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Smithsonian Chowder House

4.1 (154 reviews)
Closed • 11:00 am - 7:00 pm

Smithsonian Chowder House Photos

SMITHSONIAN CHOWDER HOUSE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Outdoor seating
Dogs allowed

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Recommended Reviews - Smithsonian Chowder House

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Clams
Mango M.

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.

a crab trap with a lobster on it
Mike T.

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.

Clam strips
Patty D.

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.

Chowda
Laurie A.

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!

Cupcakes and whoopie pies.
Lorraine G.

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.

Fried clams
Tricia B.

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.

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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

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3 years ago

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

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

Good selection and taste. Friendly clerk and service. Convenient location with quick service.

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5 years ago

The seafood chowder was delicious as were the pulled pork or brisket popovers. The service was friendly.

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4 years ago

Food was great but 3 hours later was puking my guts up definitely from the whole belly clams.

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7 years ago

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9 years ago

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8 years ago

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5 years ago

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3 years ago

Building was stinky food was terrible. Waste of time and money. Server didn't even bring utensils with food

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Ben L.

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11 years ago

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10 years ago

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6 years ago

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4 years ago

Small but dang it was tasty. Chicken pot pie popover was yummy. Clam chowder very hot and delicious . Super friendly staff

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4 years ago

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8 years ago

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

Chowder was actually very solid but clam strips needed seasoning. And the tartar sauce was oddly sweet. Pleasant staff. I would go back.

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6 years ago

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9 years ago

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4 years ago

I went for the first time today. Tried the seafood chowder, lobster bisque, and lobster stew. I'm jopelessly hooked!

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7 years ago

First time there the food was so good, I will definitely be back. I had their Award Winning Seafood Chowder with grilled cheese

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4 years ago

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9 years ago

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4 years ago

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Ben L.

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

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13 years ago

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Page 2 of 4

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Johnny's Tavern - Beet Salad

Johnny's Tavern

4.1(469 reviews)
6.1 mi
•$$

Wow. I had never been to Johnny's and tried it tonight with three others. First of all, our server,…read more"Karen 2" (on the bill) was fabulous! I swear the woman could read our minds, anticipating our questions. Now to the food. We started with fried brussel sprouts. Huge portion. Flavorful, not overcooked, just the right amount of crispness...and those bacon pieces!? Yum. I had the chicken wings and a beet salad. I'm a Buffalo, NY native folks, and thus have had my share of great chicken wings. Johnny's wings were on par with anything I've had in the Queen City. My only suggestion to make it real Buffalo style is thick blue cheese dip. The other meals served were amazing - two pasta dishes and the fried chicken. All tasty. Everyone loved their dishes. The prices were very fair for the quality and quantity of food brought to the table. I'm surprised at the 4.1 Yelper average. The meal and service we had tonight was excellent.

I took my daughter to Johnny's for her birthday and was looking forward to trying the restaurant…read moreagain. It had been a while since I was last there. We ordered the calamari for an appetizer and it was very good as usual. Calamari (fried) is served atop an aioli that's heavy with garlic. For my main course I opted for the branzino with seafood risotto. I would not recommend this dish. The branzino came out slightly warmer than room temperature with a big dollop of room temp butter on it. I wonder if the intention was to put the plate under the salamander to warm / crisp things up prior to service but was forgotten. So I scraped the butter off the fish and onto the side plate it went. I was hoping for crispy skin but alas it was not to be found on this dish. Off came the skin and onto the side plate as well. The fish did have a good flavor to it. The seafood risotto was swimming in butter and was not edible. There were several mussels (in the shell) in the risotto, as well as small bay scallops, and several shrimp. The scallops and shrimp were incredibly overcooked and the mussels so gritty that they were inedible. This place used to be my favorite restaurant. I think that this is the last time that I'll dine at Johnny's in Amherst.

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Johnny's Tavern - The bar was packed on a Tuesday night.

The bar was packed on a Tuesday night.

Johnny's Tavern - Fried Brussels Sprouts + bread

Fried Brussels Sprouts + bread

Johnny's Tavern - Squid Ink Spaccatelli

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HighBrow - LG Braised Short Rib & Grilled Red Onion

HighBrow

3.9(281 reviews)
3.5 mi
•$$

I am still thinking about the strawberry rhubarb mule cocktail I had at HighBrow during my visit in…read moreMay. My husband and I stopped in during a dreary, chilly May Saturday afternoon. The atmosphere was vibrant and friendly. A bit loud, but encouraging to see how bustling the restaurant was. I enjoyed my grilled caesar salad. I added chicken so it was a bit pricey for a lunch salad, but it was tasty and I always appreciate when caesar salads include anchovies, as they're meant to! My husband liked his rigatoni bolognese. Service was excellent. Our server was very apologetic about how long things were taking, but with a full house it honestly just felt like a good pace without any excessive waiting. It was a great experience overall.

My family would give this less than four stars but I'd give it five so we're compromising at four…read more I ordered the salmon lafitte, which was expensive, but absolutely fantastic. I was caught off guard when they asked how I wanted my salmon cooked, but honestly I'm glad they did because it was perfect. So moist and flaky. This was a dish with many elements and I thought they all went great together. The meal was Cajun inspired so some elements had a bit of a kick, but the slaw was cooling and the roasted vegetables didn't have much seasoning so they were a break in the heat. I would've liked the Brussels sprouts to be a little more crispy but they were sweet and cooked properly and truly a highlight of the meal. The rest of my family got pizzas. The Maui Wowie was beloved. The Tuscan chicken pesto was also pretty good. My mother-in-law ordered the Bianco but didn't really like it, she thought the second half wasn't even worth saving. There was not nearly enough balsamic and too much arugula. The arugula was very good with the fried goat cheese and whipped ricotta appetizers, both were divine. The margaritas were good but the "salted" rims had almost no salt. The service was adequate, the water was nice and cold, but the interior was loud people with loud music and those in our party with hearing issues were left out of the conversation.

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HighBrow
HighBrow - Buffalo-ish Wings

Buffalo-ish Wings

HighBrow - Specialty drink!

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Familiars Coffee & Tea - Turkey apple sandwich

Familiars Coffee & Tea

4.4(118 reviews)
3.3 mi
•$$

A great cafe and equally wonderful spot for a lunch! I stopped in here on July 4th weekend…read more(actually it was July 4th) when all other spots in town were closed. We had our pup with us, so spots where we could sit down were even more limited, but luckily, a lunch at Familiars was only a very long line away. While the group waited outside at one of the sidewalk tables, I went inside to order at the counter. I got the chicken salad sandwich and have to say I was so surprised by how delicious it was. I'm not from here, so from just the outside and where you order, I thought they were a cafe first with food options, but nope. Definitely wrong, they make a great sandwich. And the coffees were also delicious! Baristas and team were all friendly, the space inside was very cool, cozy and comfortable and they had plenty of outside tables as well. You order at the counter and they will bring all of the food out to you, you also grab your own waters inside. A nice mix of casual and service. If I was local or visiting when I needed a space to bring my laptop and get some remote work done, this seems like a great option.

When I first discovered Familiars I thought: "Finally a decent place in N'Hampton (detractors and…read morerump swabs, please hold your whining). To be fair there's plenty to like about this place but the fall from grace is both unfortunate and was avoidable. It boils down to a poor decision to change coffee brands from the excellent Counter Culture to some small batch, no name mediocre choice. Perhaps when this small roaster goes out of business, they'll switch back. They've fortunately stuck with Iggy's for breads and treats and the service and vibe remain strong.

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Familiars Coffee & Tea - Dining room

Dining room

Familiars Coffee & Tea
Familiars Coffee & Tea - Inside the trolley

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Inside the trolley

Smithsonian Chowder House - seafood - Updated October 2026

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