La Capital Tacos takes Chowderfest in the rain. The full 2026 lineup, and who finished where.

Update, October 13. The votes are counted. The Downtown Troy Business Improvement District announced Monday that La Capital Tacos won the People’s Choice title with its birria chowder, the beef brisket, guajillo chile and Oaxaca cheese bowl at 161 4th Street. Bootleggers on Broadway took second with its chipotle sausage and shrimp corn chowder, and The Ruck was third with the chowder it entered as “Anise and Ember,” the fennel and butternut squash Manhattan clam chowder on the lineup. Sunday was wet, and the BID thanked the crowd for coming anyway; the Troy Record reported lines out the door of the Hedley Building for Slidin’ Dirty’s cheeseburger chowder, and Ryan’s Wake told the paper it had served more than 800 samples of its New England clam chowder by 2 p.m. from 40 gallons prepared, expecting to pass 1,200 by closing. The lineup as it was served follows.

Twenty years in, Chowderfest is the downtown Troy fall ritual: a few dollars in your pocket, a paper cup in your hand, and a slow walk down River Street and Broadway tasting one chowder after another. The 20th annual Downtown Troy Chowderfest is Sunday, October 11, noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free, every sample is $2 for a four-ounce cup, and 17 restaurants and businesses are cooking. Taste as many as you can, then vote for your favorite; the crowd’s pick takes the People’s Choice title.

The lineup

The numbers follow the map, which runs north to south: River Street first, then Fulton Street and Broadway, then down 3rd and 4th Streets toward Ferry Street.

1. Slidin’ Dirty, 433 River Street. Cheeseburger and potato chowder with bacon, fried pickle and Dirty Secret Sauce.
2. Oh Corn! Arepas, 429 River Street. Venezuelan auyama (pumpkin) chowder.
3. Brown’s Brewing Company, 417 River Street. Jambalaya-style chowder with breaded chicken.
4. Ryan’s Wake, 403 River Street. New England clam chowder.
5. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, 377 River Street. Smoked corn and pork belly chowder.
6. Ilium Brewing, 410 Fulton Street. Broccoli cheddar chowder.
7. Whiskey Pickle, 407 Fulton Street. Pickle potato chowder.
8. McAddy’s Pub, 452 Broadway. Birria potato chowder.
9. Bard & Baker Board Game Café, 501 Broadway. Philly cheesesteak chowder.
10. Stacks Espresso Bar, 13 3rd Street. Two: a sausage, sweets and beets chowder, and a curry cocoa chowder.
11. Little Pecks, 211 Broadway. Clam pizza slices, per the BID’s graphic; the written lineup had it as “to be announced.”
12. Bootleggers on Broadway, 200 Broadway. Chipotle sausage and shrimp corn chowder.
13. Mex Cocina NY, 7 Broadway. Land and shell chowder.
14. Jesus’ Mexican Grill, 86 River Street. Chorizo chowder.
15. River Street Poké Bar, 184 River Street. Salmon and corn chowder.
16. The Ruck, 104 3rd Street. Manhattan clam chowder with fennel and butternut squash, gluten-free.
17. La Capital Tacos, 161 4th Street. Birria chowder with beef brisket, guajillo chile and Oaxaca cheese.

A few practical notes

• A route. Two miles of walking covers it all, but nobody does all 17. Start at the Green Island Bridge end of River Street (stops 1 through 5 are within two blocks) and work south, or start at Ferry Street and work north against the crowd. The Fulton and Broadway stops cluster around Monument Square.
• Voting is through the BID’s online form, linked from its Chowderfest page and on the QR code on the poster. One vote; cast it after you have tasted, not before.
• The hat. New this year, an official 2026 Chowderfest hat made with Lyf Supply, $30 at the Downtown Troy BID booth on 2nd Street in Monument Square. Limited quantities.
• Cash and cards. Each restaurant takes its own payment, so bring small bills for the $2 cups.
• Getting there from Speigletown. Route 40 south to Hoosick Street, or Route 4 along the river. The BID’s Chowderfest page links the city’s parking information; check it for garage hours.

The event is on our events page and in the calendar feed.

Sources: the Downtown Troy Business Improvement District’s Chowderfest page (downtowntroyny.org/chowderfest), its 2026 lineup announcement and graphics, reproduced here with the lineup as published, and its October 12 results announcement as reported by the Troy Record (Eden Stratton, October 12, 2026), which also supplied the sample counts from Ryan’s Wake. The route suggestions are ours.