Clam Chowder Lunch in Bodega Bay

Cruise out to Bodega Bay for the freshest clam chowder and discover this quaint town on the Sonoma Coast.

This California beach town is immortalized on film in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 thriller, “The Birds” and is big on seaside charm. When you get here, venture to Spud Point Marina to admire the rows of yachts and fishing boats in the harbor.

Spud Point Crab Company is a tiny seafood shack that, according to reliable sources, serves the best clam chowder in Northern California. Mostly a take-out operation, this small shop takes your order at the counter after you choose from the menu posted on the wall. 

The New England-style clam chowder here really is outstanding — smooth, rich, loaded with chopped clams, and without the heaviness. Here’s an insider’s tip: Everyone should get their own pint of chowder. Trust us — you won’t want to share.

The shop is also renowned for its crab sandwich — an elliptical, lightly toasted bun packed with ultra-fresh, faintly sweet Dungeness crabmeat. It’s a creation without filler or heavy seasonings to distract from the purity of this fresh, seasonal treat.

Depending on the time and season, Spud Point’s menu may also include shrimp, barbecue tri-tip, breakfast sandwiches, crab or shrimp cocktails, crab cakes, and a red-style tomato-broth chowder. They smoke their own fresh-caught salmon to sell, along with crab meat, bay shrimp, prawns, and whole-cooked crabs — which they’ll clean for you for free.

Spud Point Crab Company is run by the Anello family, who opened the retail operation in 2004 and whose descendants came from Italy to Bodega Bay more than a century ago to make their livelihood fishing. During the fishing season, the Anellos set out at dawn to catch the super-fresh crab, salmon, and other seasonal seafood they sell at their shop. 

Once you’ve picked up your food, take a seat at one of a few picnic tables out front, which look across the street at the bay. Or drive to a nearby spot with a view and have a picnic.

Just a couple of hundred feet down the road, Westside Regional Park offers picnic tables overlooking the harbor. If you head up the hill at the end of Westshore Road, Bodega Head offers picnic tables with stunning blufftop views and trails.

Or head back to Highway 1, turn north, and devour your feast at one of the many cliff-top pullouts overlooking the ocean between Bodega Bay and Jenner.

For more ideas, read 5 Fun Things to Do in Bodega Bay and, if you want to stay overnight, Where to Stay on the Pacific Coast with Stunning Ocean Views.