This shopping-mall-ish soup emporium claims to serve Seattle’s best chowder, which, while not completely unfounded, is a bit of an overstatement. This is in fact tourist food. Exhibit A: bread bowls. Exhibit B: location, which depending on the branch is either next to the buskers populating Post Alley or in a food court at Pacific Place Mall. Exhibit C: prices.

Pike Place makes very creamy, New England-style chowder—basically stock, heavy cream, and salt, with clams or seasonal Northwest swimmers. It’s an elemental flavor and texture mix that’s hard to argue with, and if you try, you might find yourself just gulping it down rather than pointing out supposed flaws. (There’s a vegan chowder, too, with vegetables and coconut milk, although it must be crushing to decline the bread bowl.) Seafood is also good in sandwich form—wild salmon, for example, is pan-fried crispy, sealing a nice softness within.

Obvious care goes into Pike Place’s offerings—hot pepper sherry on the tables is a nice touch—but the place falters quite a bit. For example, the aforementioned salmon sandwich is paired with clumpy, too thick, and ill-distributed lemon-caper mayo. And the house salad is just boring—iceberg and romaine drowned in supermarket-caliber dressing.

The sampler of four five-ounce cups of chowder is your best bet, as it’s enough food for two people and allows you to try the daily specials, indulge in the creamy New England clam chowder, and then chase it with something a little lighter.