Billy’s Chowder House

We love this place! Sat at the bar with a stunning view of the marsh. The service was excellent. We had the chowder and split an order of fried shrimp, very good. We will be back

My first time visit. Very nice wait staff and good atmosphere. I ordered the fried haddock and it came with fries (no other vegetable choice offered). I’ve had better fried haddock and felt the restaurant to be quite expensive for what I got. I will try it again and one of the chowders instead.

Lunch was great, as always. There was a woman at a table near us who had never had lobster before. Her server happily and patiently walked her through how to take her lobster apart and get every bite of meat. Lobster bisque had no shortage of meat, and great flavor! Homemade kettle chips are addicting, and free. Service great.

My husband and I drove from Manchester today to try to find a good seafood restaurant, and we struck gold with Billy’s. The waitress was attentive, friendly and professional. I ordered the stuffed clams for an appetizer, and I couldn’t have been more pleased. Since moving to NH from Long Island over 30 years ago, I gave up on finding great stuffed claims, but Billy’s nailed it. Ordered the fried haddock which was cooked to perfection, a substitution of baked potato for french fries was made, no problem. Coleslaw was perfect, and my husband’s fisherman’s platter, met his very demanding requirements. The scallops he reported were done to perfection. All in all, we were thoroughly pleased and will make a pilgrimage to Billy’s in the future. Loved the view as well. It was a perfect meal in a perfect setting. Kudos to Billy’s.

Eh. this was OK.
First of all they put us 3 kind of «big» adults plus 1 hefty child at a small booth near another family when there was plenty of other empty bigger booths available. We squeezed in.
We were starving…
The rolls provided were really really good… «
I had the fried clam /​fried scallop plate, LARGE that I shared with my son as he wanted the same thing but the prices were pretty high and NO children seafood plates!
The fried scallops were some of the best I ever had… the fried clams were the worst I ever had. Tartar sauce was good… coleslaw was awesome… french fries were good.
My dear wife who «fish phobia» asked if they cooked the fried chicken, fries, etc. in the same vat as the seafood… they do… GROSS. a place this big should separate things especially those with allergies.
Waitress service was good.

We had a great experience with Billy’s for takeout. There are some great views, but it does seem a bit dark and dated inside, so I would choose not to eat there if I had a nicer place nearby to go back to. Service was very attentive at the door and we ordered two large lobster rolls and a bowl of clam chowder. Order came out in less than 10 minutes.
Chowder was creamy and well seasoned with a good balance of clam and other flavors. A bit too much potato for me, but that was minor. Lobster rolls were very large and had wonderfully sweet lobster meat. One came with fries, which were fresh, slightly crunchy and well drained, not greasy. The other came with coleslaw that was fine. They use the hot dog sponge rolls which I prefer to toast as it absorbs flavors without overpowering the meat. Rolls were perfectly toasted with some crunch to them.
We were very happy with the food and would definitely return.

I loved Billy’s
The haddock chowder and fried scallops were great, as was the service. The portions were also very good for what you pay for. The fries were a bit salty.
There is a beautiful view which can be seen from certain seats.

I had heard great things about Billy’s so my family and I were excited to try it! Sadly i was very disappointed with the outcome. Our service was not good at all. She seemed annoyed with the fact we were not sure what to order yet and when we asked for another drink she never brought it. My boyfriend asked for rice with his dinner and they gave him fries. The waitress never came back over to the table and we had to wait around for the check for quite a while. They food was ok but no better than other
Places we have tried in the area and it seemed to have higher prices. I would not Billy’s again.

We have been coming to Billy’s for over 30 years when our children were at USM. We vacationed at Moody beach for all of those years and Billies was always one of our favorite spots. Last night we were actually able to get in at a decent time. The food as always was wonderful… service however not so good
When we placed our drink order which were three glasses of wine she asked did we want them now or should she serve them with our meal??? seriously?
Waitress got the appetizer wrong. Brought our salad with the entrée (as a former restauranteur, a real no-​no) one of the entrées was wrong and never brought the rolls. There was no offer of dessert or coffee… Not that we could eat another morsel, but she should have asked. However this will not deter us from returning to Billies it still is one of our favorites

I love this place. I always stick with the fried stuff. My favorites are the scallops and clam bellies. The oysters and haddock are excellent too. Their seafood chowder is very good. You can’t beat the $ 1 oysters on Wednesday.

Had a pretty bad experience our first time here. We were looking for a bar mid afternoon for a simple drink and appetizer. The bar area was packed due to happy hour specials going on. With four people in our party, we found a two person table and were willing to make it work. They had larger tables open in the bar near windows, but signs said to check with waitress before sitting. We checked with the waitress and she said we could sit at the tables and still get drinks and appetizers so we decided to move.
After sitting down, a different waitress came over to help us. She noticed the chips we had taken from our other table and asked where we got them. She continued to explain that the chips are for bar patrons only. As she was telling us this, the other waitress swooped in very rudely grabbed the basket of chips, telling us we can’t have them if we are sitting at this table. We were all kind of dumbfounded and laughing over what was happening. We just wanted a simple drink!
We told our table waitress that we were going to order some appetizers but apparently that wasn’t allowed at these tables either. You have to be ordering full dinner. As silly as it seems, we understand that places have rules. It would just be nice if we knew them and they were not so rude about enforcement. Back to our two person table we went, and we got a new basket of chips to boot (which are nothing to brag about).
After about 10 min, the two people directly next to us left so we decided to push our two small tables together. This made more room for everyone, including people trying to walk by. Our waitress eventually came by and told us we can’t push the tables together because it creates a fire hazard. Again, we all laughed at the craziness of the situation and offered to move them back but she said it was OK this time only.
We finished our drinks and left feeling guilty for not being able to do anything right by their rules. This place was on our list to try for dinner but we definitely won’t be going back after this experience. It really felt like Billy’s was focusing so hard on maximizing the almighty dollar they make that customer service and experience is thrown right out the window. The food may very well be fantastic, but I will never know.

1 ¼ lb Lobster Dinner $ 14.95 until 3:30 pm. You can’t beat that anywhere! Fresh Maine seafood, standard fare, but fresh, oh, so fresh. A gorgeous view off the lounge of the Webhannet River. Great drinks. Locals eat here. FYI the chowders state they have no thickeners BUT they are *not gluten free* there is wheat in the flavor base.

We went there wanting to love it.
Sadly, the food and service were mediocre. They really don’t put any though into healthy options on their kids menu, either.
Not bad. But not good. Not memorable.

This place is not the same since the previous owner sold it. The seafood is not Maine quality. The clam chowder had two BIG whole clams in it, definitely not New England clams! Ughhh…
PS– As someone who lived in Maine for 8 years, I know Maine seafood.

YUMM-​O.
Billy’s was recommended to us by our B&B innkeeper on our first night, so we decided to give it a shot. It definitely has more of a dive-​y, sports-​bar kind of feel to it than we were expecting (we were told it was a casual place), but that was fine with us.
During our little Maine getaway, we gorged ourselves on seafood every day, but Billy’s was definitely one of our favorite spots. We had a super friendly waitress and a nice seat by a window overlooking the water (marsh?).
The platters are a great way to go to sample several different items. Just be mindful that you can only have the items either ALL grilled or all fried. We opted for the half-​and-​half platter (large sized) of fried clams (whole belly, but you can also just get strips) and fried scallops. I wasn’t as much of a fan of the scallops fried, but my husband was totally sold. It was a pretty heavy meal (we hardly touched the fries that came with it), so I would suggest thinking about splitting one of those large platters with someone else unless you are really, really hungry! We also had the lobster stew which was, simply put, outstanding.
If you live in the area or if you are staying for a while in the Wells region, it might be worth it to register for their loyalty rewards program.

Since we were in Maine, I was yearning for seafood. So, we decided to try Billy’s for lunch. Great news; they have a dining loyalty/​rewards program. It cost $ 10 but you get a $ 10 certificate when you sign up. Also, when you spend $ 40 during any visit, you get another promo bonus. UNBELIEVABLE deal. The promos change month to month. Varano’s, up the street, is their sister restaurant; which is also in the rewards program.
We liked the ample parking (summers can be a pain, I’m sure). Billy’s has great views. It over looks the ocean inlet and the Rachel Carson Wildlife Preserve. Service was awesome. We had Nicky/​Nicki. She was efficient, polite and accommodating. Waters and complimentary homemade potato chips were dropped off when taking our order. So far so good at Billy’s.
THE BILLY BURGER $ 11 (4.5÷5)
My partner doesn’t eat any seafood. So, he chose a burger instead of chicken. He LOVED it. He said the bacon onion relish was DELICIOUS. Very addictive to eat. Burgers comes with a side of fries, rice pilaf or cole slaw. He opted for the latter. We both thought the slaw was tasty and freshly made. One of the best slaws EVER.
FRIED WHOLE BELLY CLAMS (Regular size) $ 24 (⁴⁄₅)
I was dying for whole belly clams. I’m glad I ordered them. They were breaded and cooked perfectly. Very tender MEATY clams. I ordered the cole slaw as my side. Again, great flavor and fresh. (I did order the regular size portion but was disappointed at how much I got for what I paid.)
BREADED HAND CUT ONION RINGS $ 7.50 (4.5÷5)
O rings were very scrumptious. They were thick cut and very crunchy. Freshly made too.
Billy’s has a full bar including beers on tap. They serve brews that are made locally as well. Drinks are reasonably priced. Our only gripe is they’re a bit pricey with the food. Overall this visit to Billy’s is a 4.5 STAR review. Would definitely be back.

Ended up at Billy’s sort of as a last resort during a random off season road trip to explore the Wells and Ogunquit areas. We found there were not a lot of open restaurants to choose from in early April. We stumbled upon Billys on the brink of starvation, but fortunately were pleasantly surprised.
I think I may have dined at Billy’s on a family vacation as a child, but that was my last experience there. It is a casual atmosphere with a pretty view of the marsh from the rear dining room. The menu stated they are famous for their chowder (hence the name) so of course we needed to give it a try. It was delicious and full of whole clams with a thin, buttery broth. The baked haddock was excellent as well. (I was torn between clams or haddock — clams next time!)
Our waitress was very friendly and attentive. Upon greeting us she asked if we visited the restaurant often enough to sign up for their rewards card. We had turned down the offer at first, but by the end of the meal decided we most likely would be back when in the area again.
Billy’s is worth a visit If you are looking for some good seafood in a casual atmosphere with pretty ocean views.

Not sure why so many people reviewed Billy’s Chowder House so harshly… I had a great meal sitting at the bar, watching sunset from windows on 3 sides of the restaurant. Basically I was surrounded by water, sunset and clams… I was in heaven. Not to mention the TVs mounted on the wall, showing US Open tennis and a Red Sox Yankees game… it was beyond heaven. I guess during summer, it can probably get crowded and service may not be as attentive, but I had no problems at all.
The bartenders are quick, efficient, and rock great New England accents. They know the regulars by name, and their banter creates a warm atmosphere. I had a great local beer to start (a recommendation from the bartender she called «summah ale»), and dived right into the bucket of clams. Having missed out on having great steamers for the last few years while living in Atlanta, the clams were exactly what I was looking for… plump, huge, clean, simply steamed, delicious! Two containers of melted butter accompanied, even though the clams didn’t really need it. would have like a container of boiled clam water instead, even though the clams were perfectly cleaned… there was not a spec of sand at all in the entire bucket of clams. Clam chowder (yeah, I couldn’t get enough of clams) was delicious and simple… no overly floured base, or weird herbs or spices… just simple creamy clam chowder. As always I don’t like as many potatoes, and would rather have more clams, but who wouldn’t? Menu is pretty extensive, but of course, the star is the seafood… get it simple and steamed, and you shouldn’t have any issues.
Parking situation is tricky… they have a small lot that gets full fast, and there are no overflow or surrounding lots because the restaurant is on its own surrounded by marsh. I luckily snagged one of the last spots, but not sure I would have been able to wait if it had been full.

Chowder!
We popped into Billy’s for an afternoon snack.
Ended up sharing two cups of chowder and a plate of clam strips. It was less of a snack and more of a meal.
The Chowder at Billy’s is very good. Each cup had two BIG clam pieces. I do wish there was some more small chewy clam pieces but it wasn’t bad at all. Solid broth.
The fried clams weren’t my /​favorite/​ (currently I’m in love with Bob’s) but were still hot and crispy. Billy’s uses a heavier breading than I like.
Service is good and the food comes out hot.
Solid 4 stars.

YUm… YuM…YUM! I would have given 5 stars, but our service was a little slow and inconsistent. If they were busy, I would have overlooked it, but unfortunately there were only 3 tables occupied when we arrived. Our hostess greeted us warmly and was a pleasure.
The seafood choices are plentiful. The prices are consistent with what you get. I tried their famous clam chowder and the fish tacos. The soup was flavorful and was not lacking in the seafood department. It was not overly creamy and seasoned just right.
When the 3 soft taco shells arrived, everything got just a little better. This platter came with lightly spiced fried haddock, pico de gallo, chopped lettuce, shredded mozzarella, with chipotle sauce on the side. It was served with rice, but the tacos were filling and I did not have room
I left this place very satisfied and will definitely be back.