The Chowda House

I have lunch here this past weekend and it was very enjoyable.
Chowder and Lobster bisque were both good.
The fried cod was excellent with a very light batter and tasty fish.
The fried shrimp and clams ordered by others in my party also recevied good reviews.
The fries could be better but there all I have in terms of criticism regarding the food.
Service was a tad slow but very friendly and welcoming and kid friendly.
Definitley worth a try.

So I never like to give a bad review. I’ve gone to the chowda house a handful of times to get a lobster roll, but the one they gave me tonight it absolutely now my last time. I eat lobster rolls in New York and the area all the time. So I am use to the price gauging but $ 23 for a small 4″ bun that is barely stuffed with lobster seems like they are taking advantage of the customer. This was the smallest roll I have ever seen. My clam chowder also tasted pretty flat and tasteless. While I never felt Chowda House was a steal, I thought it was a decent place to satisfy my seafood cravings. As a Red Bank resident, I will no longer patronize this establishment.

Taking out some chowda and sandwiches. Owner came right up excited about his products. Good PR. Going to expand in Feb 2016. Business good. Chowda was delicious. Have to go back to see expansion.

I highly recommend this place especially if you are craving fish & chips! Amazing clams and chowder. You will not be disappointed. Roy the owner believes in recycling and cares about the environment .His care of the foods in kitchen to table are the best!

Awful lunch. They had no lobster bisque since they ran out of it at 1 p.m., the fish and chips were so salty I could barely eat it, my steamed clams were full of sand, and the waitress forgot to put in my friends order.

Visited here for the 1^st time over the weekend. We went for lunch on a Saturday afternoon and was surprised to see only 1 other party in the place. We had the lobster bisque in a bread bowl and it was outrageously good– the soup was creamy and flavorful and the bread bowl itself was amazing. I asked if the bread was baked in house (most places don’t bake their own sourdough bread) and received a very ambiguous answer from the waitress about how everything was prepared fresh in house. Either way– it’s a must have.
We had the fish and chips and were not disappointed. The fried were ok– but I’m just personally not a fan of the skin left on my fries. The fish was superb– light and not oily. The housemate aioli and tartar sauce had nice flavor to them.
Overall– go eat here!!! Good service — it WAS a tad slow based upon how empty the restaurant was– but very pleasant and great vibe in here overall.

We’ve dined here a handful of times. When the weather is nice, it’s great to sit outside in their backyard garden. The service is always pleasant, but consistently slow. It would be a fun, casual place to take kids but because the service is slow it becomes a pain because young kids can’t sit that long. The clam chowder is above average, but everything else is mediocre at best. Tonight, We ordered the special lobster ravioli. It was nothing special, had barely an lobster in it. Biggest issue was how slow the kitchen was with only one other table dining.
We won’t go back.

Great little place shrimp scampi was delish! Lobster bisque was good, only thing it was warm need to serve hot! Service was great. Thank you! Tish

The other reviews are spot on… the place is quaint and it appropriate for a seafood joint. We sat indoors to avoid the wait for the reserved outdoor seating. Yes, it’s considerably more stuffy indoors, but we adjusted just fine. The food was good. The roasted clams appetizer was a little chewy but it was tasty. Bread would’ve made it better. With our entrees, one was better than the other. The whole belly clams are ok… mostly breading and I probably got 6 to 8. Definitely more fries on the plate. The fried soft shell crabs were great. We would come back if we were close, but hoped it could’ve been a little better.

Excellent, fresh food. Fast service. Friendly staff. will come back when in the area. Clean establishment, homemade items. recommended if in the aera.

First time here. The service is excellent and so was the food. The fried scallops were perfectly cooked. The hubby had the fish & chips. Loved it! Don’t miss the homemade Key Lime Pies for dessert! It was Yum O!

On our way to the beach and we needed to stop for lunch. After researching on Unilocal found this place with great reviews and a friendly kids menu. As soon as we got there we were greeted by the nicest hostess/​waitress who gave us our choice of seating. The place was hip and clean, bathrooms were clean as well.
We ordered the whole fried clam app which was delicious! The lobster roll special was amazing, my husband and I both enjoyed ours with butter. The lobster was very fresh, however it was just lobster on a soft roll, no fixings, thus the 4 stars.

Wait staff was very good to us, but the owner/​chef was very rude to us. Never going back.

We went to The Chowda House with 13 people and 2 children. We made reservations to make sure they could be prepared for a large party. The reservations was for 5:45, prior to the rush. It took 2 hours to get food and it was a struggle to get water, ice, or tea. I understand we had a large party but our waitress had many tables that she could not manage. The food was good once we received it but after waiting 2 hours you have truly lost your appetite. We unfortunately will not return because the service was so poor.

I can’t say enough good things about this place.
First of all, the owners are among the nicest people I have ever met. They are just such a genuine bunch, and it takes a genuine personality to know what was missing in Red Bank all these years. I remember talking to Roy the owner a number of years ago and he explained «Red Bank just doesn’t have a place where you can sit down and have real seafood.» I couldn’t agree more.
So I’m so happy that they opened this place. Every time I have gone there I have had an amazing meal. They did a really nice job of renovating the space and making it into what red bank really needed.

Stopped in on a rainy Saturday for lunch. A New England Clam Chowder in a bread bowl was definitely what was needed. The bread bowl had a crispy outside and soft center perfect for dipping into the soup. The soup was well seasoned and one of the best I’ve ever had in the area. I will definitely be coming back to try some of the entrees. The staff was super friendly and helpful even with a busy lunchtime crowd.
Only odd thing was they serve Lays Chips with a bread bowl of soup? I’ve already got bowl of carbohydrates, why potato chips? And if they want something to dip, homemade chips would be a much better option than a little bag of grease from a convenience store. The chips are just not on the level of the soup, therefore I did not even open the bag.
Overall it was an excellent experience and look forward to returning.

Glad my father found this place! It was a great pick!
After a day at Monmouth Race Track, we took the extra few minutes drive and went here. The drive here is gorgeous, the big houses and the water view. It is worth the drive.
Couldn’t even tell there is a nice backyard seating area. It’s makes you feel like you are in your own backyard relaxing. The service is alright. Everything takes a little bit longer here. Wasn’t that bad when we first came, but after a while it was just strange to be waiting so long for simple things.
The food is GREAT! Besides the stuffies unless you like celery then you’ll love that. So the stuffies have a lot of celery which I sort of liked since it added a crunch but that was all. The crab cakes were delicious. A must get really. You can tell that they are made from there, fresh, and made with love. They have a wonderful flavor, everything balances out and the sauce they provide just kicks up all the flavors a notch up. The manhattan clam chowda tasted like a vegetable soup with clams in it, but it was good. The new england clam chowda was delicious, so fresh and comes out at a perfect temperature.
The fish and chips were good. The fish was fried perfectly and had a nice crunch to it as well as the fries. Didn’t enjoy the cheese on my fries since it tasted like sharp aged cheddar and I am not a fan of aged cheese but my family loved it. The linguine with clams dish was good. A bit salty since there is a lot of clam juice in it but the pasta was cooked perfectly, not too crunchy and not too soft. Only recommendation for that plate would be to have a nice piece of garlic bread to dip into the sauce. The fish fillet sandwich was delicious especially with their RICH tartar sauce. The scallop sandwich was good except the amount they give you. It’s served on a hot dog bun and they give you four scallops which is really two scallops cut in half.
Come if in the area!

We had a greet dinner found this place found this place at the red bank festival and came for dinner
We had amazing wedge salad with blue cheese and a half a dozen clams to share as appetizer
Then clams and fish/​chips for dinner
Allison our server was wonderful And good was great
Sit out back I loved the crushed clam shells under the patio furniture
Place is byob
Stephen and Stephanie

Updated: went in recently with my husband and son. The place was EMPTY because we were after the lunch rush but before dinner. We could here the chef and waitresses talking about my son and us in a very unflattering way. He wasn’t crying or carrying on and there was NO ONE else there that we were disturbing. I don’t care how good your food is you don’t treat people like that.
My old review was… Delicious chowda! I enjoyed new england clam chowder. It is creamy and full of diced potatoes and clams (which are perfectly cooked and not rubbery.)
This is one of my favorite lunch spots. They have a large menu but I haven’t tried anthing else.

The Chowda House looks like a little hole in the wall, but my boyfriend & I moved to Jersey from New England, so we were excited to give it a try. We went for lunch on a Friday & pretty pleased with the whole experience.
The restaurant is located about 100 steps from the train tracks, which makes it an easy stop for anyone who’s just coming through the area or who doesn’t feel like driving into Red Bank. That said, there’s street parking & for free at the train station after 11am.
The inside of this place is seriously cute. Someone has put a lot of work into making this place nice! It’s small but polished, done up in dark, shiny wood with authentic but not over-​the-​top nautical touches, including big, ship-​style, arched doorways into the bathroom. There’s also a great patio out back, too, which would be perfect on a sunny day.
My boyfriend ordered the raw bar (three clams & three oysters) with a cup of New England clam chowder. They also serve Manhattan clam chowder, but we wanted the real thing! I’m not as big a seafood fan, & pickins were a little slim for tastes like mine — a «land lubber soup» (chicken & rice that day), veggie sides, a couple of chicken options. Ultimately, I wanted to try something seafoody at such a restaurant, so I went with the buttermilk fried shrimp, which came with a side of fries & coleslaw.
We loved the little «on the house» surprise appetizer of spicy cucumber salad that came out before our meal. It was also a welcome warning that the waitress told us we might find a few jalapeños in there! My boyfriend was really happy with the raw bar — said he referred the oysters to the clams, but that’s a general preference, not just an at-​this-​restaurant preference — & was also pleased with the chowder, which came out piping hot & definitely didn’t taste canned. My shrimp were big & plump, served with some of the best, freshest homemade fries I’ve had in awhile. I don’t eat coleslaw, but he took my side & said it was great, too.
Service was better & more attentive than at most places. Our server was friendly & kept our water glasses refilled, & out meals came out quickly but not TOO quickly. At one point, the cook came out to check in on how we liked the food, & we had nothing but good things to say. To top it off, our whole bill came out to just $ 25 including tip! That’s a huge feat for a delicious meal in spendy Red Bank.
We’re looking forward to going back to The Chowda House for another go-​round of seriously legit seafood at the Jersey Shore.