For decades the chowder served at Neptune’s Net has drawn brawny bikers and jeans-clad movie stars out to Malibu for Sunday morning chowder at the picnic tables by PCH. It’s a famous place and crowded as can be on weekends.
But all these people have been going in the wrong direction.
Going south to the Leeward Marina in the Los Angeles Harbor clam chowder lovers will find the only floating restaurant in Los Angeles, the Chowder Barge, as well as the best chowder in L.A. The chowder is thick and slightly spicy with a lot of clams and some herbs we could not identify.
Here it is: the best chowder in Los Angeles and the setting is fun and unusual, too.
The interior has an accumulation of surfer gear, Asian knick-knacks, pirate stuff, odd art and sculptures as well as loads of other stuff for decoration.
The Chowder Barge itself has an interesting history. It was built in 1934 as a support vessel for the movie ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’. For years it was a landlocked vessel in Long Beach, then went back into the water at the Leeward small craft marina a couple of decades ago where it has remained almost a secret, except to harbor workers. 4 California Fish and Game Officers were having lunch at a nearby table while we were there.
Nothing like having lunch under the gaze of a Merman with an upside-down head hanging from the ceiling. There is a Mermaid at the other end of the restaurant.
If you would rather have a drink than the chowder, burgers or fish and chips, there’s a bar stool waiting for you.
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