New England clam chowder is a thick cream-and-potato soup with chopped quahog clams and salt pork, served with oyster crackers. The city's signature cold-weather soup in Boston since the 1700s.
Clam chowder appeared in colonial American cookbooks by the 1750s, with cookbook author Amelia Simmons publishing a recipe in 1796. The Boston version locked in the cream-and-potato base by the 1840s, distinguished from New York's tomato-based Manhattan chowder. The Parker House and the original Locke-Ober Restaurant codified the room-service template by the 1880s. Legal Sea Foods, founded by George Berkowitz in 1968, served its chowder at every presidential inauguration from 1981 through 2017, making it the country's most-tasted bowl. Union Oyster House, in continuous service since 1826, still ladles the soup at the bar where Daniel Webster ate his.
4 editor picks for New England clam chowder in Boston, ranked by editorial score. All Boston signature dishes · New England clam chowder across every city.
Neptune Oyster ★ 4.9
north-end · 63 Salem St, Boston, MA 02113
Neptune Oyster on Salem Street has run the city's defining raw bar in Boston since 2004. 42 seats, no reservations, Gulf of Maine lobster roll on a buttered split-top bun.
James Hook & Co ★ 4.4
seaport-fort-point · 440 Atlantic Ave, Boston, MA 02110
James Hook & Co on Atlantic Avenue has sold live lobster and lobster rolls from the harbor wharf in Boston since 1925. Boston Magazine Best Lobster Roll Casual 2025; counter service only.
Union Oyster House ★ 4.2
north-end · 41 Union St, Boston, MA 02108
Union Oyster House on Union Street has shucked oysters in Boston since 1826, the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the United States. Daniel Webster's seat is still at the bar.
Legal Sea Foods Long Wharf ★ 4.0
north-end · 255 State St, Boston, MA 02109
Legal Sea Foods on Long Wharf, near the New England Aquarium in Boston, has anchored the chain's flagship since 1968. Boston clam chowder, the recipe served at every presidential inauguration.