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Soup Brothers
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July 20, 2009 11:26 AM by Jess
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By Michelle Williamson
Of the Frontpage Milwaukee staff
July 20, 2009
Soup Brothers
209 W. Florida St.
(414) 270-1040 (not in service)
Business hours:
Monday-Friday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Closed Sunday
At many restaurants in Milwaukee, soup is merely an appetizer, an attempt to stave of hunger prior to the entrée. Then again, Soup Brothers is not like many restaurants. Here, soup is the star of the show. No starter snacks, no desserts, just soup. And it’ll be the one of the best bowls of your life. If you have the patience to wait for it.
Tucked away on 209 W. Florida St. in Walker’s Point, this popular lunch-hour destination is a nod to a time when things were slow and simple, despite being just a couple of blocks from the fast-paced stream of cars whirring by on 1st Street. As the nearby traffic suggests, city life is all rush, rush, rush. Does a little homegrown shop like Soup Brothers have a place here?
From their place in line, any of Soup Brothers’ loyal customers would tell you yes, of course. In the rush, rush, rush of daily routine, this tiny little soup nook is a breath of fresh air, a step away from our technology-laced lives.
For one thing, although the little sign propped up facing the window proclaims that the daily menu can be accessed at (262) 860-SOUP, the line isn’t in service. Nor is the listed website, www.soupbros.com. There’s only one way to check the constantly rotating menu: go there.
And go there they do. And so do I. Once a week. Okay, okay, maybe twice a week, but I’m hardly alone.
It’s hard to deny the charm of the place. Eating there is kind of like having lunch at an eccentric friend’s house. An eccentric friend’s tiny house, where you eat bumping elbows with your tablemates while surveying the work of local artists hanging on the walls and a mix of knickknacks collected over a lifetime of world travel sitting on the well-used tables. Vases of dried flowers and tall grass, as well as potted plants, rest among decades-old foreign soda bottles and dog-eared books about the places to visit at least once in your lifetime.
Of course, on a nice day, you can always take a seat on one of the two weathered wooden benches outside, shaded by some of the trees that line the street. Occasionally there’s even a sole table set up in a sunny spot out there, furnished with a few bottles of hot sauce and a pinch bowl of course-grain salt.
An iPod sitting on a shelf in the corner provides the music, which ranges from jazz to reggae to European-sounding accordion tunes and suits the décor completely.
The eccentricity of the interior reflects the constantly rotating menu, which is scrawled onto chalkboards on the wall. Soup Brothers offer fresh, hearty spins on classic soups in either 12 or 16-ounce porcelain bowls. (Carry out is offered if you prefer.) Served up with a hefty chunk of salty, poppy seed-sprinkled homemade bread, it’s definitely enough food to qualify as a full meal.
There are several soups on rotation (usually six per day) with options for both vegetarians and meat-eaters. I have yet to try them all, but so far it’s what’s billed as “Mario’s barrio stew” that has me salivating in my sleep. A chunky concoction of pork, rice, beans, and jalapenos in a tomato sauce topped with a pinch of cilantro, it’s pretty much the stew of my dreams (sorry, Mom.) Often it’s served with a dollop of sour cream, but usually I spoon that out because it can make the stew less warm and I like mine piping hot.
Although the main attraction is soup, the menu does have a decent selection of sandwiches. I favor the Jamaican jerk sandwich, which features warm jerk pork, onions, thinly sliced cucumbers, and spicy mayo on a crusty baguette, perfect for dipping into your soup of choice. Try the roasted red pepper bisque; their version is creamy and colorful with a scoop of rice and sour cream and a sprinkling of scallions on top, a burst of flavor with every spoonful. Nope, don’t even try to sip (I know you will.) This stuff needs to attention of a utensil.
While it’s hard to argue with a perfectly prepared bowl of soup, it seems that some people caught up in the rush have a hard time with the relaxed process that goes into eating at Soup Brothers. Usually there’s only one employee there, who acts as both cook and cashier. This often results in a line of customers that can sometimes snake out the door and at least a ten-minute wait for your food once you’ve ordered, especially during the weekday lunch hour crush. You are also responsible for cleaning up after yourself. Of course, this may deter a potential customer, but I would advise anyone with a healthy appetite and a little time to spare to wait it out.
This little soup nook may be considered a lunch place, but it’s not a fast food joint. I think that taking a little time away from the ringing phones and a constantly full e-mail inbox to get a good bite to eat is a little taste of heaven. And it seems that Soup Brothers would agree.
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Cuisine type: soup specialty
Price range: $4.50 to $8
Attire: Casual
Reservations: No
Payment: Cash only
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