Saratoga Springs hosted its 25th annual Chowderfest this past February. It was a remarkably warm day in winter, even if the afternoon clouds did give way to a few showers. For one day a year, all the local restaurants serve one thing and one thing only: chowder. From Cantina’s famous Chicken Enchilada chowder to Sweet Mimi’s dessert “chowder,” an oreo tiramisu, there is no shortage of interesting choices. At $2/cup, thousands of people, locals and visitors from afar, flocked to the streets of downtown Saratoga for a chance to taste these legendary concoctions. Read on to see some fan favorites from Skidmore Her Campus’ Editorial Team.
Senior Editor Elena Chawla ’26 noted Druthers Brewing Company as her top choice, with a delectable lobster & crab corn chowder with crab cake and lemon/chive oil topping. Lots of punch packed into that little bowl!
Lifestyle and Career Section Editor Madison Sadler ’24 (hey, that’s me!) ranked Brasserie Benelux in first place with their Loaded Potato Leek chowder. It reminded me of something my grandmother would make for a family dinner—the perfect mixture of creamy and savory. Think Campbell’s Cream of Potato soup, but with even more flavor!
Student writer Rachel Cofsky sampled Stewart’s Shops, Kaffe House, Esperanto, and Karavalli! Stewart Shops’ corn chowder was pretty tasty, and is the best “bang for your buck”. It had a nice flavor and texture but could use a little salt to put it over the top. Kaffe House’s potato chowder was Rachel’s favorite of the three chowders she tasted. Unfortunately, it had the skimpiest portions, but Rachel thought it was worth it. On the other end of the spectrum, Rachel thought Esperanto’s offering was incredibly bland and downright unpleasant. (She did caveat her review by indicating that her perception may have been less negative if she hadn’t spent an entire day sampling chowders). Lastly, Rachel credited Karavalli with creating the most creative chowder. It was the most different from all the other chowders and had a very similar taste to Dahl.
Other fan favorites included Boca Bistro’s paella chowder, Ice House’s creamy smoked pork corn chowder, and Morrissey’s vegetarian cauliflower chowder.
“We had so much fun! I’m coming back every year!!”
Anonymous Student At Skidmore