Maher Jabr: Nice oyster selection (Naked Cowboy from Long Island is awesome) & the clam chowder is a MUST. Make sure you have bread handy with the chowder. Great & friendly service.
Julia Johnson: While the clam chowder is my default lunch choice here (amazing!), it is crab season and they have crab on the menu!
Tom Evans: Split a dozen oysters, get a clam chowder and grilled cheese each for a couple and you have the perfect lunch!
Alfonso Mujica: Clam chowder in a bread bowl is a must have meal while in SF. The best!
Miss CC: The best Clam chowder bowl in Fishermans wharf. Their service is great and their food is too. The large breadbowl feeds two people easily and the petite is perfect for one person.
Gavin: Great spot for a clam chowder bowl and a block later you get to see sea lions.
Sol Salamanca: best seafood of the bay… try the clam chowder and of course the traditional San Francisco dish: Cioppino paired with a strawberry and mango margarita… while watching the sea lions taking a nap!
Cynthia Hoyt: BEST Clam Chowder ever!! Add Tabasco Sauce if you like your chowder spicy. The Crab Louie is HUGE and delicious. Our waitress made the evening, she was wonderful! (Take a can of chowder home!!)
Juanisimo Meneini: Clam chowder is really nice specially on a chilly day also try the roasted garlic crab,a suggestion from our waiter! Service is also really nice! Enjoy your meal
Stacia & Dean Varga: Wonderful ceviche, clam chowder is excellent with tasty and nicely sizes morsels of clams. Seafood platter for two was yummy too!
Katsu Goto: Great views & good foods. Period. Many people blindly in love with clam chowder, but why not try Cioppino? Its local food!!
Tyler Fox: Soup & salad combo is the way to go. Excellent clam chowder served in a fresh hot Boudin sourdough bread bowl, with an authentic whole romaine Caesar. Some of the best in SF!
Josh Ohlmann: Get the sourdough bread bowl with clam chowder. Soooo good! Marvel at the weight of the bread. Delicious!
Shaena: The clam chowder and bread bowl is of course always the best. But apparently heirloom tomatoes are in season right now and they have this seasonal heirloom tomato salad that is killer.
ViatorStaff: Our favorite SF seafood institution. Get here early to beat the crowds and have oysters and clam chowder with an Anchor Steam beer.
Ian Thong: Oysters are really good, coming from a Sydney sider, Australia. Clam chowder is also great…!
Soo Wai Eng: Half shell oyster,clam chowder, sashimi with lemon, olive oil, onion, and capers, especially the scallop… Very delicious ! Worth the wait
Patrick Labadie: Clam chowder to start is a must. Then order the cioponnio and the anchor special and youll be in set. PS make sure you write the time next to your name on the board when you check in.
Hayley Miller: Go to Scomas and order the lunch special and get the cup of clam chowder, crab Louie salad, and desert is included! Best sourdough bread in city, best fresh crab meat. and the soup is amazing as well
Shirley Au: The clam chowder here is to die for!!! They used to make the Manhattan clam chowder, which is even better than the New England clam chowder (yes, for reals!) Please ask them to bring it back!!!
Wim Godden: Their clam chowder in sourdough bowl is excellent (best Ive eaten so far – and Ive eaten quite a few !), salmon was great. Too bad they dont have the select 3 desert special anymore.
wes gray: Food is excellent – bread bowl is where its at! Cant go wrong with the crab bisque or the clam chowder!
melissa ta: Besides the delicious and well known clam chowder in a bread bowl, make sure to save room for dessert and get the sourdough apple pie!!
Rebecca Goberstein: Best clam chowder in the city. Amazing seafood. Started by 2 Croatian brothers during the Gold Rush, making it the oldest restaurant in the state. This place rocks. No reservations, so get here early.
Jinnie L: old school vibe/charm place – kinda like it ;P dungenous crab cocktail, clam chowder, n cioppino were delicious~ service was fast n good.
The Feast: Satiate your seafood cravings here with a solid clam chowder, creamy crab louie, and the fresh bay shrimp roll with avocado and crispy fries. Read more.
Tatum Hengel: Crab cakes, crab melt, and clam chowder are fantastic. Also, $1 oysters on Tuesdays!
Andrea: Absolutely delish! Cute decor, amazing food. The clam chowder was amazing, as was the lobster roll.
Helen Yuen: Wonderful choice of seafood in menu! Clam chowder, oysters, sour dough bread pudding all tasted wonderful! Great portion size!
cbcastro: Solid ceviche and shrimp cocktail. Always fresh! Love the creamy, rich clam chowder too, lots of clams and bacon-y goodness in there.
Mary X: Fish is fresh and super affordable. The workers are very nice. I got 10 pieces of sliced salmon sashimi for 7.50. The fried oysters looked delicious and next time I want to try the clam chowder.
Amanda Sutherland: NOT the place to go for good San francisco clam chowder in a bread bowl.
Stuart Murdoch: This is the very best place to enjoy clam chowder in a sourdough bowl on the wharf in San Francisco
The most popular and bustling chowder bowl destination by far. You’ll have to figure out which of the three lines to stand in, amidst the madness of children racing between you and “confused” couples wandering straight to the front of the line (oh, was there a line there?). Despite it all, it only took 10 minutes from start to finish.
Scoma’s – Oh, is that too fancy for you? You want some on-the-ground, down-by-the-boat-docks, old-school San Francisco restaurant? Scoma’s. It’s remarkable how quickly the chintzy gift shops and tourist traps die away when you walk a block in the right direction. Lo and behold, this is the actual working waterfront of Fisherman’s Wharf. It’s still a cloth-napkins kind of place, but you’ll eat while gazing out at teeter tottering sail boats and fishing boats pulling in the day’s catch. The fish is fresh, with a slight emphasis on Italian.
The Chowder Hut has the distinction of having outdoor seating. The comfort almost makes up for the chowder. (If you’re confused, yes, this cement shack used to be a Boudin food stall. As of 2010, it changed its name to Chowder Hut Grill but is owned by Boudin. Hence the similarities.)
Atmosphere: Quite pleasant. Sure, the seating is situated right next to a parking lot and busy road packed with double decker tour buses, but the owners have taken down part of the cement wall enclosure and installed a tall glass wind shield to protect against the western winds. Across the street, a street band had set up on Pier 45, playing favorites like “Brick House” and “Super Freak” as tourists got swept up into an impromptu dance party.
Flavor: Very clammy with a strong taste of the sea, which makes me think they douse their soup in clam juice. Which wouldn’t be the worst thing. To make up for the large clam count, there were few potatoes and other vegetables. The celery was mushy, and I’m still only slightly sure that was indeed celery.
Pier Market Seafood Restaurant’s clam chowder is so good that it’s been voted the best on Fisherman’s Wharf. It’s also reasonably priced compared to some other restaurants in the area. Enjoy it by the cup or the bowl or in a sourdough bread bowl with a salad on the side. Other reasons to dine at Pier Market Seafood Restaurant include the signature cocktails as well as the waterfront seating that offers a great view of the infamous sea lions that have taken up residence nearby.
It only makes sense that the best place to get clam chowder on Pier 39 is a place with it in the name. Chowders is a popular spot for a more casual seafood meal. Both red and white clam chowders are available, and each one is homemade with plenty of crispy bacon, potatoes, celery and onions. Enjoy it in a sourdough bowl with a side like shrimp cocktail, crab cakes or popcorn shrimp.
Pier 39 is one of San Francisco’s top attractions, and one reason for that are its many dining options. It’s home to more than 13 full-service restaurants, as well as many other eateries, like an ice cream shop, a hot dog stand and a candy shop. However, the real star of the variety of foods offered at Pier 39 is the fresh seafood. From fish and chips to crab cakes, there’s a little something for everyone, including some delicious New England-style clam chowder. On a cool foggy San Francisco day, nothing can beat enjoying a steaming hot bowl of clam chowder surrounded by the sights and sounds of Pier 39.
Chart House sits at the end of Pier 39, and its menu tends to be a tad on the exotic side, but it still serves two classic soups. One is the lobster bisque, and the other is, of course, clam chowder, available in a bread bowl if desired. Waterfront views and the signature hot chocolate lava cake are a few other reasons to dine here.
Award-winning clam chowder is what diners will find on the menu at the Fog Harbor Fish House. Order it by the cup or bowl, or enjoy it with a salad or inside a bread bowl. Some have gone as far as to call it the best clam chowder in San Francisco. Other reasons to dine at Fog Harbor Fish House include its amazing views of the Bay, as well as the fact that it was the first restaurant in Fisherman’s Wharf to serve 100 percent sustainably sourced seafood.
In a place that is known for both its seafood and its sourdough bread, it shouldn’t be a surprise that San Francisco has some of the best clam chowder in the world. These 10 restaurants are sure to satisfy your chowder craving.
FAQ
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