Sam's Chowder House
Featured on NBC’s The Today Show, named “Best Outdoor Dining in the Bay Area” by SF Magazine, and “Best Seafood Restaurant in San Mateo County” by San Jose Magazine.
We are following all County Health Dept. guidelines such as a maximum of 6 people per table. Alcohol can only be ordered with a full meal when outdoor dining per ABC mandate. After checking in, please wait in your car or on the beach until your takeout order, or your table is available. Visit our website to see more details on the precautions we are taking to keep you and our team safe.
We look forward to seeing you!
Private Dining
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Safety precautions
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Common areas deep cleaned daily
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
- Sealed or wrapped utensils used
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Extra space between tables
- Waitstaff wear masks
- Diners must wear masks unless eating or drinking
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
Popular dishes
Sam's Lobster Roll
Selected Top Five "Best Sandwiches in America" by NBC's The Today Show. Delicious Maine lobster lightly tossed with butter on a toasted specialty bun, potato chips and coleslaw
82 reviews
New England Clam Chowder
Little neck clams, Yukon gold potatoes, smoked bacon and cream Size
12 reviews
Manhattan Clam Chowder
Tomato-based little neck clam chowder with potatoes, vegetables and herbs
96 reviews
Service was great. Food was awful. Cold mushy scallops, which they replaced with the same. Everything we had was awful, shrimp was fishy, fish & chips were mushy & fishy. We were so disappointed because we read the reviews before we went. I would never go back. Wine was great tho
Great outdoor seating with reservation. Reservation highly recommended. Food came very fast and hot. Waitress was more than attentive and polite. Clam chowder and Caesar salad are yummy. In addition to the shrimp scampi being very good. Their sides are great too.
Alfresco Dungeness crab lunch at Sam's! What could be more joyous! A special treat in these dull COVID Times...
Great Clam Chowder (not too heavy on the cream, you can taste the clams and celery). Our favorite entrees are the lobster roll, calamari, fish and chips, Crab Louie, and beet salad. The bread is just OK, not sourdough.
Beautiful evening, delicious food!!
Always great, good food and beautiful views. Check in, host, and server was excellent!! Pretty cold that night is all. But they fired up the heaters 👍🏻😊
Great service from check in to the time we left !!
First time there,food was delicious,service was awesome and view was beautiful.We will definitely be back.
This is my happy place. Naked Lobster roll is awesome. Brioche bun packed full of lobster. The service is great and the view and atmosphere on the patios (not the one in the parking lot). are awesome.
One rare occasion where service was bad and there were many loud big groups nearby including screaming children. Great ambiance and good food but not the typical Sam’s great experience.
Thank you Sam’s for doing such a great job during Covid
The view from our table was beautiful, we got there right at sunset time! Server was friendly and food was tasty!!
Sam's is our favorite place to go for consistently delicious seafood. The crab cakes are so good because they're all crabmeat without any fillers. Too, they are substantial in size so two are plenty. I've had various kinds of fish plates, always great, but I really love the linguini with prawns. The lemon, garlic, butter and parsley sauce is absolutely divine. Their awareness of protocols for Covid is just great. I don't know what more they could do. Eating outside was lovely - heating lamps are there if needed. This was our first time out eating in a restaurant in a year and we felt absolutely comfortable and safe.
Very impressed with the sit down glass enclosure no wind / outrageous panorama/ Food portion are below stands I'm use too (fish trap) / clams where excellent . location, location, sells it all. I don't know if I would have felt the same sitting in the parking lot enclosure , I asked for my location especially . I might have refused to be seated in the parking area "expanded" eating area.
We had the good fortune of sitting atop the outdoor area with lovely views of the sunset. The food was delicious, the service was great and we felt safe with respect to distance from others in these COVID times. Would definitely go back!
very professional operation.
great ambiance.
Great food and great view!
Early Valentine’s Day
Gracious, Attentive Service
Great service. Lobster bisque had great flavor but was barely luke warm.
The staff is very friendly and efficient. The views of the bay are great! My favorite is the New England clam chowder. Will be back again.
Food was good in we all enjoyed our dessert
We love Sam's! It is a great place for Friday lunches. I had the salmon Caesar salad and my husband had the naked Lobster roll (warm). The food is always great. We have started to take home a quart of chowder for Saturday dinners. The staff's actions make you feel COVID safe. I was so glad that outdoor dining opened up again.
Great seating out on the patio ledge, wonderful view and felt very safe and socially distanced!
It was a beautiful day to be outside which makes the dining experience sitting right above the coast exceptional! Sam’s Chowder House is highly recommended! Make reservations ahead of time! We made them a few days before we went. They are highly recommended and attract many diners!!!
My girlfriend and I have always enjoyed stopping by during road trips from SF. After a recent visit after a day at the beach, we've decided to make a habit of it. I can't emphasize how pleased I was with Jay and the entire staff. You made our day!
We'll see you soon!
Mark
Food was great Great Experience
We were at Sam’s for a birthday lunch. All seating for now is outside and the weather was absolutely perfect. We have been here several times for dinner and We have always enjoyed our meals. We ordered clam chowder and it took forever for it to get to us. And when it did it was lukewarm. Very disappointed. But the weather was so incredible we enjoyed the entire experience.
Everything was perfect, all things considered, especially during these COVID times.
We were lucky to celebrate my birthday at Sam’s just before They were temporarily closed down in compliance for the Coronavirus. It was fabulous and as they’re pet friendly we brought or Golden and enjoyed some playtime on the beach afterward. Loved every minute!
The service was excellent as was the ambiance. The crab cakes excellent. The fish and chips was bland and soggy. A big disappointment. I wod have thought it would have been great.
We enjoyed the tuna sushi special and I had the clams. It started to rain and the staff quickly moved the tables and added umbrellas to keep everyone dry. And, BTW, you cannot beat the view!
Lived in San Mateo for 6 years and this was my first trip to Sam's. Definitely not the last!
Classic Old School Chowder house on the water overlooking Mavericks and the harbor. Being in San Mateo County...outdoor dining is open!
Service was slow, had to ask more than once for bread and butter and water, which in the past was automatic. Portions have also become smaller
Great food and excellent service !
My husband and I decided to just do a feta way date!
one of the best options that are open during pandemic.
We were seated almost right the way of the reservation time. The staffs are friendly and courteous. I ordered the shrimp and blue crab louie and found the butter lettuces are fresh layered by the salad shrimp and crab meat bordered by thinly sliced apple and radishes. However, there was no avocado and only half an egg. For almost $30.00 an order, I did not think this order was a good value.
Great food, great weather, great service!
Will def be back very soon!
FAQs
Sam's Chowder House offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (650) 712-0245 ext. 1.
Sam's Chowder House is rated 4.6 stars by 5076 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.