Oh, but you guys. The Hale and Hearty, tho. This is another NYC import that I was so happy to see in Boston. But what’s that, you say? Only in the Financial District? DAMN. I am begging — BEGGING — the H&H to open a location in Cambridge. The H&H is one of those lunch places where you can always find something that appeals to you when you get there. I have had some of the best soups ever. Asparagus and Shrimp Bisque, anyone? Along with some yummy sandwiches. I wish they’d knock the prices down by at least $ 1 – 3; this ain’t Manhattan. But damn, that’s some good lunch. Don’t be put off by the long line at lunch. It’s soup. It moves quickly. How ’bout that Cambridge location, guys? Huh? Please???
Tina T.
Classificação do local: 4 Boston, MA
Love soup… so happy there is a hot soup place close by! Long lines during lunch… Lots of unique soups. Haven’t tried everything yet but not disappointed! So far my fav is the chicken pot pie and sweet corn. Expensive but each cup is filled with a lot of ingredients… not just liquid… and comes with sour dough/multigrain/crackers. Also get to sample the soup! Great staff! Got the chicken vegetable w noodle today for my cold. I think the broth can be little stronger but it’s ok, still yummy!
Kenzie D.
Classificação do local: 4 Boston, MA
Delicious soups. Something for everyone. I recommend the multigrain bread that comes with the soup. Although everything is delicious, the price is simply crazy for soup. Prices range $ 5.80 for most varieties for a small to $ 8 for a large. You can get great soup around the corner for much less, but H&H has innovative and unusual recipes.
Pamela R.
Classificação do local: 4 Boston, MA
Hale and Hearty is a lunchtime godsend. A coworker introduced me to it after I lamented my standard options – nearby salad bars that are overpriced and leave me hungry two hours later. In contrast, Hale and Hearty offers a fantastic variety of options(soups, salads, and sandwiches) that keep hunger at bay without weighing me down so I can remain focused on work responsibilities. I’ve been ordering a large soup and half a sandwich. The clear downside is the price: given the portion sizes, food here is expensive. However, the high quality, speedy and friendly service, and convenient location(relative to my workplace) make it a justifiable expense. I did download the Hale and Hearty app to begin attaining discounts. The sheer range of offerings – vegetarian, meat-based, seafood-centric – and nutritional information clearly delineated make it easy to find something delicious every day. Hale and Hearty has quickly become a lunchtime staple and a visit here always brightens my workday.
Stephanie E.
Classificação do local: 4 Southborough, MA
This place is a must eat in the financial district! The soups here are unbelievable. My favorite is the creamy tomato with chicken and orzo. Bread comes with every bowl of soup so you could definitely make that a meal in itself, but I usually go with the half sandwich as well(mozzarella, tomato, and avocado with lemon aioli is my go to). It is a little pricey, but so is every other place in the financial district. The minus one star is for the seating. They have seating, however, it is all facing the door so it is FREEZING when you are trying to eat there in the winter. Do yourself a favor and take it to go.
Brian S.
Classificação do local: 2 Brookline, MA
Per one of the previous reviews I thought the soup by itself would be good enough for a meal. Huge mistake. I have finished my soup and it has barely put a dent in my hunger. I got the large chicken and vegetable with noodles and that was very under-whelming. The broth was a bit watery so the soup was lacking flavor. I would definitely not recommend this soup. To be fair, all the other soups looked way better but I only got to taste mine… The servers were very bubbly and helpful which was their saving grace. And the atmosphere of the restaurant was very clean and welcoming. So kudos for that. Until next time I’m going to have to give them 2 stars. One for service, one for atmosphere. None for food.
Jiyea C.
Classificação do local: 4 Boston, MA
I wish I worked close by so I could come here all the time! I haven’t tried anything other than the soups here, but all the soups I’ve sampled and purchased have been so delicious. The staff is also really friendly and so patient, which is appreciated by someone as indecisive about food as myself… I have to sample everything! And there are about 5 rotating daily specials in addition to a dozen or so that they have every day. Plus they have seasonal soups that they have for a month. I love the corn chowder, chicken pot pie, tomato and basil, butternut squash… oh and be sure to ask for the multigrain bread, that’s good for dunking into the soup too. Prices are a little expensive for soup, but it’s the Financial District… does that surprise you? They take LevelUp!
Kate S.
Classificação do local: 3 Charlestown, Boston, MA
Delicious soups but people with allergies beware– the allergens are often mislabeled on the board. While the staff is very friendly and provides good service the management does not make allergen labels a priority.
Mindy L.
Classificação do local: 5 Boston, MA
Tis’ the season to overspend in gluttonous fashion and heave a satisfied sigh after unbuttoning my pants to aid digestion. There is something extraordinarily comforting about having a hot cup of soup on an unseasonably warm late-fall day… The weather isn’t fully cooperating with my seasonal soup craving, however, once it gets too cold, you won’t be able to dynamite my ass out of the office building to retrieve lunch, so gotta get it while the getting’s good. Hale & Hearty is a little pricey(nearly $ 10.00 for a large cup of Sweet Corn Soup?), however, you can mitigate losses by doing one of their bundled deals as I did today. A medium cup of Chicken Pot Pie soup and a half Sriracha Chicken sandwich set me back $ 10.89. A hearty, satisfying lunch to warm even the iciest innards. I haven’t met a soup I didn’t like. Huge fan of the Chicken Pot Pie(available the month of November!) I have an affinity for cream-based soups, something I don’t need, but they always seem to offer some kind of alternative that isn’t calorie-laden. The sandwiches always look crazy-good, but to date, I’ve only tried the Sriracha Chicken(it’s chicken salad made with sriracha) and I’m not sure that I will stray from this spicy delicacy unless, for some reason, they stop making it. Until Old Man Winter’s bitter bite forces me to limit my outside activity to the time it takes me to dash from the train station to my office, I will be venturing out for my Hale & Hearty soup fix.
Janet H.
Classificação do local: 4 San Francisco, CA
If you’re looking for something relatively healthy to eat in FiDi, I recommend this place! This place is perfect for a cold day. What’s nice is that the employees up front lets you sample whatever soups. The food here is on the pricier end, but it’s pretty good! I got to try the salad some time. I think the sandwiches were okay, but the soups are delicious.
Sandy T.
Classificação do local: 4 Somerville, MA
This place gets pretty packed during the lunch rush. They have two lines, 1 for soup and 1 for tossed salads. The soup line goes quick and there are a lot of options on the menu that can satisfy different palettes. I chose the wild mushroom risotto which had a nice smoky flavor. Unless you have a salad to supplement, the medium size bowl would be more appropriate for lunch. Comes with an option of bread or soup crackers. Prices are on the higher end so I would recommend trying one of their fancier soup options vs your typical chicken/noodle or broccoli/cheddar which you can get elsewhere. Not a place I would frequent every week but I could see this being a popular lunch spot during the winter when it’s cold out and you need something to warm you up.
Nate M.
Classificação do local: 3 South Boston, Boston, MA
Go here every few weeks and usually get their mozzarella, tomato and basil sandwich. It’s tasty, which keeps me coming back. However, had a poor experience today after getting half a mozzarella sandwich and half a turkey(to explore the menu a bit). A little annoyed that they charge two half sandwich prices instead of the cost of the full sandwich, but what can you do? As you can see in the picture the turkey half was basically 1⁄3 a sandwich. Certainly not worth $ 4 and change. I brought it back to them to get a proper half, to which they told me «oh its just small bread, that’s how it is.» Granted it is smaller bread, but that is not half a sandwich looking at the others on the pre-made rack. They did the right thing by just giving me a full sandwich, but their attitude that I was in the wrong left a sour taste in my mouth.
Al R.
Classificação do local: 3 Boston, MA
my lips are burning. And not because I“m super excited to write a review! It’s because I just had the Roast beef and blue cheese sandwich here for lunch, and the bun was so salty that they are now puffy and enflamed. They should rename this the Clown-lipped beefwich. The thing about this place, is that they are known for soups. And that’s what I should have gotten. But the chaotic nature of the soup and salad line led me to go the sandwich route. And even then I was a bit confused on where to pay. Next time I’ll try the Soup. It will hopefully be worth the extra 10 minutes to order and pay!
Suzanne L.
Classificação do local: 4 Boston, MA
The soups here are good but slightly expensive. The staff here is incredibly nice and they let you try as many soups as you want. My favorites have been a coconut curry shrimp one, as well as a wild mushroom/barley one. I have not tried the sandwiches or salads, but they look very good. This is also one of the few places that is open past 4 or 5PM in the Financial District! And it is way emptier than at lunchtime, so you can try even more soups :)
Walter G.
Classificação do local: 4 Quincy, MA
pretty legit. went after work at like 5:30 and it was DEAD. the people working there said that’s standard and that it’s more of a lunch place which i can totally see. fine by me though. salads to the right, soups to the left and sandwiches pre-made in the middle so it’s a quick process to get in and out. food’s good — the charleston crab soup was awesome and my half of a tuna sandwich was relatively standard. only gripe is that it was kinda expensive… $ 14 for a medium soup, half of a tuna sub, and a can of pellegrino. thinking back i feel like i might’ve gotten over-charged cuz that seems really steep.
Melissa A.
Classificação do local: 4 Brookline, MA
Lots of tasty soup with none of the soup Nazi. I’ve been here twice and both times I’ve been happy with my order. The soup line can be a bit crazy but everyone is friendly and willing to help. I love that you can try the soups first. With so many options, we can always find something you will want! The small soup is just that — small. Good if you’re pairing it with a sandwich but definitely too small to be a meal on its own. You also get a piece of sourdough or multigrain bread or a whole bunch of soup crackers with your soup, no matter what size. I like that their soups are priced differently — so depending on what soup you get, you will pay more(or less!) as appropriate. I mean really, a lentil soup shouldn’t cost as much as a crab bisque. The layout of the store can be a little confusing. Basically it’s a long counter with soup on the left side, salad on the right, and sandwiches and registers in the middle. They also have a couple of grab and go stations — one hot for soup and one cold for salads. If you’re getting soup and want to try some soup first, start at the soup station. Once you have your soup you can then easily stop and grab a half or whole sandwich, then take two more steps forward and pay. Lots of vegetarian options — both soups and salads. This place is a madhouse at lunchtime, but you will still get in and out very quickly. I do wish it were a little bit cheaper — $ 9 for a small soup and half sandwich is a little steep, but that’s pretty standard for downtown. Also, if you pay with Level Up and spend $ 100 here(across multiple visits… unless you’re really hungry) you will get a $ 10 credit!
Steven P.
Classificação do local: 2 Boston, MA
Meh. I really should learn to take my lunch to work. The soup was fine. The salad was fine. The diet Coke was fine. What wasn’t fine was that I could have really gone over to the Palm for lunch for what I paid. Holy cow! I’d like to think that I’m mature enough to not be overwhelmed by so many choices… but, heck, my mind was blown by the sheer number of choices for a salad. I feel like there should be some sort of orientation before placing an order… and this is coming from a guy who gets frustrated by folks who can’t figure out how to order a coffee without a big ordeal. I really didn’t like how the place is set up. Maybe it would have been easier if the guy who made my salad didn’t stare me down as I decided what to get. The chances of me going back are slim… not that I’ll be missed. There were at least fifteen people waiting in line to buy paper bowls of soup. They won’t miss me.
Abbie M.
Classificação do local: 5 Boston, MA
There’s nothing like a good cup of soup on a frigid winter day. Hale & Hearty hit the spot with their delicious(and somewhat overwhelming!) array of options. On top of their 5 Everyday Soups, they offer 15 different Daily Options. Our little group tried the Chicken Vegetable, Cream of Chicken with Rice, Classic Black Bean, and Southwestern Shrimp & Corn Chowder. Sourdough and multigrain bread were also sampled. All of us ordered larges($ 5.99), and left full and happy. At 12:30 the place was pretty full but there were still open seats, unfortunately they’re situated immediately in front of the door which was extremely drafty(we left on our coats). This probably worked in our favour to cool the soup though, which, as we were warned, was extremely hot. I would definitely be interested to try some of their other offerings such as sandwiches and salad. As ordering goes, I was full with my large broth-based soup, but if it had been a cream-based soup I would never have been able to finish. Definitely order accordingly. The location is convenient on Franklin, immediately across from Post Office Square. If you’re looking for a quick/informal lunch on a cold winter’s day, this is definitely a great spot!
Jason B.
Classificação do local: 4 Cambridge, MA
I’ve been here for lunch a few times, now, and on almost every front, Hale & Hearty has wowed me. The first time I came, on their opening week, they had an employee standing at the front greeting folks, and explaining the layout of their store — which is relatively huge — so that everyone knew where to go. That was such a huge plus for me in a new place. Since then, I’ve enjoyed several of their great soups, and while they all suffer from the same MONSTROUS too-much-sodium problem(to be fair, nearly every soup on earth has this problem unless you make it yourself) their soups are, exactly as the name says, hale & hearty. A self-avowed carnivore, I nevertheless LOVED their vegetarian wild mushroom and barley, and their classic tomato basil with rice, while a bit sweet, is absolutely perfect on a cold day. The chilis are a bit flat, but that’s to be expected; not everyone wants a 5-alarm lunch. If you want a good sized, but not over-done lunch, pair a small or a medium soup with a half a sandwich. Their tuna is the perfect not-too-much-mayo, and they have plenty of veg and chicken options if you want something a little heavier. Value is about what you’d expect for freshly made soups and sandwiches made on freshly baked bread. A medium soup, a half a sandwich, and a can of San Pellegrino(love that stuff!) will run you between 11 – 13 bucks depending on what you order. If you sat down in a restaurant and ordered that same meal, you’d pay about the same, but you’d wait 20 minutes for it. Here, you’re in and out in under 5 — and that’s when they’re crowded! No lie, they have their process down cold, and the number of folks working there will have you zipping back to your workplace with your food in no time flat. All in all a solid place for a relatively healthy meal on the megadouble, at a reasonable price.
Amanda L.
Classificação do local: 5 Boston, MA
I was psyched to hear Hale & Hearty was coming to Boston! Their soup is AWESOME. It’s a bit pricey but everything I’ve had has been delicious. I tried the Chicken Pot Pie today for lunch and it didn’t let me down. The 7 Grain bread is awesome to dip in a hearty, winter soup. The place was crazy when I left(around 12:15), so I suggest going a bit earlier to avoid long waits/indecisive newcomers. Hale & Hearty offers a wide selection of soups, sandwiches and custom made salads. You can also use LevelUp or download their App for rewards.