Bob’s Chowder Bar

68 reviews for “Bob’s Chowder Bar”

1. I don’t make it to Anacortes very often, but when I do I try to eat at Bob’s. I discovered their wonderful salmon several years ago at the Anacortes Farmer’s Market. I regret to report that my recent visit was a disappointment. My friend who lives in Anacortes had told me that she was disappointed in the salmon during her last visit, but I was hoping it was a fluke. I splurged and got the King salmon meal for $24.00. The salmon was not up to the usual standards, was a bit dry and tasted like it had come out of the freezer. For not much more I could have had fresh salmon and higher quality sides at Anthony’s.

   The service was great and the salad dressing was tasty. If I return I will have the fish and chips, which looked yummy, and my friend enjoyed.

2. Amazing Alaskan cod and chowder!

3. What a great experience! The staff was great. One note up front is when we entered the eatery that specializes in seafood my first observation is the smell. There was NO fish odor what’s so ever and I’ve got the nose from ###! 💯😊

4. Hands down one of the best restaurants in all of the west coast of Washington – no joke. If there are negative reviews – completely disregard and pursue the food here. The ambience is something I don’t normally speak about – but there’s a wonderful tone here that’s cozy and comfortable. The staff is above and beyond friendly – the owner is a true gentlemen. The food is worth the drive for us to frequent from all the way up in Bellingham! The salmon chowder is flippin’ phenomenal, and I’ve had several items from the menu which have all been equally as satisfying and unbelievably tasteful. Highly recommend this spot! Don’t even second guess a decision to eat here!

5. The staff was professional and welcoming. But, I ordered the clam chowder, which was a disappointment, as it should’ve been called “chowder” because there was very little clams in it. Will not be going back.

6. Cozy but the views of mt baker alone could make this place charge a lot more. New England clam chowder with the crustinis was phenomenal!!! Split the fish sandwich and the bowl of soup with my fiancé and that was plenty of food. Highly recommend stopping in! The dessert were soooo tempting but I got a beer so I drank my dessert this time.

7. Sheesh what can I say? I used to LOVE coming here. The food was always excellent and prices decent too. I travel for a living and haven’t been to my home state in two years. I was a little shocked at the price increase. Maybe that’s the going rate in this state now. The menu definitely changed and I was looking forward to a Crab sandwich but went with the seafood combo. The batter was a lot to crunchy on everything. Like well done. No complaints about the service. Everyone was in great spirits. I likely won’t go back unfortunately. Perhaps your pastas are where it’s at these days.

8. King Salmon was delicious!! Plus Dark Chocolate Torte ufffff! My first time visiting this area, I’m glad we chose a great location for dinner

9. Awesome! Really good food and service at a reasonable price. Lots of delicious fried food but also really fresh salads and wraps. Something for everyone at Bob’s!

10. This is, by far, the best food we’ve had since we’ve been in the area! The lobster Mac and cheese was wonderful, the grilled salmon was amazing and the chowder is the best ever! Service is top-notch! SO glad we stopped in!

11. Slow service even slower food and it arrives cold. Very disappointing. Total fail for this place. Only maybe 7 or 8 tables and took hour and fifteen minutes get our food and it was cold for deep fried food. Won’t return.

12. The fish and chips is great. The panko crust is much less greasy than the more typical beer batter. Huge portions as well.

13. The server was very nice, although the food is one star. Cold lobster Mac and halibut that was horribly over cooked. They attempted to remake the dish and the second piece of halibut was worse than the first. Unfortunately the owner or the owners son was on site and was very passive about the poor food quality. One and done for us!

14. Got the fish and chips Togo tonight, they were delicious! And a great size portion. Definitely hit the spot!! New favorite fish and chips spot.

15. Clamp cowder wasn’t the best.

    Features: I did not like having to choose tip in front of waitress on their touch less pad.

16. This place is great!!! Came up from the south where we are picky about the flavor of our food, this place did not disappoint. Large southern portions, fresh tasting food. We came in at almost closing and they still were patient and gave us top notch service and food. If your in the area GO!

17. This place has really gone down hill. 25.00.for a sad little seafood combo and the fries were cold. It took almost 30 mins to get our order and it was sub par. Will not return.

18. Used to be a really nice place a few years ago, I’m really disappointed. We ordered the captain’s platter, everything came out cold. Like it had sat in the window for a while. Service was very slow. Not a pleasant experience.

19. I really don’t understand what everyone is raving about. The bread was microwaved instead of crisped up in the oven and the chowder was just thickened with flour. Very little cream or milk in it, if any. Hence the color of it. More like a potato soup.
    The clams tasted fresh and not chewy but the chowder base was sad.

20. Went here for the first time on May 5th, 2022 and from the reviews it looked like a great place to eat. My boyfriend and I ordered the clam chowder bowl and the calamari and it was nothing like it looked in the pictures. Calamari breading was dry and tasteless (looked more like little fish sticks than squid), and the chowder was full of potatoes and most of the meal was breading. The waitress was extremely nice so that’s why I’m not giving this a one star, but for two clam chowder bowls, calamari and two beers, it came out to $80. Overhearing the people next to us talking about how the restaurant has changed since they’ve last been there, I think that was the problem.

21. The BEST clam chowder I’ve ever had. Sooo delicious.

22. Quite possibly the worst dining experience I’ve had in a decade. Unbelievable such fresh seafood can be ruined. How can you undercook and overcook fish at the same time–so much char! No knives. No lemon wedge. No bueno.

23. Lived up to the hype!

    Stopped in on a rainy cold day for some warm food and loved everything we ordered. Delicious chowder, excellent fish n chips, and overall a neat coastal atmosphere.

24. Had the salmon chowder and it was incredible! Fantastic spot, I hope to be back again soon

25. Oh, heck yea good. 1st timer there, loved it. Had a halibut burger. It was crazy tasty. Looking to try more menu items.

26. Chowder was okay lots of potatoes rarely any clams. Everything else was frozen, considering this to be a fishing town I would assume better seafood.

27. We’ve been coming to Bob’s Chowder Bar for several years – any time our travels bring us to this part of Washington. Today’s visit will be our last.

    Service was terribly slow – it took 50 minutes to get a cup of chowder with a side salad and my husband’s plate of basically all things fried (fried seafood sampler with onion rings).

    The salad which was mostly spinach, had gone bad. I had to pick out slimy black blobs of spoiled spinach leaves hidden under the dressing. We brought this to the attention of our waitress, who offered to make another salad for me. Sadly, this one was the same as the first. My chowder was over salted and filled with bacon bits vs. clams. It had no clam flavor, instead tasting like a potato/bacon soup.

    My husband’s meal was completely overcooked…clam strips were tough, fried cod was dry, onion rings were almost burnt looking, and the fried oysters were on the verge of being undercooked due to their size.

    When our bill arrived, no adjustment had been made for the salad. We asked to be credited for the salad and only pay for the cup of soup I ordered. Our waitress talked to whoever is running this place, only to return to say that because she made me a second salad and I ate part of it, the manager wanted us to pay full price. We again stated that we felt we shouldn’t pay for spoiled food. She went back once more, returning saying the manager would not credit us. He wouldn’t even come out to address the situation himself – instead, making our sweet waitress the messenger.

28. Omg the seafood was amazing but there calm chowder was out this world

29. Food was great, nice staff. Group of 6 went. We had the fish and chips, calamari and crab cakes.

30. Grilled wild Alaska salmon was great, as was the chowder. We tried both the standard New England clam chowder and the rock crab chowder. Fabulous.

31. Probably the best clam chowder we’ve ever had! And that includes Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and Maryland.
    Then, near the very top for fish in my fish and chips dish.
    Our server was so amiable and we sat outdoors with a view of the clouds over mountains. What a find!

32. Spent 25$ one of the worst tacos I’ve ever had. Sloppily thrown in box, as well as fish that was about to go bad 👎

33. Good food, really good Chowder. The inside of the restaurant surprises you. Does not match the outside. Really nice atmosphere, with lots of room between tables.

    Only issue was that my server seemed a bit new at his job. After bringing us our food, he never came and checked back on us till our meal was all done. My husband had finished his drink and had wanted a refill less than half way through the meal. We shared and nursed my little Pepsi the entire time.

    Other than that it was a great place, and I’m sure the waiter will get better with time.

34. The nice handsome young man served me the most delectable chowder I’ve ever had. The salmon wrap made with their in house dressing keeps me coming back so I can scarf down with the boys. Hallelujah

35. Service cannot be beat, Lauren was so kind and thoughtful and gave us great tips about Anacortes to boot. And the food!!! Best fish and chips in Anacortes, excellent chowders, and the grilled chicken sandwich was great too. They also keep their beers very cold which is important to us. We can’t wait to come back!

36. Without a doubt this restaurant is aimed at the drive-by tourist, but be assuaged by the fact the food and service will not take advantage of you. Our server Courtney went above and beyond with wit, jokes, and recommendations. Yet she was not unlike her peers who seemed equally engaged and enthused to be there. Food was pretty good and choices, especially drinks was excellent. I’d definitely go back.

37. Had the clam chowder – yum.
    Also had the crab dip and then a side salad with tangerine tango. Everything was delicious. My husband had fish and chips and it was good as well. Nothing special but good.

38. There are certainly better places. Skip this one. Frozen fish, frozen onion rings after we were told they were hand breaded. Nothing is fresh. Prices are way too high for the quality. Server was friendly but had no idea about the menu and had a discouraging attitude about certain menu items.

39. We came to visit this restaurant with our 9 year old son. He got the full-price chicken tender meal. It was the 1 piece with fries. He liked it and ate the whole tender….which was a chicken best piece pounded real thin, breaded and deep fried.
    I got the Salmon sandwich. it was good, bit a little bland. So, I added some tartar sauce which bumped it up and also put some of my son’s Cole slaw on it for added crunch.
    We also enjoyed the Rock crab tots and new England clan chowder for starter.

40. Maybe we caught them on an off day. Ordered lunch, took about 15 minutes to get water, a full hour to get our food. When we got it, the clams were room temperature, my salmon and my daughters fish tacos were undercooked. Chowder was very good. Ordered a cider and it was flat and a year past it’s expiration date. Hard to even get attention from a server for a napkin or or a silverware setup.

41. I loved my grilled fish tacos, but my husband hated his fish and chips so much he swears never to return. It was mushy, not flaky. He might have already been “hangry” anyway, though, because it took us (and those around us, apparently) around an hour to get out meals. I’m kind of bummed because I liked my tacos and hard cider, but that wait was bad.

42. The New England clam chowder alone is worth the drive from Seattle, so rich and bacon-y! I got the rock crab roll and my honey got the fish and chips! The breading was so crispy and hot, fish was incredible! My crab roll was a perfect lunch after a little hike in 80°F sunshine over nearby at the Padilla Bay trailhead! Thank you Bob’s! We will have to come back soon!

43. I was a little disappointed with this place. It appears to be a little run-down, and the food was simply mediocre. My halibut was breaded with (Italian?) herbs added, and it wasn’t as good as it would have been batter-fried. My wife tried the chowder sampler, and none of the four stood out. The amounts of crab, salmon, etc. in the chowders seemed skimpy, and the New England Clam Chowder was almost too salty to eat. I would have to say that our waitress was excellent and had had a great attitude.

44. Bob’s has very good chowder, but that’s not all. I had a very generous salmon sandwich that was very tasty. We had take out, and while I had to wait a while for the food, it was well worth the wait.

45. Probably the best New England clam chowder I’ve ever had. Our waiter was great, Arnold Palmer was super refreshing after a nice coastal hike. Will definitely be back!!

46. Excellent fish and chips, great local Pilsner… I look forward to trying other items on the menu. Lauren was attentive, knowledgeable and friendly…a very positive experience!

47. I personally think they have the best fish batter I’ve ever tasted. Super crispy, doesn’t fall off when you take a bite. & just all around good flavor. My favorite place to go when I’m craving fish & chips

48. We recently did a take-away dinner for 35 people, including 16 orders of grilled King Salmon, and a variety of other items. Some of our order was still being cooked when we arrived to pick it up and it was obvious nothing had been prepared too far in advance. Everything was delicious and one of our group from Alaska proclaimed the wild salmon the best he had eaten. The manager at Bob’s mentioned this was the largest order they had ever done, and they got everything exactly right. If I was looking for a casual restaurant in Anacortes, I wouldn’t hesitate to eat (either dine-in or take-away) at Bob’s.

49. We had the halibut and chowder, both were amazing! The fish wasn’t greasy at all like so many fish and chips dishes I’ve had. The service was top notch from the moment we walked in the door to when we left. We will definitely be back!

50. Wanted to like this okace- super cute ambiance. NE Calm Chowder was a thick paste and just not edible. Being from Boston I know I’m a touch criric but the consistency was peanut butter. Everything was over friend- calamari was delicious but over fried and took away from the calamari. My kids got chicken in tenders – which I know is a NO NO in a seafood restaurant. Tenders were over fried and chewy- couldn’t get the the meat. We would have been better off just getting chk mcNuggets. Salmon taco was ok. I Really Really wanted to like this place. I love seafood but this place was awful and then over priced was the salt in the wound. Maybe we just ordered it wrong? Maybe don’t headline it as chowder house???

51. Waited for someone to acknowledge that we walked in (not a hello, or we will be right with you) by the door, for about 10 minutes. Eventually got seated. Waited another 23 minutes before we got up and left. Never got water, never gave a drink order, never saw a staff member after our initial seating.

52. Locals warned us that it was overpriced. We didn’t listen. Not only was it overpriced for the quantity, it was mediocre food. Skip it.

53. Forgot half my order. Then brought it out and the chicken was raw. Then they said they discounted my meal but we checked the receipt and they didn’t. Honestly this place just feels dirty and cheap. Not worth the $68 for 3 plates.

54. If you’re on vacation and need fried seafood, look no further! The bowl of chowder was so good with the fried clams. The food was exactly what I pictured it would be. Definitely going back.

55. The fish and chips were delicious. The fried pickle appetizer was really great. The fish pieces were large. I did not even start on the 3rd piece of my meal.

56. The place has a great atmosphere with a definite “fishing boat” feel. I expected the food to be good, and wasn’t disappointed. The food had a unique flavor to it (huckleberry on a burger?) and was amazing! If you are in the area I would definitely recommend it. Only downside is parking and seating seems to be a little limited.

57. Yep, this place is LOCAL…good staff and food. Outside dining is right on busy street and speaker music on top of that. Nothing, that i can see, is organic and/or white flour/sugar-free. Fish products are good, as is the sweet potato fries.!
    WAS OVER-charged TWICE almost $12. Not going back, ever, and will pass the word on this and a few other websites.

58. It was OK. We found that a lot of food tasted the same, and yes, we realize that’s what happens when most of what you eat is fried all in the same batter. Personal pickyness, I don’t like deep fried pickle spears but that’s just me. We may have caught it on a less than awesome day but it was just a bit underwhelming. We’d try it again but wouldn’t get the fish & chips again which was the original reason we selected it.

59. $60 for 2 super plain/dry fish tacos, maybe 2 oz of dry fish and oysters, tiny disgusting coleslaw, 5 oz of clam chowder and 12 fries. 45 minute wait when told 15. Not worth it in any way….save your money!

60. Expensive for very little. One chicken strip with a few cold fries and a tiny cup of blah coleslaw for $14.99, for two it would have been almost $20…chowder was okay. Crab, artichoke, jalapeno dip was very good, rich but very good.

61. Lauren was the best server we have ever had! Hands down 5 stars. Can’t wait to come back. Loved the wine! We only want Lauren as our waitress for next time! Love, Carol

62. Best fried oysters and Cole slaw I’ve had in a restaurant, e.v.e.r!
    Oysters are crispy crunchy on the outside, tender and moist on the inside. Not at all greasy.
    The slaw is fresh and light in their special Love Lemon dressing.
    My husband had a burger that he also said was yummy!
    Highly recommended!

63. We had the fish and chips with a bowl of their famous clam chowder and a side of onion rings……everything was very good! Its on expensive side but worth it. Sat outside out front on nice day but traffic is busy out front. Didn’t realize they have outdoor seating at the back of restaurant away from traffic. Sara was our server….friendly, good attitude, had patience answering all of our questions…..thanks!

64. Very good sit-down or take-out fish & chips with home-made biscuits. Colorful artwork and decor makes for fun photo ops. Dine inside or out. Pirate bootie for the kids. Reasonable pricing, especially for the fish & chips, and IMHO better tasting than fancier all sit-down restaurants “downtown”. Always friendly and helpful staff.

65. Food is ok, typical deep fried seafood that can be found anywhere. Had a long wait for food after placing order even though I was there between lunch and dinner. The service was friendly however.

66. If you’re visiting from out of town and want some chowder, I highly recommend checking out this place and their chowder bread bowl! We also got the fish and chips and it did not disappoint! This will definitely become and favorite spot of ours every time we come back to visit the area! Thanks for the yummy lunch!

67. I have been coming here for about 10 years. I do enjoy the breaded cod fish, but I usually only eat a few of the french fries as they below average. The coleslaw is always bitter as well. They should stop serving coleslaw and serve better fries. I would assume most people come for the fish and the chowder which are both very good. As with everything, prices seem to be getting a little out-of-control. One piece fish and chips and a small cup of chowder after tax and tip was almost $25.

68. Delicious seafood, friendly service and locally brewed beer makes this a great little place to visit when you’re craving seafood! Thanks to the folks who prepared and served our meals – what a treat!