As the winter chill rises with each passing day, the need for a piping-hot bowl of soup becomes more and more urgent. Luckily, that need is more than met with numerous varieties of fresh, flavorful soups at Zoup! in Carle Place.
The national chain, with close to 90 locations across northern U.S. and into Canada, opened its first Long Island location last year, in the same shopping complex as Ben’s Deli, Barnes & Noble and Guitar Center on Old Country Road. The proximity to the mall, as well as downtown Mineola, makes it a prime spot for lunch—but the hearty soups, sandwiches and salads make for filling meals at dinnertime, too.
Ordering at Zoup! is reminiscent of an ice cream parlor, as customers can sample any of the 12, always-rotating daily soups before deciding on which variety they want. This helps avoid soup regret—but it does add a bit of order anxiety, as it can make it more difficult to decide between two or more truly dynamic and worthy soups.
Of course, that problem is easily solved by ordering more than one cup. At a recent visit, the chicken potpie, brewhouse cheddar, Italian wedding and wild mushroom barley soups all equally deserved attention, so all were ordered to achieve maximum comfort. The brewhouse cheddar, ordered in a Parmesan garlic bread bowl, was rich and salty in all the right ways. The bread bowl, easily the star of the entire meal, was warm, toasty and the perfect dipping fodder for the cheesy soup with hints of English-style pale ale and a smack of mellow cheddar, along with carrots, celery, onions and garlic.
The chicken potpie, topped with crumbled pie crust, is a comforting bowl of warmth with chunks of meaty chicken. The vegetables add depth—and nutrition—to the creamy concoction that is one enjoyable slurp after another. The Italian wedding soup, well-known for its rustic simplicity, shines at Zoup! with turkey meatballs swimming in a perfect marriage of greens, broth, pasta and subtle meaty flavor. The wild mushroom barley is an earthy, robust offering for anyone looking for the heft of a protein-packed soup without any of the meat.
Other soups on the rotating menu include, chicken tortilla, old-fashioned chicken noodle, pepper steak, fire-roasted tomato bisque, lobster bisque and the instantly intriguing burger cheeseburger.
The addition of salads and sandwiches to the menu make for a more well-rounded meal. On the Sandwichz! menu, eaters can choose between seven warm sandwiches on fresh bread just begging to be dipped, including chicken Toscana with grilled chicken, provolone, roasted red peppers, marinated red onions and basil mayo; maple ham and bacon, with smoked ham, hickory-smoked bacon, Swiss and maple aiolo; and pesto three cheese, with pepper jack, provolone, mild cheddar, tomato and pesto. On the Greenz! menu, salad heads can choose between seven preparations, including chicken Caesar, Asian, Cobb, Greek and more.
And if you’re the type of eater that desires a sweet treat after a meal, grab a soft, freshly baked cookie to satisfy your needs. Also, Zoup! sells jars of its premium broths online, with varieties including beef bone, chicken bone, chicken, veggie and low sodium chicken.
For a look at the Carle Place location’s rotating menu, visit www.zoup.com.
Zoup!, 19 Old Country Rd., Carle Place, 516-667-6272
