The Soup Market

It’s been a couple months since I went but it wasn’t the most pleasant experience. I thought I’d get a sandwich and soup. Tried to order a ham sandwich but everything is pre made. Luckily I asked before he charged me for a sandwich with every ingredient you could think of. It even already had mustard on it. I can only imagine how soggy it would’ve been. I received an attitude for changing my mind on the day old sandwich (they were about to close).
The soup I ordered was okay. It was some sort of pot roast soup with beer broth. Pretty good. I prefer my soups with lots of meat and lots of potatoes, dontcha know. This one lacked in that aspect. However the effort in making that (hopefully) homemade soup earns the two stars.
It was also considerably expensive. Spent almost five bucks on the tiny bit of soup.

Disappointed! Reuben skimpy on the corned beef, ham & cheese unwrapped in front of us and cold and chicken/​dumpling soup great on contents but brooth tasted like Campbells.

Not good. I love soup so I wanna love this place but it failed. I walked in and two employees were working but did not greet me, just looked at me. I had to wait a while to place my order. The soup was dished out of a container that was lined with Loose saran wrap, not very appetizing. The soup was a thick weird texture and the oils had separated. Then I asked for a ham and cheese deli sandwich and I was served egg salad, I got the order to go so I was unaware of this until after the fact. Also so expensive for what I received. Not good

I want to love this place but I can’t, I’ve tried it a few times. Soup and sandwich is hands down my favorite lunch but I find it incredibly over priced for what you get. The grilled cheese I just received was flatter than a pancake. See pictures. I wish I could give them a good review but it’s just not deserved.

The soup itself is delicious. I had the tomato bisque. It was rich, creamy, and divine. I had stopped in for lunch, but also to drop off a fundraising flyer for a friend of mine who just had a double mastectomy. This was my second visit. I asked the cashier if the flyer could be hung up in the establishment. I received a perfunctory shrug. I then asked if the establishment would be willing to donate anything for the fundraiser. At this I was simply ignored and told the total for my order. I realize that small businesses have very slim profit margins and that not everybody can donate to every cause. For instance, the owner at the pet bakery across the street said she was unable to donate. But she was warm and kind and I bought some cat treats from her. Don’t expect warm and fuzzy at Soup Market though. I was a little salty at the way I was treated. I didn’t want to like the soup. But it was really good. I’ll give them that.

Good soup. Many options and all looked well prepared and fresh. Parking is a bit difficult, but if you are in the mood for some decent soup, look no further!

If you want a deli sandwich look no further. Basic offerings, all homemade. Their chicken salad is primo. Be warned, the ice cream is frozen solid and comes in a petite carton.

I really enjoyed my soup. So 5 stars!
Ok so it’s not quite like the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld… they’re actually very friendly over here. I had a bowl of the Chicken Asiago and the Polish Pickle soups so far, and they were fantastic! The only problem I have is deciding which soup to get. They have SO many available to choose from.
Each soup comes with a good chunk of bread, which was great because the Polish Pickle was perfect for dipping. I would say the Chicken Asiago was more hearty… very much like a Chicken Noodle soup, but better because of the added cheese.
There’s more than just soup to choose from here. They also have other items like sandwiches and salads… but I’ve only come here for the soup. There is a nice area inside for dining in if you can’t wait to eat your soup!

I frequent this place during the week for lunch and almost always take my order to go. The soup is always still hot when I get back to my desk. I love the convenience of being able to look online at what soups are available that day and for the rest of the week to help plan my visits. Online also includes all the details of the ingredients included, I wish they could include some nutritional facts also. Service is friendly and prompt. This is a great work lunch spot especially since its a small local business to support vs a chain!

Excellent selection of delicious and nutritious soups. Sandwiches are also available.

I will admit, I am a soup lover. Love it all seasons, love all kinds, I just love soup.
I stop in the soup market often. I have liked many soups I have tried here and I love their chicken salad sandwich. Popped in today and had a special soup of the day. It’s a chicken curry and it is beyond wonderful and surpassed my expectations. I took the picture a little late (ate the bread and half the soup) but it was 4 star worthy!

I love the variety of soups offered and especially like that they always have a vegetarian or vegan option. The bread that comes with a large bowl of soup is always fresh.

It’s a small space, but I imagine it doesn’t get as busy as it’s other locations — I am usually the only person in there when I go. They have a nice selection of soups, and you can combine soups, salads and sandwiches to make a combo. The guys there always let me sample a soup or two to make a decision, and I love that they always have a veggie and vegan option. My personal favorites are the veggie bisque and the veggie stew. They also post their soup menu (which changes daily) online — making it easy to decide if I want to stop by as easy as looking at my phone. The only reason I have 4 instead of five stars is because there isn’t much of an effort put into service. The kitchen staff just come out when they see you there and give you what you’d like, then go back to cooking.

Pretty good, pretty good. I had the chicken dumpling and some ridiculously good oatmeal cranberry coconut cookie. My husband was a bit pissed I ate the soup quick and didn’t let him taste it… Oh wouldn’t he be mad to find out I had the cookie, he would have loved it and I just didn’t want to share!!! Reason for us to go back for certain. I must say, I don’t like this soup (bread is always dry) at the public market but really enjoyed the bayview location. My bread was so soft and chewy. Heck I would go there just for the bread to be honest. Service was great, gal behind the counter was really nice and helpful. Wrapped my soup really good and was worried about me biking it home. I’ll have to let her know it all worked out when I go back for that cookie… And some more soup;)

Just OK. I wanted to dig it more but alas… just OK.
Although the soups are fresh and hand crafted, the treatment of chicken soups (insert separated, pre-​cooked, rather spongy chicken chunks and dumplings into cup then cover with ladle of chicken broth) was really weak. I love that the ingredients are fresh and real and some of the other recipes are great but chicken soup (and its variations) are standards and need to be done right.
Sandwiches (I had the half and half lunch meal) are just fair.
Front counter service procedure for ordering and serving could use a rethink too.
I love good soups and the idea here is good but I’m only 50% on stopping in again. On the other hand, good fresh soup restaurant alternative deserves support so maybe I’ll hope and gently cajole so that they up their game just a touch.
Also worth noting that the prices are quite reasonable. Maybe I’ll wait for the right menu day and do the three-​cup meal deal.

Let me start this by saying, I like soup, I really do. BUT I’m not a SOUP GUY.
That being said I was working outside on what seems to be our 167^th day of snow and thought, «I want some soup»… there it was right in front of me… «The Soup Market».
I ordered the the «five alarm chili»… now, given I have lived in Wisconsin for years, I wasn’t expecting the «five alarm» to be much more than «point five alarm» … I was wrong!
It was so spicy, in a good way. The soup was homemade, thick, hot, and had big chunks of beef (not taco meat). Honestly, I can say it was the best chili I have ever had.
A complex concoction of spices, but with the familiarity of chili and heat.
Served with a big hunk of bread and butter and a couple packs of oyster crackers, a good deal for around 6 bucks.

The Soup Market. Have the pizza.
I kid. I kid.
Unless of course they have pizza soup, then it’s probably a pretty good choice.
I’ve been dining here for lunch for years. It’s one of my favorite Gosh-​I-​gotta-​get-​out-​of-​the-​office-​for-​an-​hour-​before-​I-​strangle-​somebody places to dine. Their soups are fresh, tasty and a good value. In fact, it seems to me the odder sounding the soup, the better it tastes. I recall a few years back a Polish dill soup that was a brothy, but heartwarming delicious entrée on a blustery January day. It may even be souper easy to make (see what I did there?), but I haven’t seen it on the menu since.
Another favorite is African Peanut Chicken — which is almost as much fun to say as it is to eat. Try it: African. Peanut. Chicken. Fun, right?
And a few days ago I enjoyed fresh pea with spätzle. Hey, I’m 50% German. If you put spätzle in it, I’ll eat it. Furthermore, saying «Spätzle» is also a fun thing to say.
Again, try it: Spätzle. (If your German pronounciation is rusty, maybe this will help: shpéts’l.)
Unfortunately not everything is fun to say at The Soup Market. For instance «Chicken Noodle Soup» is not much fun. It’s followed closely by «Chicken Dumpling Soup.»
Why?
My chicken soup bar has been set awfully high by my mom’s, grandmother’s, wife’s and sister-in-law’s versions. When I say «Chicken Noodle Soup» or «Chicken Dumpling Soup» around them, what follows shortly thereafter is a very happy tummy.
I think what makes my relatives’ soup so good is liberal use of chicken … the WHOLE chicken. That means dark meat included. That gives the broth a full, slightly oily body with a whole lot of flavor. The chicken, too, falls apart and off the bone. I’ve seen mom pull it out and tear it apart with her fingers before throwing it back in the stock. Now there’s the key to a hearty chicken noodle soup!
The Soup Market uses cubed white meat chicken. Cubes of white meat chicken floating in yellow broth obtain the texture of driving range golf ball. I’m sure it’s a healthier version that may appeal to some and probably is more expensive to make, but for me, I’d prefer it prepared old school style. Gimme the fat!
All in all, The Soup Market is a solid choice. I know what I like there and what I don’t, so it makes for a very satisfying lunch option.
Oh, and one more thing: if you can make it past the toffee-​covered chocolate chip cookies placed tantalizingly close to the check-​out register, you’ve got a lot more willpower than I do. Dang those things are good.
Like I said: Gimme the fat!

Disclaimer: soup is my favorite food and I want to eat it every day of my life. And man, this place knows how to do soup.
I’m reviewing the Bay View location even though I’ve been to all three (and loved them all, naturally). I really like that this location gives you the food in actual dishes instead of Styrofoam if you’re staying there, a choice that I didn’t get at the other two locations. Who still uses Styrofoam? The Soup Market, that’s who. Only bad thing about this place.
So, on to the good things: DELICIOUS SOUPS. Dear lord. I want to shove it all in my mouth. One of the best things about this place is that they let you sample soups to see if you would like them before you make your decision — I highly recommend doing this. There’ve only been a couple I’ve tried that I didn’t think were absolutely delightful, but I’m sure they’ve got their perfect audience out there, as well. Here are some of the soups I’ve had at The Soup Market:
— meatloaf and mashed potato: are you kidding me, this tasted EXACTLY like a meatloaf and mashed potato dinner, I die
— BBQ pulled pork chili: WHUT
— African peanut & chicken soup: you guys. YOU GUYS. This is DELICIOUS.
Seriously, y’all. I don’t live in Milwaukee anymore but I can GUARANTEE that I will be going back to The Soup Market at least once or twice when I’m back in town to visit. I already miss it.

I was sick sick sick this week, and the only thing I wanted was chicken soup. I’m not talking soup out of a can with an extra side of sodium; I’m talking soup with fresh chicken and homemade noodles. And maybe a nice wedge of homemade bread on the side. Thank you to The Soup Market for making my soup dreams come true! First, unlike some soup places on the south side, I’m happy they are open to 7pm, ensuring my soup cravings can be met just about any time of day. Second, the homemade noodles in the chicken noodle soup are absolute perfection. The crusty, soft bread is a great addition to the soup, and I highly recommend springing for the homemade cookies– the turtle cookies are insanely delicious. I’m pretty sure I’m on the road to recovery partly because of The Soup Market.

the soup is great, but service is lackluster. Counter service is tortise-​slow with one person working the register. Mistakles happen but how the staff reacts is always telling. I picked up a $ 45 carryout order that was phoned in ahead of time. Unfortunately, i realized a sandwich was missing when I returned to my office. I called and the person who answered acknowledged the missed sandwich, saying it was «left on the counter right next to the grill.» After asking for a refund the person unapologetically replied «I dont know how to do that.» Customer service at its finest. I have yet to see a credit or get a call back from a manager.
If I didnt love the African peanut chicken soup so much I’d probably never go back. Maybe my Reuben will still be waiting for me after I simmer down…