Brophy Bros. has served its award-winning New England clam chowder on the Santa Barbara harbour dock since 1986, and it has become the defining version of the dish in the city: thick, cream-forward, loaded with clams and chunks of potato, with the marine air of the harbour as the seasoning no recipe can replicate. The full-length bar overlooking the marina is the traditional context.
New England clam chowder arrived in Santa Barbara via the fishing community's connections to East Coast and Pacific Northwest seafood traditions. Brophy Bros. opened on the harbour in 1986 under the Bennett family and made the chowder a signature from the first service. The dish has won multiple Santa Barbara chowder contest titles and is the most-ordered item on the menu.
2 editor picks for Santa Barbara New England Clam Chowder in Santa Barbara, ranked by editorial score. All Santa Barbara signature dishes · Santa Barbara New England Clam Chowder across every city.
Brophy Bros. ★ 3.9
Harbor · 119 Harbor Way, Santa Barbara, CA 93109
Third-generation family seafood house on the harbour dock since 1986. Award-winning clam chowder, garlic clams, bar overlooking the marina. No reservations.
Santa Barbara Shellfish Company ★ 3.8
Stearns Wharf · 230 Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Fish-shack counter at the tip of Stearns Wharf since 1980. Same-day-landed Channel crab, sea urchin, and shellfish on a communal outdoor deck with bay views.