Duke’s Chowder House

Great for lunch. Best clam chowder ever. Order the combo chowder and bacon scallop taco. Yummy ! Excellent service !

This place is located at the Kent station across chipotle and Dillatante coffee shop. Years ago I would come here just for the addictive sourdough bread and their silky soft butter with a bowl of northwest clam chowder (the one with tomatoes and red color… as they would put it). Anyway years ago when I was a starving college student I would save my coins for a «rainy day» (like always here in the PNW) for a simple get away moment here at Duke’s. Night times are always best as they have their happy hour prices. Service is always excellent here you’re welcomed well by the host and their waitstaff are informative and I must admit very good at trying to «upsell» you (how about a salad to go with that bread? Any appetizers? And so on…) the prices have gone significantly higher since I’ve been here (about two years ago) the chowder for example went from about $ 11 to $ 14 (medium bowl), the taste although somewhat good, ingredients look bare. I feel like their prices doesn’t really makeup for the what’s in the food. I’ve always enjoyed coming to Dukes so as prices go up I may just adjust my timing of coming, maybe just on happy hour. I wouldn’t recommend this place for lunch time as they have no specials and it cost way too much just for a quick bite. This place fits the first date try to impress her since you’ve got dough (and free bread… get it? Dough? Bread? Never mind!) to show for. But for the quick affordable bite you’ll need to wait for happy hour.

After seeing Star Wars and being in a really good mood, since it’s New Years Eve, I convinced my husband to go to Dukes (close to the theatre) for our annual Surf & Turf vs the regular steak place we go to. The hostess was extremely friendly and told us we’d have about a 15 min wait. The wait was only about 5 min… way to over deliver! Our waitress, Tilana, was very friendly as well and brought our wine and sour dough bread out quickly. My husband and I both decided on the New Years Eve special of 8 oz filet mignon and crab stuffed prawns. I like my steak medium rare and my husband goes for medium. When the plates came out, very quickly, they looked delicious. When I cut into mine at the end it was almost raw, not medium rare. I cut into the center to see if it was the same and I swear I heard it moo… just kidding. I hate sending food back, but could not eat it as raw as it was, so I got the waitress and embarrassedly explained the problem. She took it back and brought me a side of stuffed prawns to enjoy while I waited (complimentary), the manager also came over to apologize and told me the steak would be right out. It was taking quite a while, so I wrongly assumed they were cooking a whole new steak. When the original steak came back it was very well done. There was about half that wasn’t too over cooked, so I ate that and decide not to complain. We didn’t see our server again until it was time to see if we wanted desert. She then asked how the steak was and I told her politely it was pretty over cooked, but no worries. She tried to say yea they over cooked the original end slice I had cut off, but it was about half of it that was very well done. Totally not her fault and I understand how a cook could be angry at a send back and over do it a little, which is why I usually accept what’s served instead of sending back. I’ve eaten here many time over the years and several times this year and everything is usually perfect and delicious. My husband’s meal was perfect and the manager did make things right, so I will come here again and would give 4.5 stars if Unilocal allowed because they were all friendly, tried and made it right in the end. By the way, still tipped 20% of what the original check would have been as this was in no way the servers fault. Lesson here… always ask how medium rare looks when prepared by the cook on duty. Happy New Year!

I love this place! I have been here many, many times and the food has never disappointed. They start you off with sourdough bread and butter. The drinks are wonderful. The seasonal favorites are excellent. I always go with the chowder and the salmon. The problem is I can’t decide which chowder! I always get excellent service. Can’t say enough good things about this place.

We stopped on a Sunday evening… Did not have to wait and sat in the bar area… We ordered drinks. Blueberry lemon drop for her and a Mac & Jacks amber for me… Clam strip appetizer and they brought us a basket of bread. We shared a bowl of chowder and had the BBQ rib special. Service was good as well as the food we shared.

We went here after taking the kids to Disney on Ice. So glad we made reservations on
because there was a HUGE wait. We got sat right on time which was pretty impressive. Our server was pretty good but our chowder didn’t come out until after our meals did (it was supposed to come first). I wasn’t impressed with the chowder and I ordered a bloody mary as well and didn’t care for that either. My main meal was pretty good though (the Holy Trinity) and the bread they give is nice and fresh. Needless to say, I was expecting a lot better.

Went to the SouthCenter place and I must say that ’ as crowded as they were, the food was just «ho hum».
I wasn’t impressed. waitress was loud and rushed and was talking AT us instead of TO us. We ordered the variety chowder and wasn’t impressed… way too rich… And this next complaint REALLY ERKED ME’ their FLAG SHIP fish n chips were CLEARLY cooked @ the wrong temp because they were oily and mushy.
And to Top it Off the price was very expensive for its quality.
Clearly menu prices reflect REALESTATE VALUES AND NOT FOO QUALITY
We won’t be going back !!!

In the past three days, I’ve gone to HH TWICE at Duke’s. Safe to say I’ll be taking a break until I go back again, but they really do offer up a great HH!
Food: First night I tried the Surfer’s Surf Clam Strips which came with tartar and wasabi aioli. Between the two HH dishes I tried, this one was definitely my favorite. The clam strips were crispy, full of flavor, and sooo good. The homemade tartar was amazing! And for only being a little over $ 5, you get a pretty impressive portion. Last night, I tried the Hudson’s Finger Lickin’ Chicken Strips. Not impressed in the slightest with those. The breading was bland, as was the chicken, and they weren’t that crispy. Do not make the mistake of getting those, because I know I learned my lesson… The potato wedges that they came with were really good though! I wanted to try their chowder as well, so I made the mistake of getting a large bowl for my sister and I to share… It was a LOT but it was really good! Love their chowder. My sister (only 8) ordered the Lauren’s Alfredo Pasta and she really liked it.
Drinks: First night, I went a little too overboard with the HH prices on drinks. I had FOUR Blueberry Lemon Drops… You’re probably thinking «wow, she was most likely wasted» but alas, I was not. The first drink was the strongest one, and the ones that followed got more and more prohibition friendly. No matter the amount of alcohol though, it was BOMB. It’s $ 6 for one, so I’d hope so. The second night, I went with a modest one Grapefruit Nirvana, which was actually surprisingly tasty. I hate grapefruit, but this drink was actually really good!
Service: Both nights the service was great. I don’t remember the men’s names at all, but they were both attentive and kind. On top of that, both nights I was seated immediately.
Overall, I’m glad that I finally got to try out a Duke’s Happy Hour, seeing how it was apparently voted «Best in Kent.» I will be back to try more of the HH menu without a doubt!

My friend chose Duke’s for dinner on ⁹⁄₂₆. This was my first time to Duke’s.
The food was average and extremely overpriced. $ 25 for two pieces of halibut, a small portion of fries and a side of coleslaw. I saw nothing for an entrée under $ 20. The halibut was OK. It was some kind of thin breading I’ve not seen on fish before that I didn’t like and lacked flavor, but it wasn’t bad. The tartar sauce was not good. I’m a huge fish ‘n chips fan and the tartar sauce has to be great to make it for me. It was not housemade and tasted old. The coleslaw had chunks of seafood in it, and since I’m allergic to crab and my friend couldn’t tell what the seafood was, I didn’t touch it.
My friend ordered a fish dish that I can’t remember that she said she orders all the time and really likes. She also ordered salmon bites as an appetizer. They were pretty good.
I wanted a Roy Rogers and was informed they don’t have grenadine. I don’t know if that means they don’t have a full bar or what, but this is the first place I’ve been to in my life that had a bar and didn’t have grenadine. I asked for root beer. Told they didn’t have any. Settled for Diet Coke.
The waitress was nice but an airhead. She forgot to bring my friend’s Diet Coke refill and almost spilled the appetizer onto the table because, as she told us, she saw a good looking guy walk by the window. When she asked if we wanted chowder and I declined, she tried to hard sell me some. When I still declined, she tried again. When the check was dropped off, she told me I should order the chowder next time. No means no.
The aesthetic of Duke’s is like that of a fast food restaurant with the exception being nicer seating, silverware and fabric napkins. Blue and white are the colors used along with wood paneling and accents.
This is a small space. The host stand is right in front of the door — as in, if there are 4 people in your party and there is another couple in front of you, half of your party will be standing in the doorway. Two person booths line the wall and then there are another row of booths in the middle of the restaurant two feet away with another set of booths and tables. It feels really cramped and the ladies across from us kept eavesdropping on our conversation. I would not bring a date here nor have a business meeting here.
There’s outdoor seating at black wrought iron tables next to an outdoor fireplace. We didn’t hang out there.
Parking for this restaurant is a short walk away at one of the private lots or the parking garage. There’s 2 hour street parking as well until 6 pm, and then you can park as long as you like.
I would come here again if someone really wanted to and they picked up the tab. Otherwise, no thanks.
Food: 3
Ambiance: 2.5
Service: 3
Parking: 3

The reason I hate to leave reviews like this is because although the staff were friendly enough, I do reserve the 1-​star rating for food that makes me ill. My girlfriend and I ordered a bowl of chowder off the happy hour menu, and by the time we made it back to the car, we just felt awful.
Apart from that, I would not recommend sitting outside or ordering non-​alcoholic drinks. You will be waiting a long time for your food, and your «blueberry lemonade» will probably be a blueberry lemon drop without the booze. So… lemonade and syrup for the price of $ 4.30.
I will say that my friend’s bacon mushroom burger looked appetizing, but he admitted that the prices here were a bit absurd. Maybe our experience would have been different at another location, but I would avoid this one at Kent Station.

Stopped here with colleagues for evening meal on a Friday night. Chowder was good as where the mains. Price was a little high for the quality… Guess this is the location and name as much as anything
Busy place but is near commuter transit austen

My first meal in Seattle this trip was at Duke’s Chowder House in Kent. It was a little pricey but well worth it. The clam chowder was outstanding… I’m generally not a chowder fan.
The stuffed Atlantic Salmon was incredible as were the beans and potatoes. I since learned that there are 5 locations in and around Seattle.
Casual atmosphere, top notch food.

Dukes always delivers in friendly service, eye and taste-​appealing food, and amazing drinks and appetizers. I’ve been about 5 times this year and have had fish tacos, salmon, chowder, fish soup, the avocado salad, and more. My favorite drink there is the Tito’s Moscow Mule in the copper mug — always refreshing! One companion wanted dessert so we dove into the Marion Berry pie … O.M.G. it was heaven!

This place looks casual, but the food is great. Awesome sourdough and chowders — try the sampler.
Great happy hours right in this little area — many restaurants here have an early and late HH

Enjoyed my first visit here. Happy hour prices were fair and a plentiful happy hour menu. I had the calamari steak strips & some grilled shrimp Cabo Wabo I believe it was called. Calamari was awesome! Nice portion, big, tender strips & cooked perfectly. The dipping sauces were very good to accompany the dish. The shrimp was pretty good as well. Very light but well balanced flavors. I’ll be back. Service was great, efficient. Was able to grab a table on their patio on a sunny Seattle afternoon.

My bf and I wanted a quick snack after watching a movie across the way, so we decided to pop in for happy hour (3 – 6 PM and 9-​close).
We weren’t super hungry, so we shared the chicken strips and a bowl of clam chowder. He also ordered the monkey shoulder whiskey. I didn’t expect the chicken strips to be anything spectacular… I mean, it IS a seafood restaurant. It came with a side of jojos (which were really tasty) and coleslaw. We both enjoyed the clam chowder, minus the fact that it was lukewarm upon arrival and found bits of sand in it. The complimentary sourdough is great dipped in the chowder!
While we were looking over our bill, we noticed that we were charged $ 8.50 for the whiskey when it should’ve been $ 4.90 off of the HH menu. We mentioned it to our server (who I think was the manager) and he was really apologetic and had it taken off immediately. No biggie, just something to watch out for! Aside from that, I was impressed with the service we received.
It’s a little pricey, so I’d recommend coming during HH. I may be back, but preferably to the Southcenter location where I’ve had a better experience.

I continue to love Duke’s Chowderhouse, but I’m not as big of a fan of this particular location as I once was.
I’ve been to the one by the water and for the price you pay, I’d much rather have a view of the water.
We went on Christmas Eve when we were in the area seeing a movie and the food was okay but it tends to get a bit pricy.
I’m still giving it a four-​star because they didn’t do anything — Their food was still good, it was good service — I’d just rather spend $ 50 somewhere else.

Summary: Fresh wild seafood, 100% grass fed beef burgers, pretty good happy hour, chilly service, cane sugar based sodas from Seattle Soda Co., get the lobster chowder over the clam chowder (if you like lobster).
I’ll preface this to say I like the Duke’s Chowder House in Tukwila a lot better. The service is great, the food is good, and it’s always prompt.
For Kent, I’ll start with the good parts: Their seafood is sustainably caught, the sodas have cane sugar, and I love their strawberry lemonades. I liked the lobster chowder. If I were to order one of their clam chowders, I would definitely get the lobster one again. I wasn’t very excited about the Cioppino, but it was a pretty large portion and I was able to split it. My husband liked his burger — he is very particular about his meat. We always order the calamari which has always been a very big hit with my daughter.
For the bad: I don’t know why, but we’ve had the same waitress twice and both times she’s been… chilly.
The first time, I thought that the waitress was having a bad day. So when she was a little short and unhelpful with us, I was forgiving. The second time, maybe it was a bad day again… but she was pretty friendly to my husband. In fact, she directed all questions to my husband and seemed frustrated when I tried to talk to her.
The restaurant has good food, but I expect more when I’m paying more than $ 10 an entrée. When it’s a pseudo fine dining restaurant, I expect more effort, better service, and for the waitress to not treat me like I’m interrupting her when I’m ordering, asking questions about the menu, or requesting more water.

It took me a while to look through all the menu items. I finally decided on the Cioppino and it was delicious. It had salmon, halibut, cod, crab, mussels and shrimp; served with grilled bread. This seafood stew was rich and flavorful. There are many items on the menu where you can choose a full size or a smaller size order. The ‘dingy’ is the perfect size to try one of their chowders. The service is friendly. There are TVs in the dining room but they are small and high up. There’s lots of natural light from all the windows.

The food here was very underwhelming. I was on vacation, visiting Seattle & had to try as much seafood as I could. I was craving chowder and tried the sampler (dinghy).
Got the clam chowder, lobster chowder and the seafood chowder. The clam chowder was very creamy — almost a little too buttery, but still very good. However, can’t say the same about the lobster or the seafood chowder. The lobster chowder was very salty and had a strange sour taste. The seafood chowder shouldn’t be called chowder. It was very liquidy and very tomato-​y.