Over the past semester, I’ve eaten soup from Au Bon Pain nearly every day for lunch and at this point, I’ve tried every single soup from there at least twice. 

Recently, I made a thread on Twitter of me ranking each one of ABP’s soups. This started as somewhat of a joke, but it evolved into me wondering whether or not my soup journey was actually worth it. 

The reason why I started eating soup from ABP for lunch is mostly because I only have 20 minutes to eat on any given day before I have to go to work. I really don’t have time for any other dining option unless I want to either risk being late or eating it at my desk. Honestly, it’s kind of hard to find a quick meal on campus, so the soup is a good alternative. 

I also made the soup thread because I thought it was funny, and I still do. 

Reflecting upon my soup thread, I think that really, there are only two soups that are actually worth it – and this semester maybe only one. I’m only going to include a few highlights because while I could spend time typing up an in-depth review of all 18 soups, even I wouldn’t want to read that. 

Last year, I absolutely loved the beef and vegetable stew, this year I don’t love it as much. I feel like a lot of the soups from ABP, and this one especially, has lost the flavor that really made them special last year. The potato soup is fine. I’ll eat it if I have nothing else to eat that day, but some days it’s good and some days it literally sucks. It’s a good go-to if you’re in a pinch and literally do not know what else to do. 

The tomato bisque is just fine as well. Actually, it’s a little less than fine. It’s bland. I also can’t eat grilled cheese, so it’s not as fun for me to eat tomato bisque. It’s like eating vanilla ice cream, it’s tasty, but bland and not exciting. That’s a hot take for another time.

I think that my absolute favorite soup this semester has been the corn and green chili bisque. That stuff is delicious. I would be willing to spend real money on it, not just boards and flex. Pair the green chili bisque with a jalapeno and cheddar bagel and you’re set. The flavor? Astounding. 

Overall, these are just soups and they’re meant to feed people, which they do a good job at. I’ve really appreciated having the option to just grab some soup and a bagel and call it a meal. 

Writing this opinion piece was hard, which sounds silly because it’s just soup, but with everything that’s been going on on campus, I hope my silly little soup critique will bring a little joy into someone’s day. 

If you want to read my thread, it’s available on my twitter. There you can find all of the soups with their appropriate ratings.