Jack's Chowder Fraser — Restaurant in Vancouver

The following is a 5-star review and I don’t write a lot of reviews compared to many others because I’d rather spend my time in other ways; however, I’m going to spend my time writing this one because it is well deserved.

We all have these thoughts about specific foods we haven’t had in awhile. My wife went to San Francisco a few months back and I reminded her of getting Cioppino which is a seafood stew that originated from there. The best she has ever had was on a cruise ship. Sadly, she did not get the opportunity to get the dish so at 2:30am for whatever reason last week I decided to look for a local place that had this dish. The internet took me to Jack’s Chowder.

The menu looked decent and I’ve been to many places with chowder, fish and chips, shrimp, the usual. The reviews and close proximity to where my son was yesterday after his badminton took us here. The only skepticism? Location. This place is nowhere near the ocean. But off we went.

The skepticism exit stage left when we arrived. First thing? People. The place was packed. There were 2 tables outside and a girl enjoying a bowl of clam chowder sitting at one of them. The chowder looked great. We were greeted by a man who I found out later introduced himself as Matt. The only table available for 3 was outside — in the rain. Ambience. The best soup days are on colder, rainy days. Let’s sit.

The second thing that stood out was the first thing on the menu which was the New England clam chowder. Now, when it’s the first thing on the menu AND the word “chowder” is in the restaurant name and on the wall, you know it should be good.

Order taken with smiles — one chowder, one Cioppino, two fish sandwiches, one with easy tartar. Few minutes later, decided to get fries so ordered that. I wanted to order a shrimp roll but they sold out.

Food looked great. My son is a picky eater. First bite and we couldn’t feel the cold nor hear the rain. It was all about the food. I’m not exaggerating when all of us agreed that this was the best chowder we’ve had yet. And special mention for the crackers. No cheap Premium Plus here! The Cioppino was the best on the cruise ship. Was. This Cioppino was better. Fish sandwich? On point and it was the best fish sandwich I’ve had yet as well. Soft bun, crispy batter, quality fish. Fries. Damn good. So good I was reluctant to get the ketchup, and I always get the ketchup. I’ve never had fries like this before. So good. What’s going on? When is the last time a lunch was perfect? I can’t remember. But I didn’t need to. It was now at Jack’s Chowder. My wife liked the chowder so much she ordered another one to go. This never happened before. It did today.

This restaurant is small as are the staff of three, but this place has big flavor. And although it’s nowhere near an ocean, neither is the best Chinese food in Vancouver found in Chinatown.

I’m coming for that shrimp roll and tons more visits. This place is truly...

Absolutely Blown Away by Jack’s Chowder – Worth the Trip from Maple Ridge!

We finally made the drive out to Vancouver to visit Jack’s Chowder, and it was nothing short of spectacular. We’ve always missed their food truck when it comes to our area, but after checking out their menu online and seeing they offer a free bowl of chowder just for signing up with email, we knew it was time to go. Let me just say: this place is an absolute gem.

Let’s start with the **New England Clam Chowder—hands down some of the best chowder we’ve ever had. We upgraded ours with the double bacon add-on, and WOW. The bacon isn’t just a sprinkle—these are thick-cut, crispy, smoky chunks of heaven that elevate the entire bowl. Rich, creamy, and full of flavor, it’s everything chowder dreams are made of.

But the real surprise—and the star of the show—was the ** Dill Pickle Popcorn Shrimp. These blew our minds. Made with plump, juicy Argentinian shrimp, perfectly fried and seasoned, they were next-level delicious. Paired with their *homemade tartar sauce and *mango habanero hot sauce, every bite was addictive. Honestly, if you go for nothing else, go for these.

We also tried **The Fish Sandwich, and again—phenomenal. A generous piece of flaky, beer-battered cod nestled in a soft bun with B&B pickles, cheese, and tartar sauce. Simple, but absolutely nailed. Crispy outside, tender inside—this sandwich could hold its own in any fish joint across the country.

Salt and vinegar fries are awesome as well. Not over powering at all which I was worried about but a whisper and absolutely delicious!

The menu at Jack’s is small but mighty, focusing on quality over quantity. Everything is made with love and care, and it shows. The vibe is welcoming, the service was great, and the food is 100% worth the trip.

We’ll definitely be back—and next time, we’re...

Hot take on Jack's Chowder...

#TLDR Get the chowder in a regular bowl and get the fried fish. Skip the extras.

Been seeing this place pop up in my feed and tried them out on the weekend. Located in the former Shameless Buns storefront.

Signed up for their email listing and got a "free" clam chowder ($13 value with min $13 spend). Decided to go all in and add the sourdough bread bowl (+$7), crack on bacon ends (+2), lobster oil (+2)... my advice is to skip the extras.

The bread bowl was quite small and even though it looks like it's overflowing, there isn't much chowder in it. I'm usually a sucker for a sourdough bread bowl but I wouldn't do it again here. Lobster oil really didn't add any flavour. I saw some other diners with the regular bowls and there definitely seemed to be more chowder in those bowls. I've seen some other pics of the bread bowl in socials that appear slightly larger so maybe I just wound up with a really tiny bowl (not sure). Also thought the chowder could have used a bit more dill.

Tiny oyster crackers but I've had problems trying to find oyster crackers in Vancouver.

The dill pickle popcorn shrimp had small pieces of shrimp encased in thick batter. Couldn't taste the dill pickle flavour but liked the mango tamarind hot sauce. This can be a filling item but it's mainly batter.

The highlight was probably the beer batter fish. Nice thick and flaky fish. Salt and vinegar fries were crisp but the flavor was kind of off. Sometimes it seemed like it was too strong and sometimes I couldn't taste it at all.

They may still be working things out. Originally, they tried to overcharge me for the chowder. Small interior with 3 tables inside. Really wanted to like this place more but the chowder wasn't really memorable (maybe because there wasn't much in the...