We sadly had really bad fish the batter is very heavy Unfortunately we both got sick today after having lunch there read more

Super chill place Love the decor different than any other restaurant settingyou would go to. definitely a must-go I highly recommend you try the triple clam chowder! read more

The Chowder Barge - Amazing triple clam chowder - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, California

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I learned about the Chowder Barge on Tik Tok and what caught my interest was where it is located. I'm sure you've heard of the show diners, drive-ins, and dives. This place falls under the category of dives, but it is trendy. In speaking with our server Nina, people from all over have been coming due to social media so certain days can get super busy. It's in such an odd location it makes it feel like an adventure going there. Their Chowder burger is the most popular item on the menu, but they offer an array of seafood combinations and sandwiches. The Chowder Burger is a plain cheeseburger smothered with their delicious clam chowder soup and if you order the double, you're not getting an extra hamburger patty, but deep fried clam strips which adds the crunchy texture profile. Unfortunately the clam chowder stole the show with this combination of soup and sandwich. I think in the future I would rather order a bowl of clam chowder soup with clam strips and order a separate cheeseburger. We also tried the seafood platter which came with one fried fish, three pieces of fried shrimp's, clam strips, and French fries. I like the fish a lot that in a future visit I would order the fish and chips basket. We loved the vibe and ambiance of this place. They have one TV that I noticed and they offer beer and wine, so The Chowder Barge would be a nice cool place to hangout at and watch a game while dining on good food. Compliments to Nina for her friendliness and excellent service that she gave us. read more

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10/10 best clam chowder I've ever had It's a freaking floating restaurant on the ocean! What better ambiance? Karly provides top tier customer service something had to come by these days if you stop by ask for her! You won't regret it!! read more

The Chowder Barge - New England Clam Chowder - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, California

Yummmm one of the best places to have clam chowder in SoCal. Service is always great the decor is eclectic. I believe this is the only floating restaurant in SoCal and I love it. The chowder is always tasty along with the fried clams it's a match made in heaven.. if you haven't been to #thechowderbarge what are you waiting for. Also got a free ice cream sundae #birthdaytreat . Already planning my next time for the best chowder.... read more

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Hey Yelpers!!! This is one of the coolest places I've ever eaten. Not in a fancy way, but in a "I'm in a marina on a barge with a lot of industrial stuff going on and I've never seen this and I couldn't be more excited!" kinda way. This is the kinda place that if someone didn't bring you here, or you didn't intentionally look for it, you'd never find it. The restaurant itself has inside and outdoor seating. There are lots of windows looking out to the marina, some other way you will have a view. I enjoyed that they didn't have music blaring to "entertain" the guests. I could hear my wife speaking over the gentle clanging of the sailboats' rigging. There was the occasional train horn also, but not often. While the restaurant looks like it has been here a while, it appears well kept. The menu has a quite a few enticing options at a good price. You can look at the menu pics to see what they have. We ordered the steamed clams appetizer, the Triple Chowder (chowder in a sourdough bowl with fried clams on top), and salad with swordfish. The steamed clams were very good. The broth had a garlicky hint to it that wasn't overpowering. It was piping hot and comes with 4 large pieces of garlic bread that accompanied it perfectly. Lots of juicy clams, as well. The swordfish steak on the salad was excellent. Seasoned and cooked just right, and an awesome sized piece of fish for the cost of the add on. The salad bed was huge and we couldn't finish it. I didn't leave any of the fish though. It would be a great option as a dinner entree, which starts at 5pm. The chowder. Oh, the chowder. It was instantly one of the top two I've had anywhere. Thick, creamy, buttery, and loaded with clams. The fried clam topper was so good, as well. The dough bowl was nice but would be just as good with the double chowder, which skips the dough bowl. As we sat here, we were already planning on who we could bring back. As for the service, they did great. Very friendly and attentive. The food came out relatively quickly. I can't recommend this place enough. We will definitely be back when we are in the area and will be bringing friends. Also, if you have a well-behaved doggo, they can chill with you on the dockside seating. Enjoy!!! read more

The Chowder Barge - View from our dockside table - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, California

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Chowder Barge isn't gourmet, but it's a blast for seafood lovers seeking a fun, old-school spot with killer chowder and harbor views. Perfect for a casual date, family outing, or post-work drinks. read more

The Chowder Barge - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, California

You are not lost. Yes, you've entered the industrial docks that are the Port of Los Angeles. And, yes, what you're looking for is at the end of a ramp. Location: Plug in the address for Google maps and follow directions. There will be a sign at the entrance (thankfully) to let you know you're going in the right direction. There is a private lot but beware you can't park there for hours on end. Don't even think about parking there overnight. Food: I got the fish and chips. Flaky, light breading and not overly fried. This was perfect as far as I was concerned, if a bit greasy. But, hey, it's fish and chips, right?? The coleslaw was okay, but I'm not a fan of the stuff. I'll have to come back another time for their famous clam chowder. Summary: This is a no frills, right on the water actual barge small business that is a spot most locals know about. You can eat and drink here (they have a bar). There are enough knickknacks inside the place to keep you occupied and conversational pieces abound. I had clam chowder a few days ago, but I'll come back later and try it here. My only complaint was the waitress never came back to give me the check which prompted me after 15 minutes to pay at the register instead on my way out. Ambiance was very casual and loud at times, so intimate it is not. If you have a large party, please let them know ahead of time. Beware, all credit/debit charges will incur a service fee. Happy eating!! read more

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Service was great. Has a dive bar type environment. The food was good, order clam chowder, fish and chips, and braised chicken sandwich. Only complaint was the beer batter was strong tasting. I'd come again (: read more

We came for an event and stumbled across this amazing place! The service was good and food phenomenal I cannot express the amount of flavor in their chowder alone definitely will have you wanting more! Over all I was so appeased and had to take my food to go because the portions where decent size read more

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Great little hidden spot off the beaten path. Worth the stop. We had the clam chowder bread bowl and it was rich, smokey and creamy very good and very filling. Definitely a must try. read more

The Chowder Barge - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, California

While moving our kid into CSULB we had some time to kill and we wanted clam strips and found this GREAT hole in the wall place. Not much to look at from the outside but kind a cool inside; not temperature cool because it lacked air conditioning but luckily AC isn't really needed along the coast. Service and food were really delicious with ample serving of nice sized clam strips with a good amount of steak fries. I also ordered onion rings and it was a killer mountain of rings and my poor gall bladder was working overtime to digest all this fried food. If you're nearby I highly suggest the Chowder Barge and enjoy the good food that doesn't break the wallet. We'll be back for more next time we're in town to see how well the kid's doing with the studies and hopefully not partying too much. read more

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Food is tasty and fresh. I recommend the buffalo wings (7) and burgers (5). Clam chowder rating of (6). Service is nice, and friendly. Stay away from the veggie burger. read more

Bring cash or you'll pay a surcharge. Delicious Chowder, probably the best I've ever had! Service was good. I'll be back for sure!

Absolutely the best clam chowder we have ever had, so thick you can eat with a fork! The service was good, prices are ok, and the ambience feel of floating on a boat was great. We will definitely be coming back next time in the area. read more

It makes me a bit sad to go back to a restaurant I have told everyone I know, "they serve the best chowder in Southern California". The Chowder Barge no longer does that. The chowder had the consistency of a hearty breakfast serving of oatmeal, and nobody took the trouble to slice up the clams appropriately. A good chowder has small, vaguely chunky bits of clams, to start with. The clams in my bowl were just pulled out of the shell by someone who saw that as "just as good", and put into the chowder as long, literally unchewable strips. The flavor wasn't what you get in a super chowder, which they used to serve, and the broth used to be an actual liquid. This chowder was "stiff" enough that if I had a spoonful, the place where I scooped remained as if I were digging somewhere in the earth. Plus side of this is, the fried clam strips on top of my bowl were tender and had a nice flavor. The location is not good. The filthy saleboats that line the dock are nothing you'd want to look at, they are obviously never used. So good-bye, Chowder Barge, there was not a thing that would get us back unless changes are made. read more

The Chowder Barge - The double chowder, served with fried clams sprinkled over it. Make sure you order this on at least your second trip. - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, California

If you love chowder this is a must go to place!!! The food, ambience and service are all amazing!!!

It's all about the ambience here at the Chowder Barge, the only permanent restaurant on a floating boat in the LA area. It is located at a working marina, and it's important to follow the signs to the appropriate parking lot. You then have to walk through to the marina to get to the right berth. It is surprisingly large inside, with a multi-sided bar and a lot of booths for eating inside. It also has some seating outside and quite a few folks chose that option on a beautiful day. The greeter let us choose our indoor booth since it wasn't full, and came around with water once we asked for it. The go-to dish here is the clam chowder ($7 for a cup and $10 for a bowl). My wife shared a bowl, and it was too much. It was good, with a lot of clams and tender potatoes. It also had A LOT of roux (flour and butter), which tends to mess with our stomachs a bit so we couldn't finish it (a cup would have plenty). A 1 pc fish and chips is $12. Fish was good, probably a cheaper white fish like haddock but the batter wasn't too thick and wasn't overly greasy. The fries were indeed the chip-type (steak fries, perhaps a bit over the extra crispy line when deep frying)..delicious with ketchup. I got the Fisherman's platter ($22), which came with the same fish, 3 breaded deep-fried shrimp (medium size and butterflied), and fried clams. The clams and shrimp were the standard, from frozen deep-fried seafood that you get from a restaurant wholesale distributor (nothing to write home about). All came with an excellent cole slaw, and tartar sauce. Mine came with a really good cocktail sauce (plenty of horseradish to give a sinus clearing buzz). All-in-all, the food was well executed...would recommend the fish'n'chips again. There are sandwiches and burgers on the menu, along with different beers and mixed drinks (micheladas seemed to be especially popular while we were there). Kari was our server and she checked up on us the right amount of time. You pay at the table and there is a 3.% CC charge, so paying cash would be best. It's definitely a unique experience and one worth doing at least once. read more

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Rustic place at the docks. First thing was the ice cold beer. Also it was huge cold glass. Chowder is very good. Had the fish and chips and also very good. Portions are good and service is excellent. read more

Excellent clam chowder with excellent service and located strangest place on the water

Tucked away off a access road is The Chowder Barge. It was Sunday with rain and I decided to get some Clam Chowder and Fish & Chips. The chowder was creamy, bacony and had a good amount of clams. The fish was crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside. Service was very friendly and prompt. read more

The Chowder Barge - New England Clam Chowder - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, California

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Come for the great tasting clam chowder, and stay for the character and ambiance of a classic Long Beach hidden treasure!! Great service and delicious food!! Will definitely be back!! read more

This establishment is a hidden gem in the city of Wilmington. The interior is full of charming and eclectic nautical decor. A friend described it as the pirate from sponge bob's go-to spot to hang. The food was delicious- I ordered the fried clam basket which came with a spicy (horseradish?) cocktail sauce and perfectly fried clams and thick cut and well seasoned fries. My friend ordered the chowder burger which is a burger submerged in probably the best clam chowder I've personally had. My pescatarian friend subbed the burger meat for a veggie patty and reported a delicious first bite until she sadly realized the chowder had bacon. This is noted in the menu, so it was our mistake. My only two comments for feedback are 1) if possible, have a clam chowder option without bacon. This would open up this awesome dish to not only pescatarians but other non-pork eaters, and 2) improve the customer service especially for first time folks. I think even a quick run through popular menu items would be great. Overall, I had a pleasant experience dining at The Chowder Barge and finding yet another hidden gem in the city of Wilmington. read more

The Chowder Barge - Charming & full of character! - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, California

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Excellent clam Chowder. Cool funky place near the port. Waitress was great and prices solid. Had some fish and chips and they were awesome.

Attentive and patient service, and the Chowder burger with fried clams is the ultimate comfort food on... especially on a rainy day! The ambiance is laid back and calm. They have TV's all over the joint for games and whatnot. I always enjoy coming here. read more

I took a friend for their birthday as they wanted to try this restaurant. There was a great communal, ambience, and the restaurant was crowded. Possibly because it is the only restaurant near the water. The clam chowder was wonderful. Just as good as described. Very thick, creamy and full of clams in every bite. Unfortunately, that was the only good thing there. I ordered the fisherman's platter to try several of their offerings. Everything was extremely overcooked and hard. The clam strips were like chewing shoelaces. read more

Ambiance and Location: 5 stars! Decor inside is cute and walking down the ramp onto the boat deck just adds to it! The restaurant is literally on the water. Parking isn't the biggest, but we had no issue finding a spot lunchtime on Sunday. We waited about 30 minutes for 2. It's right on the water so I suggest bringing a jacket while you wait outside. Service: Hmmm... 4.5 stars. Waitress was nice, but the place is small so I understand why it felt rushed. She asked for our drink order shortly after we sat down. Food: 4 stars. I'll break it down: Calamari - small and a bit tough Onion Rings - delicious! Would get them again. Clam Chowder - BOMB!!! But honestly could've done without the fried clams. Not that they were bad, but the soup on its own would've been satisfying. Shrimp Basket - nothing special, but tasty. Fish and Chips - (my husband had this) he said "Not overcooked, perfectly golden, good" Cocktail sauce - I LOVED this! It was so good and SPICY!!!! Tartar sauce - DELICIOUS! Drinks: 5 STARS!!!! The Micheladas were soooo good. Captain Mug is the way to go! **We missed the road leading to the spot. It's around a bend and kind of hidden, so be on the lookout!!!** read more

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For the most part everything this is an old school nautical place. I go there when it rains and get clam chowder. The marina needs a lot of TLC but that is probably why I like it. The food is good, staff is nice and the service is good. read more

The food is always amazing. The staff is very helpful and friendly. Definitely wish we lived closer to come more often

Absolutely stellar sea food ! The service was amazing and staff were very friendly and the atmosphere was eclectic and reminiscent of a sea side gift shop in the best way possible ! Love this restaurant! read more

The best clam chowder i have ever had, I got the chowder in the bread bowl. The bread was fresh and the como with awesome. Had a beer too

Tucked away in a location unknown to me in my 33 years living in the area, we found this gem tonight. After a satisfying dinner of fish and chips (subbed onion rings) and clam chowder, we are finishing our captain mugs of ice cold draft beer on the patio area watching the sun set while a breeze cools the area. Our waitress, Raquel, was lovely and we were well taken care of throughout our meal. A great little nostalgic date night. read more

The Chowder Barge - Captain's Mug full of liquid goodness. - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, California

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Interesting spot on the water. It was a little sketchy getting there, but the food and service were good. Everything on the Fisherman's platter was fresh and hot. The fries were nicely seasoned. read more

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I found the place almost randomly, scrolling Google Maps looking for a lunch place because we were heading down to see the trolls in at the South Coast botanical gardens. A place marker pops up for the Chowder Barge and I was like "What's this? A seafood spot in a marina in an industrial area? Tell me more!" You guys, it's a floating seafood restaurant literally docked next to boats. We drove there with high hopes and they got even higher when we arrived and I don't want to spoil the story, but we were not disappointed. Coming down the ramp I saw a post on a bulletin board for a "Missing Skull Wallet", and I hope they found it because that really stinks, but I have to admit, the flyer really set some atmospheric tone. Once your onboard, it's wood everywhere. You're very much on a boat. There's a vintage fireplace with skulls in it and plenty of nautical decor all around, including the fact that you are very much surrounded by actual sailing vessels and you're on the water. I loved the food. I got a platter of fried sea things. I did not have chowder because I'm lactose intolerant. We spent the rest of the day saying "Chowdah Bahge" (even though nobody had a New England accent). The people were friendly. Our server was great. I'm attaching a picture of the food. I would post the decor as well, but my kid is in all of the shots, so take my word for it the atmosphere is great. read more

The Chowder Barge - Seafood Near Me - Wilmington, California

Such a cute little divey chowder shop/bar in some dock in the middle of what feels like another world. That's basically what this place is. You can drive up here or take a boat...and it's a cool, glorious place. We had the seafood platter and a bowl of chowder and it was everything we wanted and more. The chowder was delicious and smokey from the bacon. The seafood platter contained fried shrimp, fries, clams, and fried fish--and overall was a decent value. Service was good and the ambiance was divey and fun. Recommended if you're a clam chowder fan and love off-the-beaten path places. read more

Location: this place seems to be a lil hidden gem. Its in a little marina near the tracks. I got my order to go but the inside is super cool. Alot of cool boating/beach decor. Service: the lady who took my order informed me they don't do big to to orders but was nice and let me order my food. Her and the other waitress there seemed nice Food: I got a two peice fish and chips. A review on Google said the frys sucked but they must have come on a bad day cause the fries delicious and well seasoned. The fish was nice ans crispy. Not particularly thick but it was good. The star of the show was hands down the CHOWDER. Im sad I got a small. It was a great consistency and the flavor was ON POINT. A good amount of clams. Would definitely come back for the chowder! read more

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Great location but who care about the location when the food is sub par and the service is the worst you'll experience in your life. We came for my brother's birthday dinner, we were a bit confused upon arrival when the host sat us at our table and told us to sit tight for five minutes and he would be back to take our order (was he both a host and server? Why is the host going to take our order? He just went back to the front of house and forgot about us as we waited almost half an hour with servers walking back and forth not ever stopping to acknowledge our party. Finally we flagged a server down and told her we haven't been assisted yet, my mother told her it was my brothers birthday and she responded with a careless shrug, and asked us what we wanted very impatiently and rushed, her name was Raquel she was dismissive and blatantly rude. After being forgotten the feeling of dismissal was disappointing and caused a bad taste in my mouth before I got a chance to taste the actual food. We waited another 49 minutes before Raquel brought out a not fully correct order placing my brother's meal in front of him she realized that not all the plates were correct and took everything back, including the order of my brother even though it was correct. Another 5 minutes later she came out with our food which was all battered and fried so there is no reason that it should have ever taken that long in the first place, something that take 5 minutes to fry in oil. The food wasn't even warm!!! My goodness. I'm sorry to say the taste didn't make up for all the disappointment that had begun to mold this experience. She never came back to check up on our party until long after we wanted the check, and never once smiled or acted nice until she brought the check probably because she remembered the tip. I have never not tipped and my family always tips but we unanimously decided she only got a dollar from us and she's lucky I'm collecting Pennie's because she almost only got two cents. Like I said the location was nice and the ambiance of the facility was warm and felt like you were sitting inside a pirate's treasure chest that was the only nice part. read more

If you want to talk about a geographical hole in the wall, this FLOATING CAFE is in an industrial area and nowhere near a public bus stop. Unless you are a truck driver or an extreme foodie like me looking for a destination people wouldn't usually visit, there is no reason for anyone to be in this neighborhood. Drive slow or you may miss the entrance that leads past the railroad track and into the marina. This restaurant is tucked away in a small marina with no more than twenty boats. If you are looking for an affordable date location by the water, this divey place away from the crowd is the spot. Make sure to time it right around sunset for that beautiful scenery. I love their mixed interior theme of nautical and pirates. It made me feel like I was in a dive bar. The windows were open, and I felt the cool breeze flowing into the restaurant. The service was a bit slow--no greetings when we entered. We sat at an available table. After we seated ourselves, it took us over five minutes to be greeted and receive the menu. What I ordered: DOUBLE CLAM CHOWDER (Fried clams swimming in a bowl of chowder) - It is served in a bowl and not in a cup, which means a larger portion. It was very filling with potatoes and a generous portion of the clams. Surprisingly having this and a few fries got me full. SHRIMP BASKET (6 Breaded Shrimp, Frech Fries, and Cole Slaw) - This entree is nothing special. It tasted how it should be. Does the price justify the portion? I think so. read more

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Cool spot to have some chowder and fish and chips. They got cool decors inside and got a great view of all the boats on deck. Staffs were friendly, very welcoming. We got the bowls of chowder, seafood platter and fried calamaris. Everything turned out good. read more

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The chowder is as as good as it gets! Paired with a cold beer! It is a little off the beaten path, but definitely worth the visit.