San Francisco restaurants compete on the Fisherman’s Wharf waterfront for Best Clam Chowder, Best Theme & Display and People’s Choice, with the judging done live in front of the crowd. General admission is free, so anyone can come to watch, browse the marketplace, play lawn games and catch the entertainment; winners are announced at 4:45pm and it runs rain or shine.
Tasting passes add a sampler at every chowder station and a People’s Choice vote: the Taster’s Hungry Pass ($50) is open to all ages, while the Taster’s Thirsty Pass ($70) is for guests 21 and over with ID. There are outdoor bars on site; general admission and the Hungry Pass are all-ages.
Getting There
- MJefferson St & Powell StF Market & Wharves streetcar · 16 m, about 1 min walk
- MTaylor St & Bay StPowell–Mason cable car · 0.3 mi, about 7 min walk
- BEmbarcadero BART1.4 mi, about 36 min walk
Transit directions, including buses
Nearest Muni Metro, streetcar and cable car stops and BART stations, from SFMTA and BART published stop data. Distances are straight-line, and walking times are our estimate. Buses aren’t listed here.
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More in Fisherman's Wharf
Coming up Nearby
- San Francisco Veterans Day Parade Sun, Nov 8 · Fisherman's Wharf (Jefferson Street)
- PIER 39 Christmas Tree Lighting Thu, Dec 3 · PIER 39
Places in the Neighborhood
- Aquarium of the Bay Attractions
- Boudin Bakery at Fisherman’s Wharf Restaurants
- Musée Mécanique Museums
- The Original Ghirardelli Chocolate & Ice Cream Shop Ice Cream & Treats
Read More
Getting there by Muni
Straight-line distance from the venue; check SFMTA for times and service changes. From our Events by Muni data, October 12, 2026.
Source: Fisherman's Wharf Community Benefit District ↗ · Checked against the official source on October 19, 2026. Found something wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.
Dates, times, prices and venue checked against the official source on .
Cite this page: Project SF, “Fisherman’s Wharf Chowder Fest”, projectsf.com/events/fishermans-wharf-chowder-fest/ (updated ).