The Chowder House

I was SO sad when I heard this place closed. Chowder House, to me, was one of those restaurants that was always there, and would always be there. I grew up eating here from when I was a toddler until I moved to San Francisco.
For some reason I always thought this place was fancy growing up? I don’t remember, was it? I remember my mom always ragging on me to wear a dress every time we came here. I think I may have worn jeans and a collared shirt once – my mom was pissed!
Anyway, I liked their clam chowder for what it was. I didn’t have anything to compare it to other than the Campell soup at the time. If I were back home when this place was closing, I would’ve eaten here one last time, and possibly in a dress, just to appease my mother.

Of course, get the clam chowder, you can try the red or white– both are great.
For a main course, get the seafood sample plater, all you would want of scallops, shrimp and fish fresh — not the fast food kind tasteless fish smell.
Try the Plantation Iced Tea to top things off fresh and light.
Enjoy eating.

I guess I never have the chowder. I always get the lunch fish and chips or fried fish and french fries dinner.
The Mahimahi fish and chips are probably the best fish and chips I’ve had since before Mililani Restaurant went downhill in the 1980s.
The mahi is cooked to perfection with a light crispy beer batter crust. Mahi is still moist and flavorfull, not dried to a crisp like many over-​cooked places take it.
Too bad they’re closing on Sept 20!
Deep fried twinkies are okay, nothing like a deep fried mars bar…

WOW! i always passed by this place but never tried the place because I wasn’t a fan of their menu nor chowder. I’ve decided to try it because they will be closing down come September 20.
Man the reviews were very spot on! I had the corn chowder which was alright, nothing special. I also had a side salad with oil and vinegar that came with my friends meal that my friend decided not to take but I took it instead. Man my choice of dressing was off. I don’t like thousand island and try to stay away from ranch, so after maybe about 5 bites of the salad, I gave up.
My friend had the Scallops and Shrimp plate, while I had the Meat Loaf. While she liked her plate, and I loved my meat loaf the only negative thing we had was the rice. Can you say extra hard? Seriously now I love rice and only ate about ½ of it. It was super hard and the only explanation i can come up with is that maybe they just don’t care anymore because they’re closing soon.
My friend and I tried the Deep Fried Twinkies. That was the best thing about the meal.
In all it’s sad that their closing down, but you might want to try it before it closes. It’ll probably disappoint you like it did with others lol.

Went here with a friend a while back.
I found the restaurant kind of dirty looking and the service was slow and unfriendly.
The clam chowder wasn’t bad although I found it kind of floury.
It had a wierd consistency to it.
On the other hand, their shrimp cocktail was pretty good.

the new england clam chowder was alright.
portions are pretty big for their entrees
the food is very mediocre. i only come here because my uncle and his wife always invite me out to lunch.
service is bleh as well.
i guess it’s one of those old time establishments that will most likely stay around for awhile despite their quality in anything

MMm, I love my chowder bland and reminiscent of clam chowder from a can.
Seriously, with all the diverse foods in Hawaii, I can’t believe I went here. This is definitely a place where you’d find me kicking and screaming before I come back.

Others may not like the chowder here but I sure do, as one of the cheap places to go (with the hord of food mongers I get as tag alongs) I’ve never gotten anything I haven’t liked here yet (after 20+ years)
love the chowder new england
love the kobe burger w/​cole slaw
love the fish and chips
love the Cesar’s salad w/​avocado
service is always fast and friendly
parking can be a biotch on fridays and saturdays but otherwise ok

Yay! I like this place. I think I like this place because I love soup! And their soup is mmmmm good! =o)

I had not been to The Chowder House in awhile, as I hardly ever think of it as a Ward Warehouse eatery. Now I remember why I forgot about it.
Food: Mediocre. The New England clam chowder was kind of… gummy? Like too much flour thickener or something. The Manhattan was okay, but the tomato tasted like Campbell’s tomato soup, which I like, but not when I’m at a Chowder House.
We had the appetizer platter (see pic) that came with fried zucchini, buffalo chicken wings and fried calamari. All were okay, probably the wings were the best with their tangy spiciness. I’d say even TGI Friday’s apps are better.
There were fried Twinkies on the menu, so even if I was not impressed with the meal so far, I had to go for it. I’m glad I tried it, even tho’ it wasn’t good. Too much gloppy batter and perhaps fried too long because there was nothing left of the spongy cake and just white-​ish liquid in the middle that used to be cream filling. I was so sad, because the deep fried oreos at Tony Roma’s were good. Alas, t’was not to be this time.
Service: The waitress we had was very nice, but I got the impression she’s taken one too many shifts here. She did her job well, but seemed so tired and kind of beaten down. It was sad. I hope she was just having a bad day. We gave her a good tip.
Ambiance: It was fine. Booths and tables scattered about. Some ocean-​related paraphernalia plastered on the walls. It’s a pretty big space, with a big bar in the back, so it feels like a nice open space.
Overall: I’m not sure if the bar saves this place, but the food does not. I think it will be another several years before I forget why I keep forgetting about this place and try it again.

Poor Chowde

The chowder is awful and the service, horrendous. Neither deserve even 1 star. I honestly find Campbell’s Clam Chowder infinitely better, and I loathe, loathe, loathe canned soup.
For unforgettable New England Clam Chowder, buy a plane ticket to Boston and hop on the T to Faneuil Hall.

This was the worst chowder I’ve ever eaten. I first ordered the seafood chowder, but when it arrived, it was so smelly, I had to send it back. I had them bring me the clam chowder instead, but it was just disgusting. At that point, I paid the bill and went to eat somewhere else.
Normally, I wouldn’t eat in such a touristy, overpriced joint filled with depressed servers and dusty ledges, but my girlfriend insisted that I try the place. I mean, she was hanging on my arm and going, «You have to try their chowder! It’s so good! It’s the best chowder ever!» Come to think of it, she was hanging on my arm at the time because she was drunk and we were at a club. Dammit.

My friend got a dead cockroach in her salad!
One of the most disturbing restaurant experiences of my life!

The chowder was definitely fresh. I had the soup and salad combo. The salad was a little on the lame side and at $ 9.95 this didn’t seem like it was the best value. On the plus side, we were just coming from the Ward Center cinemas and if you bring your stub they give you 10% off. They are also pretty proud of the fact that Barack Obama ate there frequently while a student in Honolulu.