Chowder Bar

We were at Freeport last night w loud music & lots of crowd so tonight, we Came to dine at a small local much modest spot near the fire island ferries w less crowd on a Mon. night. place is quaint. The dozen raw clams app were fresh & so flavorful, didn’t really need any condiments to cover the taste of the sea! Cold beer went down smoothly! Off to a great start. Coconut shrimp was ok. Soups were ok. The 2 older waitresses here are very friendly! We had the restaurant to ourselves and even viewed the strawberry moon tonight.
Then the entrees came to the table, broiled seafood combo. looked more steamed as I nibbled on a couple of the overcooked baby scallops, I wasn’t impressed… Then, I found a long piece of dark long hair in my fish. Yes, Cooked in between the stuffed filet, tried to pull to make sure it was an actual hair & yes, confirmed hair that looked like the length of one of the young waitress. Ughhhhh, so disappointed. When I advised the kind waitress she was very apologetic & took it off my check. I ate the baked potato for dinner. So sad bc I’m desperate to find a go to seafood spot but so far with no luck! Sorry to say but I will be heading to the lake house which is situated right next door. I really wanted to love this place and to support the small business!

This was one of the worst restaurants I ever went to for fish. The so-​called lobster roll was on a small Frank bun filled with lettuce and had maybe a half a cup of something called lobster but not real lobster.
The so-​called lobster on the roll must’ve been a fake lobster just like the crab is fake!
Seafood bisque supposed to have crab shrimp and tilapia but the only thing was shredded fake crab. I sent it back!
Will not be back!

I’ve only stopped here a few times for a quick bite. Lately I’ve been satisfying my random fried ice cream craves at the chowder bar c: .This place isn’t big, probably best to go in couples or alone.

I arrived at this place because my friend was craving crab cakes. She got her crabcake burger and loved it. I myself ordered the fishwich which was a grilled cheese with fish between and was very good. The crunchiness was amazing and the gooey cheese hit the spot.
However the seafood bisque was delicious! My friend and I shared a bowl since it was our first time trying it, but we both wished we got our own. I’m usually not a chowder bisque fan but this had both the creaminess and the chunky meat pieces.
I would go back just for a bowl of the bisque!
Also the staff was super sweet and friendly. Both the girl that seated us and our waitress were invested in us having a great meal and were so nice.

This restaurant was exquisite! I enjoyed it very much, but it was very fancy. Me and my partner came in dressed very casually, but ended up feeling very underdressed! I would definitely recommend this fine establishment for everyone looking for an exquisite cuisine.

Ive known the chowder bar for over 10 years and its an absolute favorite best things on the menu in my opinion
raw oysters, seafood chowder (its big so its shareable), fishwich (comfort food), jackie wrap, Seafood fra diavolo, CHILLI!, and all the fried boats although not healthy very tasty
i almost forgot the turkey club

Can’t comment much just wanted everyone to know they are closed for the month of February. I intend on coming back when they open back up :)

Last night I drove out to Long Island to visit with my cousin Linda. It was both a stressful day because of the city driving and a blessed day to catch up with my cousin and her family. The day was capped with a wonderful meal at the Chowder Bar.
The place is small and funky — nothing fancy at all. Before we got there, Linda described it as nothing more than a hole in the wall kind of place that the locals all love.
We got there rather late on a Sunday evening and the place was still full to near capacity. We got our table for 6 and added our loud conversations to the humm of the ambiance, and we felt right at home.
Had to have the Chowder, right? I figured they had a lot to compete with, since we just spent a month in New England, including 2 weeks on the Maine Coast.
Well, they stepped up and delivered. The New England Clam Chowder (only one of about a half dozen seafood oriented soups on the menu) was full of fresh clams and potatoes. The big difference between what we had here and in Maine is that the broth was not as thick as most places served in Maine. However, this in no way takes away from this wonderfully flavored fresh New England Clam Chowder — the place lives up to its name!
I stuck with the clam theme for the evening and had the Fried Clam Boat. Coleslaw was good — not memorable, but good and I enjoyed it with my meal. The Boat came with fries and I asked for mine to be extra crispy. Many times when I do, their served way overdone. These thick cut fries were served to perfection.
Then there were the clams themselves– I have never had WHOLE CLAMS served to me, as fried clams, before. These things were HUGE! So big, I had to cut each one at least twice before I could eat one.
This meal is officially in my book as THE BEST FRIED CLAMS EVER.
Everyone else’s meals were good too and other than Linda’s Linguini with White Clam Sauce, we all finished everything– the Linguini was just a massive serving that probably would still of had leftovers, had 2 shared the dish. All I know, is I wish I had some of that in my fridge this morning (this was my 2^nd choice on the menu where everything looked great).
Service was above average and the place is clean. During «the season» parking may be an issue (paid and overcrowded I am told) but I parked right outside the front door
If you find yourself on the South Shore of Long Island and want to eat Great Seafood like a local… then this is your place.
THANKS LINDA AND WADE

Ordered what I thought were crab cakes. Turned our they were imitation crab cakes! Needless to say I sent them back and got fried calamari which the rings were ok but the body was over fried. my husband ordered broiled flounder on toast points. what a horrible presentation!!! The fish was bland & white with no seasonings or flavor at all. it tasted like hospital food. My meal was fish and chips which I thought how could you mess that up. the fish was over fried beer battered cod with a sweet donut batter taste and extremely greasy. the baked potato was burnt and smelled like it just came out of the ground… NEVER GOING BACK!!!

Having missed a Tuesday 5:30pm ferry to Fair Harbor on Sept. 1^st, I popped into the Chowder Bar for some chowder before a 7:20pm ferry. It was not crowded because Suffolk County public schools just started and it was a few days before Labor Day weekend.
The chowders here are delicious! I tried a cup of Long Island Chowder (which is a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ blend of New England and Manhattan Chowder). It was a yummy appetizer. The mahi-​mahi special, however, was bland in comparison to the chowder. However, I’ll probably try their fried fish and chips next time. Overall, this cozy, informal spot is worth visiting if you’re traveling alone or in a small group and have at least 60 – 90 minutes to spare before the next ferry.

Coconut shrimp were very good. Service was also good-​server was very attentive. Open flounder sandwich was just ok– no flavor.

Dined here many times over the years, way before Unilocal even existed. Located on Maple Avenue at the Bay Shore ferry docks, this seafood gem is one of these best seafood restaurants on Long Island. There homemade chowders are spectacular, Manhattan, New England, and Long Island, try them all. Fish and chips, check, oysters, clams, check. Daily specials and off the hook homemade desserts, check. Plus there is an old wooden bar with plenty of local Long Island brews on tap. Today I had the amazing Fishwich sandwich, which was fresh crunchy fried fish between grilled cheese on toast, amazing. Made my meal a deluxe that added very good cole slaw, French fries piping hot, and small salad splash. This place is consistent, fresh, clean, with impeccable service. It’s been too long between visits!

Call it like it is but this place is a dive and I love it. Parking is horrendous cause its by the ferry. Kitchy décor and food was delicious. Everytime I go I get the catfish boat. It’s my favorite. Small but decently priced. Definitely will come again my only complaint. The bacon wasn’t crispy on my clams casino.

Superb soups!
Casual, relaxed atmosphere. I wish there were more fresh shellfish options, but the quality of the soups makes up for it.

Very disappointed… It’s close to the ocean, but apparently its kitchen is far away from fresh sea food. Majority of food there is fried. So I tried broiled fish, which had no texture, no seasoning, no nothing, just a thin cut of plain flounder. The worst of all, it was not fresh.
My friend ordered a «fried boat», containing a combination of deep fried oysters, clams, fish, and shrimps. The whole dish was over fried.
By the way, I also tried the Long Island clam chowder. Well… It was okay. Not creamy, not a lot of clams, but the broth was not bad.
Lastly, based on the quality of the food, I think they overpriced everything. Sadly there is no better choice of sea food in Bay Shore.

Love the Chowder Bar, it’s my go to place when I have to take the ferry and even when I don’t. I prefer it to the other clam bars in the area in food quality taste and price. It only loses a star because it’s not on the water but this place is still great and not to be missed if your passing by.

The soups were uniformly delicious. We had the Manhattan clam chowder, long island chowder (a combination of Manhattan and New England clam chowder) and clam bisque. There were large pieces of clans in the soup.
The chowder bar really know how to fry fish. The fish-​wich and crab cakes were very tasty, but the Mahi Mahi reuben was by far more decadent. The sandwiches were heavy with cheese and sauce. We had a good time and the food and servicer were great

If you’re starving and expect quick service, this is not the place for you. But if you’re okay having a leisurely meal, definitely worth checking out. Only 1 waitress and she was definitely in the weeds. But was always pleasant and friendly.
Their clam chowder is not the typical, white-​ish, thick chowder that you expect. It’s pretty thin but tasty.
Their fried clams are the whole clam, so you’ll be disappointed if you’re just looking for the small pieces of chewy goodness. But again, fresh and tasty.
Had their fishwich sandwich… battered and fried fish between a simple grilled cheese sandwich… tasted great!
If you’re looking for some good seafood, give it a try, if you’re in the area. Next time, maybe I’ll try the clam bisque and get that thick type of chowder that I’m craving.

Always friendly service laid back atmosphere. I drove from towns away for the always delicious soup! New England clam chowder is perfect with a unique flavor (bay leaf maybe?) and not overly creamy where you feel uncomfortably full after a full bowl :)
Usually stop in before or after the FI ferry but they’ll warm ya up over the winter! I nibbled– I’m hooked! ;)

A short 2 minute walk from the ferry to Fire Island this divy restaurant serves up some fresh seafood in a simple manner. I didn’t even look at the menu. I saw fish tacos on the blackboard and it was a clear no brainer in my book. But alas, let down.
The $ 9.50 fish tacos (2) consisted of a small piece of buttery fish filet served on a flour tortilla with the romaine lettuce that was clearly from one of those bagged salads type deals topped with some generic cheddar cheese and some canned black beans. This by no means was fancy. I did without the store bought flour tortillas and just ate the fish which was absolutely delicious but everything else about this dish was so generic and bush league. I think a slice of avocado would have been a dish savior here and would have added so much. But alas, none of that was happening. These tacos were pretty piss pour, weak sauce, not even sure they really put thought into these tacos type tacos. And the accompanied salsa? Straight from the SYSCO jar.
The ladies serving up the food were nice, this place has a seafarer townie vibe which I totes dig, but I’d suggest sticking to the fish dishes or the simple diner style sammies. Yeah, best not to order like a yuppie as I did and order the tacos at an old school seafood diner, you’ll be disappointed. Keep it real simple.