The Chowder House

This place has been a favorite of mine and my grandparents for almost three years. It is a humble environment and the food is delicious (coming from a family of new englanders) I would HIGHLY suggest the chowder house to any and everyone just as I would the clam basket in Ipswich MA. Great staff and great food, definitely earned 5 stars

Just wow! I can’t believe the proprietors of the chowder house would rather turn away business than allow someone the bring in a water bottle. Similar to another reviewer, I usually bring my own drink. And while I don’t have a medical condition like my fellow reviewer, I do like my drink additives. I workout fairly routinely and I add a recovery powder to my water bottle and drink it over dinner. I’m not trying to be cheap (I only order water anyway) but I don’t like to be chastised or put on notice by a business owner before even entering an establishment. It simply bad business. It’s unwelcome and uninviting. Sorry guys but like my friends on shark tank say, «I’m out».

Won’t have to worry about me showing up here for dinner. Seems like this place is more interested in inflicting their will on you with a bunch of rules before you walk in the door. Maybe they can afford someone to «wand» you at the front door to make sure you have no contraband like your favorite dressing or seasoning. Is that considered smuggling? Should someone contact the FBI? Guess it doesn’t matter what the customer wants.

When a restaurant tells me I can not bring in my own salad dressing, or add sweet n low to water, due to medical conditions I certainly will NOT EAT THERE. They would rather lose the cost of n appetizer n meal over a drink of water!!! Zephyrhills has plenty of places to eat that treat their dinner guests with compassion n Joy for their business.
SHAME ON YOU!!!

I had the bisque and the broiled scallops and it was really good.
My husband had the chowder and the shrimp&clam strip basket and was also great. We found a jewlel in Zephyrhills, our soon to be home

Fresh seafood. Wonderful service. Shrimp in the shrimp creole were cooked to perfection. Lobster Roll reminded us of Luke’s Lobster in DC. Wasn’t weighed down with mayo.

I had a coupon for lunch, Haddock & chips, no sides — $ 6.99. We didn’t feel like actually going out so we called for take out. We (3) ordered the Haddock. we were told there would be a $ 1.00 charge per person for the «take-​out container». (REALLY) I asked if I could bring my own containers or foil & was told no, it’s not allowed. We decided to order anyway. We were then called back & informed that we would also have to each purchase a beverage, soda’s $ 2.49 to get the coupon price, I was not offered iced tea at a lower price. I was not happy about this as I don’t drink soda’s, ice tea either. I also was put in an unpleasant position as I suggested this lunch & told me 2 friends the coupon price, before the added charges.
I went to pick up our «carry out order». While I was waiting for the order I noticed the menus & looked it over. And to my surprise on the lunch menu is a Fish & Chips lunch, your choice of fish, which included Haddock, fries and your choice of coleslaw, macaroni salad or potato salad which includes iced tea for 11.99.
I mentioned about the pricing, the lunch coupon was 6.99, plus 1.00 for the to go container, plus 2.49 for the soda, plus tax comes to: $ 11.14. This is without the sides. I said, so if we would have come in we could of ordered this same lunch for 1.59 more and had the sides and iced tea. She said we were saving more by using the coupon. (I had already figured out this cost & price difference with my calculator while waiting for the order).
I told the server that I wanted all the soda’s on my receipt. She said she couldn’t do that as the coupon said one soda per coupon price. (REALLY) It does come out to the same amount no matter whose paying for it. Another server assisted to have each one rung up separately & the soda’s added to my tab. The server stated «I’ll have to go get my pouch to make change.» I asked her, you make your own change, she said yes, they have no register. They have a «bank» to work from like a bartender/​server has. I have never heard of a restaurant that didn’t have a register.
I was so upset that I forgot to tip our server, I do realize it’s not her fault, she’s just doing what she is told.
This was a Thursday afternoon, 1:15 pm, there were only 5 customers in the restaurant, 3 at one table & 2 at another.
The haddock was a good sized portion but the breading slid right off, so you were left with a piece of naked fish & a piece of breading. We were not provided with any utensils or napkins, even though it was «take out». While eating, we were all commenting about the charge for the take out containers. We were not charged for the styrofoam drink cups, those were take out also. I said we should wash the container & take them back for a refund & offer to pay for the cups. We have never heard of being charged for take out containers. The pizza place doesn’t charge us for the pizza box.
I’m very disappointed with their lack of customer service and the extra add on charges. I will not be going back nor will I refer anyone here.
You know what they say, a good experience you tell one or two people, a bad experience you tell everyone you know.

Very, very rude greeter. Took close to 10 minutes to take names (they had 6 tables open) then when asked about how long of a wait she threw up her hands and said «I don’t know, maybe 20 minutes).
Then said to an older customer «what are you looking at». Very understaffed, very unprofessional, very rude.
Left without trying food, won’t be back and won’t recommend to anyone.
Busy and wait times are ok, rudeness abs unprofessional is never ok!

There aren’t many options in Z’hills when it comes to lunch, so I usually keep pushing until I reach greener pastures. I was in a bind for time today so I found this restaurant online and checked out their menu. A shrimp po’boy sandwich for $ 9.99 including fries and tea, not a bad deal– so I drive on over.
This is one of those reviews where I wish I could give something like 3.5 stars, but just not enough to get the 4^th star from me.
The restaurant is in a shopping center and the interior is actually pretty nice and inviting. Everything is clean and décor fits the name– nice little mariner/​ocean vibe.
My first disappointment came in the pricing. When I sat down, I noticed that not only is the shrimp po’boy not $ 9.99 (it’s 10.99)…but the tea is also not included ($ 2.30 extra). That is immediately a ~$ 3.50 swing and no longer makes this a good deal to me… even if get to eat a *really* good po’boy; which I didn’t. My meal ended up being $ 17.21 after a $ 3 tip to the waitress. I was expecting something more like $ 12 – 13 after tip. They advertise their website on their receipts, so I expect them to keep it updated.
The po’boy had plenty of shrimp, but they were smaller and didn’t seem fresh. My biggest gripe was the style of bread– it was more like a hoagie/​hot dog bread when I am accustomed to something like french bread for a po’boy. The fries that accompanied the sandwich weren’t handcut or anything, just run of the mill fries from a frozen bag.
The service was really good and attentive (thanks Deon), no problems at all there.
Last, but certainly important, is what I noticed when I first approached the front door of the restaurant: a sign that notes they will not accept outside beverages, condiments, dressings, or items like Crystal Light packets for flavoring water.
To me, that comes across as really cheap and tacky. Now, some might say *bringing* those items into a restaurant is equally tacky… but whose reasons are with merit? Someone bringing in Crystal Light or dressing is likely on some sort of diet and meeting their needs in a very small and incognito manner. What does the restaurant gain from doing this? An extra sale on a Pepsi or Tea for $ 2.29?
Bringing in these outside items neither hurts nor helps the restaurant, it shouldn’t even be an issue… unless someone is bringing in a homemade appetizer or something substantial that takes away from what the restaurant can provide. The restaurant owner must feel *very* strongly about this issue since they went to the efforts of making a sign.
In times where restaurants are constantly closing due to lack of diners, I’d say pick and choose your battles very wisely… but hey, that’s just my opinion.

I stopped in to Chowder House while on a road trip with friends, and I’m so glad I did. All 4 of us had a great time and LOVED our meals. We split an order of steamed muscles for the table, that were honestly some of the best muscles I’ve ever had (we actually requested more bread so we could dip it in the leftover sauce when the muscles were all gone). I also had a bowl of the Clam Chowder soup (I mean come on, the place is called Chowders, you HAVE to get the Chowder, right?) It was creamy, hearty, and just as good as any clam chowder I ever had in New England.
For an entrée, I had the lobster roll (a dish I’d heard of but never tried before at any restaurant). It was great! I ate every last bite of it, my friend had a taste of it too, and said he would be ordering that the next time we end up there. One of my friends had the Thanksgiving Day sandwich, which I took a bite of and loved! We all split a dessert. Based on our server’s recommendation we ordered big slice of peanut butter pie (with a crust made from Nutter Butter cookies). It was decadent and soooo good!
Ambiance was quaint and cute. Very small town feel. Every employee who passed by said hello, and the manager came to our table to check in and see how we liked everything (we were there at around 3:30, a typically slower time for most restaurants, so that might have contributed to the extra attention we received from the staff).
All in all, this place was a great discovery, and my friends and I are already planning making a quick trip up there from Orlando just to come back and enjoy another meal here.

I happened to be in the restaurant while Tom T was in there. I also heard the manger offer to get them lemonade and yet they refused. The truth of the matter from an outside perspective you acted as if you wanted something for free. I also heard the comment that you would not tip the waitress as if she had anything to do with company policy. I certainly glad that you did not intentionally dump a glass of water on the table as your friend stated.
I was also able to see where you have posted on many other restaurants including using profanity to describe a waiter. I do not believe your reviews have anything to do with the restaurant but what you can get for free. Why else would you rate one as a one star restaurant. Then you get a free meal and turn around and give them five stars.
I have been to The Chowder house multiple times. I was always treated courteously and the food has always been delicious. I love the lobster rolls and full belly clams. They offer many types of soda as well as adult beverages. Including lemonaid.
By far the best seafood in the area!

We had lunch here. We are not regulars. My friend ordered water/​w lemon and sweet& low. Sara our waitress, told us she would have to charge her the same as a soft drink. What in the hell is going on? Sara said it was the owner’s rule. We asked for the manager, same song & dance. The manager should have think «out of the box» and gave her a packet. Instead she lost a future customer. Will spread the word, trust us.

Omg! This is definitely my new favorite restaurant. The server, Shirley, was very pleasant and friendly. The food was so yummy!

I had written a very possitive review on the Chowder house a year ago. Since then we went there this past week with company and told then how we never had a bad meal here. Well, I guess you should never say never. Our husband’s ordered liver and onions and loved it. The waitress said they had a new meal added and it was 10.99 special, cod, shrimp and 2 sides. We ordered our meal then the girl came back and said she was sorry we could only have fries and Cole slaw, which was fine with us. So when we got our meal it was 5 shrimp, 1 piece of cod that was 1″ wide buy 4 «long and was under the fries and I couldn’t find it. The Cole slaw came in a 2 inch round cup. So basically we ordered fries with 1 very small piece of cod and 5 small shrimp. She never said this was a basket meal, after all for $ 10 .99 Sunday Diner we expected a meal. Their food is great, but they served a very cheap meal for a high price. We would have gotten much more at long John Silvers. So I am saying, Don’t order the cod and shrimp unless you are a very light eater. I did ask the girl to tell the management I was very disappointed and this was the first time, she said she would tell him, but no one from management ever came over to ask us why. Very bad for buisness. So, would I tell someone to eat here. Yes, but ask how much are they giving you for their Cod and shrimp meal. As for me, I think not, they didn’t care I was dissapointed in their meal.

We were in the area so we decided to try the Chowder House again. The food was every bit as good as the last time we ate here. I ordered the Fried Clam basket. The clams were cooked to perfection. A light breading and not over cooked like some places. They were delicious. My wife had the Haddock fish and chips. The fish was so large she had to ask for a take out box. The side of slaw is a creamy sweet slaw and very good. Save room for homemade pie. It is some of the best. They still offer a coupon in the Pasco Shopper. Depending on what you want it can save you some extra bucks.

This was a great find for us. A family of 8 had dinner for $ 80 including dessert. The breading on the fried seafood was very thin and added the perfect compliment in seasoning. Cori was a great server and served us with a smile and was most helpful. Desserts were great as well. A place we will plan on going back to anytime we are in the area. The music was great in the background and you didn’t have to talk over it. And I like the fact that there wasn’t TVs posted all over every wall.

My parents drag me to this place all the time. They are big seafood buffs and seem to like it. I myself hate seafood with a passion. But, I still find plenty on the menu to choose from. The food is good, no lie, somewhat slow service and dead atmosphere. This place definitely needs a décor makeover but what can you expect in smal olé zephyrhills… Im ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ on this place.

Good food. Affordable prices. When in Zepherhills, give them a try. The locals beat a path to this place.

First time there. A little out of the way but well worth the drive. The menu had lots to offer but the best part are the server recommendations. Had the Buffalo Shrimp and was perfectly spiced and shrimp were succulent. The Chowder was awesome and the Fried Clams were amazing. The Almond Crusted Halibut and it was flaky and delicous. Oh almost forgot the Apple Pie. one word… YUMOLICIOUS! Definitely will be going back. AND can’t forget the staff, they are the BEST! They make you feel at home.