Smithsonian Cafe and Chowderhouse

Best soup in the Valley! They also have sandwiches, pizza, SALADS, desserts etc... phenomenal choices and friendly staff!!

Ordered take out today and have been here plenty of times. It seems each time the quality of the soup gets worse. Today I ordered vegetable soup and my co-worker got tomato bisque. Neither of us could eat much. The tomato bisque was WAY over salted. The vegetable soup was not vegetable soup. Yes it had vegetables in it but it was more like vinegary french onion soup with green beans. We were sorely disappointed and had we ordered there (instead of discovering the terrible soups once we were back to work) we definitely wouldn't asked for a refund.

Meh
Well, it happens to be the best place you can get fried clam strips in this area, but they are pretty lackluster , the fish sandwich is gorgeous and you want it to be delightful but it’s dry every time and everything else on the menu is just subpar. There’s nothing that I can’t make in my own kitchen that tastes even better which saddens me to say. I always feel like I’m interrupting a frat party when I show up

Burger very plain but cooked right I guess no coke soda and very small options for beer

I got the double smash burger and a burger that doesn't or didn't come with any lettuce tomato or pickles or bacon hell I had to add cheese to it too and it was 16 bucks and although it was cooked just right the toppings were just not there. The beer selection is ridiculous and they had no coke.

Absolutely the best Seafood Chowder I've ever had, served steaming hot and delicious

Cute little eatery right off highway, nice vibe, well priced, very good food….the fish sandwich, clam chowder and cape cod chicken salad all delicious! Will definitely return on our next trip to New England!

My wife and I stopped in for lunch, on our drive from Vermont to NJ. This place is near the freeway. Prices were fair, food was excellent, service was quick, bathroom was clean. Couldn't ask for a better road trip cafe.

come here all the time for clam chowder and wings sometimes. i always ask for my wings extra well done and they are sometimes they aren't. i ordered 2 pounds today and had to throw a pound away cus i couldn't eat them

Hands down best seafood chowder I’ve ever had! Served with a perfectly made grilled cheese and friendly staff! They have ruined any other chowder for me. Luckily I live within an hour!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The "Classic" Rubin for $13.00 plus tax and tip. Service was non-existent, so the low end 15% tip. Modest content between two smallish squares of supermarket bread. Dining area was freezing. Indifferent service...

I'm not a food snob, and rarely post reviews, but I'm local & have been here many, many times. This was a borderline insult. I paid about $16 (with Tax & tip) for this?? Okay...Covid recovery, food prices, can't get help, the general drudge of the restaurant biz these days...yeah, I get it...but this was a totally depressing experience...never again.

Parking: It's okay

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 2

Recommended dishes: Soups

Hands down best seafood around

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Seafood Chowder, Seafood, Brioche Bun, Reuben, Soups, Fresh Maine Hot Buttered Lobster Roll

We had Peter and the Smithsonian Catering do our wedding. All of the food was delicious! Peter worked with us to put together a menu that fit all of our dietary restrictions without issue, changing recipes as needed. It was a huge help as we have multiple gluten free guests. It was awesome to not have to worry about getting people sick.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great spot for New England comfort foods! My family visits almost every week and never tire of their award-winning chowder, buttery lobster rolls, and made-from-scratch cupcakes.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We hired Peter and his team to cater our wedding and in the process ate at his chowder house several times! He was very easy to work with and never seemed overwhelmed by my parents many asks when it came to wedding food. He was very adaptive and able to accommodate specific styles of prep and cooking to fit our preferences (ex. grilling instead of frying eggplant for eggplant parmigiana)! Most of his cooking is gluten free friendly without having to ask which was great for our GF guests and all of his food was delicious! Our event was nearly 150 people and buffet style service but with the quality of his food, you would have never guessed. We highly recommend Peter and his team to cater any and all of your events (and recommend the soup shooter appetizers!!) and recommend his chowder house for delicious soups and stuffed popovers :)

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5