Soup Freaks

Absolutely useless place. Might as well eat air. Boiled water with chunks of rubbery stale chicken does not equate to soup. I feel bad for anyone who thinks this is legit fare.

Wow what a way to mess up my hump day. I came here on a whim since I am feeling under the weather. Noticed they didn’t have chicken noodle soup so I opted for a $ 9 bowl of phở which tastes like water and noodles. To add insult to injury, they gave me enough for basically two bites. They might as well rebrand to «Hot Water Freaks». I’m definitely never coming back given the quality and price point. I’d rather eat instant noodles — at least it’ll taste better, be more filling, and be drastically cheaper. In fact, I’m going to once I head back to work. Way to mess up my Wednesday.
Tl;dr — don’t get the phở. It’s small, tastes like water, and costs the same as a phở bowl in a normal phở place.

I usually don’t leave reviews and try to only say nice things b/​c everyone’s trying their best to provide good a good product and/​or service.
However, the «phở» is the worst I’ve ever had. It is not even close to next worst. It had no redeeming qualities, not even price. Could not taste a hint of flavor in the broth, was not very hot, and it costs $ 12. Imagine spaghetti noodles in warm water. They need to improve this or not call it phở.
My colleagues concur and we all walked to a second lunch after this place.

The worst phở i have ever had. No basil, no sprouts, overcooked beef CUBES… Omg… It has a tomato in it… This is an abomination to the bay area and offensive to all vietnamese people. Shame…

Good for a quick grab and go lunch. We went for an early lunch and were in and out in under ten minutes. The soup options are plentiful. I ended up going with a lentil soup and it was a bit disappointing. The flavor just wasn’t there for me. With that being said I think I just ordered poorly, should have went with a different variety or loaded the lentil soup up with all sorts of toppings that they have available. I didn’t realize you could sample before you buy so that was a rookie move on my part. The employees were friendly and they definitely have the assembly line setup down here!

I’ve been to this place a couple of times. I love the salads and the soups look really good. They are pretty fast and it’s easy to find something you would like. The sirloin is delicious and I had it on a salad. Next time I will probably try it in a sandwich.

The food is good and fresh but it’s way too expensive and the staff is pretty rude I’m sure there are cheaper places around.

Some damn good chili.
While the ambiance inside isn’t top notch and there was basically no one sitting inside when I went to grab food, I’m rating solely based on food and service when ordering take-​out during the lunch hour rush.
Surprisingly there was no one in line. I ordered the Freaking Chili, which is basically chili con carne and supposedly a little bit of chocolate blended into it. While the server was somewhat brash, he was nice enough to give a good sized portion.
The soup/​chili comes with onions, cheese, sour cream, cilantro and a choice of bread for free. They had run out of sourdough but the whole wheat wasn’t too bad.
The soup comes in 12, 16 and 32 oz. portion sizes. I had the 16 oz. for just about $ 9 and boy was it filling! While I didn’t really taste any chocolate in the chili, it was warm (and remained warm on my way back to the office), and was some of the best chili I’ve had.
While maybe not great for eating in, this is a great place for takeout, especially due to the lack of lines during the lunch rush. I’ll definitely be ordering from here again!

With a name like Soup Freaks you’d expect some really interesting soups. I was a little disappointed when I saw their offerings of the day: tomato, lentil, split pea, phở… There’s nothing exciting happening here. I did like that they allow you to sample the soups before you buy. I sampled the tomato and the split pea, and ended up ordering a small bowl of the split pea. It had a nice salty flavor, and a good mix of puréed peas and pea chunks. They offer chives or sour cream on top of all of their soups and your choice of bread.
The location is huge! Massive ceilings, lots of places to sit, and it was pretty empty around noon on a weekday. They offer other things too, like salads and sandwiches, but given the name I think you should probably stick to soup. Prices are quite reasonable, but don’t expect to be blown away.

I just read my man Drew A’s review and he pretty much nailed it. I also went with the phở during my quick pop-​in to grab some soup. Completely my fault, I should’ve know better with a place like this. It just okay. The noodles were weird and reminded me of what you would get in one of those Cup of Noodles from the grocery store. This was more like a chicken noodle soup with giant tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. $ 7.85 for the «phở» and ten cents for the bag made this a quick and easy lunch for less than ten bucks. My girl Brittney got the split pea soup and she said it was good. Mental notes for next time. You can also order ahead of time on their website. I completely agree with Drew, this is a nice spot for a quick lunch. Don’t come for the phở, though.

Gonna give these guys some respect for their online ordering system here. A few clicks and 10 min later, my food was on the counter waiting for me. Loves it. As for my food, it was OK. I opted for the phở, which I knew would be a mistake, but when you get the phở craving, you do what you gotta do. The thing is, this isn’t phở, or at least, traditional phở. This is literally beef in chicken broth with tomatoes (?), onions and cilantro. This ‘beef soup’ was OK, but to call it phở is ridiculous. Not sure who they’re trying to fool here. For a quick lunch pick up, do it. For your phở craving, skip.

I am actually a soup freak. I usually crave soup when I’m cold, hungover, dieting, tired of chewing things, etc.
I was excited to try their soups because they have a wide selection but the two that I’ve tried here have both been pretty mediocre. I had the matzo ball soup and the green pea soup. The green pea soup does not look like the picture at all! First of all, it’s yellow, not even green. Secondly, it does not taste like pea.
The matzo ball soup is hella nasty. I’m not even Jewish and only had it a few times before, but it’s definitely not what it should taste like. Not sure how one can mess up broth and sponge ball combo.
This place had (perhaps still has) a lot of potential. They have a lot of space and it’s in a good location with healthy soup lovers around them. I wish they would spice up their soups and get rid of the purple cafeteria trays.

I had some great soup here and all the portion sizes were generous. The service was also very good.
Just to comment on Miika M.‘s comment about the «‘western’ approach to banh mi style sandwiches»: banh mi sandwiches are a product of the French colonisation of Vietnam. Therefore it’d make more sense to say that bahn mi sandwiches are a more «eastern» (although I don’t really like to use this terminology) approach to the (baguette) sandwiches made popular a million times over in French/​European style eateries.

So much good consistency at Soup Freaks — the soups and service — that have me coming back. I’m a fan, solid four star eatery.
Admittedly, my office is on the same block at Soup Freaks so sometimes I go there more out of convenience. That said, I have my tried and trues when I’m starved and one of their specials when I’m adventurous. Tried and true — any of their signature soups. All are fresh, well seasoned, tasty and comforting. The specials of the day are usually interesting and worth a try — usually very hearty with potatoes and multiple ingredients.
Also tried and true — their salads. Fresh, simple and filling. I even enjoy a side of green beans and beets with a splash of champagne vinaigrette. Nice that a small salad order with any sized soup is only and extra $ 2.
Worth mentioning, the phở isn’t so phở-​like. I ordered it and was underwhelmed. The only good thing about it was the rice noodles as they were al dente. The broth was not flavorful. It didn’t have the standard vegetables and leafy additives but instead two random pieces of tomatoes. The meat, though was tender and tasty on its own, was not the pieces of meat to expect in phở but more in a sandwich. Maybe it works for some folks.
Again, I’m a fan and go at least once a week.

Soup Freaks is an apt name for this place.
Because there is something kinda off about this place.
I don’t know, there’s something weird about this place I can’t quite pinpoint. It’s almost like it’s not real or something. Can’t complain about it since they do call themselves Soup Freaks, so maybe they know they are weird. Not like they didn’t warn you.
The 4 stars is for one dish and one dish only: The freak-​o-​matzo ball soup.
The first time I walked in there, I really really wasn’t sure. But i didn’t have time to go somewhere else, so I got the matzo ball soup. It was good.
But then, I found myself craving that matzo ball soup the next week. I went back.
And then the week after, again, I wanted that matzo ball soup.
There’s something comforting about that plain chicken broth. Maybe it’s because Chinese people seem to revere a really good plain chicken broth. I know it must had taken them hours to get it to that state. There is complexity behind that simple broth.
And those little matzo dumplings floating in there. I don’t know why but it’s so satisfying.
I did a horrible thing once and ordered the phở. As everyone else said, it was a travesty. They use kobe beef, so the beef was beyond anything you’ve had before, but then everything else was terrible. They used noodles that were clearly dried noodles they reconstituted and it was flavorless. It’s so weird to have this high quality beef that belongs in a michelen star restaurant, but then noodles that tasted like instant noodles.
Again bizarre! (aka Freaks!)
So I don’t understand this place. But I’ll still be coming back for the matzo ball. Clearly the owners really care about their soup. Maybe they just shouldn’t call their phở, «phở»…it’s really misleading. But I’ll be back. I might try one of their other soups… just nothing that is too freaky.

Quick and easy, fresh soups and salad. Low-​key, and perfectly spiced door. I got the veggie freak sandwich with prawn chowder. Light yet satisfying bite to eat.

Mediocre?
I paid $ 9 for a split pea soup yesterday that was nothing too exciting. Being pretty bland, I took it home and added a bunch of spices to it.

Soup Freaks. Very nice service but terrible food. If someone claims that healthy food needs to be bland or even completely tasteless, this would be a good example.
Chicken was completely dry and soup tasted like water. I will not come back.

Not a huge fan.
I was dating someone who liked this place so he took me here on one lunch meet up and sorry to say the visit was mediocre.
The sandwiches are a more «western» approach to the bahn mi style of sandwiches made popular a million times over in Asian stores and spots of indulgence and priced almost double.
The soups here, however, are pretty good. I ordered the pea soup and a turkey sandwich. The salad was a mediocre mixed greens. I was looking for something a bit more grand and larger.
For something on the go, this was not bad but I don’t think I’d be back.

I love soups and salads. For lunch, I usually want something light and healthy so this place is perfect for me. I’ve had the basil tomato and mushroom soup and really liked them both. Yesterday, I had the salad with tomato, mozzarella and avocado. It was very tasty and I can’t wait to get it again. I love that there are plenty of vegan soups too. I do not always want a heavy cream based soup. The space here is big and in a great area. I will definitely be going back for lunch.

«Ich esse keine Suppe! Nein!
Ich esse meine Suppe nicht!
Nein, meine Suppe ess’ ich nicht!»
Zum Glück wird es mir nicht so ergehen wie dem allbekannten Suppenkaspar, denn ich liebe Suppe. Und hier beim Soup-​Freak gibt’s eine super Auswahl an verschiedensten Suppen/​Eintöpfen: Nudelsuppe, Linsensuppe, Kartoffelsuppe, Kürbissuppe, Chili-​Con-​Carne, und so weiter. Obendrein haben sie hier auch noch leckere, frisch-​zubereitete Salate und Sandwiches.
Mein Tipp: am besten eine Combo bestellen, wie zum Beispiel Sandwich mit Suppe oder Salat mit Suppe. Hier dürfte es etwas für jeden Geschmack geben… es sei denn man ist wie der Suppenkaspar… dann kann ich für nichts garantieren:
«Am vierten Tage endlich gar
der Kaspar wie ein Fädchen war.
Er wog vielleicht ein halbes Lot —
Und war am fünften Tage tot.»

If you want a healthy lunch in the area, THIS is your spot!
Everything is organic and fresh. The soups are nothing spectacular, but sometimes I don’t care about something being OMG DELICIOUS, sometimes I just want something low-​cal for lunch! Their website recently updated their nutritional information and an 8oz cup of their tomato basil soup is 80 calories! That’s just insane to me. It’s not the best tomato soup in the world, but it satisfies my hunger and I don’t feel guilty eating it. I really like their Tuscan white bean and kale soup… but this is only on the menu sometimes. I add some Sriracha to it and it adds a perfect kick!
Their sandwiches (although VERY small) and salads however, are really good. The tuna is so pure and fresh, you can tell there’s no mayo added to it. Their veggie sandwich is great too, and I’m normally not a fan of carrots but somehow I love the carrots at Soup Freaks!
Other notes:
–It’s expensive. Probably cuz everything they use is organic!
–TONS of seating! Even during peak lunchtime hours, you’re guaranteed a table.
–Staff can be hit or miss, but that’s just customer service for ya! Dealing with customers all day can be a huge shit show so I don’t care if they’re not particulary friendly some days!

Wie clever ist das denn?! Eine Hangover-​Soup? Fantastisch! Eine magenschonende Brühe mit Gemüse und einer Scheibe Sauerteigbrot darin versenkt. Das sollte doch einen geschundenen Magen und eine halb vergiftete Leber heilen. So war zumindest der Plan. Theoretisch zumindest, denn beim Betreten des Ladens waren wir uns nicht sicher, ob offen oder geschlossen ist. Irgendwie herrscht hier Bahnhofsatmosphäre: sehr hohe Decken, fast schon steril wirkende Einrichtung und ein schlecht beleuchteter Tresen.
Auf die Nachfrage, ob denn geöffnet sei, reagiert der charmante Inhaber oder zumindest Angestellte etwas genervt. Wir schauten uns ein wenig im Angebot um, nahmen aber ausser einer Hangover-​Soup nichts mit. Irgendwie hatten wir den Eindruck, als wuerden wir den Angestellten nerven: er lächelte nicht, sprach kaum und wenn er uns antwortete, dann nur mit unverständlichem Genuschel. Sorry, etwas Service und Freundlichkeit ist doch nicht zu viel verlangt, oder?