Hale and Hearty
“More casual lunch chains should follow their lead in getting customers in and out — yes, I'm looking at you, Mr. Panera in Union Square.”
“i'm huge fan of soups and today i finally received my free soup for getting 10 stamps on my bean card 🙂 Quick, easy, cheap, and delicious!”
“It is for busy New Yorkers that need a little speck of joy at the lunch hour.”
Hale and Hearty
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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I can see why this place has 3 stars. The atmosphere in here is depressing, and so are the people. Nobody cares about you when you order, and they just operate so slowly…Very sad.
I tried the cream of broccoli for the first time, and while it was good, it was not at all creamy or soupy, but very thick.
I get that this is pretty much as chainy as you can get before going to Subway for lunch, but on a day like today with the wind and rain and cold consuming all of my life choices, there's nothing I'd rather have than one of their hot, comforting soups.
The line will be winding through the restaurant during weekday lunch hours, but it moves remarkably quickly. The service is what I've noticed in a lot of New York – the staff is impatient and may sound short with you, but once you get down to it they're courteous and get you what you need.
Bring your glasses if you wear them, because you have to read from the board to see the day's soup selection, and it's always different. My favorite has been the corn and chicken chowder, but pretty much every soup I've tried has been pretty tasty. If you're in the mood to indulge, look for the creamy tomato with meatballs… it's basically a meatball sub in soup form with some pasta thrown in for good (unhealthy) measure.
It took me way too long to realize that the different soups have a very wide range of prices, so make sure you make a note of it! I like that you can choose sourdough, whole grain, or crackers to go with your soup, too… different types of soup call for different dipping instruments!
If I'm really hungry I'll go for a soup and half sandwich. I love that they let you buy a half a sandwich – brilliant! They also have wraps and custom salads, but I'm a soup gal when it comes to this place so I can't impart too much wisdom there.
Just writing this review helped me decide to go to Hale and Hearty for lunch today. If that's not an endorsement, then what is?
I came here on a weekend so they weren't that busy. Had the mulligatawny which was excellent. I don't normally have soup, but I can definitely make an exception for Hale and Hearty.
"Oh baby, it's cold outside…"
So I got a small chicken dumpling soup at $4.59 which was piping hot burning my mouth as a late afternoon snack before dinner. Staff are freely willing to distribute samples before patrons make their ultimate decision. Specials are written on a traditional black chalk board, indicators note which soups are sold out for the day. I've always love their signature soup crackers as I can eat that all day as a substitute for potato chips. I would buy their signature soup crackers standing alone without any soup. Long chaotic line can easily be avoided during off-peak hours. Glass tables are encapsulated with dried peas and green beans. Tables are microscopically small in size.
A loyalty rewards card is available for frequent patrons.
I LOVE SOUP! I could eat soup for every meal. Sometimes I do (cereal is just soup for the morning). And so, I love the concept of a chain that specializes in, you guessed it, soup! I wish they were out in Denver but alas they are not. It's okay, whenever I'm back in NYC I almost always wind up stopping in a Hale & Hearty at some point.
It's convenient, it's fast, it's relatively healthy and decently priced. To me, those are all the markings of a solid place to grab a quick lunch. Their sandwiches are good too and I usually do their soup and 1/2 sandwich deal. I've always intended to try their salads because those look delicious too but…the soup gets me every time, dammit.
As far as I can ascertain, this specific location is like any other I've ever been to, but perhaps with a bit more seating than some others.
Now, come to Denver, Hale & Hearty. All the cool kids are doing it.
Pretty good chicken corn chowder soup filled with corn, carrots, shreds of chicken, and a bit of bacon. The soup was hearty and tasty, and a little bit sweet.
The sandwiches look good too. Nice chain, how hale.
As far as chains go, Hale & Hearty is pretty damn good. As is evidenced by the huge crowd at lunchtime. They are fairly efficient, but the enormous line and high-pressure atmosphere* leads to many a burnt tongue as I try to figure out which soup I want that day.
Last time it also led to the dude behind the counter giving me the WRONG. FREAKING. SOUP. I wanted me some Senegalese Chicken, and he gave me some tomato basil nonsense. It was tasty, sure, but this isn't Meatless Monday! I demand meat.
Actually, it was Monday. Thanks for keeping me honest, Hale & Hearty guy.
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Please note that Cafe Medina, just next door, also serves delicious soup with better bread, and less line pressure.
The best food chain around!
Soup fits every season and with Hale and Hearty's changing menus, you can't possible get sick of soup! Pour in some addicting crackers and you are set.
Great staff. You can sample as many as you like and they won't judge! Not even the slightest eyebrow raise.
The only downside is the price. It is pricey compared to other locations for soup.