when texted. Plenty of space and benches down on the beach for a picnic. Perfect spot for a sunset meal. Traffic is always horrible around sunset leaving half moon bay back over the hill. Save yourself from the wait on the road and plop yourself down and enjoy a chowder / lobster roll sunset over the ocean you wont regret. Cant wait to eat more of this goodness. read more

First of all this place offered free food to furlough workers so even if the food sucked this place would get 5 starts from me....luckily the food was awesome! We live in Livermore area so it's a bit of a drive for us but we decided to go for a drive and enjoy the weather. We stopped here for some chowder because I LOVE CLAM CHOWDER and we saw they were offering food to govt employees. My BF is an air traffic controller so we were definitely appreciative of their generosity. They offered a 3 course meal for free. The staff were so nice and friendly. They all thanked my bf for his services and expressed their sympathy for what he's dealing with. We sat outside and had a perfect view of the sunset. Overall it was such a great experience. Not because of the free food but the overall environment and the great food. read more

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