The Original Soupman

Checked this place out on my recent trip to NY due to all the hype. We couldn’t get the shrimp chowder since they were out so we ended up getting the butternut squash and the leek and potato, both were just bleh! They were SO underseasoned and the the butternut was just too sweet. Very disappointed.

So I have heard good stuff about this place but I guess I wasn’t paying attention because maybe people were just talking about how the place was featured on a show. I mean I love Hale & Hearty’s soup but I wanted to change and experience something different. I figured since I like Butternut Squash and I have had it from so many places, I should try the one here and see how it is. Honestly, its the worst soup I have ever tasted. I would not recommend it to anyone. I will def. not be returning here :(

No, I am NOT a Seinfeld fan but I do enjoy a good soup. Given the overall Unilocal rating I had to give this original location a try and based on both the Jambalaya and vegetarian chili I had on two different days this place is – in one word — awesome. Yes, the person behind the counter seemed grumpy. When someone asked if they had a particular soup and was told to read the menu it was funny. The bottom line, however, is always the food and unlike some other places that ride on other fame to stay in business I was glad to find out this was not the case for the Original Soupman.

I hope I won’t be black-listed…but yeah, this place is overrated imo!
Hubby is a Seinfield fan and we had to stop by to check out the soupman during our visit to NYC…
Hubby had the large chicken corn chowder and I had the beef& Barley… each set us back $ 9… «large» is really no large… probably about 10 oz worth of soup… a good size for small stomach or for light meal. Each order came with a slice of bread, 1 Lindt chocolate truffle ball and a small apple.
I liked the chicken corn chowder more than the beef & barley. but both really were just regular soup, nothing special and certainly not worth $ 9 for such a small portion. Sorry to say but it’s just a small step up from progresson can soup… Soupman’s soup probably had less sodium than progresso though.

I got the lobster roll. There was a big sign at the entrance with an amazing looking lobster roll with print saying something along the lines of «rated best by Zagat». Well, I watched the dude make it, and he took out a sandwich baggie from the fridge, sprinkled some morsels on top of a tiny roll that he had just filled with iceberg lettuce, then gave it to me. Seeing that it cost $ 12, it ended up costing about $ 2 a bite. And it was totally nothing special, either. I would have actually enjoyed the 99 cent pizza per slice place around the corner more (no joke — the pizza there is quite tasty).
To prove how tiny it is, I’m attaching a pic. Yes, it is about the size of a dollar bill!

I went on a chilly fall day. It was my first day on a business trip in NYC and I wanted something really quick. It just so happened that this place was around the corner from my hotel and I walked right passed it. I was so excited because I had been wanting to try it.
I got the jambalaya without being yelled at or anything lol. It was given to me quickly and it was hot and delicious! I recommend for anybody going to NYC soon.

Little store front that has the soup from Seinfeld. The choices are great soup mixes. Priced from 6 to 12 bucks for a bowl of soup. The lobster roll at 12 is abig favorite here. Great on a cold day. Right off of 8^th Ave

SOUP FOR MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
I had the butternut squash and my pal had the chicken tortilla! Came with bread and a Lindt truffle and an apple! Best place ever! I felt like all the Seinfeld characters rolled into one! It was a SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE! Gonna eat here every day. Nah, probably not. But if I pass by one day and they have mulligatawny I will pee myself with glee and then get some. Yes. Magical. Simply magical.

I was in the mood for soup this fine lunch day and decided to take a stroll over to 55^th Street to check out The Soupman.
I was a little surprised by the establishment. Not in a bad way, it just wasn’t what I was expecting. I was thinking Hale & Hearty — this is NOT it.
Admittedly I was a little overwhelmed when my ideas were dropped on the curb in front of me. I made a quick judgment call and ordered a small New England Clam Chowder because you can’t go wrong with chowdah… except you can. And people do. This was the true test my friends.
Upon paying I was immediately thinking $ 7, are you kidding me?! It’s soup! But I kindly paid and took my pricey soup with me.
Fast forward to me on a park bench, unrolling my little soup treasure. Imagine my surprise when I look into the bag and see not only my soup and a spoon but a banana and a Lindt caramel truffle as well — BANANA & TRUFFLE you guys.
Bananas I tell you.
But that’s not what this is about. We’re here to talk shop, er. soup. And that, was pretty damn delicious. It had large chunks of clam and potato. Not once did I bite on anything gritty.
All in all, the Soupman passes. I will definitely be back, and soon.

Excellent anytime every time
Winter is coming
Get your taste buds squared away
So far each choice of soup is awsome

Scatter my ashes here.
On one of the best days of my life, I came to the Original Soup Man with Kenny Kramer where I ordered a medium lobster bisque in one sentence with my cash ready. They gave me bread for $ 0 extra.
Needless to say, I was STUNNED BY SOUP

This place is awesome. $ 16 for good soup and a lobster roll with a piece of fruit and chocolate included, can’t beat that.
I like how quick they are and how fresh everything tastes. I could definitely eat here every week. They have a great selection of soups too.
Don’t be intimidated, they aren’t mean like the soup nazi on Seinfeld. Soup for you!

My favorite episode of Seinfeld is the infamous Soup Nazi episode, so naturally I made The Original Soupman (aka the soup shop this episode was based off of) my second food stop on my 2 day trip to NY with the Bae. Upon arrival, we were greeted by two gentlemen guarding 4 pots of the original soupmans soup.
Food: Inspired by Newman, we ordered a small cup of jambalaya (I know, Newman would have ordered a large, but ballers on a budget ain’t about to drop $ 10 on a bowl of fucking soup). The soup was hearty and chunked up with heaps of sausage and spices. The flavor was good not great, and a bit oily for my taste. The meal included sourdough bread, which is great for dipping and filling up your stomach, and a very aesthetically pleasing banana, which is great for force feeding your girlfriend in a humorous manner.
Service: Unlike that infamous Seinfeld episode, there is no ritual to follow or emotionally unstable genius to navigate through in order to grab a cup of soup. Likewise, there was a distinct lack of line-​out-​the-​door during lunchtime. It is unclear whether or not these two observations are related. Ultimately, my experience there was neither good nor bad: I asked for a sample, was turned down, chose jambalaya, and 30 seconds later, I was ready to eat. Clearly my life is not sitcom worthy.
Verdict: Food was okay, Service was normal and unfortunately lacked any form of verbal abuse.

This review is only for the lobster roll.
The flavor was very underwhelming and the lettuce wasn’t fresh. I’ve had better from food trucks and restaurants. There was only a handful of meat. Finished the roll in under 2mins.
So in conclusion, Stick with ordering soup, even if the $ 10 lobster roll looks very enticing because looks can be deceiving!

The Original Soupman is quite an establishment, especially after being referenced in an episode of Seinfield. I finally checked out the place in Hell’s Kitchen just a couple blocks south of Central Park. The place is very small — no place to sit down, but just a counter with two guys serving soup and lobster rolls.
My boyfriend got the famous Lobster Bisque and Lobster Rolls. The bisque is extremely rich and heavy with little bits of lobster and cubes of vegetables. I think the soup tasted good, but just a couple spoonful was enough for me or else my stomach would have ached from all the cream.
The lobster rolls at first seems like a good deal — a heaping pile of lobster sandwiched in between buttery rolls. But there actually isn’t that much lobster because the bottom layer of the buns is basically mayonnaise and coleslaw. They also put way too much butter on the buns and drizzle even more butter on top of the lobster. Recipe for a heart attack? I think so.

I was shocked when I arrived the
was tiny… like a stall… I had to order soup from the street road.
the staff was sitting on a chair inside the kitchen, he was a young man, 15seconds later, he reluctantly stood up and came to me.
when I talked him to order, he seemed a little scary… besides he was not smiling at all.
At the moment, I really wondered whether I should turn left and go away.(´･_･‘)
But anyway I ordered a soup, and somehow it came with a small Apple! I really enjoyed the surprise!
(But, What should I do about it? Should I just bite the apple? is it supposed to be cut, or bitten? should it be dipped? Why an Apple in this situation?)
A scary guy and a soup with a crimson Apple!
Such a bold America!
After all it became a good memory in NY!

LOBSTER BISQUE. Order it.
The best part about this soup is you’ll find huge surprising gems of lobster. It’s like a Where’s Waldo for food. There wasn’t a long line when I went but that’s probably because of the speedy service despite the fact that there are only three guys working.
All soups come with bread, fruit and a Lindt chocolate so you won’t have to go pretend you’re a potential Lindt buyer when in reality you’re only there for the samples… Please tell me I’m not the only one that does this.
The only downside is that it’s pretty expensive. You could probably go to a deli and buy a bigger bowl of soup for half the price. BUT it’s about the taste right?

So I saw this place on an episode of Seinfeld and I always wanted to try it just for kicks and gigles. Since I was in NYC today I decided today was the day to go there. I did not expect much, I mean afterall it’s just soup.
Well, I was wrong, this soup was nervana in a cup! I have never had such a delicious soup in my life! I ordered the barley and mushroom soup. It had the most amazing texture and flavor you can possibly imagine.
I cannot wait to go back. If you have not been there, it is a must try!

Call it blasphemy, but I’d actually take Hale and Hearty (who has an outpost across the street) any day.
Sure Soupman has the name, but it’s nowhere near as satisfying. And double the price.
The always do a brisk business, but thankfully aren’t quite as brusque as their TV counterpart.
I do have to hand it to them that the presentation of bread, an apple, and a Lindt truffle with every order is a nice touch.

After Seinfeld I wanted to experience my own soup nazi, according to Unilocal this was the closest thing. I had their shrimp bisque, the place is more like a street stand except it’s intact to a building. No seating area and it’s basically grab and go. The shrimp bisque was okay, wasn’t creamy enough to be bisque though, the shrimp was kind of small and there wasn’t that many of it…
Atleast they give you free chocolate and an apple? A bit of a rip off for 9 bucks though …

Wir haben 2 kleine Suppen probiert und beide waren köstlich. Dazu gab es eine Scheibe Baguette und eine Praline. Mit jeweils 5 bzw. 6 $ war das nicht günstig. Aber es war uns den Spaß wert. Leider gibt es keine vernünftige Möglichkeit, die Suppe zu genießen. Sitzen kann man dort nirgends, anlehnen aber immerhin, wie empfohlen. Wie man bestellt, ist in mehreren Sprachen ausgewiesen. Aber man bekommt auch ohne Befolgen der Anweisungen seine Mahlzeit.

Wer in NYC nicht beim Suppen Nazi vorbei schaut ist selbst schuld. Es gab viel Hype um den Man nach der berühmten Seinfeld Folge. Aber ich kann es nur jedem anraten, den «Laden» auf der 55 zu besuchen. Hütet euch vor den Chili Suppen, die sind echt, also wirklich, kein schei** wirklich sau scharf!