Burgers and fries are royalty in the fast food world, but what happens when you’re
craving a piping hot bowl of soup?
Here are fast food soups ranked from worst to best.
To start things off, you have Panera Bread.
Yes, Panera Bread is known for soups, salads, and sandwiches, but that doesn't mean every
single soup on its menu is a winner.
Take, for instance, its Ten Vegetable Soup.
According to Panera's menu, the soup features:
"Tomatoes, red and yellow peppers, onions, corn, carrots, celery, spinach, poblano peppers
and garlic simmered in seasoned vegetable stock with chickpeas, sprouted brown rice
and red fife and dried Aleppo chile."
That might sound pretty gourmet, but at the end of the day, the soup tastes like a canned
vegetable soup you can get at the grocery store for cheap.
What's more, the soup is so light it won't keep you full for very long.
Panera Bread tends to be pretty overpriced for what you get, and this soup is no exception.
Even if you want a super healthy fast food soup, Panera Bread's Ten Vegetable Soup just
isn't worth it.
It's no secret that plenty of fast food joints, and even some sit-down restaurant chains,
are known for receiving menu items frozen
and simply reheating them before serving to customers.
With soup, you kind of expect that to happen at a lot of fast food places.
After all, it's called fast food, and these establishments may not have time to make several
homemade soups from scratch every day.
Still, most fast food places cover up the frozen food taste pretty well — except Culver's.
Culver's isn't really the type of place you associate with having delicious, homemade
soup, but its Potato with Bacon Soup is especially bad.
Most potato soups are hearty, creamy, and filling.
At Culver's, the soup tastes almost watered down, and honestly, there are better fast
food potato soups out there.
You're better off ordering something Culver's actually specializes in.
The fast-food restaurant, Wendy's, is known for many things: square-shaped hamburger patties,
its delicious Frosty, and even baked potatoes.
However, Wendy's most notorious menu item just might be the only soup they offer, and
that's if you consider chili a soup.
Wendy's chili has been around for years and has seen plenty of controversy surrounding
the dish.
From rumors of appendages being found in the dish to workers claiming the meat in the chili
is just leftover hamburger patties, the dish is seriously questionable.
Aside from all of that, the chili from Wendy's just isn't all that great.
For the most part, it tastes just like tomatoes with a few seasonings and meat and beans tossed
in, and it's seriously lacking that delicious, homemade flavor that you want from a chili.
Sure, it might be tempting when you're really craving chili and don't want to spend all
day cooking it, but honestly, this is better left alone.
Much like Wendy's, the chili from Culver's leaves much to be desired.
Again, Culver's doesn't serve the home-cooked food you might be looking for, but you might
want to stick to the French Fries over their chili.
Culver's chili is advertised as the epitome of homemade, coming from a secret family recipe.
At the end of the day, though, it's still a fast food joint, so the chili isn't made fresh.
More than that, it doesn't even taste good.
One reviewer of the chili explained on TripAdvisor:
"The chili was gross...not even the staff would eat it.
When we complained about it being too salty, the staff agreed and said it came in a bag
[from] corporate."
Seriously, just leave fast food chili alone.
If you've ever been to Potbelly, then you know the fast food chain is mostly famous
for its sandwiches.
While the sandwiches are pretty delicious, Potbelly also offers soups and salads, and
one soup, in particular, is pretty popular.
The Chicken Pot Pie Soup from Potbelly is just what it sounds like: imagine the filling
of a chicken pot pie, including chicken, vegetables,
creamy sauce, tons of flavor, and turn that
into a soup!
At Potbelly, though, the soup also comes with a topping of crispy pie crust pieces, and
some people absolutely love it.
One person wrote on Trip Advisor,
"It didn't sound appealing but do not pass it by!
It is so flavorful and the crust crumbles are amazing, I need to see if you can order
extra when you get a bowl, never enough!"
However, the only thing that sets this soup apart from other chicken pot pie soups is
the topping, which is why it's not that high on this list.
"Hot soup!
Hot Soup!
Zoup!
Hot soup!"
When it comes to fast food soup, Zoup!
definitely has an edge in the market.
The chain offers a large variety of soups rotating daily, and as you can tell based
on its name, soup is its specialty.
Still, not every soup the chain offers is amazing, and one of their most popular soups
kind of falls in the middle.
The Lobster Bisque soup from Zoup! is definitely beloved by customers, but is it really all
that special?
Well, one blogger from The Breakfast Menu certainly thinks so, writing:
"It was very creamy and tasty.
The man behind the counter told me that it was their best selling soup.
I appreciated its flavor.
It was creamy and featured good little chunks of crab.
I thought it was delicious and I would definitely try it again."
However, this soup definitely isn't up to par with other lobster bisques that you can
find at fancier, sit-down restaurants.
Still, if you're craving it and don't want to spend an arm and a leg, you could do worse
than the Zoup!
Lobster bisque.
If you don't live in Canada or certain regions of the northern United States, you might not
be familiar with Tim Hortons.
The famous Canadian coffee shop is basically as well-loved in the Great White North as
Starbucks is in the U.S.
However, the difference is that Tim Hortons
serves a whole lot more than just coffee and pastries.
The chain also offers soups and sandwiches, and one of its soups is pretty popular and
actually pretty good!
The Chicken Noodle Soup at Tim Hortons isn't as good as homemade, but it's pretty good
for a fast food restaurant.
It's savory, warm, flavorful, and very comforting, but don't just take our word for it.
One reviewer on Spoon University explained,
"Tim Hortons' chicken noodle soup makes you feel like you're right at home.
Always cooked to the right temperature, this soup is filled with flavor.
Adding the packet of saltine crackers brings the whole food experience together."
Basically, this isn't the best fast food soup out there, but it's pretty darn tasty.
Once again, Panera Bread is definitely a fast food chain known for its soups, and its Cream
of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is no exception.
According to the Panera Bread menu, the soup features:
"Diced chicken, long grain and wild rice, celery, onion and carrots simmered in chicken
stock with cream and select herbs."
It sounds pretty hearty and delicious, but it's still not the best the restaurant — or
any fast food chain — has to offer.
Customers describe the soup as something not to be missed, and the soup is also part of
the Panera At Home line, meaning you can purchase a container of the soup at a grocery store
to heat up and eat at home.
Still, the soup isn't perfect, and there seems to be an issue of quality control across Panera
Bread locations — the soup can sometimes be flawless, and other times, the taste is
too watered down or the rice undercooked.
Obviously, El Pollo Loco specializes in delicious Mexican-inspired chicken dishes, and its Chicken
Tortilla Soup is no exception.
One look at reviews of this soup tells you what you need to know.
One customer via Chow Hound wrote:
"It is absolutely delicious!
There was lots of chicken in my $2.49 12-ounce cup, along with 'non-frozen' chopped vegetables
in a very chicken-y broth.
The tortilla chips come on the side, along with fresh cilantro and Mexican cheese.
Wow–so good it's hard to believe it is fast food!"
That being said, it may not be the best fast food soup out there, and it might not even
be the best chicken tortilla soup on the market.
If that's what you're craving, hold onto your spoon.
While El Pollo Loco's chicken tortilla soup might be okay, it's not great.
It lacks the depth of spice that you would expect, and the quality of ingredients is
somewhat questionable as well.
"Chicken noodle soup, I feel good when you're around."
Coming back to Zoup!, the fast food chain obviously offers a ton of different soup options,
but one of the most popular is also one of its best.
The Chicken Noodle Soup from Zoup!
hits all the right notes that you want from a chicken noodle soup.
On a cold day, this is the kind of soup that will warm you right up.
Really, the chicken noodle from Zoup! is one of the best fast food soups out there.
One customer on GrubHub claimed it almost tastes homemade.
"I had the Chicken Noodle and [it] tasted […] as if my gra other made it herself.
As a soup lover, I never thought that I could taste this amazing out of a restaurant.
Best soup in TOWN!"
Obviously, not everyone will feel that way, but Zoup!
chicken noodle soup is still noteworthy.
Let's be honest, one of the greatest soups of all time is easily broccoli cheddar soup,
but there are definitely some broccoli cheddar soups out there that aren't as tasty as others.
One such soup that does a good job of hitting all the right flavor notes is Quiznos' broccoli
cheddar soup.
The dish is warm, hearty, filling, and the perfect balance of cheesy with just a few
notes of broccoli and carrots.
Reviews of the soup are all pretty positive, unsurprisingly.
One customer noted on Trip Advisor:
"One of my favorites is the broccoli cheddar soup in the bread bowl.
My kiddos love it too.
Wish I could figure out how to make a homemade version of that bread bowl."
This soup is definitely tasty, and it's exactly what you want when you think of a broccoli
cheddar soup.
Another popular fast food joint known for having good soups is Cafe Zupas.
Most of the soups there are pretty decent, but there's one that stands out: the Southwest
Potato and Green Chili Soup.
According to the Cafe Zupas menu, the soup features "red skinned potatoes, green chilies,
fire roasted corn, green cabbage, chopped bacon, Southwestern spices & fresh cilantro
in a creamy broth."
Obviously, that all sounds delicious, and it is!
The soup is executed perfectly, and it's one of the best fast food soups out there.
The soup is so good that it has inspired quite a few copycat recipes on the internet.
Basically, the soup takes your classic potato soup and elevates it.
The spice from the green chilis complements the creaminess from the potatoes so well that
the soup might just become your new favorite.
"Mmm…soup.
I mean noodle soup.
I mean soup!"
"Come on!"
You might not expect a place known for its fried chicken to have a delicious soup offering,
but Chick-fil-A really knows what it's doing with just about every menu item.
That being said, its chicken noodle soup is no different.
The Chick-Fil-A Chicken Noodle Soup is about as simple as it gets, but the fast food joint
really nails it.
The soup features shredded chicken breast, chopped celery and carrots, and egg noodles,
all cooked together in a delicious chicken broth.
Clearly, this is a classic chicken noodle soup, but because of the quality of chicken
at Chick-fil-A and the flavors used in the soup, it really is one of the best fast-food
soups out there.
Additionally, this soup from Chick-fil-A comes with the chain's well-known hospitality and
efficient ordering process.
Basically, you won't regret giving this soup a go next time you're craving a comforting
bowl of chicken noodle soup.
If you're a person who craves soup regularly, then there's a pretty big chance that you've
eaten your fair share of soups from Panera Bread.
You have also probably tried its best soup, the broccoli cheddar soup, because how could
you not?
Per the Panera Bread menu, the broccoli cheddar soup is pretty much exactly what it sounds
like:
"Chopped broccoli, shredded carrots and select seasonings simmered in a velvety smooth cheese
sauce."
Nothing special or extra.
However, that's because the soup doesn't require anything extra or crazy to make it stand out
as one of the best fast food soups out there.
One TripAdvisor user wrote,
"Their broccoli cheddar soup is the best, absolute best."
Another customer wrote:
"Love the broccoli & cheddar soup with 1/2 sandwich deal, wish I could get the recipe
for the soup!"
Clearly, this is one of the best fast food soups out there.
Finally, the absolute best fast food soup out there is easily Chick-fil-A's chicken
tortilla soup.
According to the Chick-Fil-A website, the soup features lots of ingredients:
"shredded chicken breast with navy and black beans in a white creamy soup base with a perfect
blend of vegetables and spicy heat.
Topped off with seasoned corn tortilla strips."
This chicken tortilla soup is definitely creamier than most, and that might just be what makes
it so great.
The overall flavor and freshness of the soup put it over the top.
Reviewers of the soup seem to agree that it's seriously impressive, especially for a fast
food restaurant.
One reviewer on Grub Grade Review said,
"Wow, this stuff was good!
The Chicken Tortilla Soup was spiced just right and thick enough to be considered hearty.
While the beans and cream stock were standouts, the chicken seemed to just be there for the
added protein."
If you're a fan of spicy food or tortilla soup in general, definitely give this soup a go.
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