The Clam Bucket in Port Alberni

Had a great steak dinner

Price gouging.

Great place to eat. Clam chowder to die for.

Delicious food, everything fresh akd cooked perfectly. Friendly service, and moodly intimate atmosphere.

Stellar meal for the 5 of us. Clam chowder is top tier as well as the fish and chips and burgers with onion rings. Giant portions , bring your appetite! Well be back.

Shabby sports bar / pool hall ambience, not too clean, mixed crowd of hefty plus-size females and guys in ball caps all raised on sugar mill workers, farm hands, boat crew types with unruly kids getting up & running around noisy rude diners out-yelling other tables - most gorging on cheap burgers-n-fries that s what it smelled like. Ear-splitting rap (not music) - so noisy the waitress who took her sweet time - couldn t hear us then conveniently mistook our appy orders for more expensive fare. Argued with us later so no tip! Good seafood maybe rowdy setting cheapened it all. We certainly didn t fit in and won t ever return. Kid-friendliness: Staff let ADHD kids run around screaming - adult patrons not so welcome

Nice restaurant to dine with your family and friends, friendly staff food are excellent

We went there on the recommendation of our room rental company. Our salmon was really good too. But you can still work on the external impression. I wouldnt have come there on my own. But its quite comfortable inside. Parking: Parking spaces are available directly behind the restaurant.

The food was divine

The stuffed mushroom caps are legendary! I am so grateful after years and years they remain the same. I swoon!

We love the restaurant, owners and staff. We go there weekly and are always treated like family.

Every time I visit Port Alberni, I make it a must to dine in at the Clam Bucket! This is my 3rd time coming here since 2014! We had come with a group of 19 people and did not make any reservations. The staff had mentioned that there was only 1 server available for the entire restaurant and said they would accommodate our big group, without any hesitation. Not only did our server exceed our expectations, she was prompt and friendly the whole time through and made sure that everyone was taken care of. Our family and family friends all enjoyed the delicious food and the homely ambience of all the decor that the Clam Bucket has to offer! We will definitely recommend the Clam Bucket and be dining here again on our next trip to Port Alberni!

Always good

Great food, and service alot of food and prices arent bad

Great experience. Very generous portions. The fish (cod) and chips was cooked perfectly. The waitress was just the right amount of attentive. Highly recommend!

Great fish and chips but the portions were on the smaller side not a them thing probably just a sign of the times . Solid little spot and theres free parking all over the place

First time here, food was good. Service is good but dont expect to be in and out quickly!

Clam chowder was perfect!

Good food

Food OK, not the best not the worst. We had the lincod. The fish itself was beautiful but the batter was far too thick and was running out raw when cut into. Strip the batter away and the fish was delicious. Food

Service was excellent and the food never disappoints!

We were excited as we were finally getting the chance to check out the atmosphere at Clam Bucket this Friday afternoon (4:30 pm). Ordered a beer and mojito and scanned through the menu; decided we would come back another night for food and told our server we were good with the drinks. Well. Our server decided to cop an attitude and then told us that they were a food primary establishment and that we would have to order food. Never heard of this before and there are no signs posting this anywhere, so this was news. After trying to bully us into ordering something we asked if we *had* to order something as we would just leave. Get this; she went to the kitchen staff at the back to confirm if this was okay. Omg. I m not sure why I even tipped or said thank you on our exit, not once but twice to her as she wasn t receptive at all, and never acknowledged us or said good bye. Seriously the attitude was the worst, most abysmal service. She made us feel as though we were a complete inconvenience. What a joke. Hope you can find some more friendly and professional servers that can do their job properly and not chase paying customers out of your building.

August 2024 - James Brown might have been the hardest working man in show business but I dont think that he could have kept up with the crew at the Clam Bucket. If you have a sweet tooth you have to try the homemade cheesecake that is different every week. Its on their weekly special menu on every table. Highly recommended. March 2024 - Its back!!! After a hiatus because of COVID-19 soup of the day is once again available! Boy oh boy is it beyond expectations! Every day the chefs whip up a different soup, so if you are looking for a great soup to go with your dinner look no further. Cream of steak & mushroom should not be missed, its probably even better than my moms soup which Im not saying lightly. The other soup that is outstanding is Spanakopita with chicken. The only thing better than the awesome food they serve is the even more awesome staff - everyone from Chef Glen & team in the kitchen to the FOH staff under Amis experienced hand all the way to the bus staff (McKenna) are very professional and friendly. 1st assessment from last year. Very willing to accommodate individual tastes in my experience. Ive tried the fish and chips (cod) and found it to be above average. All the wait staff are well trained and on the ball. But I find one the most amazing things about the Clam Bucket is the kitchen staff - usually just two persons and its a pretty small space they work in BUT that doesnt stop them from really cranking out an amazing volume of food when its busy. They are always on their A game and never falter IMO. Puts many bigger establishments to shame IMO. Kudos all around.

Good food friendly service. Hearty portions.

Great place to eat - Awesome people that work there

One of our favourite spots in town, and locally owned! The food is well priced, delicious, and well portioned. Service is always friendly!

Their haddock fish and chips were excellent. Very large portion of fries.

Great food! Great service! Delicious stuffed mushroom caps. Fantastic fish and chips. Definitely recommend stopping her on your way through Port Alberni.

We had a wonderful dinner at Clam Bucket. The service was friendly and the food was excellent. The Clam Chowder and Cod Fish and Chips were very good but I really enjoyed the Build Your Own Platter for One. We ordered Calamari , Prawns and Battered Cod . We look forward to returning one day with a larger party so we can order the Build Your Own Platter for Two.

Filling hearty yummy meals, fun decor and great location.

Loved that bucket filled with clams and mussels.

Don t go if you are not into seafood. Big portions. We showed up on a rainy but I can imagine how awesome it could be eating a bucket of clams on with a cold beer on a patio on a beautiful summer day. Food : 5/5

Best fish and chips in town, and I ve tried them all so I mean that. Portion sizes are large. You get quality and quantity in this place. The restaurant has a good amount of patrons so make sure you call ahead.

Must place to visit...

Shared a platter for one and a clam bucket between three of us and we were quite content at the end. Delicious food and great service and atmosphere

Yummy

Amazing as always! We had dinner Apr. 22nd. This time we had a working service dog, Odie, with us. Staff were incredibly friendly and accommodating, making sure we had a table where he could be tucked out of the way. Everyone was professional and respectful, no one tried to engage with Odie or pet him. This has not been the case at other restaurants. So, 100/10 as this made our experience SO much more enjoyable. THANK YOU EVERYONE! Parking: While the restaurant itself doesnt have tons of parking, its location near Victoria Quay allows for ample street parking Wheelchair accessibility: Large dining room with vast amounts of space which can accommodate multiple wheelchairs with no issues. Also, the staff are knowledgeable and respectful with service dogs!

We had superb food. Portions were huge, & super great service.

The Clam Bucket has been our favorite place for years. So every time we are in Port, we go and always order the prawn dinner. Prices have gone up over time of course, but this time the cost was way more than we could afford, $33. We were extremely disappointed. All prices were so high. We almost left but then ordered the least expensive thing on the menu, one piece halibut and chips. Halibut was good, lots of tasty chips, but were mostly small pieces, not full length, and what is it about restaurants and coleslaw with fish and chips. Its like it doesnt count. Not much of it and tasteless. Can get better at home in Parksville. I doubt we will be able to afford to go back. So sad.

Always awesome service. Food is always delicious

Platter for one can feed up two people easily. Portion is huge. Seafood caps are also recommended. Lots of parking spots at back.

This is the best restaurant of all time, bar none. The clams and the buckets are both phenomenal and left me gob smacked. The clammy environment was just perfect and left a smile on my face! Highly recommend!

Loved it here

good food for the price and very friendly service!

Good food at even better prices. Group of 7 with 2 small kids. Friendly and fast service, food cane fast, as ordered and was very tasty. We all had burgers, sandwiches, fish and chips and they were all very tasty!

Maybe lots of people here like to eat in dingy and dirty environments, thats fair enough, but the food was genuinely poor. Im trying to make sense of the high reviews. I had the halibut fish and chips. The fish and chips were overcooked to a dark brown, but also the fish was really not great. The coleslaw salad was as bland as it gets and tasts like it comes from a plastic bucket from costco. I gave two stars because the service was normal. What an awful place to eat. Id never recommend it to anyone.

Clam Bucket is a very popular place and obviously a town favourite. Food is consistently good while the portions are decent. We were a table of four and it was a pleasant and quiet environment. Everyone at our party was happy with their dinner choice.

Delicious

This is the place for exceptional fresh seafood in Port Alberni, so good were changing our trip plans to stay an extra night here on the way back

Huge fish and chips. Delicious steak sandwich. Friendly service.

Dietary restrictions: Many food options and willing to change any order to please a customers needs Kid-friendliness: Was able to have my daughters birthday party there Wheelchair accessibility: There are no stairs

Great food, and service. Only sad thing is name is the Clam Bucket, but sadly, they cant source clam strips

My husband and I came in for lunch, we were greeted quickly and seated promptly despite there being lots of other guests. Our waitress was very friendly, quick and attentive. The clam chowder was sooo delicious, very creamy and flavourful. Fish was delicious, the portions were HUGE and the prices were very reasonable considering the amount of food that you receive.

Large portions Not too pricey. Very tasty . Will definitely go back and I recommend it to everyone. Food

The calamari is so good they give you so much

Yum. Fish and chops were bomb, service was bomb, clam bucket bomb, calamari was ok.

The summer atmosphere on the patio was particularly nice here. Service and drinks were good too.

Love this place, a must visit

Having tried fish & chips with clam chowder in dozens of places from B.C. To California .the Clam Bucket beats them all hands down for both!!! Chowder is loaded with an excellent creamy base. The fish has a crispy, not too thick or greasy batter, fries are good. The calamari was fantastic too. Absolutely delicious food, big portions, good prices with very friendly staff. The best in the west! :)

My fish was so dry

Mussels and clams in small buckets. Other food awesome as well and reasonably priced. We also realized they are one of the only places that really know how to make a drink. If youre looking to go out and eat well and have 100% perfect drinks after, you have found your place.

Had the 2 pieces of fish and Caesar salad and fries. Very good. Way too much.

Omg it is the best so i love it so so so much

Nice and cool inside in this hot weather

First time at the Clam Bucket.... All I can say is WOW, I am far from a clam chowder specialist but it was definitely in the top I have ever had. All of the staff were friendly and helpful. I also had the Prawn POBoy sandwich, I unfortunately cant say to much about it as I was so full from the chowder I had to take it to go and havent tried it yet. Highly recommend if you are in Port Alberni. Delicious

Service was great at first ! Then the waitress started to ignore us after awhile ! I wanted to have take out too and asked for a menu so I can get take out ! She did not even come to ask what I wanted for take out ! So my mother and I left !!! Safe to say I am not going back there again !!!

We were in this beautiful restaurant yesterday evening. We are from Germany and searched for a restaurant. We are extremely happy that we found this one! The food was fantastic and we never ate something like that before (especially the salmon!). Also the service was very great. Thank you for the nice evening!

The clam bucket is a favorite stop on my way to Tofino. Yesterday I had the oysters Rockefeller, and it rocked this feller! The full meal is a bit expensive and huge, so think about just having the appetizer version which for an old guy is very filling, along with a cold IPA. PS, I love the gals in this place!

Beautiful restaurant with amazing food and large portions. Love the option to turn appetizers into a meal! Definitely get the bang for your buck at the clam bucket Dietary restrictions: Gluten free options for their sandwiches and burgers!

It was horrible. Clam Bucket used to be the place to Dine, now I wont be back... other people are saying it is hit and miss and has been for quite awhile now. When I was here it was 1997 and it was excellent!! Burger wasnt good, the veggie sand. Was horrible, barely a smear of avocado, tomatoe and cucumber was sliced too thick, couldnt bite the sand. properly. The shrimp jumbolyla was blah, no flavor, just noticed the heat from the spice. Needed to say something, otherwise how will they ever know. Sorry.

Good food, great service...need better beer on tap IMO!

Good portion and good tasting food. The house salad was very good, creamy dill, I think. Always have good experience at the clam bucket

Good fish and chips although not the best, pretty saturated in grease!

Excellent cod and chips and ceasers salad, big servings, cold brews. Will be back.

Very good food and the staff are lovely. Thank you. Ive been many times and the food is always very good. The patio is great ad well.

The restaurant is in need of a deep clean...dont get me wrong the food is great and the service is awesome but when using the washrooms one should not see dirt up all the walls leading into the rest rooms, also a very dirty storage area .

Great chowder with an actual reasonable price. A hard find these days

Great staff

Best fish and chips in town!!

Good food , websites a bit sad for world famous

The waitress was super nice. The clam chowder was excellent after a day of walking in the rain. As for the main meal, the cod fish and chip...what can I say...a big piece that melted in your mouth...excellent!!

Great clams

Have goes here over the passed 15 years and always good good and great service!!

Great awesome food good price

Great seafood and very nice waitresses

Great clam chowder

Always a wonderful experience here...

You have to go food is so delicious

Large portions, good prices, friendly staff. Crowd favourite :)

Friendly fast service food was ready so quick you must try it not just seafood not expensive

Fantistic food and great atmosphere

Love this place.... never a disappointment

Great selection of local seafood. Another great meal , love the bucket of mussels.

A fun full atmosphere. Fantastic staff, great price, delicious food. Lots of fries....

Good food, big portion sizes. Wide variety of food options available.

Great food friendly service nice place

Horrible fish and chips. Overcooked hard crusty coating. Uncaring staff. NOT RECOMMENDED.

Any business supporting and enforcing the Vaxxpass doesnt deserve to make money in a free country

Onion rings and fish&chip batter were good. Clam chowder can be hotter... Maybe heat the bowl before serving. Overall food was great.

Great food at a great price amazing atmosphere very enjoyable.

Huge portions. Yummy food. Worth trying

So awesome never disappointed

Great food and service, loved the atmosphere.

Hot food and very friendly staff

Absolutely gorgeous restaurant, though the menu is kind of lacking. Also the food is kind of expensive but so worth it. Their drinks are Absolutely stunning.

New batter for fish & chips. Melt in your mouth. Next time I m ordering 2 piece

Clamps chowder was really good,highly recommend

My favorite place to eat ..great food

Atmosphere is a bit dark. Has a pub feel. Food tastes good with good portions. With clam in the name I was disappointed that the only menu item was chowder. How about a bucket of clams, deep fried clams, clam linguine etc.

Great food not kid approved

Quaint restaurant with delicious seafood. If you want great seafood, this is the place to go. The service is excellent too. I highly recommend.

Great service went for a day trip to Port Alberni and thought we would stay for dinner. This was a great choice.

Portions have gotten smaller prices higher... doesnt add up

We had such a good time , it s a hidden gem in port alberni, the service was great and the food even better , best clam chowder I ever had . I highly recommend this place

Halibut dinner was great!

Delicious food. Excellent service.

Great food,.great service!

We researched ahead and planned to eat here on our overnight stay in Port Alberni. I got the family fairly excited about it given what the food looked like in pictures and what the reviews said. Unfortunately when we arrived the restaurant was closed, despite the website and hours posted on the door saying that it should be open. We were table of 4 and while we were reading the sign on the door and researching other places to eat, another table of 4 arrived and was disappointed to find them closed. It might be a little unfair to rate this a 1-star since we didnt get to try their food, but what can I say? Wed planned this dinner a couple weeks ahead and felt pretty let down that it was closed when their own info said they would be open.

Great portions.

Ordered the clams and mussels both were so small had trouble picking them out very disappointed

This Restaurant did not dissapoint. The service was fast and friendly. There was four of us and we all got very large portions. The place was also very busy local people really support this place. The menu had lots of good choices ( in my mind lol)

Delicious food and lots of it. You wont go away hungry. Great service and friendly staff. A definite must when youre in Port Albernie

Great food and great service. Definitely a staple restaurant.

BIG CLAM YUM

Definitely recommend it to anyone who stop by this town! We ordered the platter for one and it was a decent portion! The seafood was so fresh! Loved the butter clams! Fried mash potatoes are must tries!

The fun name caught our attention and it did not disappoint! Huge seafood menu that would take days to sample- we had clams, mussels and calamari and it was all delicious. They had a good kid s menu and my son assured me that the cheeseburger was delicious. Cute restaurant and patio, though we took out lunch to a picnic table by the river.

Parking: Park across the street at Victoria Quay.

Best calamari on the island

We come here every year since we accidentally eat innthis restaurant in 2014. This year the Sampler Platter for Tow was even better. They have other seafood and fish dishes but I .not ready to no eat this amazing and delicious dish. Staff is very kind and professional, I felt very well attended. Popular place advise reservations. Vegetarian options: Seafood and salads Parking: Rear parking and plenty acroos the street

Food is always so good whenever we go there :)

Chicken and prawns

Awesome food ,awesome service. Love going here to eat.

Great food. Friendly staff. Thanks again for finding my bag and keeping it safe!

The Bang Bang Prawns are a must-try!

I came from Vancouver to go on first date. The food was great but more importantly the staff went out of their way to make us happy. Before we left I asked if there was a place to watch to sunset. As we were watching the sunset they texted us saying that they had wine and cheesecake for us to enjoy. The next morning I went back to the restaurant to tell them again how much we appreciated their service. This place is amazing and so are the people!!!

The Clam Bucket is an amazing restaurant, great food and nice waiters. Cant wait to go again

Fairly good service for the time of day. Cod n chips were good and served hot. Hubby ordered aside of oysters with his meal. This was the only downside and lost a star for seving obvious burnt oysters.

Got there 5 minutes before closing- no problem. Waitresses were friendly and busy and efficient. Place looks like a shack outside but the food was great. Had a mixed bucket of clams/ mussels. Some muscles werent open and they gave us some more to compensate. Had a rhubarb gin and tonic. Great. Had fried oysters - great. Prices were the most reasonable we found on the whole island, and portion size was good. Absolutely 2 thumbs up. I would go back, no question. Our server was Marisa, but a few waitresses helped out.

Had a great prawn salad, large portion and not lettuce but another leaf (sorry dont know the name). Great lunch!

This used to be a must stop but the last three times have steered me away, the most recent a clamless chowder

Wow !! Portions are big here . Cool older vibe.

Amazing food & service.

Still the best seafood restaurant in town!

Great service, friendly atmosphere and fantastic food!! my cousin works in one of the best restaurants in Vancouver and he was very impressed with the food and service!!

Great place to eat in Port. Every time I come to Port, the Clam Bucket is on the list at least once to visit! Its been a couple years since Ive been able to make the trip, and things have only gotten better. Make sure to make a reservation as they get very busy! Fish and chips, shrimp salad, halibut....all really well done!! Would definitely recommend. Kid-friendliness: They do have a standard kids menu that was good for our 5yr old.

Great food and service. Never been there before but will be back again.

Huge portions of fish and chips!! Crunchy batter and lots of fish and a mountain of fries!!

Service was very good. The platter for two is really bad. Parking: The parking is on the side of the building.

What a great little place. Great decor and atmosphere fitting for the sea food menu. Great selection of all your favourite sea food dishes. You gotta try the Dorito crusted dill pickle appy and of course the clam chowder is a signature dish you will thoroughly enjoy.

Obsessed with the bucket of mussels, come back time and time again for them and have made me a regular. Favorite spot in town Kid-friendliness: Kiddos always have a blast!

Great food, a bit pricey, friendly staff, covid passport is required and mask.

Great food!!

The food was so Great!! I had the Halibut Dinner, I forgot how well the Clambucket does seafood!

Excellent seafood!

Good food, large portions and they are willing to make the food the way you want it. Good stuff.