Minding Your Business- Uncle Pete’s Chowder House

It’s all in the family over at Uncle Pete’s Chowder House in Brewster. 

Jane and Andy Murphy, the local couple who purchased the iconic Brewster Inn and Chowder House last year, are ready for a busy summer ahead. The Murphy’s also own the Sandbar and Lost Dog in Dennis, the Lost Dog in Orleans, and the Peacemaker and the Woodshed in Brewster. In fact, Andy grew up working with his cousins and Uncle Pete Murphy in the Woodshed and Chowder House, so he knows the ins and outs like the back of his hand.

“When we were growing up we all worked there. My Uncle Pete had owned it since 1969. I worked at the Woodshed bar for 15 years in the ‘80s and ‘90s. It is such a cool place,” Murphy says.

With a new name paying homage to Uncle Pete, the quintessential Cape Cod establishment located on Route 6A in Brewster has been given a fresh interior makeover through and through. There’s plenty of seating in the bar area and dining room, as well as a fantastic outdoor area next to the lawn. There are framed nostalgic artwork on the walls from the establishment over the decades and gorgeous nautical wallpaper, both giving the spaces throughout Uncle Pete’s a cozy and warm feeling.

Murphy notes, “We painted, we stripped old carpets. And there is really nice maple flooring underneath it all. We have refinished all of the floors and woodwork — a lot of areas needed attention.”

Under the direction of chef Matt Lyon, Uncle Pete’s Chowder House has a fresh new menu with lots of fan favorites and plenty of new items to try out. 

“Chef Matt makes a great scallop dish and an incredible mushroom beignet appetizer,” Murphy says. “It’s a total Louisiana thing with garlic butter stuffed mushrooms, deep fried and topped with a hollandaise sauce. It has gotten rave reviews!”

The menu features an array of seafood from the raw bar, salads, soups and chowders, of course. Wings, truffle fries, fried calamari, stuffed quahogs and shrimp and grits are popular appetizers at Uncle Pete’s. Lobster carbonara, vodka chicken and miso salmon are some of the popular entrees, while plenty of sandwich platters and kids selections round out the delicious menu. Lunch specials are also available in addition to a full cocktail and bar menu. 

“There are some great cocktails, and the number one drink is called the ‘Lude Jude Mule’ named after Judy Henderson,” Murphy says. “She ran the bar here for years in the ‘80s and ‘90s. She had a great Cape Cod personality, so we naturally named the drink after her.”

There is a mix of old and new staff at Uncle Pete’s Chowder House, so visitors will definitely see many familiar faces. 

“There’s a lot of continuity in this community,” Murphy says. “Brewster is a cool little town where there’s a lot of locals and visitors. We want to keep the food good and the hours consistent for people. This is kind of a community gathering place and that’s what it always has been.”

With the adjacent Woodshed being a uniquely summer place, Murphy plans to keep Uncle Pete’s Chowder House open year-round. 

“We want to be open year-round, where people can grab lunch in the middle of February if they want to, and be open for people to work, because that is the most important thing, getting local people work and keeping the economy rolling,” Murphy says.

Congrats to the Murphy family and the entire crew at Uncle Pete’s Chowder House! 

Uncle Pete’s Chowder House 

1993 Main St., Brewster, MA

508-896-7771