Duckies Chowder House — Restaurant in Cayucos

Overall, darn good and we’ll return.

We visit Cayucos for a week or more, once or twice a year, and for some reason, have never tried his place.

During our last visit, we tried Fish and Chips to go from another nearby restaurant. The coleslaw was terrible, but everything else was good. That’s the reason we tried here tonight.

My wife walked down to order. She said the staff were really awesome, and the place looked good. Two orders of Fish and Chips, two coleslaws, and two NE clam chowders, to go.

Preparation was quick and the packaging almost perfect.

We both found the clam chowder and the coleslaw to be delicious. A win for Duckies. The fries were good. A plus for Duckies. I preferred this fish from Duckies as compared to the nearby competitor from last year. My wife preferred the competitor’s because it had more breading on it. That’s a personal preference, so I’ll call it a tie.

The only downside for me was the packaging. Overall, it was good. When my wife returned to our RV, we enjoyed the clam chowder and a start on the salad before cracking open the containers of Fish and Chips.

I’m not sure of the thinking, but the little container for the tartar sauce was upside down in both. No big deal, my wife opened up hers first and started to enjoy it.

When I opened my container, my tartar sauce container was also upside down, but unfortunately it contained Ranch dressing and because of the packaging and heat from the food, it had ruptured and the Ranch dressing had leaked everywhere inside the container into the fries and fish, soaking some of it. I’ve never had Ranch dressing with Fish and Chips in the past. It wasn’t terrible, yet I won’t do it again—at least on purpose.

If the owner or employees read this, just put the tartar sauce container in right side up, and maybe a little better inventory control so Ranch dressing and tartar sauce doesn’t get...

As we arrived, there was very little parking and we went on a slow day.The staff at this restaurant were very friendly. The bathrooms and the restaurant were sufficiently clean. However, we only ordered three things and they messed up the order and overcharged us. They did fix that problem after it was brought to their attention. Some of the booths have stationary tables which are too far away from the seating so it was uncomfortable trying to lean forward so far to eat the food. Twice we had to ask for more napkins because they only wanted to give one napkin for eating fish and chips. And unfortunately, although they claimed the chowder was made in house, the clams were so overcooked we had to spit them out because they were hard as rubber. The French fries were decent, but the fish was so overcooked that it also had a rubbery, chewy texture and the breading had little flavor. We came with high hopes, but were sorely disappointed and because they are completely boxed In by buildings around them, you do not have a view of the ocean. We hope they can resolve these issues so they can align their friendliness with the quality of their...

Duckies is a sister restaurant to Dorn’s in Morro Bay, so you know it’s going to be good. It is one of our favorite places to go, especially now that we have a couple of squirmy kids. Order at the register, they bring the food to you, and you can take as long or as short as you’d like (depending on your toddler’s mood). Food is excellent, fresh. I always get the sautéed fish bowl with veggies and rice pilaf, but everything I’ve had there is great. Everyone is always happy with what they order, and we’re blessed to have both budding food critics that want oysters, clams, and all the seafood they can get, as well as a couple picky eaters that if there’s anything green or if it looks remotely healthy, it doesn’t pass the sniff test. Overall 10/10 would recommend.

Hot tip - there is also a “to-go” window on the side that is very convenient if you’re wanting to simply pick up and eat on the pier or take some hot food back to your family that isn’t quite ready to leave the beach. A hot bowl of clam chowder is a great way to warm up after coming out of...