The Best Clam Chowder in the Boston Area?

Article and Photo by Eric H.
The Red Wing Diner in Walpole, MA, seems like an unlikely place for what we feel is the best clam chowder in the Boston, MA, area. It's a rather ugly, red-colored shack on commercial, generic-looking Route 1, about 20 minutes from the ocean. Once inside, however, it's a clean place with a plain-looking cafeteria-style dining room and a 1933 dining car, incorporated into the restaurant as a bar. The Red Wing Diner has lots of good things going for it -- pizza, fried clams, lobster rolls, fresh roasted turkey carved daily off the bone, homemade pudding -- but the New England clam chowder stands out as the best item on the menu. With full clams, fewer potatoes and a perfect creamy base, we found the Red Wing Diner version to be better than expensive coastal restaurants that tell you how good they are.

File this under "What's a great clam chowder like you doing in a place like this?" On closer inspection, however, it's all about the food at the Red Wing. Thank goodness there are still places like this left that don't rely on high prices and annoying, deceitful marketing. The locals love the Red Wing and its clam chowder. To outsiders, consider this one of the great hidden gems, surely a worthy dining destination while traveling in New England.

The Red Wing, 2235 Providence Highway, Route 1, Walpole, MA. Tel. (508) 668-0453

Read a dining review on the Red Wing Diner at VisitingNewEngland.com