We had such an enjoyable evening. The chowder and the paella were good, but oh my the desserts! We loved the key lime pie and the flan which was a special for the night. Great atmosphere on a weekday night. We will go again!
James
Reservations easy to make. Table ready upon arrival. Food delicious and served appropriately. View is fantastic.
Christine
It really makes sense to make a reservation. The restaurant opens at 11:30 and when we got there at 11:10 there was a line to going in about 35 people! Reservations were seated first. Our server was very attentive....food presentation was very nice. I gave the food four stars because our fish sandwich bun was kind of greasy, the arugula in the sandwich was awkward to eat.
Nathan
The lobster roll was excellent!! Oysters were amazing. Pumpkin cheesecake was delicious. Highly recommend going here. Service was perfect, lovely people there. I'll definitely be coming back someday, one of my favorite places in Half Moon Bay.
Patrick
All the food and service were really good, but the value of a dinner ike this costing about $200 will hinder the frequency of such outings.
Rx Sixteentwenty
Food was beyond great. Prices were reasonable but they charged full price when should have got happy hour prices.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Andrew Durand
I have frequented Sam’s Chowder House in years past and loved it. If you like great cioppino, and excellent service at an affordable price, do not go to Sam’s !!!! The cioppino was a bouillabaisse and not a cioppino at all. We waited an eternity for the waitress to even order our drinks. Then she disappeared and we waited and waited until she finally returned with water (not our drinks). When she finally took our order, we again waited an eternity before she returned with appetizers ( not our drinks). Finally our drinks arrived, however,my Mother did not get hers and we had to wait until we finally got the attention of our server to inform her of the problem. After finally getting our meals which were ok at best.We repeatedly requested bread which never arrived. Not once during our meal did our server ask if everything was ok and if we needed anything. To get a second round of drinks I had to order them at the bar. Meanwhile mind you, when she did make an appearance at our table she was short and curt. I am not one to complain about service or even food unless it is truly bad. However, after spending the day on the beautiful California coast with your family who has traveled from North Dakota, Montana, and New Mexico. I wanted to end our day with a fabulous meal. So after spending well over 600 dollars, getting horrible service, and what I considered sub par food. We received , an and I quote “ oh sorry about that” when my Mother complained to the manager. This by the way was almost three hours after we were initially seated. So yes, in years past I have enjoyed Sam’s Chowder House, however I may never return to Sam’s. There are much better options. Sincerely AJD and JD
Greg Thompson
We ordered the oyster Rockefeller and had to send it back because it was raw. When we got the second batch, it was just terrible. We were very disappointed. Have been there many times in the past and have felt really good about the restaurant but this time it was terrible. Also, it was not very clean. A little bit dirty. Hopefully you guys will clean the place up and pay attention to the oysters Rockefeller.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 5
Sergei Nossoff
We visited Sam’s Chowder House with a group of colleagues and had an absolutely great time. The atmosphere is lively and relaxed, with that perfect coastal vibe that makes the whole experience feel authentic and fun. The seafood boil was outstanding - fresh lobster, mussels, clams, sausage, corn, potatoes, and plenty of melted butter. Everything tasted wonderful, perfectly cooked and full of flavour. The portions were generous, and the presentation made it even more enjoyable to share as a group. We also really enjoyed the energy of the place. It’s the kind of restaurant where you can laugh, talk, and enjoy great food without feeling rushed. The staff were friendly and attentive, making sure we had everything we needed throughout the evening. A fantastic spot for seafood lovers, team outings, or anyone wanting a memorable meal by the coast. Highly recommended - we’ll definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lui Hebron
Great food, service, and energy. NOTE: I only post if I can give a 5⭐️ review
Dinner with a view and the food was delicious too. The best part was our server, Lori. She anticipated our needs before we even knew what they were. Hands down the best service we’ve had in a long time!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cesar Guadamuz
Great place to take your love ones for some delicious New England Clam chowder
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Vaiva Sveikauskaite-Truchanovicius
One of my all time favorite places! Location is fantastic, food is great, and one of my favorite octopus dishes
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
aol ca
Good 👍
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Laura Kowalsky
The venue itself is beautiful and has so much potential, unfortunately, the execution on the day fell short of expectations.
The setup was not ready on time, which caused a lot of unnecessary stress. My coordinator ended up directing the reception setup while I had to handle my own ceremony coordination because the venue team was running profoundly behind. There was also no bartender for the much of the event, so guests began helping themselves to drinks — not exactly what you hope for at a wedding.
Cocktail hour appetizer service was about 30 minutes late, and despite my clear request that oysters not be served on sheet pans, they still were. Dinner was also delayed by more than half an hour, forcing us to rearrange our timeline and move toasts and the first dance before dinner.
Dessert was supposed to be displayed for guests to enjoy towards the end of the evening, but instead, it was plated and only served to a few guests who happened to be seated when the dance floor opened.
Overall, the day still ended up being wonderful because of our friends, family, and vendors who adapted quickly, but the venue’s service and coordination issues were disappointing given the investment. I hope future couples have a smoother experience, because the space itself really is lovely.
We had such an enjoyable evening. The chowder and the paella were good, but oh my the desserts! We loved the key lime pie and the flan which was a special for the night. Great atmosphere on a weekday night. We will go again!
Reservations easy to make. Table ready upon arrival. Food delicious and served appropriately. View is fantastic.
It really makes sense to make a reservation. The restaurant opens at 11:30 and when we got there at 11:10 there was a line to going in about 35 people! Reservations were seated first. Our server was very attentive....food presentation was very nice. I gave the food four stars because our fish sandwich bun was kind of greasy, the arugula in the sandwich was awkward to eat.
The lobster roll was excellent!! Oysters were amazing. Pumpkin cheesecake was delicious. Highly recommend going here. Service was perfect, lovely people there. I'll definitely be coming back someday, one of my favorite places in Half Moon Bay.
All the food and service were really good, but the value of a dinner ike this costing about $200 will hinder the frequency of such outings.
Food was beyond great. Prices were reasonable but they charged full price when should have got happy hour prices.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
I have frequented Sam’s Chowder House in years past and loved it. If you like great cioppino, and excellent service at an affordable price, do not go to Sam’s !!!! The cioppino was a bouillabaisse and not a cioppino at all. We waited an eternity for the waitress to even order our drinks. Then she disappeared and we waited and waited until she finally returned with water (not our drinks). When she finally took our order, we again waited an eternity before she returned with appetizers ( not our drinks). Finally our drinks arrived, however,my Mother did not get hers and we had to wait until we finally got the attention of our server to inform her of the problem. After finally getting our meals which were ok at best.We repeatedly requested bread which never arrived. Not once during our meal did our server ask if everything was ok and if we needed anything. To get a second round of drinks I had to order them at the bar. Meanwhile mind you, when she did make an appearance at our table she was short and curt. I am not one to complain about service or even food unless it is truly bad. However, after spending the day on the beautiful California coast with your family who has traveled from North Dakota, Montana, and New Mexico. I wanted to end our day with a fabulous meal. So after spending well over 600 dollars, getting horrible service, and what I considered sub par food. We received , an and I quote “ oh sorry about that” when my Mother complained to the manager. This by the way was almost three hours after we were initially seated. So yes, in years past I have enjoyed Sam’s Chowder House, however I may never return to Sam’s. There are much better options. Sincerely AJD and JD
We ordered the oyster Rockefeller and had to send it back because it was raw. When we got the second batch, it was just terrible. We were very disappointed. Have been there many times in the past and have felt really good about the restaurant but this time it was terrible. Also, it was not very clean. A little bit dirty. Hopefully you guys will clean the place up and pay attention to the oysters Rockefeller.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 5
We visited Sam’s Chowder House with a group of colleagues and had an absolutely great time. The atmosphere is lively and relaxed, with that perfect coastal vibe that makes the whole experience feel authentic and fun.
The seafood boil was outstanding - fresh lobster, mussels, clams, sausage, corn, potatoes, and plenty of melted butter. Everything tasted wonderful, perfectly cooked and full of flavour. The portions were generous, and the presentation made it even more enjoyable to share as a group.
We also really enjoyed the energy of the place. It’s the kind of restaurant where you can laugh, talk, and enjoy great food without feeling rushed. The staff were friendly and attentive, making sure we had everything we needed throughout the evening.
A fantastic spot for seafood lovers, team outings, or anyone wanting a memorable meal by the coast. Highly recommended - we’ll definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food, service, and energy.
NOTE: I only post if I can give a 5⭐️ review
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Dinner with a view and the food was delicious too. The best part was our server, Lori. She anticipated our needs before we even knew what they were. Hands down the best service we’ve had in a long time!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great place to take your love ones for some delicious New England Clam chowder
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
One of my all time favorite places! Location is fantastic, food is great, and one of my favorite octopus dishes
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Good 👍
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The venue itself is beautiful and has so much potential, unfortunately, the execution on the day fell short of expectations.
The setup was not ready on time, which caused a lot of unnecessary stress. My coordinator ended up directing the reception setup while I had to handle my own ceremony coordination because the venue team was running profoundly behind. There was also no bartender for the much of the event, so guests began helping themselves to drinks — not exactly what you hope for at a wedding.
Cocktail hour appetizer service was about 30 minutes late, and despite my clear request that oysters not be served on sheet pans, they still were. Dinner was also delayed by more than half an hour, forcing us to rearrange our timeline and move toasts and the first dance before dinner.
Dessert was supposed to be displayed for guests to enjoy towards the end of the evening, but instead, it was plated and only served to a few guests who happened to be seated when the dance floor opened.
Overall, the day still ended up being wonderful because of our friends, family, and vendors who adapted quickly, but the venue’s service and coordination issues were disappointing given the investment. I hope future couples have a smoother experience, because the space itself really is lovely.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 1
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