Smithsonian Cafe and Chowderhouse

My wife and I were traveling from North Carolina to New Hampshire and stopped here for lunch. It was so good that we stopped by again on our way home the next weekend! She had the clam chowder and I had the seafood chowder, both with big grilled cheese sandwiches. It was all delicious. I really wished we lived closer.

Really proud to say I had supper here a number of nights ago. The staff are amazing, and the location is perfect for an easy on/off (I-91). Reasonable price wise, and has a great kitschy feel.

Peter and his staff did such a wonderful job catering our wedding and he was an absolute pleasure to work with. Not only was the food great (lots of compliments from our guests!), but there were many thoughtful gestures. Things like labeling dishes for our guests with dietary restrictions, and even making sure to set some appetizers aside for my husband and I to have when we were done taking photos.
Peter was always easy to get in touch with and we really enjoyed being able to work with a local business that clearly cares about the community.

The food was amazing I got the cowboy chicken chili and came out very hot and good, fried haddock sandwich was fresh and pulled right apart. Very good service and dined in and was out within an hour! Highly recommend this place to dine in and get some food!

Our meal at the Smithsonian Cafe and Chowderhouse was so delicious! Stop here if you are in the area. I recommend the Lobster Roll and the Lobster Bisque.

Always hits. Comfort food in a classy but casual place. Out-of-towners, it's only gonna take one stop here to learn why everyone in town knows and loves the Chowder House.

Something-for-everyone menu, (always vegan/veg options) covered outdoor seating, plenty of parking. Wicked nice staff, and a good employer paying good wages.

Skip the chains, this place is right off the exit and a hundred times better and great prices. Thank you Chowder crew!!

The clam chowder was simply outta this world! The fried Fish and Chips as well as the fried Calamari was also fantastic, done just right and NOT greasy! Fast, friendly service and prices were reasonable!

Do not sleep on this place. I just popped in there and got a sampling of chowder, chili, wings, and a reuben sandwich. OMG the reuben. So good. Everything else was great too, but that was a stand out. I will be back soon to work my way through the rest of the menu.

We went with Smithsonian Catering for our wedding reception buffet-style dinner and Peter and his staff were an ABSOLUTE pleasure to work with.

Everything that Peter suggested for a menu (that we subsequently tried) was delicious and we only became more and more sure of our decision to work with them as time went on. He also kindly gave us seafood chowder whenever we went and OMG that stuff is DELICIOUS.

Peter and team made us a fruit + cheese table for appetizers, chicken marsala medallions, baked haddock with seafood stuffing, grilled vegetables, caesar salad, tomato mozz salad, and even helped us pull off our custom desserts! We got cupcakes in the following flavors : Andes mint chocolate, earl grey and chocolate, and apple cider vanilla, IN ADDITION to a tiramisu cutting cake. And EVERYTHING was delicious!

Every tasting we went to was fantastic and everyone at the reception really enjoyed the food. Thank you, Peter, for being down to earth, transparent about costs and any changes that needed to be made, and for just being absolutely fantastic to work with. We're definitely recommending you to every event/friend we can! You guys were amazing, Smithsonian Catering team.

Thank you for helping us with our wedding!

P.s. Peter is also willing to take on custom menu items and has experience with interracial wedding menus (where someone's grandma's recipe can be used). We didn't end up going with this option, but as an interracial couple, just knowing that he was considerate of those potential dynamics spoke volumes to us.

This the best place to eat. The soups are delicious and so are the dinners, popovers, and sandwiches. The staff are polite and friendly.

Great spot right off the highway. Delicious clam chowder and amazing popovers. Dog friendly at the outside picknick tables. Service was awesome. Will stop there again next time we are traveling through.

Easily one of my favorite places in western mass. I have celiac disease and it is SO nice to be able to eat fresh, delicious and allergy safe fried seafood. This place is truly a gem and I am thrilled every time I visit!

Their lobster bisque is on point. Also the last place you'd think you would find an amazing Reuben!

Totally delicious corn chowder! A big treat to find for someone who doesn't eat seafood. The fried brussels sprouts were a little over fried for my taste. We appreciated that there was plenty of outdoor, covered seating.

We had just rolled into town on a cold, wet evening and needed some soup. The woman running our hotel (The Old Mill Inn, also fabulous) recommended the Smithsonian Cafe. The food was PERFECT. Seafood chowder and a pesto grilled cheese. Y'all. It's exactly what I needed after a loooong day of travel.

When driving up to Vermont we always make a stop for some of the best chowder and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Had the haddock and it's fresher than your crazy uncle at a bachelor party. Loved it. My friend had a blue cheese buffalo chicken sandwich and she loved it also. Enjoy

Fantastic! They just catered for our family reunion. They made all of the food gf/ df to accommodate dietary restrictions. The food was excellent, the owner made sure I knew everything was gf and that they look every precaution to avoid cross contact. The red beans and rice were so good! They also made gf corn bread muffins and a gf/df apple crisp that was amazing. They were the nicest people who were more than happy to make modifications to ensure the food was safe for everyone to eat.

I ordered from the catering menu and Peter is Fantastic! I was coming up from NY and he is so accommodating and just wonderful to work with. The food is EXCELLENT!!! I am so happy with Peter and the Smithsonian. I've found my caterer in Northampton! Peter goes above and beyond on the personal level too which he doesn't have too. He carried all the food out himself to my car and text me the next day to ask how everything was. Everything was AMAZING!!! The chicken franchise was soooo good, the teriyaki steak tips were so tender and delicious and the sausage and peppers were high quality sausage which can really make or break that dish. All the produce was extremely fresh, even the salad dressing was exceptional! I highly recommend the Smithsonian!!! For delicious food, stress free catering from a very pleasant and easy to work with caterer, Peter is your guy.

This place is AWESOME. The food is fantastic, reasonable prices, friendly staff, clean, good atmosphere, and the desserts are phenomenal. They actually catered my reception and they did a HELL of a job. Highly recommend!!!