Old Man Winter Is No Match for Zoup’s! Comfort Soup

“A Jewish woman had two chickens. One got sick, so the woman made chicken soup out of the other one to help the sick one get well.” – Henny Youngman

Story, photos by Sharon Kozden

Full disclosure: I don’t much care for soup. I fault my mom for that as well as for having sent me to charm school at 12 years of age. But that’s another story altogether, which I’ll reserve for my memoir. The onset of my soup-phobia began in childhood, when our soup staples alternated between thin chicken-noodle with two pea-sized bits of poultry of questionable authenticity. It’s alternative was chicken with rice, equally runny and with the same meager addition of a barely-there protein source.

So it made little sense that I accepted an assignment to review a soup restaurant with the goofy-sounding name of “Zoup!” that opened October 30th in Blue Bell’s Center Square Commons. I’d done my research and discovered a menu bursting with 12 daily-changing varieties of velvety, creamy, spice- and flavor-infused wonders, many almost stew-like in thickness consistency. I had to learn what constituted (pun intended) real soup. Even the thinner-based ones at Zoup! were far from the deprivation of my past experiences.

Prior to ordering, I had to know about the franchise’s unusual name. Turns out it’s a linguistic fresh take to alert customers that their soup experience will be the farthest thing from average. As well, Zoup! primarily focuses on customer service. Their motto? “We serve our customers soup, not soup to customers.”

Soup samples are gratis, cafeteria-style service is fast and casual. Zoups! soups are billed as award-winning, with regularly rotating options that cater to customers with specific requests such as gluten-free, low-fat, vegetarian and dairy-free. Zoup! caters, to boot. Additionally, one can nominate someone of his or her choice (who may be ill, in a funk or under the weather) to receive a Rescue Care Package, which at no cost includes a sumptuous bowl of soup, hunk of bread and a beverage. Visit zoup.com or zouprescue.com for more information.

I began my Zoup! adventure with samples of that particular day’s 12 offerings. So this is soup! It was literally love at first-taste with the entire sampler plate. Some had a hint of spice, and the freshness of ingredients was immediately discernable. My favorite, the Lobster Bisque knocked it out of the park with chunky and copious bits of the sweetest meat I’d rarely tasted. Come to find out this lobster came fresh from the Jersey shore. The velvety, creamy base is still indelibly etched in my foodie-self’s memory.

I next chose potato soup, making it a double on the tasty bowls. Just as with the lobster, there was no short supply, no stingy thoughtless emission of thick spud chunks. Could I really get away with thirds? My friendly and informative server thought so. No arm-twisting needed, as I downed the chicken potpie, laden with vegetables and sprinkled with more than a dusting of crumbled pie crust.

But there’s more; there always is, especially when I the queen bee of take-out is given the opportunity to dine properly, in which case I don’t scrimp. I do, however, take home the proverbial doggie bag so as not to look in a mirror and see a sumo-wrestler’s visage.

My entrée of choice was the Loco Burrito from the Greenz! menu. Another winner. Even the lettuce was noticeably crisper than most. Dressing notwithstanding, there were no less than seven ingredients, including romaine, grilled chicken, cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, avocado, fajita lime sauce and corn tortilla strips. Chipotle ranch dressing was the added touch. Again I emphasize quality, freshness and altogether zero scrimping on portions. That kind of care and attention to detail really drives home Zoups! accurate mission-quote, which bears repeating. “We serve our customers soup, not soup to customers.” And yes, more than half of my Loco Burrito along with two chewy and superb cookies (while packaged, tasted fresh from the oven) went home with me for next day’s lunch.

In the event you wondered if Zoup! is a pop-up that shuts down in the sweltering heat of summer as does Rita’s Italian Ice come winter, they do not. Summer is gazpacho season, when both red- and green versions appearing on the menu.

Year-round Zoup! Zouper!

Clean and modern with cozy booth or table seating.

Pleasing design details in the décor: colors, wall-hanging photos, cushy chairs all make for indulging in comfort zoup.

On tasting, you’ll agree. Trust me on that.

My sample platter was soup heaven. Rarely am I able to enjoy such diversity in a single sitting.

Not only 12 soups, but never always the same 12. I could live here.

This promissory notice certainly explains a lot. Zoup! takes soup to an a singular and peerless level.

Easy to read labeling allows customers to chose in accordance with particular preferences. Heart-healthy and low-calorie descriptors at Zoup! become “enlightened,” emphasis on light. Clever play on words.

Steaming pots of that which goes beyond soup. Ladle me up.

Textures and a multitude of ingredients beckon.

There’s nothing thin-skinned in these vats. Chili and Mac n’ Cheese Zoup.

My first choice: Loaded Baked Potato was creamy with large potato chunks, butter, cheese and bacon.

My three choices were all creamy, as I fancy my soup as I do my stews: thick, rich and chunky of what lies within.

Feast your eyes on Zoup’s! best-seller: Lobster Bisque, described as “mellow, real-cream soup with lobster, crawfish, butter and a hint of sherry.”

What better accompanies soup than hunks (mini loaves at Zoup!) of crunchy exterior and soft innard? Sop and dunk works, too.

Not just for sickies: chicken soup is a perennial favorite. This one’s a pot-pie with a mix of veggies and topped with pie-crust crumbs.

Zoupy sales. C’mon: you had to see that coming. As if the plenitude of soup choices alone weren’t substantive enough, have at the full-Monty trifecta.

Easy to view menuZ! Z what I mean? When in Rome …

Not your average sandwichZ! offerings. Check the variety of interesting and unique ingredient pairings.

After my cornucopia of soup-gorging, I went with the Loco Burrito, little realizing he was one big boy as far as greens go. These Greenz! are meals in their own right, more Zouper Saladz!

Listen (and tongue loll) over this description of Zoup!’s Loco Burrito: “Romaine, grilled chicken, cheddar, pico de gallo, avocado, fajita lime sauce and corn tortilla strips. Served with chipotle ranch dressing.” That’s some mouthful.

My big boy salad but with a dumping of the chipotle ranch dressing.

I literally couldn’t stomach dessert then, but these super cookies went home with me to become the next two days breakfast of champions. Oh, so chewy and scrumptious. Paired with a Starbuck’s tall dark roast, I couldn’t resist forfeiting anything with the words steel-cut oatmeal.