The Original Soup Kitchen Reviews Summary

Category: Soup restaurant

Address: 259A W 55th St, New York, NY 10019, USA

Phone: +12129560900

Rating: 4.6
based on 152 reviews.

Food Quality

Pros:

  • "The soup and lobster roll was super good!"
  • "For the price, the lobster roll was incredibly delicious, loaded with lobster!"
  • "Best damn soup I’ve ever had!"
  • "Best soups in town! Their lobster bisque is amazing--even better than one I've had in Maine."
  • "The lobster bisque is gorgeous. The split pea and ham soup was spectacular. Seriously delicious soup."
  • "Every spoonful of the lobster bisque has a mouthful of lobster, fresh tasting, minimal thickening agent, just good ingredients!"
  • "The soups were very flavorful and seasoned well."

Cons:

  • "Definitely not a place for foodies or those local to the NYC/NJ Metro area who enjoy great food."
  • "This place is so overrated. I brought the chicken and rice soup and the splitpea with ham, both soups lack broth and had a overpowering flavor of carrots."
  • "Lobster bisque was good, just a little salty. Jambalaya soup was just okay."
  • "Less enthused about the shrimp and corn chowder (I found it bland)."
  • "Also had the jumbalya. Tasted like it was from a can."
  • "Nothing 'original' in these soups... All cooked on the same 'base'- mashed up carrots, potato, onion, who knows."
  • "Their soup here was ok but a little underwhelming to say the least."

Service

Pros:

  • "The guys at the counter were really friendly."
  • "Guys are friendly, they recognize the regulars."
  • "The people at the counter are so friendly and inviting and sometimes even give me double bread when I’m nice ;)"
  • "The staffs were kind and polite."
  • "Staff were also nice and do not have any airs despite the place being a previous popular TV filming spot."
  • "The man who runs the place is very friendly (not like the one in Seinfeld :))"
  • "The gentlemen who served me was super super nice!"

Cons:

  • "During my visit the serving staff was quite abrupt, bordering on rude."
  • "The restaurant has no concern with orders not being delivered properly."
  • "The bag was fully wet, the paper container/cup where the soup was packaged was soggy. Too much money for poor quality food. I will never order from here again."
  • "Excellent soup but very rude employees. Went today at 5 after work with the intention of buying 2 large soups and the teller was not helpful at all, so I decided to leave."
  • "Sadly the staff would not say no soup for you for me."

Value

Pros:

  • "Delicious food, at a surprisingly affordable price point given the tourist fan-base associated with this location."
  • "Considering the usual prices in NYC, this place has a very good price."
  • "Can't believe I got soup, bread, chocolate and fruit for under 10 bucks in NYC!"
  • "Nice selection of great tasting soups. Their prices would be reasonable in most locations, let alone Manhattan."

Cons:

  • "Soup is pricy ($10 for small lobster bisque), but it's worth it."
  • "The jumbo size of soup is laughable. Charging $12 for a what is a smedium cup of soup is shameful."
  • "Ordered the lobster bisque… not life changing. $12 seems crazy for a cup of soup."
  • "Insanely small portions for very average soup at crazy prices."
  • "Still pricey though."
  • "The soup is pretty good but definitely not worth $12 for a small cup of it."

Ambiance & Convenience

Pros:

  • "What a 'cute' little shop, and absolutely worth a visit or more."
  • "The ambiance didn't disappoint either!"
  • "There's usually not a massive line like you see in put photos."
  • "An enjoyable, unique NYC dining experience that you should allow yourself to take."

Cons:

  • "The place doesn't have an interior and instead is a shop with a counter."
  • "A negative note is there's no dining space available, you have to get creative."
  • "No seating on site, but I had planned to take it to my hotel room and relax prior to the Broadway show I planned to see."
  • "Unfortunately, there was nowhere to eat so I had to wander over to a nearby park."
  • "If you plan to go close to 8pm, be warned they close earlier than the posted time, we got there at 7:45 and they were closed."

Extras

Pros:

  • "It’s nice that the soups are served with a roll, a pear and a little after dinner mint."
  • "Each soup comes with a piece of fruit, Alice of bread, and a tiny chocolate, which adds just enough to the meal to fill you up without bloating you."
  • "They give a piece of bread, mint chocolate and a fruit (apple, pear, banana)."
  • "Order comes with bread, fruit and a chocolate."
  • "Plus all soups come with bread, fruit and a chocolate."
  • "Good soup, comes with bread, fruit, and chocolate."
  • "I really like that every order comes with bread, a piece of fruit, and a sweet little candy."

Cons:

  • "Souvenirs are little expensive though."
  • "I swear I can taste the cardboard from the new cups he's using."
  • "Gone downhill. Had lobster bisk back in 2004 and there were chunks of lobster in it. Had it in 2018 and there was none."

Thanks! Your review is awaiting moderation.