Hot Soup Cart Changed My Life. Honest.

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As those of you who read my post on the stew at Country Cafe might know, I’m not a big fan of soup.  It’s a dish that’s almost always dependent on a complementary item like a sandwich or massive amounts of bread in order to constitute a filling meal.  On top of that, I just haven’t had many earth-shattering soups.  I know they exist, otherwise Seinfeld wouldn’t have dedicated so much time to the Soup Nazi.  I just haven’t really experienced them.  Well, that has now changed and all thanks to a little place I like to call “The Hot Soup Cart.”Hot Soup Cart 001
Found on the corner of Wall and Hanover Streets, the Hot Soup Cart has really opened my eyes to the possibility that soups can be filling, delicious, and gloriously bad for you.
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There are more than a few soups to choose from but don’t be afraid to ask for the vendor’s opinion or a taste of the goods.  When I walked up, I was already set to give that lobster-crab bisque a shot, but after seeing what else was on the menu, I knew I wasn’t going to be walking away with just one little cup.  After all, I was still operating under the pretense that soup sucks as a main dish.  I would “need” at least two of these things to feel remotely full.   That, my friends, was dumb.

Having a difficult decision choosing between the Caribbean chicken soup and chicken gumbo, I asked for the vendor’s thoughts and he offered me a slurp of both.  The chicken gumbo was good, but no comparison the Caribbean chicken soup.  With two 12 oz. cups and their accompanying rolls in a bag, I made the trek back to the office.
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I popped off the lids of these cups of molten soup and dug into the bisque first.
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Holy moly, was this good.  Really creamy the way a good bisque should be.  It was packed with the flavor of a really rich lobster you’ve just dunked in a big ol’ bowl of clarified butter.  It cost me a dollar more than a lot of the other menu items but it was so worth it.  This certainly seems like the real deal and for as little $5.50 that seems like a steal.Hot Soup Cart 011 Version 2
The Caribbean chicken soup seemed even better to me, but that’s just my opinion.  Kevin was a bigger fan of the bisque.  The broth was rich and creamy, but this one was full of all sorts of good stuff. There’s rice, red peppers, onions, and small chunks of chicken floating in there, all of it adding the spectacular, slightly spicy flavor of the soup.

So there you have it. A life-changing meal for me.  I probably could’ve stopped after one cup, but I would likely have needed a snack in the afternoon.  However, I was a fat fatty and consumed both bowls.  I just couldn’t help myself.  It was just that damn good.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

* Effin’ delicious soup. Need I say more?
* Even if I am on a brief (I say again, brief) health kick, there are vegetarian options
* Tearing apart the roll and using it as a spoon is probably one of my favorite things in the whole world

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

* I still need a hell of a lot more than just a cup of soup and a roll to be full
* If I’m going to eat soup, it’s gotta be super cheap and from a can
* The stupid plastic spoons they give you are razor sharp and can slice open your lip. True story.

Hot Soup Cart, on Wall Street at Hanover Street

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7 Comments

  • Love this cart! My favorite is the beef chili since it’s not too spicy and hits the spot on a cold day!

  • I visit this cart often too. Whenever i go there there is a huge line. And i am no stranger to the sliced lip by plastic spoon.

  • whenever I pass the Hot Soup cart by my job, the chicken & dumpling soup whispers its sweet siren song to me – but I’m kinda afraid of cart-chicken. has anyone tried it? this cart might not use the same soup source as the red Hot Soup trucks in midtown, though.

    • The chicken and dimpling is good but don’t expect large dumplings. Its a thick and chunky soup with more chicken flavor from the broth more so than actual pieces of chicken. Its like a dumpling soup with some chicken tossed in for show but the flavor is spot on and is worth a taste, just add a little black pepper to really accent the flavor and you’ll be good to go.

  • Seeing as how this cart is right in front of my office, let me clear my throat and say…. Dude, you favored the chicken over the bisque??? Really??? Sigh.. to each their own… The chicken and dumpling soup is rather good also, then again, I haven’t had a bad soup there in all of these years.

  • User has not uploaded an avatar

    is he seasonal?

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