Hot soup in summer isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I can eat soup or chili any of the 12 months. So dinner at Souper Salad was a welcome idea when my father said he’d never eaten there. Neither had I, so we gave it a go.
The Menu
There’s a lot more to this restaurant than soups and a 40-foot salad bar, I discovered. Offerings also include baked potatoes with all the toppings you could desire, as well as a taco bar. There’s no set menu because soups change about every two days, but you can look on the website (www.soupersalad.com) to determine the day’s selections.
The salad bar has just about every topping imaginable, including a good number of prepared salads, such as Caesar and mango berry salad, both of which already have the dressing mixed in, which made them a little on the soggy side. The flavor was pretty good, but texture was lacking.
The website posted German potato soup, along with broccoli-cheese, chicken noodle, vegetable and Cherokee Joe’s cornbread soup for the day’s offering. There was no German potato or chicken noodle. In their place were chicken tetrazzini soup and another pasta soup.
The cornbread soup is more like a vegetable soup with taco seasoning, which adds to the flavor. The chicken tetrazzini was room temperature but had a pretty good flavor. The broccoli-cheese was excellent but so hot that I had to wait a while for my second bite. Souper Salad needs to do something about its heating elements.
If you go* Where: Souper Salad, 2288 Gunbarrel Road.* Phone: 893-5506.* Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday.* Price range: $6.52 (all you can eat).* Alcohol: No.
The taco bar was a nice addition, complete with the meat mixture, green onions, sour cream, shredded cheese, nacho cheese and salsa. Both crispy taco shells and soft tortillas were offered. Any of the taco toppings can be used on the baked potatoes, and there is also a bowl of bacon bits to top your spud. There were two types of pizza, both with thin, cracker-type crusts, which I like. But they were room temperature, at best.
THE SERVICE
The young woman assigned to our table was as pleasant as they come. However, there should have been more people tending the salad bar. I don’t think it was wiped down the entire time we were there, and it appeared quite messy.
THE SPACE
Souper Salad is a large restaurant with ample tables and booths. Even on the 100-degree day we were there, the restaurant had a good, if not overflowing, crowd. The place appeared to need a little updating, as corners of the food bars were scuffed and worn.
THE VERDICT
It’s nice that there’s still a place where you can get all you can eat for under $7, drink not included. Souper Salad is good for what it is. Nothing’s made from scratch, nor nowhere near gourmet, but everything is tasty, and there’s plenty from which to choose. The great selection assures there’s pretty much something for all tastes.