A Soup n’ Fresh has opened and I am so excited to try it! I was sad when Souplantation closed, and the salads that I’ve had since then have never been the same. The menu (and even tableware) at Soup n’ Fresh looked the same as Souplantation, so of course I had to go check it out!
I arrived at the Rancho Cucamonga location at 11:09am and there was already a line for lunch. The line started outside the restaurant, in a shaded area, and even had chairs on the side. At one point, the restaurant staff came out to write down how many people were in each party. This layout is different from Souplantation, where we got to line up inside the restaurant, grabbing food while waiting for our turn. It was nice that this meant people would not be talking and spitting into the food, but it did get pretty loud in the waiting area.
We waited for almost 30 minutes before it was our turn to go in. I was ready for this buffet. The first thing I grabbed was a tray and not one, but two plates – one plate for salad, and another plate for sides and other items. I immediately went for what is now called the Asian Chicken Salad. This is the salad I’ve been craving for the last five years. Next, I added some cucumbers, mushrooms, jalapenos, red onions, egg, cheese, and croutons. The other item I wanted most was the Tuna Pasta, and I was so glad they had it!
After paying for the meal, the eating begins. The Asian Chicken Salad was pretty good, although I did like the old Wonton Happiness at Souplantation more. This Asian Chicken Salad tasted a bit sweeter. Everything else was as good as I remembered. I wish I had put more food on my plate, but I knew I had to save room for everything else.
When I was halfway through my salad plate, I went to get soup – the Chicken Noodle Soup and the Cream of Mushroom Soup (yes, I grab two bowls at a time). My only comment from the soup bowls was that there was an ant in one of the bowls, but luckily I spotted it before scooping soup into my bowl. For my Chicken Noodle Soup, which I mainly get the chicken and soup, I added in my favorite green onions. I love dipping the chicken into ranch dressing before eating it! The Cream of Mushroom soup was very creamy, so half a bowl was enough for me.
For my next round of soup, I got the Chicken Noodle Soup (with mushrooms added) and the Clam Chowder. The Clam Chowder is another one of my favorites! I also got some mac & cheese, which I found to be saltier than I would’ve liked. I ate a piece of the Cheese Pizza Bread as well. To wrap it all up, I got the Vanilla Soft Serve!
I was so happy I got to eat at Soup n’ Fresh and have my favorite salad and soup again – it truly brings back so many good memories. Next time, I’ll make sure I allocate more time for this meal (we didn’t expect to have to wait so long in line) – I want to make a loaded baked potato! Hopefully they can open up some more locations around the area!