Soupbox

Chicago, United States

3.2

Closed now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 773-935-9800
Website:
www.soupbox.com
Address:
2943 N Broadway St, Chicago, IL, 60657
b/t Oakdale Ave & Wellington Ave
Lakeview
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
180 ftBroadway & Wellington NB
260 ftBroadway & Surf NB
310 ftBroadway & Wellington SB
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Delivery
Yes
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Accepts Apple Pay
Yes
Good For
Lunch
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
No
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
No
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Has TV
No
Waiter Service
No
Caters
Yes

Today

Today 10:30 am – 10:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Chicago) 7:51 AM Friday, July 18, 2025

Business hours

Monday 10:30 am – 10:00 pm
Tuesday 10:30 am – 10:00 pm
Wednesday 10:30 am – 10:00 pm
Thursday 10:30 am – 10:00 pm
Friday 10:30 am – 10:00 pm
Saturday 10:30 am – 10:00 pm
Sunday 10:30 am – 10:00 pm

Description

Specialties

We opened in 1995 at 2943 N. Broadway as the Soupbox serving 12 fresh soups everyday in winter and the Icebox serving 20 flavors of Icyfruit (Italian ice) everyday in summer. Genius? No, delicious!

Our newest location is in the Gold Coast at 50 E. Chicago Ave (between Michigan and Wabash) serving 12 fresh soups everyday and 12 fresh custom salads everyday too.

Thanks for helping us make you smile since 1995.

*Our soups are made fresh everyday.

Prepared off-​site then cooked right in the store every morning.

*Our soups are made from scratch

with the finest and freshest ingredients.

*Our soups are made healthy

with fresh vegetables, meats, and seasonings. Plus, many of our soups are vegetarian.

*Fresh baked Italian bread included

with every soup order.

*We make over 64 different soups.

Our 12 daily soups change everyday,

and we try to keep the most popular as often as possible.

History

Established in 1995.

In October 1995, Jamie started making 70+ gourmet soups serving a variety of 12 each day with fresh baked bread, a genuine smile and the friendly thank you his customers had become accustomed to. Although it took some time for folks to learn «these aren’t your grocery store canned type soups», the Soupbox business gradually started took off; and the Seinfeld’s «soup nazi» episode airing in November of 1995 helped too! Soupbox now features soup recipes that have been voted best in Chicago. With 12 fresh soups every day with varieties including low-​fat, vegetarian, vegan, dairy-​free, gluten-​free and spicy options. Soupbox has been recognized by a myriad of media including Rachel Ray’s Tasty Travels, Best Soup in Chicago, Best Comfort Food in Chicago, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-​Times, WGN TV, ABC News, MetroMix, Chicago Magazine, the TV series «ER», and Paula Deen named Soupbox in her «10 Best Spots for Soups Across the Country». Plus many others.

Meet the Manager

Dru M.

Manager

Dru’s inspiration: «My inspirations are a continuous and ongoing thing, but I’m built on a foundation established by the women of my youth. My mother Carol was a fabulous cook, as was my grandmother Bernadine and my great grandmother Pearl, the namesake for my own daughter. Those women taught me how to balance spices and flavors, as well as what to look for when buying ingredients. Their lessons have served me well.

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20 reviews of Soupbox

No registration required
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
I love their chicken noodle soup and lobster bisque mixed together, with a side of sourdough bread! It’s one of my favorite soups I’ve ever had, albeit a little pricey.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
Bomb ass soup. I could eat this stuff every damn day of the week. Please open one in the nw burbs
Place rating: 4
Houston, TX
Food– your $ 9.50 can fill your hungry stomach already, depending on the size and availability of the product. Really taste good and satisfying enough to keep you warm and energize.,
Fave– A creamy chicken and wild rice is must try, superb!
4 stars for their big servings and servers generosity when it comes to portion size and people working here are friendly.
Place rating: 3
San Francisco, CA
The soup is great but the prices are not. I have occasionally gone out of my way to get Soupbox and the soup is very good; however, spending ~$ 20 for 2 soups feels a little ridiculous. I understand they are only selling soup and need to cover various business costs, but the prices did not turn me into a frequent visitor.
Place rating: 2
San Francisco, CA
Ordered the chicken noodle soup and it was okay… really really expensive for what you’re getting. Cool concept but quality and taste needs to stay consistent with the price. A large was like $ 9 (and it’s not even that big) and the soup tasted like it was straight out of the can!
Place rating: 3
Chicago, IL
I live right around the corner from this place. It would be oh-​so tempting to go here daily, especially during the blustery winter months. The soups are very good good. The bread is good. The grilled cheese sandwiches go well with the soups, but are just okay. If you’re dying for a grilled cheese, there is a better place further west on Belmont. You’ll figure it out. Anyway, Soupbox is good. And like I said, with all their daily choices, I could eat here every day.
But therein lies the problem. If I ate here every day, I would be broke in short order. While the soups are good, and there are a variety of prices from about $ 5.50 to $ 9.50, they are seriously over priced. Soups are generally fairly cheap to make. These guys are making money hand over fist. They are not passing the savings on to you.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the soup and the people are really nice. I just wish that, for a product that is generally inexpensive to make, the result was more affordable. I will be back, however, especially when the wind is howling.
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
Better the second time around. I liked the idea to mix two flavors together (I mixed the beef stew with potato leek), and it was rich and tasty. I’d still love more spice (not heat, just taste), but there was more beef and the included topping was a great way to add more flavor.
That said, I second most of the gripes~ price is high, flavors are medium. BUT… the price does include bread AND a topping, which is pretty good.
Place rating: 3
Chicago, IL
This place makes amazing soups, and Me Me very much a soup boy. However, $ 11+ for a regular size bowl of chili is a little ridiculous. Great soup, priced way too high.
Soup Boy,
Will
Place rating: 3
Asheville, NC
Beef stew is delicious but too expensive. I don’t want to pay 8.50 for a small cup of soup!
Place rating: 2
Chicago, IL
I used to love Soupbox, but the prices now are just way too much for what you get.
Not only have they stopped giving you bread and complimentary crackers («Would you like bread OR crackers?» I was asked on my last visit), but the prices are obscene. A grilled cheese (no extra toppings), large soup, and can of pop for $ 18.50? Are you kidding me?
Just the other day I had sit-​down full table service at Standard Market for a BBQ grilled cheese and cup of soup with fountain pop for $ 14. There is no reason a cup of soup and small grilled cheese should be approaching $ 20. Especially since there is no table service, limited seating, and everything is pretty much a takeout order.
Sorry, Soupbox: you lost me.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
There is a reason Soupbox is the best soup place in Chicago! This place is the perfect place to go to during the winter. All of their soups sound good and the ones I’ve tasted did not disappoint. I tried the lobster bisque and it was just amazing. no…it was ridiculously amazing! I also had the cheesy potato which was also great! It was cheesy, but not too cheesy that it’s overshadows the potatoes. The broccoli cheese soup is a great choice as well! You also get one free topping for your soup, I went with fried onions :) and you also get crackers or bread with your soup. The grilled cheese won’t disappoint either! It’s not greasy or too buttery. It’s just right! Honestly, this place is an outstanding place to go for soup, so go. now!
Place rating: 2
Chicago, IL
Why bother changing the way your soups are priced to make customers only second guess the soup they just ordered? Renaming them artisan, premium, gourmet? Aren’t they all artisan? Premium chicken rice soup? Why is it 10 bucks? Nothin local or farm raised mentioned about the chicken.
And a free topping? Seriously. Your soup is good, but I’m pretty sure a 12 oz cup of soup isn’t worth $ 10.
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
«Soupbox» is right up Rosa J.‘s alley. She love soup or anything hearty. The only minor complaint is that this place is slightly pricy.
A 12oz. soup can cost up to $ 9.50! Depending on what «category» of the soup is listed on the menu, a regular-​sized, 12oz. soup with a choice of bread or crackers, and one (1) free topping ranging from $ 5.50 all the way $ 9.50.
However, the workers are usually generous with sampling, just in case you’re indecisive like the majority of American population. The «creamy chicken and wild rice» soup wasn’t out-​of-​this-​world amazing, yet it served the purpose to fill me up, warm my belly, without feeling uncomfortably stuffed.
The soups are mix-​match-​able! I don’t know exactly how this works but the workers there seem to have good recommendations.
For those who have dietary restrictions, the soup menu caters vegans, vegetarians, and gluten-​free people. That extra work alone is four (4)-star worthy. Hubby tries his best to adhere the vegetarian diet, and he found the vegetarian chili and was happy with his choice.
The free toppings are mostly consisted of the generic veggies, such as baby carrots, mushrooms, olives, celeries, and etc. There are a few tables for the dine-​in patrons.
I would say «Soupbox» is a great neighborhood staple. It’s accessible via CTA #36 (Broadway) bus. The surroundings are walking-​friendly and have lots of local businesses.
Place rating: 2
Chicago, IL
This is based on one experience alone. I walk in, it’s not clean. The kids working there were decently friendly but they got my order wrong. Which is only annoying when it’s take out and this was. Chicken noodle was nothing special. Lobster bisque was decent. Grilled cheeses were flavorless bread with bland cheese. Plus, the cost is outlandish for such small portions and forgettable flavor. What am I paying for… their Lakeview rent?
Place rating: 2
Chicago, IL
First the soups are great. I used to eat here once a week and I would have eaten there tonight, but their prices have become excessive and I have stopped going. My regular order of soup and grilled cheese is now over $ 15.
On their Twitter feed whenever anyone complains about prices, they politely reply with a picture of a small vegetable soup and a latte both of which are $ 5. To me, this is mildly condescending, demonstrates a tin ear and lack of understanding of their customers. It’s like they’re saying, «it’s not our soup that’s expensive, it’s just you who are cheap.» They should stop posting that.
Place rating: 3
Chicago, IL
Decent soup selection. All delicious.
Grilled sandwiches are not too soft and not too hard. Perfectly made.
Only problem with this place is it’s too expensive. 12 dollars for just a cup of soup and a grilled cheese? No extra toppings or anything of that sort?
Would only come back if it was my only option. Otherwise, the place is good.
Place rating: 3
Chicago, IL
Soup is good but holy smokes their prices are outrageous! I got two large and one regular soup as it was $ 30!
Also, it would be nice if they were a little more conscious about their waste and be a little more green with their packaging. For three soups, they put each in a large paper bag and then a plastic bag. 4 bags for three soups! Put them all in one paper bag people!
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
The only way I could love this place more is if they offered matzo ball soup. Stopped in on a rainy evening as I was craving a pressed panini (harder to find in this city than expected) and some soup.
This place is super casual– just a few tables and about 15 cauldrons (literally) of soup on the counter. They give you baby shots to try the soups, which is great for indecisive people like me. I tried the classic chicken noodle, the creamy chicken and wild rice, and the tomato florentine. As I try to use soup as a healthy option, I opted out of the creamy (but it was delicious) and went for the tomato as I was told that’s not always available. The soup comes with a free topping (various veggies, cheeses, nuts) which was unique. The soup and my sandwich were ~$ 10. Not expensive by any means, but could be a little cheaper. Regardless, I’ll definitely be making Soupbox my go to spot for all my soup needs (besides matzo ball).
Place rating: 4
Detroit, MI
Sunday morning and you’re feeling a little beat up from the night before. This is the first thing we always get to – by feet or on all fours, we make it there.
The lobster bisque and chicken and wild rice soup are the ones we always get. So good. So good I love burning my tongue on it because who can wait for their soup to cool down? Not I. It cures everything – hangovers, heartaches, headaches, stupidity, death, you name it.
Happy eating!
Place rating: 2
Schaumburg, IL
Well I may have had too much expectations walking into this place. I guess I was expecting a soup nazi experience… I was totally let down.
This place sells only soups… 10 – 12 different kinds of it. My bad, they do have grilled cheese to pair with any of the soup they have and you will get a $ 1 off their grilled cheese if you get their $ 7 soup, YES $ 7 for a cup of soup. You have an option to add tomato (+$.50) and meat (+$ 1) to your $ 2.99/$ 3.99 (without soup) grilled cheese (choice of multi grain OR sourdough).
Let’s talk soup… I sampled their signature lobster bisque — SKIP this. I tried my bf’s tomato bisque– mehhh. I had cream of mushroom — mehhh 2.5÷5 rating. It’s just not creamy and rich. Although I’m sure it’s fresh, it’s just lacking the texture and taste for a $ 7 cup of soup. Not worth it. Sorry.
So I gave this place 2 stars because there’s no half ratings. Plus it’s way too expensive for the taste.
NEEEEEEEEXT!!!