City Soups

I love coming here for lunch! There’s not many good food options at the Columbia tower but I know I can never go wrong with a bowl of chicken noodle with a Caesar sidekick from here. All this adds up to only about 5 – 6 bucks and they give you a choice of corn bread or french bread. The line tends to get long sometimes but the staff is always quick!

I’m going to give them a meh review. I had the lobster soup, and it tasted like Campbell’s made it. The roll that came with it was just this side of stale. I expected much more from a place that specializes in soup.
That being said, it could be a personal preference thing. I will definitely try it again; but maybe I’ll go for Chicken Noodle Soup or something a bit more mundane. That being said, it’s a great place to go if you are working downtown and need a fast lunch.

This place is the best lunchtime option in downtown. It may seem pricey because it is soup, but if you pick a hearty soup, it’s pretty filling. I see a lot of the reviews that claim it’s too expensive. Considering at Specialty’s or any where else in the downtown area you’re paying $ 4 – 5 for crappy soup and some really salty side of bread, this place is a way better deal. The soups always taste fresh, the bread is delicious, and their service is great!
Back to the soup. You get to put 3 toppings on it (included in the price). Usually they have green onions, red onions, cheddar cheese, white cheese (I don’t know what it is), and bell peppers.
You get a choice of cornbread or italian bread. Go for cornbread, nothing’s wrong with the italian, but their cornbread is delicious and not dry!
If you get a stew you get a free little salad (mac salad or coleslaw). I’ve only had the coleslaw and it was tangy and not creamy. Which was a nice surprise.
If you do plan on going, get there before 12:30. Before 12 they should have plenty of options, but around 12:10 when the line starts to trail out to the main Columbia Tower area, you may have to get a second choice.
Adding rice to your soup is only 0.50 cents!
And don’t forget your punch card!

I want to love them, and I will give them another shot.
They only had 2 soups (not veg friendly) left at 1pm and hardly any sandwiches. They are either very popular and I ends to get there earlier or they should plan better to meet demand.

Great variety of soups — both hearty and creamy selections. For $ 5.14, I got a cup of tasty clam chowder, three toppings of my choice, (red/​green onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, mushrooms, etc.) oyster crackers and a slice of corn bread. I came around 11:30 and there were only two people ahead of me. The line grew a lot longer around noon but appeared to be moving fast. No complaints here, the soup was delicious and delightful for a quick lunch!

I come here at least once a week for lunch, great soups and good service. Don’t fear a long line during the lunch rush, they have the assembly line down to a science and will get you in and out in no time. The italian and cornbread are both great, but I recently learned that they also will give saltines instead if you ask.
My favorite part is that I get the soup list emailed to me every morning, a good reminder to come early if there is a special soup i want before it runs out (the White Bean Chicken Chili is awesome, as is the Turkey Chili). I tend to skip the cream soups. Nutrition facts are all available on their website, so look ahead before you get in line, otherwise you will feel «in the way» since its posted in small font on the wall next to the soup counter.

The soups here are always good… I have yet to try one that I didn’t like. My staple is the Jambalaya topped with cheddar cheese. It comes with macaroni salad and bread if you want… I usually pass on the bread as the soup and mac salad is substantial for me.
They used to have a creamy mushroom variety that I haven’t seen in years — oh how I wish they would bring it back.
Staff is friendly and provide very quick service. At one point I had changed work locations and had not been here for over 3 years. When I finally decided to go in the lady behind the counter remembered me. Wonderful service!

I’ve been working downtown for five days and have come here for lunch… five days. So good. I’ve tried the various crab soups, roasted red pepper and crab (my fav thus far), chicken poblano soup, and loaded potato soup.
City Soups has great variety, and your meal comes with a 4 oz cup of macaroni salad or coleslaw, and a slice of crumbly-​dry cornbread or italian bread.
For the small cup of soup, it comes out to about $ 6.14, which is pretty pricey for such a small meal. It’s perfect for smaller, less hungry chicks but I can see a grown man being disappointed at the portion size.

I was introduced to the City Soups at the Columbia Tower in downtown Seattle when I began working at my company.
The food is always stellar but the prices are a bit high ($ 7.55 for a bowl of soup).
The menu changes daily and you can sign up for an email list so you get notified what the specials are. Some days they have toasted cheese sandwiches with the soup for an extra fee.
There is a frequent stamp card although you need to have 10 stamps in order to get one free cup. Even if you buy bowls, you won’t get any extra stamps.

Soups are tasty but I prefer not to spend about $ 8 for lunch and be hungry when I am done. Probably fine for dainty eaters but all the guys I know usually get it as a side to their sandwich from home, so, guys, be warned. Much better than soup shops within a few blocks of the Columbia Tower which are awful.

I give City Soups 3.5 stars. The pro’s are ample soup choices (including 4 vegetarian options) & toppings for the soup (onion, cheese, green onion, sour cream, mushrooms, bell peppers). The con’s are that there is only 1 salad option, which is caesar salad that is pre-​dressed (you can get it in a side size or entrée size), the bread is on the tiny side, and it’s a little pricey (but on par with the cost of soup at other places I frequent).
The (vegetarian) Brazilian Black Bean soup is quite delicious, and the topping choices lend themselves very well. The (vegetarian) Southwest Tortilla Soup was rather bland (however they do provide hot sauce, so that helps). The cornbread is standard — a little dry, a little small.

Though they might seem pricey for just soup — about $ 5 – 6 for a cup — you actually get a side salad and/​or bread. I usually get one of the heartier City Stews, which come with both and make for a complete, filling lunch that keeps my tummy very satisfied until I leave the office. I’ve tried over half a dozen of their soups now, and I’ve never been disappointed with the taste.
My only real complaint is that by the time I get down to lunch, they have maybe half the selection left in stock. Sad for me, hallmark of great taste for everyone else, I guess!

When I worked in Columbia Tower –if not for possible health and wallet effects– I could’ve eaten here every day. It’s such a good deal too, not only do you get soup, you get hot fresh soup with your choice of three toppings, and bread (or in my case macaroni salad) and a tiny little after lunch candy. Scrumptious, and most days the line moves pretty fast.