Hale and Hearty

The search for a decent salad in midtown brought me here. I went in and saw salad price of around $ 10 for the kind of canned ingredients you would see at any basic salad bar deli, so I decided I should head out and just pay a bit more for a yummy, all organic Mangia salad. But the line… and it was two more blocks to walk…
Then I saw the southwestern protein box at Hale and Hearty– the shredded chicken and gooey tomato-​avocado salad had me interested! For $ 10, I thought, not bad? saves me a walk too!
Well, I’ll never be so lazy again. The chicken tastes like mold/​dirt mixed with antiseptic and spices. Last time I had chicken that tasted this bad, I was in a tourist trap in New Delhi, INDIA. Admittedly, they did try to spice the chicken, and i can also taste that but nothing can mask the taste of moldy food… ugh. This chain used to be pretty good, but I find the food quality standards keep sinking and it’s bordering Airline at this point. I anticipate soon only stomach-​aches will be what they’re known for.

Hale and Hearty please open a store in the Bronx. No, not just in the Bronx, but specifically in Throggs Neck, okay!!!
I confess, I am a soup lover. I kid you not, I could have soup 212 days a year, but only with one caveat, there has to be a multitude of varieties and that’s what Hale and Hearty provides, a multitude of varieties. Aside from soups, Hale and Hearty offers a choice of pre-​made sandwiches, plus an option to create-​your-​own salad. Eh, for me, I’d rather just have my soup, thank you very much.
Thank you Executive Chef Bruce Rogers for bringing your philosophy of ‘If you liked it as a kid, you’ll like it as a soup.’ Basically it seems his thought process is any knife and fork meal could be basically turned into a soup and did so by creating 500 different varieties that are constantly rotating on the menu board.
To help you choose there’s a dietary breakdown showing either V=Vegetarian, L=Low-Fat or D=Dairy. Plus samples are offered to also narrow down your decision. Samples have helped me expand my favorites to: Curried Eggplant & Lentil, Ginger Butternut Squash, Chicken Pot Pie, Tomato Cheddar, ummm Tomato Cheddar, Lobster Bisque, Vegetarian Split pea, Green & Yellow Split Pea with Smoked Bacon, Morrocan Chicken, and so many more.
This location, during lunch hours, can have lines out the door but the employees at the soup counter and the register are good at what they do and get you in and out quick fast and in a hurry. Upon checkout don’t forget to get your Green Bean card stamped so you can cash-​in on a free soup after a bunch of visits. Soup is good food!

Chaotic during lunch but they’re good at taking (what little) time they have to not make you feel like a robot customer. Yay to simmer bowls

Their soup is great, i think we all agree on that. The staff here, however, is as good as you will see in a retail food establishment (notice i did not call it fast food). The customer service here is excellent, the staff always seems to be friendly and actually smile and say thank you. Everyone here deserves at least $ 15/​hour. A pleasure to go in there. Highly recommend!

It’s a hard life being both vegetarian and lazy. Ordering soup from a restaurant is like playing diet roulette when you never know if the broth they used is meat-​based or veggie. Hale & Hearty’s transparent menu is a god send when I’m craving warm soup for lunch.
It’s not vegan, but I’m partial to the sweet corn chowder which is not too thick (more creamy) and is extra filling because of the potato chunks.
Their mini truffle brownies (also not vegan) are TO DIE (or make an exception to your diet) FOR. It looks small at first, but once you taste how decadent it is, you’ll realize it’s the perfect portion size for a delicious chocolate treat!

The two-​stars is only because the bread I got was a thin sad slice of bread — similar to Wonder bread slices. I’m accustomed to get a hefty slice of bread at other H&H locations. Dunno if it was a one-​time thing, but it was disappointing.
Otherwise, the soup was good and the line moved quickly.

i happen to think $ 8 plus for a soup is a bit of a rip off but in general, they are okay. Pretty filling if not downright heavy but they all taste a bit on the sweet side to me. Their lasagne and chicken pot pie are amazing not doesn’t really taste healthy and make you hate yourself after eating thought. I do like their salads, the chicken they use is very tasty, fresh and has a nice flavor.

Very busy establishment and for the most part the service is fairly quick. My favorite soups thusfar have to be the three lentil chili and portuguese kale. But if I had to choose between the two then definitely the Portuguese kale. The staff is friendly and will allow you to try as many soups as you’d like before making a decision. I’ve never had a bad experience with staffing. The only downfall is if you come after the lunch rush hour many of the daily special soups are sold out which sucks if you’re having a late lunch that day. Overall it’s one of my fav lunch spots in the area.

I definitely prefer this hale and hearty over the over ones in the area. The staff is friendlier and it feels a lot cleaner.
Salad line is usually pretty long (not sure why… Most Unilocalers have said that their salad is not comparable to the other salad places like Chop’t or just salad). Hm… Well, I’m usually here for soup and sandwiches and those lines are usually good!
In terms of the atmosphere. It is cleaner and it’s decorated really nicely, almost reminds me of the Chop’t by Bryant park (maybe that’s why people come here?!). It has a green feeling, like you’re healthy– the tables are decorated with embedded grains and things like that. Super cute!
Also, the place is small but not many people in the area have sit down lunches so it’s not too hard to find a seat. I recommend this place to sit and eat, but if you’re looking for Hale and hearty take out then maybe this location wouldn’t make a difference if there is one closer to you than here.

Just 1 block from my office. Employees are nice and efficient.

This is my regular H&H spot because it’s about a 5 second walk from office. For the most part, this place is a zoo, but the workers do try and get everyone in and out as fast as possible. They have a pretty good system in terms of providing good service (except for when you win your free soup or salad, sometimes it takes the manager a while to get to the cash register, but that can’t be helped if it’s busy).
My favorite soups are Creamy Tomato w/​Orzo, Vegetarian Split Pea, Split Pea w/​Smoked Turkey, 10 Vegetable, Chicken Pot Pie and Lobster Bisque. I’m sure there are a bunch more that I’m forgetting, but basically, they have a great selection of soups, so you’ll never get bored.
The salads are okay here — I guess I just feel that other establishments give you more quantity for the same price.
PS: Free bread or crackers with your meal! And don’t forget your green/​bean card because you can’t combine them.

Get the Tuscan White Bean or don’t. Get something else.
Basically a bland, over priced Midtown lunch spot. Appears to be very clean.
If you are on this block and are hungry and don’t have energy or time…

Get the soup, but make sure you ask that it’s served by Mary. Just trust me on this one, brotha.

Great soups and sandwiches.
I like the sun dried tomato chicken sandwich.
The best soup is the lobster bisque.
The half sandwich/​soup combo is the way to go.

I had the Balsamic Chicken & Avocado sandwich. I had the whole sandwich it was a decent size and filling and definitely on the pricier side but it is worth it. The bread and ingredients were so tasty.

I’ve come to Hale and Hearty a few times for lunch when I’m feeling lazy/​need to try something a bit different from Metro, which is right across the street. That being said, I’ve never been blown away by the selection here, and the daily specials usually don’t capture my opinion. I ordered cream of broccoli once, and it definitely tasted much more like straight-​up broccoli soup. They also didn’t put anywhere close to the amount of salt needed, so it tasted like I was eating pureed vegetables. The chicken noodle also lacks a bit on the salt side, and I’m not a fan of how the noodles are added into the broth… they generally end up tasting like plain noodles, as they haven’t really absorbed any of the broth as the soup has been simmering. Their sandwich selection is also inferior to Metro. I know tuna salad isn’t reinventing the wheel, but it was another flavorless offering.
I’ve heard the chicken jumbalaya is good from my colleagues, and the food altogether isn’t inedible, but it’s definitely something I’ve phased out of my rotation when I’m looking to get a quick soup and sandwich combo for lunch.

Synopsis: Hearty. Yes. But that value proposition only works if you can back up the taste as well. This place is a dime a dozen.
Time of Experience: Noon, Friday
Food Ordered: Two soup & sandwich combos + Brownie + Turkey & Brie
Pros: (1) Soup selection has nice designation of V-​vegetarian, L– low fat, and D– dairy free. Makes selection process easier. (2) Great service. I asked for a soup recommendation, the workers kept feeding me samples and really tried to help me out (3) Water with lemons + cups set up near napkins/​utensils which is nice.
Cons: (1) Not tasty. Co worker had the broccoli & cheese soup & mediterranean wrap. Stated he disliked soup because he likes real chunks of broccoli. Soup wasn’t chunky and you can taste more broccoli than the cheese. Feta in sandwich was overbearing (2) My tomato rice soup and turkey and brie sandwich were decent but nothing special. (3) No tray if you order to stay. A bit annoying and creates a mess.
Service: Above average. Really put in the effort to help me choose my soup.
Overall: Not impressed. You can find a heartier, tastier, better priced soup and sandwich place in NYC.