Came here after a long day of being at Half Moon Bay. I've always been a fan of clam chowder, so immediately I knew I had to try this place after seeing all the wonderful reviews. However, because of the long wait, we got takeout and just sat near the pier--super convenient. Fish and chips 10/10 - So fresh!! Cajun fries were amazing. Quantity-wise they give a good amount too! Clam chowder 10/10 - They aren't hesitant about putting a good amount of clams and potatoes in the soup! Dip the sour dough into the soup, and it's even better! Fried calamari (not pictured) 8/10 - A little bit soggy in the takeout box, but nothing too crazy that reduces its quality. Love eating this with their tartar sauce! This restaurant is located near the fishing pier, which allows for a nice view while eating. I look forward to coming here again once I'm back in NorCal. read more

Sam's Chowder House - Fish and Chips, Clam Chowder - Seafood Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

We were there last Sunday (7.06.2025) to celebrate my husband clean bill of health. We ordered the 1-1/4lb lobster. It was delivered by their manager. (Big chunky man) He asked which of us was getting the said food and my husband told him: "me!" With a big smile on his face. He told my H, "YOU GOTTA BE AN ANIMAL TO HAVE THIS!" We came to their restaurant to enjoy seafoods and the view. We are paying them good money and we get to be called "ANIMAL" for ordering their most expensive dish in the menu. What a nice way of treating their PAYING CUSTOMERS. So, if you're okay with being treated like they did with us, go to this restaurant. We will for sure never gonna come back. Why would be give them our hard earned money and be treated badly. read more

Parking is bad that people would park on the highway. I don't like that at all because I'm risking my life by running. It's great to bring a date here and the beach is closeby. They have a gift shop so it's cool to browse there when you're waiting. Staff was friendly and insightful. The food is good. I crave clam chowder and so my friend recommending Sam's. I like the clam chowder a lot. Of course, I had to try something other than clam chowder. I had seafood pasta and tuna tartare. It was good. read more

The location is great and our server was super accommodating and nice! If you're sitting outside make sure to bring a hat and sunscreen :) The staples food wise were tasty. read more

Sam's chowder house is always a must stop place for me when I'm in the area! I like the warm lobster roll with a side of butter and the key lime pie is sooo good. If it's not too cold sitting on the patio is nice and the location is right up on the ocean. read more

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It's a tradition for the hubs and I to come here when we stay in Half Moon Bay. Quality has gone down a little bit since the pandemic, but the food is still good and we always leave this place full. We ordered the lobster roll and seafood platter (forgot to snap a pic of the lobster roll, but I was told it was delicious) Food came out quick and hot. I wish it came with more fish, but I ended up taking more than half of the platter back to the hotel. The bread served in the beginning held over my pregnant hunger pains until our food came lol. read more

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

excellent oysters on the half shell, epic wine list! excellent service and an incredible view ta boot!! you can't go wrong here folks, so get here!! make a reservation! read more

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We've been going to Sam's for years. It's my husband's favorite place to celebrate his birthday. Sorry to say that the last two times we've been there has been disappointing. The quality of the chowder (which had only celery and potatoes) was noticeably poor. It sure didn't live up to the name. When we mentioned to the waitress that there was only one piece of calm in an entire large bowl of chowder, she only said, "oh." Wow, seriously???!!! We also had lobster rolls and they didn't taste fresh like they used to. I understand businesses are trying to save on costs, but they can't sacrifice customer experience. read more

We always stop here when we're in Half Moon Bay! Nice, dog-friendly place to grab some seafood! Loved their clam chowder, slaw, and calamari! Oysters are always decent, but definitely on the pricier side. Still can't resist getting them though! This time, we tried the Affogato and it was bomb.com! Highly recommend this for dessert! Also, had the nicest waitress! Service here is amazing! Parking is usually an issue. We decided to park at one of the beach parking lots and walked 40m over here. There's a really nice trail that's dog-friendly + lovely views! read more

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Just finished visiting our friend's Pescadero Farm. Arrived Sunday 6ish -greeted by a crowded lot -as luck would have it I slid into a parking spot right in front. I put my name on wait list and 20 minutes later (as promised) was rewarded with a beautiful outdoor table flanked by heat lamps under moonlight with the sound of lapping waves. We split the popular New England chowder and mussels. Chowder was thick and creamy and mussels fresh and tender. We soaked up the mussels sauce with the sliced french bread. Julie our waitress was great when we told her some mussels were still closed, she had the kitchen bring us more fresh mussels and brought the closed mussels to show her manager. We plan to come back again -perhaps during the day ti enjoy the beach access. read more

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So this place get's more of a 3.5/5 than 4 stars (simply off of a takeout experience). However, I also wanna preface by saying that after looking at photos, it does feel like the dine-in experience is MUCH better and I can't help feeling that my group goofed it. We arrived at Sam's to eat lunch before driving over to chill at Half Moon Bay. The waitress told us it would be about an hour wait so ofc we opted to get takeout. The takeout window was super cute and the lady who took our orders was friendly. She told us our orders would all be ready in ~25-30 min. When we opened our orders on the beach, we were pleasantly surprised by the size of the clam chowder but not as pleased with the size of the crab sandwich. The sando was very fresh tasting but light on flavour imo. But it WAS generously packed w/ crab meat which was great. The size of the sandwich could've been bigger for the price. The chowder on the other hand was massive and it was good. I've definitely had better tasting ones in Boston but this chowder was packed full of ingredients which I appreciated. As I said above, the takeout experience felt underwhelming compared to some of these dine-in photos on yelp. If I ever do visit again I'll be sure to wait for a table and order some different stuff! read more

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Sam's Chowder House is and has become one of our definite go-to favorite spot. It exudes a fun and happy environment making for a festive dining experience. Admittedly, it does get overly busy and crowded, especially on key celebration days like Father's Day! However, it's worth the 45-60 minute wait time. Today, we were glad to have TARA as our server. She was pleasant, easy-going and sported those cool orange dangling earrings! Tara, remember us? The fresh oysters, the Lumpy Blue Crabcake, Shrimp Scampi & Linguini, Naked Lobster sandwich w/ cole slaw & Grilled (had it cooked rare) Burger w/Cheddar Cheese were all deliciously prepared. For dessert, we had their world famous Authentic Key Lime Pie! So there you have it! Thank you, Sam's Chowder House!! read more

By far the worst dining experience I have ever had. Put our name down on the waitlist at 2:11 and got a table at 3:08. Ordered calamari, clam chowder, 3 oysters, pasta, and fish and chips that was placed at 3:18. By 4:33pm we finally got our fish and chips and the appetizers came about 30 minutes beforehand. The pasta still was not ready/missing. The tables that came after us had gotten their food already. We asked for the bill and left at 4:35 and just had them cancel the pasta. Our server seemed very clueless and did not check in on us until my bf decided to pull up videos on his phone to watch because we were just sitting around waiting. They give out complimentary bread and we had to ask for it because no one ever came by with any. We barely got an apology for the delay and the only explanation was, "theres a lot going on in there". Food: Clam chowder: full of celery and onions which was not in the description on the menu. It was described as chowder with clams, potatoes, bay leaf, and bacon. So fully disappointed when it came out half full of veggies. Calamari: Was well cooked and good Oysters: Fanny bay, Miyagi, and Beau were good and tasted fresh Fish and chips: literally tasteless and the batter was so weird; fries were not hot. Would have expected for something good and hot to come out as we waited 1.5 hours. Will not be coming back; extremely disappointed. read more

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

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This might be the best seafood spot I have ever had! Amazing food, beautiful ocean front view, great drinks and desserts, and its super healthy too. read more

Yum 4.5*** only hang up is parking! The two waitresses were great! The Manhattan chowder was great! The lobster salad sandwich was ok, not great but good! The moist sour dough was great! The 3 scallop appetizer was the best scallop eats I ever had!!! 5 star** the sauce they prepare it in I would buy in a jar and drink! I took pics and posted them. The oyster are good but pricey but you do get all the amenities you'd like with them! I will return..... Drinks are a bit weak , probably skip that next time and buy more appetizers!! read more

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This was my first time eating at this restaurant, and it was the best dining experience I've had in a very long time. The manager Jay was extremely accommodating, not only to just to me and my friend but ladies in front of us wanted a reservation and he squeezed them right in. He sat us at a table with a gorgeous view. Our server Sulem was attentive, suggested very delicious food and drinks and was a delight as a server. I am going to recommend this restaurant to all of my friends and family. Thank you so much, again, Sulem and Jay for making our dining experience 11/10. read more

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

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I enjoyed a very nice lunch here with my companion, who devoured a large bowl of their New England clam chowder, while I had the crab cakes with fries. While the crab cakes were perfectly cooked and tasty enough, I agree with other reviews that they need a bit more seasoning. I ordered them because they have nothing but crab, no crunchy stuff and no freaking red bell pepper like almost everyone else puts in them; I can rarely order them out because of the bell pepper. The fries were perfect, hot and crispy with not too much salt. I got them without the Old Bay seasoning which might have been a mistake because the crab cakes could have benefited from the seasoning. But I'd still order them again because it's such a treat. We had a lovely waitress who took good care of us and the other staff were equally attentive. It wasn't cheap but also not overpriced given the quality of the food and the excellent view! read more

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Very friendly and accommodating staff. Wonderful ocean view. Delicious cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages. Lovely little day trip here. read more

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The food ---was horrible what happened !!!! No wonder it was empty....fish and chips. All batter no fish,,,fries limp and gross......service fine...parking a mess wiyh the beach next door...no thanks read more

This place is about 40+ miles away from us but not only do we like the food served there but it is a very nice drive along the coast. very casual and its as expected in a chowder house. Service good as always. Had my favorite Lobster Roll again. See you next time! read more

This place has been around for so long. Definitely a staple in my family. When we want to go a bit further for dinner, we come here. There's usually a wait but it's not so bad when you get to enjoy the view of the water nearby. The food is always solid and comes in such big portions. I also really enjoy having dinner alongside all the other families dining in. Always a nice setting and feel super full after! read more

Sam's is an ocean front gem in Halfmoon bay. The atmosphere is unbeatable and the food is incredible, as long as you can get a seat. Dining during "off" hours is highly recommended if you don't want to wait for hours to be seated. There is a special outdoor heated patio area for the pups and the view is incredible. After your meal, it's fun to take a walk on the beach. Go-to orders: Seafood ceviche (starter) * Oysters- good variety * New England Clam Chowder * Naked Lobster roll * Dressed Lobster roll Insider tips: * Both lobster rolls are incredible- you can't go wrong. * Ask for tartar sauce on the side of any fried food * Street parking is a good option when the lot is full read more

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

Stopped by Sam's for a group outing. Its been many years since I last went to Sam's. Usually when I go to Half Moon Bay, I head over to Barbara's. First off, parking is a disaster, if you don't get lucky, and get a spot in their lot out front, you will need to park on the side of the road out front or down the road. Others even parked across the street on the road (not completely sure if that is fully legal, but cars were following each other doing it due to no spaces). Front of staff can definitely get quite busy with the amount of people going in and out. We were told the wait was going to maybe be 30 minutes or so for a late afternoon lunch, ended up being close to an hour. We ordered a few appetizers. Calamari was good. Octopus is still somewhat shareable, someone just needs to cut it up into pieces. The bread was good as well! I enjoyed the fish and chips! Fish did not have too much batter, which made the ratio nice and crisp :) All in all, good spot and fresh ingredients. Definitely recommend making a reservation :) Follow the journey @shoyuthbest on IG! read more

My wife and I took an afternoon ride to half moon bay for lunch. We decided to try this place with a great view of the bay. We arrived before 1 pm and the place was packed and jumping! Large venue with a large indoor and exterior seating capacity. It was a partly cloudy sunny day with hardly any breeze. The serving size was well worth the price. We had the lazy Cioppino and the Crab roll and topped it with the pumpkin Tiramisu. First time here and not the last. Great atmosphere and service! Plenty of parking read more

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Lobster rolls to die for, service was outstanding and the view of the water, wind surfing and sunset topped off a great experience. read more

Sam's Chowder House - View from my table - Seafood Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

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Every time I come to this place is always pack with super long wait time, so I always end end up getting it togo. This time we came from my daughter birthday so we decided to wait for a table. oh boy, now i know why! This place outdoor has a killer view, great food for a great price! Amazing place! If the weather is good, definitely wait for outdoor table at patio! read more

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The food was amazing!!! The freshest seafood with a nice view! The view was not spectacular at dinner hours, but I imagine during the day, is absolutely beautiful! The servers are great, and very very friendly! They make you feel so welcome, which is rare in everyday life! Service was expedient and efficient! We had water refills even! I strongly recommend this place for any special occasion you may have coming up. The restrooms are really clean. There's a huge parking lot and very esthetically pleasing art to pose and take photos! read more

The food used to be so good here I don't know what happened. The fish and chips was super greasy and the chowder was thin and tasteless. New England clam chowder was one of their best things on the menu. It used to be traditional thick clam chowder. Now it is watery and tasteless. Bummer. read more

2/24/2024 Saturday afternoon. Rating scale: 1/10 = Extremely dissatisfied. 5/10 Average. 10/10 = Absolutely spot on; no negative critiques. Crowd Density: Packed Ambiance: 7/10: The inside of the restaurant makes you feel like as if you're having lunch down by a small lake. I sat at the outside patio area, which gave off a stunning view of the ocean. FOOD ORDERED: Aperol Spritz: 5/10. A little bit too bitter for my taste. Could use a touch more alcohol. Seafood Spaghetti: 4/10. Pasta was a little gummy. Sauce was too watery, nothing special. Lots of veggies diluted the flavor of the sauce. All of the seafood tasted fresh, except the fish. Clam chowder: 5/10. Could not taste the freshness of the clams. Way too much veggies present in the dish, which sadly watered down the flavor of the chowder. It did not have nearly enough cream to make the dish shine. Every clam chowder has their own signature, but veggies should not be the star of the dish. Gumbo: 4/10. Has the hint of soul flavor, but not enough kick to it. It was definitely a little on the bland side compared to an authentic Southern gumbo. With that mentioned, it likely did not have much, or at all, any dark roux. The andouille sausage was not spicy, nor did it had enticing flavor profile. Again ,way too much veggies. Cioppino: 3/10. The tomato sauce was there, but it lacked flair. Lack of richness and flavor profile as expected from a Cioppino. Again, all the seafood in this dish tasted fresh, except the fish. Way too much veggies presented in the dish. In short, the flavor of the cioppino got lost by the overabundance of veggies. FINAL REMARKS: Would not come back again. Nick's seafood is better. read more

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We love the food here! The bartenders were amazing, unfortunately our waitress didn't step up to the bar. She was terrible. Didn't listen to the order took forever to bring the dessert and never asked us if we needed more water. read more

Kinda hard not to want to eat here when in town..especially when right across from the hotel I'm staying at. And when part of the ocean view from the room..very helpful to see how busy the restaurant is. The service is very efficient and friendly. The menu items I've tried have been good so far. Baked oysters, salmon burger, shrimp linguine, and even the desserts..yummm! Even tho the view from the hotel can be helpful..it's usually always busy and can be a wait. Good thing the times I've been here, I could handle the wait and refrain from getting hangry. read more

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I absolutely love this place because of the ambience and everything on the menu is tasty. on my recent visit though, i found that the lobster roll didn't taste fresh, despite me picking up literally 10 minutes after i placed an order; which is how long they said it would take to make. im eating my fries and despite them coming fresh out the fryer, they tasted old and was already hard by the time im eating. i stop eating and see a hair in my fries. now im wondering whos hair i ate, and how many have i eaten?? I took my food down the road for 2 minutes because i was so excited for this, and by the time i sat down and ate, everything was simply not good or fresh. the time now is 5 minutes after pick up. I spent almost $100 on 2 rolls and the quality was not up to par and finding hair in my food that wasn't mine... I come from an hour away and i felt like this was not worth the drive and money spent, and left a bad impression on me. read more

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

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I have frequented Sam's Chowder House in years past and loved it. If you like great cioppino, and excellent service at an affordable price, do not go to Sam's !!!! The cioppino was a bouillabaisse and not a cioppino at all. We waited an eternity for the waitress to even order our drinks. Then she disappeared and we waited and waited until she finally returned with water (not our drinks). When she finally took our order, we again waited an eternity before she returned with appetizers ( not our drinks). Finally our drinks arrived, however,my Mother did not get hers and we had to wait until we finally got the attention of our server to inform her of the problem. After finally getting our meals which were ok at best.We repeatedly requested bread which never arrived. Not once during our meal did our server ask if everything was ok and if we needed anything. To get a second round of drinks I had to order them at the bar. Meanwhile mind you, when she did make an appearance at our table she was short and curt. I am not one to complain about service or even food unless it is truly bad. However, after spending the day on the beautiful California coast with your family who has traveled from North Dakota, Montana, and New Mexico. I wanted to end our day with a fabulous meal. So after spending well over 600 dollars, getting horrible service, and what I considered sub par food. We received , an and I quote " oh sorry about that" when my Mother complained to the manager. This by the way was almost three hours after we were initially seated. So yes, in years past I have enjoyed Sam's Chowder House, however I may never return to Sam's. There are much better options. Sincerely AJD and JD read more

My husband and I were in for an anniversary dinner. We made reservations ahead of time and requested a good view of the sunset for our reservation, but we were sat at a table that made it challenging to see the sunset. Joe was our server and he turned our night into a positive one! He was so attentive, patient, and made our overall dining experience wonderful!! Made for a special evening for us. read more

This place was such a treat during our day trip to the beach! Heads up that it gets SUPER crowded on the weekends. We got there at around noon and man, parking was insane! Thankfully if you go during their busy time they do have a lot of street parking. There's an app and you can just order online which is great especially with the lines! Our food took about 45 min to arrive but we were at the beach so the time went fast. The one thing to keep in mind is the to go boxes are wayyy different then sitting down at the restaurant. I ordered the lobster sandwich and it came deconstructed! So the bread and the lobster all in separate containers. So keep that in mind if you do take out! They also have a great selection of varied food for kids - max and cheese, pasta, fish and chips.. and they even have a side of broccoli which is SO appreciative!! That's so rare especially from a fish restaurant by the beach. The food was pretty tasty. I just need to try it at the actual restaurant as I don't think it came out the same as a takeout (within reason!) It's situated in an amazing location by the beach! You can totally spend the whole day there and stop here for lunch. I just recommend you go to the actual restaurant! However if you're in a crunch they do have that takeout option available which is nice :) read more

Our first time being in Half Moon Bay, let alone to Sam's Chowder House and we lucked out finding a parking space in the lot! Then we put our name down on the waiting list and there was a 20 minute wait on a Monday afternoon but time went quickly and we were seated outdoors on a cool foggy day! But there are plenty of heaters and so we were warm outside! We started out with a large of piping hot Manhattan clam chowder with oyster crackers and bread and butter. Hubby had a salmon burger with chips and pickled cucumbers while I ordered the steamed mussels and fries. Hubby loved his salmon burger which was moist and tasty and I enjoyed my delicious mussels. For dessert, we shared a chocolate vanilla soft serve to top off our meal. Great views, great food and great service! read more

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Stopped by on a Friday and it was busy. We sat outside and it has a nice view of the bay. There's plenty of seats inside too. It took half an hour for them to take our order. People who came after us were getting served and we just got ignored. However, food was really good! New England Clam chowder was amazing, Manhattan clam chowder was too salty and was more like minestrone than a clam chowder. Fish and chips were tasty and really fresh! Perfectly crispy on the outside and the sauce complimented the fish well. read more

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Lobster roll is spectacular, hefty meaty serving of lobster,worth the price. Service excellent as well. read more

Sam's Chowder House - Lobster roll (naked) - Seafood Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

Cioppino was good, Rockefeller was delightful, customer service...not so much. Waitress kept pushing us to order more, didn't check in on us the entire dining experience (we had to rely on the help of bussers who were so kind and accommodating) and didn't thank us for dining here. She dropped off the bill and picked up, not a single word, again, no check in. We let the manager know but it seemed like management practiced the same behavior. read more

I don't think I'll ever review Sam's til today. My waitress started off strong. She brought out the soda first and it was flat no carbonation. We'll she just took the cup without extending the courtesy "would toj like some other drink" then the fish and chips came dog hair!!!!! I pointed to her and she just said well it's not all over the food. no, Iim sorry we will make a new batch. I am shocked. love this place but I don't think I'm coming back for awhile. read more