We make eight chowders, plus seasonal specials that rotate throughout the year. If you're standing in line trying to decide, or planning your visit ahead of time, this guide breaks down every option, what it tastes like, who it's best for, and what to know before you order.
The Chowders, Explained
Best for First-Timers: New England Clam Chowder
Our signature New England Clam Chowder is the bowl that started it all. Rich, creamy, and loaded with tender clams, red potatoes, celery, onions, bacon, thyme, and white pepper, this is the chowder that helped make us one of America's most awarded chowder restaurants, including induction into the Great Chowder Cook-Off Hall of Fame.
Best for Seafood Lovers: Seafood Bisque
Our award-winning Seafood Bisque is loaded with Pacific cod, Northwest salmon, and bay shrimp simmered in a creamy tomato broth with fresh basil. Rich, savory, and seafood-forward in every spoonful.
Best for Bold Seafood Flavor: Crab and Oyster Chowder
Dungeness crab and oysters with chorizo, leeks, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, Old Bay, and cream. The chorizo adds a smokiness that pairs beautifully with the brininess of the oysters. The most adventurous chowder on the regular menu and one of the most rewarding.
Best for Something Unique: Seared Scallop Chowder
Seared scallops, potato, onion, dill, tomatoes, and lime juice in a cream broth. The lime lifts everything and keeps it from feeling heavy. The scallops are the star: sweet, tender, and treated simply so they come through clearly.
Best Seattle Flavor: Smoked Salmon Chowder
A bowl full of Pacific Northwest flavor - smoked salmon, capers, cream cheese, potato, onion, and celery in a creamy broth with a hint of tomato. Smoky, savory, and distinctly Seattle. Think lox-and-bagels energy, no bagel required.
Best for Adventurous Eaters: Market Chowder
Our Market Chowder is the chef's choice - it changes based on what is fresh, seasonal, and inspiring in the kitchen. It may include lobster, halibut, mussels, scallops, shrimp, clams, oysters, crab, salmon, or pork.
Best Tomato-Based Classic: Manhattan Clam Chowder
For guests who prefer something lighter, our Manhattan Clam Chowder delivers. A herb-infused tomato broth slow-cooked with chopped clams, celery, onion, thyme, and garlic - bold and satisfying without any cream.
Best Vegan Option: Lime and Coconut Chowder
Bright, creamy, and completely plant-based. Baby bok choy, asparagus, leeks, corn, potato, tomato, portabella mushroom, and curry powder in a coconut milk base brightened with lime juice. Not a consolation option, a chowder worth ordering regardless of dietary preference.
Can't decide? Try our Sampler
Taste your way through our award-winning chowders with the 4-Cup Sampler or go all in with the 8-Cup Sampler. Perfect for first-timers, flavor explorers, and anyone who refuses to pick just one.
How Our Chowder Is Made
Our chowders are made from scratch in our kitchen daily, with the same no-shortcuts approach that built our reputation. The sourdough bread bowl comes fresh from Grand Central Bakery, one of Seattle's most beloved local bakeries, baked and delivered every morning. Every option on this list, from the New England to the Lime and Coconut, is made the same way. No exceptions.
Dietary and Allergen Notes
Our sourdough bread bowl is vegan but contains wheat. Our brioche bun contains wheat, milk, and egg. While we do not cook with nut products, the bakery we source our bread from operates in a facility that handles nuts.