A chef's guide to Boston's best clam chowder

Jeremy Sewall has cooked at eateries around the world, but home in Boston, he's known for his clam chowder. Here are his top local bowls, from Neptune Oyster to Yankee Lobster.

New England Clam chowder – a stick-to-your-ribs cream-based clam and potato stew – is beloved all over the United States, but synonymous with the city of Boston.

Clear broth-style chowders or stews made by the New England region's Indigenous peoples date back hundreds of years, including tribes in what is now Massachusetts. Quahogs, a type of local clam, along with other shellfish, fish and native ingredients like corn and beans were primary ingredients in early-recorded renditions of the chowder, which later incorporated traditions brought by English settlers, who swapped corn and beans for potatoes. And since 1836, chowder – or chowdah, as it's often pronounced in Boston – has been proudly served at the city's Union Oyster House, the oldest restaurant in continuous service in the US. Over the decades, New England-style clam chowder has become woven into the very fabric of the city's culinary identity.

Though Boston's food scene has become world-class and international, clam chowder is still found on menus all over town, from the city's finest eateries to the concession stands at Fenway Park, the iconic Red Sox ballpark. But not all creamy clam chowders are made equal. To highlight Boston's most extraordinary bowls, we spoke to Jeremy Sewall, chef and partner of Row 34 in Boston's atmospheric Seaport.

While the hallmarks of traditional New England clam chowder are sacrosanct – a milky-white creamy base, chopped clams, diced potatoes and often bacon or salt pork – opinions vary on other elements and ingredients. Sewall himself thickens Row 34's chowder with a traditional roux of flour and butter, adding salty bacon fat to deliver a velvety taste. His secret ingredient is a subtle dash of green tabasco. "It adds a nice little bit of spice and acidity to it," he says. "[Chowder's] been a part of Boston culture for a long time and represents what New England is. It's a hearty, simple dish that, when done really well, is an iconic thing. That's why it's been around for hundreds of years and is still one of the most popular dishes in Boston."

Sewall adds that Boston's location on Massachusetts Bay, and by extension, the Atlantic Ocean, intrinsically lends itself to phenomenal just-caught seafood. "It's accessible here," he says. "It's just part of how we make things; certainly a simple thing like chowder. The chopped clams that everybody traditionally uses for chowder, they're all available, so it's just how we cook here."

Here are Sewall's favourite clam chowders in Boston.

Summer Shack is a laidback restaurant in Boston's affluent Back Bay neighbourhood, just three blocks from the world-famous Boston Marathon finish line. This renowned spot is a casual outpost founded by the late Jasper White, an iconic chef best known as a pioneer in Boston fine dining. Summer Shack's menu promises a "classic New England clam chowder", and delivers a medium-thick, clam-packed creation. "I think they're really good about not letting it get too thick. Some places do a really thick chowder, which I don't love," says Sewall. "Summer Shack's is classic. It's oyster crackers and bacon and chopped clams and potatoes; that's exactly what I wanted today."

Most Boston restaurants serve their chowder alongside packs of Westminster Backer's Co oyster crackers – flaky, dime-size crackers that diners can add in at their discretion. But Summer Shack takes the liberty of serving their chowder with oyster crackers already on top. "Any chowder has to have some good pieces of stuff in there because it adds that texture," says Sewall. "It can't be all puréed. You've got to feel like you're seeing stuff on your spoon and chewing things. Anything that's too creamy or too puréed? No. Doesn't work."

Website: www.summershackrestaurant.com/location/summer-shack-boston

Address: 50 Dalton Street, Boston, MA 02115

Phone: +1 617-867-9955

Instagram: @jwsummershack

"Little Whale's is another great version of a classic clam chowder; very straight forward," says Sewall, crediting the restaurant's chef Michael Serpa. "He does fresh clam, potato, bacon, celery and a little bit of fresh herbs in there. That's what chowder is supposed to be."

Though chef Serpa is otherwise known for creative takes on seafood classics, cherrystone clams are the cornerstone of Little Whale's chowder. These meaty but lean palm-sized hard-shelled clams are well-suited for chowder as they are sweet and mild, their briny tenderness emphasised by the creamy broth. Though native to the US's East Coast, many chefs in the US gravitate to cherrystones harvested from New England's cool waters. Serpa's menu specifies that their rendition of chowder includes smoked bacon and thyme, flavours that impart a subtle smoky punch and dash of earthiness.

Nestled in a 19th-Century brownstone, Little Whale is a petite, charming eatery on tony Newbury Street in Back Bay. A banquette lines the wall, but the marble-top bar is one of the best spots to belly up for a chowder bowl, unless it's warm out, when the patio reigns supreme.

Website: www.littlewhaleboston.com

Address: 314 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02115

Phone: +1 857-277-0800

Instagram: @littlewhaleoysterbar

With cosy marble tables for two and a robust wine list full of celebratory bubbly, this tiny 37-seat temple to briny aphrodisiacs oozes romance.

Neptune Oyster, modelled after classic Parisian oyster bars, has been a staple in Boston's predominately Italian North End neighbourhood – an iconic culinary hub – for more than two decades. A queue promising an hour-long wait is common outside this shoebox-sized restaurant, which swells with accolades from sources like The New York Times and the James Beard Foundation.

"Neptune does an awesome job," says Sewall. "It's a classic oyster bar and they've done chowder in Boston for many, many years. It's consistent, and that can be hard to do."

Neptune's Wellfleet clam chowder, named after the coastal community on nearby Cape Cod where the clams are sourced, is the most brothy on Sewall's list compared to thicker renditions, but it offers hearty chunks of fresh clams and tender potatoes that stop just short of mushy and a savouriness derived from salt-cured pork belly. Topped with thyme and a sprinkle of paprika, Neptune Oyster's chowder is perfectly suitable on its own or as an idyllic prelude to the restaurant's iconic lobster roll.

Website: www.neptuneoyster.com

Address: 63 Salem Street #1, Boston, MA 02113

Phone: +1 617-742-3474

Instagram: @neptuneoyster

"James Hook does a really good chowder," says Sewall. A family-owned lobster restaurant and Boston mainstay since 1925, James Hook earned its enviable reputation in the lobster business, catching the crustaceans in Maine and Canada then hauling the lot down to Boston for distribution. Today, the restaurant ships more than 50,000lb of lobster daily across the US, while their simple counter-service seafood shanty is just steps from Boston Harbor.

James Hook's menu boasts New England clam "chowda" with a consistency that is thick, but not enough to distract from the flavour of the sweet whole clams, punctuated by hearty thick-cut potatoes. It's twice been crowned champion of Boston's annual Chowderfest, a summertime competition of the best chowders in the region.

Website: https://www.jameshooklobster.com

Address: 440 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02110

Phone: +1 617-423-5501

Instagram: @jameshooklobster

A Boston favourite since 1950, Yankee Lobster is run by the third generation of the Zanti family, who have made their living on the water. The restaurant is decidedly casual – diners order at a counter and are given a buoy with a number letting servers know where to deliver their grub. Yankee Lobster doubles as a seafood market, and its location in Boston's swanky Seaport lures locals and visitors alike.

The legendary "spoon test" for New England clam chowder is performed by inserting a spoon in the centre of the chowder to see if the consistency is thick enough to make the spoon stand straight up. Though Sewall says he personally prefers chowder not quite thick enough to pass the spoon test, he is a fan of Yankee Lobster's chowder. "It's traditional, it's creamy, it's hot and it's rich – all the stuff it should be," he says. "They do a great job."

Website: https://www.yankeelobster.com

Address: 300 Northern Avenue, Boston, MA 02210

Phone: +1 617-423-5501

Instagram: @yankeelobsterco

BBC Travel's The SpeciaList is a series of guides to popular and emerging destinations around the world, as seen through the eyes of local experts and tastemakers.

--

If you liked this story, sign up for The Essential List newsletter – a handpicked selection of features, videos and can't-miss news, delivered to your inbox twice a week. 

For more Travel stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.