Driving from Montreal to CT, stumbled on this amazing chowder house! Mugs of steaming hot chowder and bisque, with yummy Texas toast grilled cheese sandwiches were perfect for a cold, wet winter day. GREAT soups!! Note: Seating is limited inside -- only 5 tables, but there's a tented outside area for overflow. read more

The popper was a unique pasty - Somewhat eggy, more firm than flakey, good crunch on the outside. The seafood chowder was definitely on point. The best I've had. Plenty of big chunks and big flavor. Staff were friendly and the inside seating was nice and cozy, perfect on a cold winter night. There is plenty of enclosed outdoor seating as well. read more

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Be aware of food allergies and ingredient knowledge. Called ahead and asked "do you have any vegetarian soup today?" Young woman answered- " yes, corn chowder and tomato bisque". We drive there and order clam chowder and corn chowder. As I'm ordering I confirm that the corn chowder is vegetarian. Guy at counter says "yes it is" but offers the list of ingredients. Chicken broth. . All 3 employees were shocked to learn that the corn chowder is in fact not vegetarian and has a major allergen. Young woman says "I've been telling customers that it's vegetarian." So we had an okay clam chowder and an ok tomato bisque and reheated popovers. I don't understand in these times with allergens, religious and lifestyle dietary needs how any restaurant staff can be so poorly trained. read more

Always make a point to come here for great gluten free fish fry when I'm in Northampton but last visit was not up to their usual high standards. Calamari was excellent but fish fry was not the usual nice piece of fresh fish. Instead we got nuggets of fish that were overcooked, tasteless, and just not up to par. Disappointing. read more

Order taker borderline rude. Clam chowder pretty good a little thin. Fried clams awful. Fishy and tastes like old oil. I've eaten fried clams everywhere along the eastern seaboard from my entire life. This one I had to actually spit out. Do they add sugar to the batter? Not sure. Always very smoky inside too from their cooking equipment. Don't think we will come back. read more

Smithsonian Chowder House - Clams - Seafood Near Me - West Hatfield, Massachusetts

Place is fantastic. Friendly employees, great variety of different foods on the menu. Seafood chowder and clam chowder are amazing. They also have Zek's BBQ on the menu as their family. read more

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Visited this restaurant for lunch with family while traveling. Order 3 different soups, the lobster bisque didn't have any flavor, corn chowder was okay, clam chowder was okay but also lacked flavor. They may have been over whelmed with our large group as the soup sizes were all mixed up. Did have a nice salad but it so many onions, had to pick them off. The lobster roll wasn't bad, it was cooked in butter. Fries were cold and overcooked. Also had the clamp strip and it was pretty good. read more

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Not bad for a place not really close to the water. Easy access of the highway when you are traveling. The food was good solid nothing spectacular. Prices were good too. The staff was a little bland, but no complaints. You order at the counter then sit and wait for them to buzz you when the order is ready. It's best to go on a nice day, the inside is very small and not a lot of tables. My DH had the seafood chowder and is was really good. I had the clam strips and again, solid nothing bad. It was worth it for good food when traveling. read more

Food is delicious! Best New England Clam chowder around. They're quick service and hearty helpings. Very enjoyable. read more

I thought food was delicious. Hot and plenty of it and very fresh. Ate outside, it was really good. Would Definately stop again and try other things as well. Chowda was excellent , loaded with clams, creamy and delicious. Would order again. Reuben a pleasant surprise! Gal at counter a little attitude, but food was a 10! read more

Smithsonian Chowder House - Chowda - Seafood Near Me - West Hatfield, Massachusetts

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Meh. It was ok, the workers were very nice, but the clam strips lacked any flavor and the breading had no flavor either.

Such a cool nautical vibe just a few minutes north of Northampton. Smithsonian offers a menu of soups that are absolutely delicious - clam chowder, lobster bisque, chili. Menu is great and sure to delight anyone with a desire to indulge in a seafood experience. Don't let me forget the cooler of cupcakes! We had the clam chowder, hot and chock full of clams and potatoes and calamari for the appetizer. Both choices were fantastic. Eat in or dine out in the expansive nautical parking lot. Limited beer, wine, water and soda. read more

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When I asked if the lobster roll had any tail meat, she responded, "There's a mixture of everything." I've been around long enough to know that was likely not true, and when we received our rolls, they were all claws and knuckle meat...no tails. They weren't bad, just not great. read more

Food is good. Seems somewhat disorganized. Reheated popovers. Breakfast was not very good and came out cold one day.

Ordered take out today and have been here plenty of times. It seems each time the quality of the soup gets worse. Today I ordered vegetable soup and my co-worker got tomato bisque. Neither of us could eat much. The tomato bisque was WAY over salted. The vegetable soup was not vegetable soup. Yes it had vegetables in it but it was more like vinegary french onion soup with green beans. We were sorely disappointed and had we ordered there (instead of discovering the terrible soups once we were back to work) we definitely wouldn't asked for a refund. read more

Smithsonian Chowder House - Seafood Near Me - West Hatfield, Massachusetts

I honestly didn't expect much from the name, location, or building. But I was blown away! We got there between rushes, and even though the poor employees seemed few, they held it together and kept everything moving. They are a Coke establishment, nice cold beverages perfect for hot days. The lobster bisque was thick with a satisfying taste of lobster (although not a lot of lobster meat). The fried clams were perfectly fried and tasted fantastic. Plus, they're one of the few places I've seen where they have a price, and not market price. There is outdoor and limited indoor seating. The bathroom was clean, although possibly next to a fridge given how cool it is. read more

Smithsonian Chowder House - Fried clams - Seafood Near Me - West Hatfield, Massachusetts

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Great seafood, easy counter service Nice seating outdoors Yummy chowder, good fish sandwich read more

We hired Smithsonian to cater our daughter's wedding. Peter and his staff were amazing! The food was excellent, the staff was friendly and accommodating, and they kept everything running smoothly. Many of our wedding guests commented on how delicious the food was and how friendly the staff was. I highly recommend Smithsonian. read more

This has to be my favorite place to come visit. I drive 2 Hours to get here. They have won numerous awards on their clam chowder. Their a small run business so you don't get lost in the crowd. They have tables inside & outside under a roof that's now closed in with plastic at this time. They're not far from I-91 so hop, skip & jump. If you're going to bother driving though Massachusetts, it's worth the going past. They even have baked goods that are freshly made. They have lunch specials as well. They'll more than happily put your soup in a to-go container. You can also buy their soup in larger containers to bring home. read more

Was a cold day and I thought chowder would be an appropriate lunch. Saw that they had a seafood chowder on the menu and ordered that. Served hot with plenty of chowder crackers. Very savory, plenty of flavor with a good amount of bay scallops and small shrimp and a great seafood flavor. Would definitely order again. Great service. read more

What a find! Looking for a meet up place for Autumn lunch on way to NH, when we stumbled across the Smithsonian Chowder House in North Hatfield MA. Casual ambiance and incredible food. They did not have a hot lobster roll so I settled for the lobster stew. Rich garlic and buttery broth with claw meat and potatoes for days that I am still dreaming about it. We also tried the New England Clam Chowder that a spoon stood up in and the lobster bisque. Added a buttered popover and there was a Reuben sandwich. No talking just slurps and sighs. Then there was a display of cupcakes and cookies that rounded out lunch. The person living the closest took home a quart of the lobster bisque as well. Right off 91 and a perfect pre and post ski stop or leaf peeping sustenance. read more

Clam chowder with popover! Seafood chowder with popover! Great flavor. Great recipes. Very nice! read more

Our 3rd time here and we'll keep coming back. Steak was amazing, Brussels sprouts perfect. We've had many of the chowders and they are amazing. Brought friends from GA. However, the lobster stew is not much to talk about for $22. Wish that we had gotten the roll or full lobster. The broth was excellent but only warm, not hot and it was light on lobster (for $22) We will be back and continue to tell our friends. read more

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This restaurant has delicious clam chowder. I mean, it rates with the best!! If I was rating for popovers and clam chowder, I would rate a 5. What brings the rating down is that the lobster roll is expensive and there is far more bread than lobster. I do NOT suggest that at this time. The fish dinner was Only OK. read more

Cute little seafood and chowder shack with quick service and good grub. There were a few tables inside but it's pretty tiny. I opted for the fried clam belly basket which was fried up perfectly, and BF had their clam chowder with grilled cheese. They have an outdoor seating area to accommodate the inflow. read more

Excellent cowboy burger done just right with crispy onion rings. Very helpful and kind waitstaff. Grungy chowder house atmosphere.

Sigh. I'm not the type to post neg reviews but I wound up wasting money at this place. The chicken soup was okay, a bit salty but not bad. However- the chicken fingers/fries had absolutely no salt or seasoning on them, and tasted heavily of fryer oil that hadn't been replaced in a while. The popovers were undercooked and doughy (not in a good way) on the inside, and 3 out of the 4 cupcakes I got were dry, dense, and had little to no flavor. I wound up throwing out 2/3rds of the food I picked up from here, and I almost NEVER throw food away. The service, though, was great. Super friendly and helpful staff, good vibes. read more

Roadside chowder house. They have indoor and outdoor dining. My favorite was the Rhode Island clam chowder. Everything else was fine. read more

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What a great find! This tiny place is super cozy in the winter and now it is fall and we cannot wait to go back. The chowder was delicious and the sandwiches were too! read more

this place is amazing????? the clam chowder and the seafood chowder is amazing?? i've never had a lobster roll before but??? one bite felt like??? so warm and??? buttery??? the burger was so juicy??? the popover was so homey???? the service was so cool the person was amazing and efficient and very cool??? everyone who is in this side of town should go out of their way to try this food read more

Delicious chowder, excellent food at reasonable prices. Plenty of rustic charm. Highly recommended!

Great food and soups are the best but expensive. Mostly outdoor dining under a canopy so unless it's a nice day you might want to consider take out. There is limited space inside. No service to rate. read more

This spot is a great place to get food! They have so many things to choose from you can probably get any food need met here. They have definitely added to the menu and that was a good call! I had the clam chowder and fish and chips today. Over all, it was wonderful. the fish was light and simple. I can really appreciate it when a restaurant has the confidence to not use a beer batter on their fish. The fish was clearly fresh. My one critique is that today (which was not my past experience) the chowder was very salty. I will be back! read more

Smithsonian Cafe and Chowder has the most amazing soup. I had the Seafood chowder, and my husband had the Rhode Island clam chowder. Both soups were probably the best we have had in a long time. We split a popover. The popover was baked a little dark for my taste but had good flavor. For dessert we shared a German Chocolate and Carrot Cake cupcakes. They were so rich and delicious. Sandwiches were offered as well. I would come again and again if I lived nearby. It is definitely worth the little extra drive north of Northampton. We learned that new menu selections are added to the menu occasionally and by season. I would recommend it highly. read more

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First time getting their chowder and I am hooked! Deliciously spiced, thick and chunky, the seafood chowder can't be beat. To add to it, the popover was one of the best I have ever had anywhere, including Judie's in Amherst and Pier Four in Boston (many years ago). And their's were great! Will def return and probably make it a weekend routine. read more

Such a disappointment. The food was utterly flavorless. Scallops were wet and mushy inside -- sooooo undercooked. Clam strips had no flavor whatsoever. Super cheap with the fries and tartar sauce. Chowder was good. No idea what sort of award it supposedly won (always be suspicious of vague "award" statements! Lol!) Our food was prepared properly but all we could taste was the gritty fry coating. All in all it wasn't worth the trip to get there or the cost. read more

stopped for lobster rolls on a work trip and they were exactly what we needed. huge, fresh, satisfying.

Love these guys . Soup is always great , and the popovers and cupcakes are a must ! Damn good grilled cheese as well !

I know this place is a little overpriced but I still have looked forward to going there as a treat (like after I have to go to the orthopedist across the street). Their clam chowder and seafood chowder are quite good. But today I got their lobster stew and it was disgusting. Lobster not fresh, way too salty, and definitely too gloppy -- too much corn starch or whatever they're using for thickener. Not good. And quite expensive, $28. I do not recommend. Also their popovers always seem like a treat -- they're huge and quite pretty, but the first time I got one it was overcooked and the second time I got on it was even more overcooked. So then they just taste bitter and not yummy. Always a little disappointing. read more

Delicious!!! We're visiting family from out of town but this will be a must stop anytime we're here from now on! We had the clam chowder & clam strips but I'm excited to explore the rest of the menu next time! read more