Chowders

Chowders ended up being the perfect spot to hit the spot for the classic Clam Chowder served in a bread bowl. My parents never travel much.They only had one craving on the whole trip when we got to Pier 39 at the Fisherman's Wharf.They wanted the savory creamy white soup mixed with potatoes and clams sitting in a warm cozy bed of bread bowl padding.They also had the perfect food that my nephew craves which was chicken tender strips with fries.Chowders was perfect for us because they had a warm indoor place to sit like a Johnny's Rocket seating and the best part was that there were no lines. Happy to see my parents and the entire family happy.

Delicious chowder and the sourdough bread bowl seemed fresh. Prices aren't bad considering they're on Pier 39 and there is an extra fee you pay for employee insurance. They have water cups on the side of the counter so you don't have to buy an expensive drink.Seating available inside and outside. Outside can get pretty windy plus you need to be aware of the birds.

For a place called Chowders, I wouldn't recommend ordering either. Addressing the namesake first, 13.99 is the same price as most other seaside, family establishments on the pier (particularly Boudin). It was also large enough to feed a little more than one person. However, the white chowder was way too salty when eaten on its own. Even with the bread, I constantly had to drink water to not feel like I was eating the ocean. The "red chowder" was closer to marinara sauce given out at school cafeterias than something even equivalent to chowder. Without it having much meat inside, the white chowder somehow edged it out in terms of quality. The bread also wasn't toasted, so eating it was incredibly chewy and difficult to tear apart with the plastic spoons given. Near the end of the bowl's lifespan, my brother said it was like "chewing hardtack", which I simply had to agree with.To contrast, the rest of the meal was far more pleasant. The seafood platter with crispy albeit small calamari rings, delicious French fries, and surprisingly lengthy but mildly dry fish strips were still a godsend in comparison to the bread bowls. Another note to add- the sauces were free upon asking. In the year 2024, I could appreciate it. Tatar sauce more than compensated for the strips being sort of dry. The shrimp and crab sandwich was also refreshing in a banquet of fried food, although I would've like it to be a bit bigger as it didn't really fill up my mom's small appetite. The only notable service interaction was when I had asked if I could get something to clean the outside tables myself, was told it'd be a short moment, and then never seeing an employee step out of the restaurant. At the time I asked, they weren't particularly busy with no line indoors so I doubt they were overwhelmed by a weekend rush. Overall, I wouldn't visit again but it did okay for an affordable place by the pier meant for convenience.

I stopped by Chowders in San Francisco, and despite being a tourist spot, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. The clam chowder soup was absolutely delicious, especially on a chilly day. The service was top-notch, friendly and fast.

A decently priced fast casual fish and chips establishment for a tourist area. The service was quick and easy, and I went with the seafood platter for my meal. Given the area and the other places around, I felt like 2 fried shrimp, 2 huge calamari wings, and a fish filet with fries for 17.99 was a steal. The fry on the seafood with the sourdough breading was light and fried to a perfect crunch. I'd say the only downfall of my visit was the workers being a tad rambunctious sitting down in the dining area to eat with other guests trying to come to the counter to ask questions or needing assistance. But that's a nit picky thing that wouldn't keep me from returning

A good place to have clam chowder! This restaurant had no line compared to others and their clam chowder is pretty good! I liked how they actually fill the bread bowl, but they could've removed more bread on the inside.The potatoes and celery could've been cooked for longer. The potatoes were still slightly hard.They have a bunch of bread bowls prepped, so not sure how fresh the bread bowls are.It's a decent place to have chowder if you don't want to wait at other restaurants!

I had the bread bowl Clam chowder as well as a crabmeat melt with fries. Crab melt nice quality if pulled crab meat with cheese melted on sour dough bread, that was grilled. Nice crust on outside with soft and tasty inside. The fries were awesome, they were the nice thick steak fries and crispy as well. Clam chowder was nice, added some hot sauce to make it better and then the eating of the bowl!!! Yummy.

I was looking for a good seafood and chowder place and this happened to be open at that time. I went here around 9:15pm on a Saturday recently and there was a short wait in line. This place is in a touristy area and one of the restaurants that closes later than others in this area, so that was another reason why I decided to try it!Anyways, we ordered the Seafood Platter and the White Clam Chowder Bread Bowl! I loved how the chowder had a good amount of meat and it wasn't too thin or too thick! Some chowder places I've been to was too watery for me, and this one was perfect! The seafood platter was good too and I loved the variety of calamari, shrimp, and fish it has. The main problem I had was with the seafood platter. The seafood platter only had ONE piece of fish and ONE piece of shrimp; that would make it difficult for people to share that platter. Other than that, the food was still good and we liked how crunchy it was.I'd recommend this place! All the food was good, but I wish the portion size of the seafood platter was a bit larger.

We were visiting a friend in San Francisco recently, so we stopped by Pier 39. We walked past Chowders, and it was a pretty chilly day, so clam chowder sounded like a great idea for a quick afternoon snack to warm ourselves up.We only got the clam chowder, and it came out pretty fast. The clam chowder came in a bread bowl, and it was so tasty. It had so much clams, and the flavors were just perfect. The bread also tasted really nice too. It was just overall the perfect quick snack on a cold day at the pier.

For the convenience and quick service and yummy food, I'm glad I came here. The white chowder was thick and warmed us up from the chilly drizzling San Francisco night. The onion rings were well-battered and crispy. The fish sticks tasted great (and that's coming from someone who doesn't like cooked fish). The fried shrimp was also good but we got too much fried food so I got a little icked out after eating the meal. Regardless, it is a nice occasional treat and I'd love to come back here next time I visit SF.