The Chowder Barge

Service was good, food was good, surroundings unique and exciting with the hustle and bustle of boats freight trains and freight trucks plus the San Pedro oil riggs in the background of it all.

We were in the area and saw the really good reviews. It sounded interesting… restaurant on a barge. The interior has a nautical décor and seemed clean enough. We ordered clam chowder that was pretty good… not great. I ordered the mussels in broth… seemed really off as far as the taste of the broth. They need a new recipe! I was disappointed and it was pricey. My friend had an overpriced hamburger. Our lunch came to about $ 50. Kind of pricey for lunch at a place like this! Will not visit again. Sorry Chowder Barge.

The food was great with the exception of the fried «clams» which came with the seafood plate. Most of the so-​called clams were nothing more than batter. Those few «clams» that actually had clams in them were overwhelmed by the batter. Fortunately, the rest of the seafood plate was very good as were the other two meals: fish and chips & shrimp and chips. The service was so-​so; the waitress acted somewhat annoyed that she had to serve us. When we asked for another place setting, she gave us a dirty look. The young waiter seemed much more congenial. One strong plus, in addition to most of the food, was that the bottles of champagne were priced very well: $ 12 a bottle.

Definitely a blue collar kind of place… make sure you go with that expectation… not a bad thing… but just don’t expect anything other than what it is… that said… i thought the pricing was a little high in my opinion for the chowder but it did taste home made… the breadbowl option can be skipped… order the double and get the cheddar garlic bread instead… or get the chowder burger… if I would have done the burger option I think I would have rated higher… I would not be against going back and giving it another shot…

This is by far my favorite place to get clam chowder besides San Francisco they overflow the breadbowl and chowder is fresh and made in restaurant love it

When you need some warm comfort food on a cold/​rainy day or some great hangover grub, this is it! A double chowder burger with a bowl of chili split between two people was plenty! Slow service, leaky roof, sticky tables only add to the «charm».

Not your typical restaurant especially close to a very busy 710 freeway and the port. This was my 2^nd time going here and they used an old boat and turned it into a breakfast and lunch restaurant. The inside is just so unique and it makes you feel at home. The boat is surrounded by other personal boats and it also has a nice view of the water. At first it felt like this very dinky boat walking up the ramp, but then as soon as you get inside, it has a lot of cool trinkets/​décor and original designs of when it used to be just a normal boat. It also consists of a bar and there’s adequate seating inside and outside.
Breakfast is mediocre, but damn good and service is excellent. It’s a great way to take friends to and when you want to impress them. Will definitely be going back and this time will bring friends from out of town.

The bowl of clam chowder was on point! The best clam chowder my taste buds have ever endured. My bf and I also split some fried shrimp which was also very yummy. We will def be back for some more!

Not an everyday place to visit but soo amazing! It is a bit off the beaten path and nostalgic in the sense of an old ship house selling great fresh seafood.
Loved the great atmosphere and view from any of the windows. Great place to visit and have amazing food. Had the clam chowder which was creamy fresh and tasty.
The tuna salad sandwich was amazing! Crispy buttery sourdough and just the right amount of tuna. Not too much where it overflowed every time I took a bite. Totally ate up my lunch including the amazing onion rings. If you are in the area this is a definite stop with good food and great people.

Say it… CHOWDAH! I love a gooooood clam chowder. In a discussion with a client of mine, she HIGHLY recommended this place. I was a little put off when she told me about he location, but I was intrigued when I saw pics of this place on their website.
We decided to hit this place up for a late lunch, and I’m glad we did. We missed the lunch rush, so we really got to enjoy the atmosphere and check out all the crazy decorations. Our server that day was the owner, as her two servers for that day called in sick. She was very sweet, and friendly!
We ordered a basket of calamari and two small chowders with the «bread bowl». Based on previous reviews, I was very curious how this order would look, and taste. One reviewer said that the bread bowl was so tiny that she couldn’t taste the chowder. Some say it’s so salty it’s inedible. I even read a review that said the calamari was like Van de Kamp’s frozen sea food. I realize we are all posting our personal experiences here, but some of these reviews seem extremely exaggerated.
The small bowl of soup was more than enough! The «bread bowl» wasn’t actually a bowl. It was a generously sized roll, cut in half and placed in the center of a bowl, with the chowder poured over it. The soup was DELICIOUS! Thick but not too thick. Creamy, well seasoned, and loaded with bacon. The calamari was delicious too. It’s served with cocktail sauce, rather than marinara like I’ve usually had it.
All in all, service and food was great. The establishment is super cool. The location is gross and stinky… but I will still be back!

This place is awesome! The double clam chowder was dope, and the calamari rings where f#*@*ing dope! The atmosphere is gastropub meets captain Willy from The Simpsons… lol. Definitely not the place for you if you are on a diet because they fry everything, even the beer maybe :-)

Actually (5) stars for the CHOWDER.
It was absolutely the best I have ever had.
New England Chowder — homemade in the Barge kitchen.
Possibly better than Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco.
Thin (not white wall paper paste) and just the right consistency for the broth.
Lots of clams in each spoonful.
Bacon to season yet not overpower.
A few potato cubes … just enough.
You could taste the milk-​fat (cream and butter).
It was absolutely delicious.
Everything else on the menu is fresh prepared from the freezer.
GO for the CHOWDER!!!
Great staff too!

Very casual place, the lunch crowd was mostly San Pedro port workers. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it is a restaurant and all there acted like gentlemen. Safe environment.
Note for the women planning on coming, don’t wear heels. You’re on a dock so the boards are spaced out which may cause you to get caught.
I don’t think they have air conditioning as all the windows were open. But all are covered with screens preventing bugs from coming in. There’s also netting over the front door so expect that when you open it.
We ordered the double clam chowder which comes with fried oysters on top. For me, I would have preferred it without the oysters. Too many flavors for my clam chowder. Both items were good but I’d prefer them separately. Good clam chowder, creamy without too many potatoes.
We also ordered the fish wrap and the shrimp salad. The shrimp salad didn’t have as many shrimp as some of the pictures here on Unilocal but it was tasty.
The fish wrap was very good and extremely filling. The onion rings were done perfectly.
Worth a shot for a casual lunch or dinner, down by the boats. Enjoy!

The clam chowder was one of the best I’ve had. Will definitely go back for more! The fisherman fry was yummy, but that clam chowder makes you want more and more.
The service was great, really nice to the kids giving them balloons!

This place takes the cake. It took a fellow Unilocaler to check-​in so I could like it and bookmark it. I don’t think I would have found this place by chance or hearsay. One of the most interesting places we’ve ever visited and I don’t think we’ll forget it anytime soon. You’re not sure about this place as you approach it. It’s kinda shady and then you step into the barge off the dock. It’s a cool bar and restaurant where you’re sure to rub elbows with all kinds of people. Unique with a capital U.
After surveying the menu and scrolling through the Unilocal pics I became convinced that I had to try the chowder burger. It’s a cheeseburger that is placed in a bowl and covered in clam chowder. Surprisingly, it works extremely well. Meat and gravy almost. The only way that it could have been amazing was if they had not used a frozen patty. Nothing more off putting than a burnt premade disc. A juicy, hand-​formed patty would have tasted 100 times better. She got the fish and chips. Thick, deep fry made for an extremely crunchy piece of fish. Pretty good. Pitcher of Bud Light, one of the 3 tap beer choices, was only 10 bucks. Can’t beat that.
We sat at a table that looked over the water. It was amazing to see how many trains pull in and out of the docks. As soon as one left, another showed up. Lots of goods moving 24 hours a day.
Glad we stopped in.

If you aren’t familiar with this area, you will more than likely drive right on by. There is a small sign out by the road. I was lucky enough to have my hubby chauffeur me to lunch here. He had been here before and he had been waiting for an opportune time to bring me here.
It is located in the Leeward Bay Marina. The parking was easy. It wasn’t a busy time in the area, so we were able to park without any troubles.
You have to walk down a semi-​flimsy aluminum type of ramp to get down to the Marina before heading to the Chowder Barge. Once there, you walk up another flimsy ramp that leads you to the entrance of the restaurant and the patio.
There are lots of decorations everywhere, even pictures attached flat to the ceiling facing downward. It seems like it is cluttered with decorations. With that being said, it is an eclectic collection of things to look at while you dine. We also had a nice view of the boats in the marina during our lunch date.
When you walk in, the first thing you see is the bar area. The seating areas are to the side of it and towards the other end of the barge. From the pictures I saw, I thought this was going to be smaller on the inside than it actually is!
The bathrooms signage is interesting. For men, it is called the Outboards and for the women, it is called the Inboards. At least they have a picture above the corresponding door. I really would hate to walk into the wrong room!
The hostess/​waitress got our drinks and took our order. The bar tender/​waitress seemed like she had her hands full. By the time she came to take our table, we had already ordered our food. The service was very good.
We ordered 2 items, shared them, and we’d eaten plenty. The portion is not that large, but we were full when we were done.
+ Clam Chowder — this is the Chowder Barge and I will tell you that you really should order this soup! We just got the cup, but I’d suggest getting a bowl! It is really creamy, thick, and full of good bits of clams, potatoes, and bacon. Yes, bacon… I surely thought it wasn’t, but at a more intense tasting, it really was bacon.
They also bring you a basket with Oyster Crackers and Saltines to accompany your soup. We had a few of each!
+ Fisherman Platter — it comes with fried fish, shrimp, and clams as well as cole slaw and french fries. For some reason, I wasn’t digging the shrimp nor the clams. The shrimp seemed to have been cooked in a way that made the texture interesting for me. The clams seemed to be mostly breading and had a very little clam taste to them. The fish was good. The Cole Slaw had a nice light dressing on it, not like the overly mayonnaise-​y stuff you get at other places.
The tartar sauce that they serve was pretty good. It was a little more runny than I usually have. I have to tell you that the Cocktail Sauce they serve is really good! I am usually not a fan of cocktail sauce and will just use tartar sauce. This cocktail sauce tasted like it had horseradish in it, very distinct, and added a tiny bit of that nose clearing heat to it! Very yummy! Kind of reminded us of Wasabi.
I think, based on what we ordered, that if we hadn’t gotten the clam chowder, this place would have been just average. I really loved the clam chowder and would certainly come back for that again!

Tucked away in the Port of Los Angeles, Wilmington Harbor. Just don’t use your GPS to navigate or you might end up in the water… we almost did. LOL
Signage can be misleading… just look towards the water from the parking lot.
Cozy and interesting décor
Window table seating is a must to enjoy the waterfront view
Patio seating is available
Clean and small establishment
Friendly and helpful wait staff
Awesome food — Yes, they have the WOW factor!!!
It was a great foodie adventure.

Clam Chowder in sourdough bread bowl was delicious!!!
I also enjoyed jumbo breaded fried shrimp & fries.
Extra large draft beer hit the spot.
Been away for a few years but always liked this spot to relax by the water.

The chowder barge is a floating barge in Wilmington and I brought my wife down here for a little breakfast. My original plan was to come down for some chowder but since it was still early, we both went with eggs Benedict with hash browns and lots of hollandaise sauce
The Chowder Barge is off the beaten path a beat and is in the small marina. They seem to have ample parking and I have never had a problem finding a spot. As you walk into the restaurant, you see all sorts of cool decorations.
There is a bar off to the left that sits about 12 people and then the dining area is off to the right. Everything is super old school here and the people that work here are great!

Long time comin’ this one is…
I really enjoy the Chowder Barge. The «barge» itself leaves little to be desired. It’s kinda dark, dank and as one might expect, «nautically themed». They have the ability to handle large groups but, if you have never been, it can be difficult to locate /​find. It’s across from my «place of employment», located in an industrial area adjacent to the Leeward Bay Marina in Wilmington. Not the most luxurious of marinas in town but it’s safe, day or night. Think «Swamp People» meets «Wicked Tuna» and you’ve got the idea.
But… If you can get past that, you will be in for a treat. Personally, I think their chowder is some of the best around but it seems some fellow Unilocalers are not aligned with my opinion, LOL.
A good selection of sandwiches and sides for lunch, (I prefer the tuna melt with avocado or the chili cheese dog) as well as fried seafood platters for dinner. Breakfast, beer and wine are also available!!!
On top of that, there is, (pardon the pun), a boatload of parking.