Where to get the best clam chowder in Boston depends on how you like it: thick enough to hold a spoon upright, or brothy and loose. This guide to Boston clam chowder rounds up seven well-known bowls in the city, from America’s oldest restaurant near Faneuil Hall to Seaport fish markets and a North End oyster bar, with addresses and prices from each restaurant or from published reporting.
New England clam chowder is a cream-based stew of chopped clams and potatoes, usually with salt pork or bacon. A BBC Travel guide notes that broth-style shellfish stews were made by Indigenous peoples in the region for centuries before English settlers added potatoes. Several of the restaurants below were recommended in that guide by Jeremy Sewall, chef and partner of Row 34 in Fort Point. Sewall told the BBC he prefers chowder that is not too thick and has real pieces of clam and potato. At Row 34, he told the BBC, he thickens the chowder with a traditional butter-and-flour roux, adds bacon fat for a velvety texture and finishes it with a dash of green Tabasco for a little spice and acidity. He called chowder “a hearty, simple dish that, when done really well, is an iconic thing.”
Union Oyster House: The Historic Bowl
The Union Oyster House at 41 Union St., on the Freedom Trail near Faneuil Hall, says it is America’s oldest restaurant and that it began serving food in 1826. Its menu listing on OpenTable shows Oyster House Clam Chowder at $13.95. Late last year the World Culinary Awards named it North America’s Best Landmark Restaurant for 2025, according to MassLive and Time Out, as the restaurant approaches its 200th anniversary. We reviewed the Union Oyster House earlier this year.
Neptune Oyster: A Brothy Wellfleet Chowder
Neptune Oyster, 63 Salem St. in the North End, lists a Wellfleet Clam Chowder with salt pork and thyme at $15 on its menu. The BBC described it as the most brothy of Sewall’s picks, topped with thyme and paprika. Neptune does not take reservations; it is walk-in only and opens daily at 11 a.m., according to its website, and the BBC reported that hour-long lines are common.
Legal Sea Foods: The Inauguration Chowder
Legal Sea Foods describes its chowder as thick and creamy, with clams, potatoes, salted pork and onions, and says it has been served at almost every presidential inauguration since 1981. The Boston-born chain, which says it has served seafood since 1950, has several city locations, including Long Wharf at 255 State St., Copley Place at 100 Huntington Ave., Park Square at 79 Park Plaza and The Overlook at Boston Harborside, 270 Northern Ave. It is also now the official clam chowder of the New England Patriots, the company says.
Summer Shack and Little Whale: Back Bay Classics
Sewall picked Summer Shack, at 50 Dalton St. in Back Bay, about three blocks from the Boston Marathon finish line, as his best classic chowder, telling the BBC it is medium-thick and served with oyster crackers already on top. On Newbury Street, Little Whale Oyster Bar at 314 Newbury St. makes its chowder with cherrystone clams, smoked bacon and thyme, according to the BBC, which credited chef Michael Serpa.
James Hook and Yankee Lobster: Waterfront Counters
For chowder on the go, James Hook & Co. at 440 Atlantic Ave. is a family lobster business dating to 1925. The BBC reported that its thick “chowda” has twice won Boston’s annual Chowderfest. Across the Fort Point Channel, Yankee Lobster at 300 Northern Ave. in the Seaport is a seafood market and counter-service restaurant run by the third generation of the Zanti family, according to the BBC, which described its chowder as traditional, creamy and rich.
Tips for Eating Chowder in Boston
- Thick or thin: Union Oyster House, Legal Sea Foods and Yankee Lobster are known for creamy styles; Neptune Oyster is the lighter, brothier option.
- Crackers: Most Boston restaurants serve chowder with small oyster crackers on the side, the BBC noted.
- Timing: Sewall told the BBC that fall, when the city quiets down after summer, is his favorite time to visit Boston.
- Prices change: The prices listed here come from menus checked on Oct. 12, 2026, and may change.
If you plan to make a day of it, the Union Oyster House, Neptune Oyster and James Hook are all within walking distance of Haymarket and Aquarium stations, so three bowls in one afternoon is realistic.
Featured photo: New England-style clam chowder by Scottb211, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.