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Unless you live within driving distance of a chowder house, clam chowder delivery is best accomplished by mail. We're talking about the good stuff from a place with a strong seafood connection, allowing you to get a steaming bowl of the finest chowder—made from fresh clams—with no shucking, steaming, chopping, or can openers.
The best clam chowder delivery services exhibit a long track record, strong reviews, and a sharp focus on seafood. The way these companies source their products and handle the logistics sets them apart. Now, let's get to the chowder.
Best Clam Chowder Delivery Services of 2023
- Best Overall: Goldbelly
- Best for Manhattan Clam Chowder: Haskell's
- Best Fresh: Legal Sea Foods
- Best Frozen: LobsterAnywhere
Best Overall : Goldbelly
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Goldbelly
SPRUCE15 for $15 off of a minimum of $50 spent, first-time customers only, excludes shipping, standard T&C applies.
- Sizes: 16 oz. to 1 gallon
- Cost Per Pint: Varies
- Oyster Crackers: Varies
- Shipping: Varies (free from some providers)
With a wide selection, many options with free shipping, and great customer service, Goldbelly takes the prize.
Great variety
Bread bowl kits
Few Manhattan clam chowder options
Goldbelly is dominating the mail-order food game, and with such a large selection of clam chowders from many famous and amazing chowder houses, Goldbelly was an easy choice for the best overall. Goldbelly is the only service we could find that delivers all three styles of clam chowder: New England, Manhattan, and Rhode Island. If you're not familiar with the Rhode Island style, the broth is clear, containing neither cream nor tomato.
Goldbelly covers clam chowder thoroughly, with many clam chowders from top producers like Seattle's Pike Place Chowder, Boston's Bay Shore Chowders, and Iggy's of Rhode Island. Speaking of Iggy's, this is the company that makes all three styles of chowder, all of which are available on Goldbelly by the half-gallon.
Goldbelly offers many clam chowder combo kits as well, just in case you want to pair your chowder with a lobster roll or serve it in a sourdough bread bowl.
For the best deal, check out the New England Clam Chowder from Blount's Family Soup Kitchens of Fall River, Massachusetts. You can get a half gallon for about $45, with free shipping included. Goldbelly ships anywhere in the continental United States, but shipping to Alaska and Hawaii cost extra.
Best for Manhattan Clam Chowder : Haskell's
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Haskell's Seafood
- Sizes: 2 packs of 16 oz.
- Cost Per Pint: About $30
- Oyster Crackers: No
- Shipping: Extra
For those who prefer tomato to cream, Haskell's of Long Island makes Manhattan-style clam chowder with perfectly briny top-neck clams.
Made from scratch
Wholesome ingredients
$65 order minimum
With a little red wagon and a cooler, young Peter Haskell sold his fresh-caught seafood door-to-door on New York's Long Island. Today, he's Captain Haskell, and his business has grown from that wagon and cooler into one of the area's best boutique seafood companies. Haskell's focuses on seafood from the North Atlantic that's caught in small batches using sustainable methods.
Haskell's makes its Manhattan clam chowder from scratch, including the clam stock, which the company prepares from top neck clams harvested on Long Island. Click the Nutrition Label tab on the company's website to see the chowder's ingredients. You'll find only real, whole foods on the list—just broth, tomatoes, clams, vegetables, and seasoning.
Is it good? One customer put it this way: "A culinary masterpiece! Local clams, homegrown tomatoes, fresh local veggies, and a perfect combination of spices. The tastiest Manhattan Clam Chowder on the Island. Foodie approved!"
Haskell's Manhattan clam chowder comes in two-packs of 16-ounce portions and ships frozen. Each two-pack—a quart of soup total—costs about $30. Haskell's provides a table of shipping charges on its website, and you must order at least $65 worth to qualify for shipping, so order at least three-quarters of a gallon.
Best Fresh : Legal Sea Foods
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Legal Sea Foods
- Sizes: 1/4 gallon
- Cost Per Pint: About $14
- Oyster Crackers: Yes
- Shipping: Extra
Legal Seafood's clam chowder has been served at presidential inaugurations and ships fresh to your door by the gallon.
Chowder is chock-full of clams
Great reviews
Shipping is expensive
Legal Sea Foods' motto is "If it isn't fresh, it isn't Legal."
George Berkowitz founded Legal Sea Foods in 1950 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. At the time, Berkowitz's father Harry owned a grocery store called Legal Cash Market, and George opened his new fish market right next door. Nearly 20 years later, the family opened a seafood restaurant next to the fish market.
The establishment quickly became well known for high-quality, simple preparation and a minimalist New England aesthetic. Today, Legal Sea Foods has 24 restaurants from Massachusetts to Virginia.
Legal's New England clam chowder has previously been served at presidential inaugurations, including for the first time at Reagan's in 1981. It's a strong recommendation.
Each 32-oz. bag costs about $28 and comes with oyster crackers. After the chowder arrives, you can simply reheat it within three days or freeze it for up to 30 days. Shipping costs extra.
Best Frozen : LobsterAnywhere
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LobsterAnywhere
- Sizes: 16 oz.
- Cost Per Pint: About $13
- Oyster Crackers: No
- Shipping: Extra
LobsterAnywhere is the best purveyor of frozen New England clam chowder, shipped in convenient boilable Cryovac pouches.
Boilable bags
Reward points
Oyster crackers not included
LobsterAnywhere is, unsurprisingly, mostly a lobster company that specializes in distributing live Maine lobsters throughout the United States, a trade in which the company has been engaged since the early 1990s. Turns out that if you become an expert at shipping premium live Maine lobsters across the country, shipping clam chowder doesn't pose much of a challenge.
LobsterAnywhere makes New England clam chowder featuring sweet, tender surf clams. The chowder ships frozen in boilable, vacuum-sealed packaging. Sold in packs of two, each Cryovac pouch holds 16 ounces of soup. Because the packs are boilable, you can put the sealed bags of frozen chowder into boiling water to bring it to serving temperature.
Customers love the convenience, saying things like "Thank you for this high quality, delicious chowder—so easy to fix." "I was amazed at the freshness and fantastic taste...I am a fan for life." "This is the best clam chowder I’ve ever had that I didn’t make." And "highly recommend this company. Have ordered twice and the quality is superb."
Each 16-ounce bag sells for around $13. For a great deal, check out the Clam Chowder special, which includes free shipping and four, 16-ounce Cryovac pouches (one half-gallon total) for around $88. If you want to branch out from clam, check out the New England Soup Sampler, which includes Lobster Bisque and free shipping for about $99.
Final Verdict
Goldbelly, our pick for best overall clam chowder delivery knows this and has partnered with dozens of great seafood outfits, many of which offer exceptional chowder. Goldbelly is the only clam chowder delivery service with providers that offer all three types of chowder. Additionally, this service offers chowder from many different restaurants and small businesses, which feature a variety of add-ons like bread bowls, oyster crackers, and sides.
Guide to Choosing a Clam Chowder Delivery Service
Sourcing and Quality
When choosing a clam chowder delivery service, the best options offer chowders made from fresh-caught clams. Some services also offer small-batch clams and locally-sourced ingredients.
Shipping Fees
Some clam chowder delivery services include free shipping on all orders, while others include it with order minimums (typically from $65 to $90). Otherwise, shipping is calculated based on your location.
Types of Chowder Available
The most common types of clam chowder from delivery services include New England, Manhattan, and New Jersey. Most producers offer one type of chowder, but services like Goldbelly include recipes from many different providers. Specific providers may feature multiple types, like Iggy's of Rhode Island (which offers all three).
Compare the Best Clam Chowder Delivery Services
Company | Sizes | Cost per pint | Oyster Crackers | Shipping |
---|---|---|---|---|
Goldbelly Best Overall | 16 oz. to 1 gallon | Varies | Varies | Varies (free from some providers) |
Haskell's Best Manhattan | 2 packs of 16 oz. | ~$30 | No | Extra |
Legal Sea Foods Best Fresh | 1/4 gallon | ~$45 | Yes | Extra |
LobsterAnywhere Best Frozen | 16 oz. | ~$13 | No | Extra |
Frequently Asked Questions
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What Is a Clam Chowder Delivery Service?
A clam chowder delivery service ships clam chowder via UPS, FedEx, and USPS. Chowder is often shipped frozen, but sometimes it is shipped fresh. Either way, the chowder is packed with dry ice to keep it cool during transit. It does not need to be shipped overnight if it's frozen.
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How Much Do Clam Chowder Delivery Services Charge?
Sending clam chowder typically costs around $10 per pint, plus shipping. The more pints you order, the lower the cost per pint will be.
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What Is the Most Popular Clam Chowder?
New England clam chowder is generally regarded as the most popular type, recognizable by its white color with a creamy or milky base. Manhattan and Rhode Island clam chowders are also popular regional choices.
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Which Clam Chowder Is Healthier?
Of the three most common types (New England, Manhattan, and New Jersey), Manhattan clam chowder is typically the healthiest. This style of chowder is made with a tomato base rather than milk or heavy cream, and it also includes multiple vegetables.
Methodology
We reviewed a dozen clam chowder delivery services, seeking those most likely to satisfy your craving for both quality and authenticity. We considered each service's offerings, ingredient sourcing, prices, and customer reviews. The best services offered high-quality clam chowder with locally sourced or fresh-caught ingredients, plus options for bread bowls or oyster crackers to complete the meal.
We aimed to include services with reasonable clam chowder prices, which typically ranged from about $13 to $45 per pint. We also looked for services with well-organized websites and plenty of information about their ingredients and shipping.
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