New England Soup Factory

All soups are GOOD

The soup choices were fantastic. Immediately when we walked in, he was offering up samples of any of the soups. All four of us enjoyed our decisions and the «Hamlet» was tastey. We loved the bread served with the soup. We will come back the next time we are in Salem.

The best soup I’ve ever tried. I’m from Argentina and I came to Salem to visit my family. We did the Custom House Tour and It was a freezing cold day. The best decision we made after the tour was to go for a soup.
I order the tomato, coliflower and cheese.
So delicious !
(Sorry for my english)

Don’t let the paper utensils fool you!!! This place has the best clam chowder and lobster newbury! Not gonna lie, when I came in on a Saturday night and saw that the small place was empty, the soups behind the glass counter did not look too appealing. However, the kind waitress let us sample as many as we wanted, and each one was to die for. As a best of Boston winner for multiple years, I should have known.

I may be a spoiled New Yorker, so keep that in mind. While in Boston we had fantastic food, expecting to still find great food while exploring the totally disappointing Salem, we found this little soup place with really high ratings. Unfortunately I don’t think the rating is deserved. We had the clam chowder, chicken noodle, and lobster bisque. The bisque I didn’t even finish the small cup of. It just plain wasn’t good. The chunks of rice made what might have been a decadent treat into a textural mushy nightmare. The chowder was okay, but wasn’t better then some canned chowder I’ve had, and certainly didn’t live up to my expectations of New England. The noodle soup was standard, but again, may as well have been from a can. Nothing wasn’t edible, it just didn’t live up to the ratings and I wouldn’t go back. I have to believe that there’s better food elsewhere.

What a delight! Service prompt and a relaxing space. Thai Butternut and Spicy Chickpea soups are personal favorites and the sesame noodles are on point man! Sandwiches are so so and there could be more of an atmosphere but it’s my kinda joint for poppin over after work, kickin back, being serenaded by Willie Nelson on the speakers and stuffing in my face with chili! Namaste

Stopped in for lunch on a Thursday. Place was fairly busy, ppl chillin with their soup. All seemed pleasantly occupied spooning away.
As always, the staff was super friendly and almost too eager to give us samples. All the soups are good. And I’m sure SUPER healthy.
I went with a soup and sandwich combo.
–Clam/​corn chowder: really tasty, touched off nicely with some added pepper. Not too runny or thick. I would’ve liked more stuff in it (clams, corn, obviously some bacon) but it tasted quite good.
–Tuna salad sandwich: very well flavored tuna salad — not just the typical tuna and mayo. It was also tasty. Though not hot. They don’t do hot sandwiches.
They should do hot sandwiches. I’ll loan them a toaster oven for it — they can buy 20 of them from Costco for $ 19.95. Everything is better warm and crispy, so I don’t know why. It’s my only complaint about them.
Also, the brownies are pretty incredible. Just the right amount of fudginess with chocolate chips in them. Also definitely a bit more bitter than sweet — which is not great for me as I like sweet — but they tasted higher quality for it.
Always a good eating experience.

I love soup – in fact, I love soup so much that I often eat it in the middle of summer while sweating my butt off. In the winter time, soup is such a staple in my diet that I have it multiple times a week. There’s nothing like a hearty, hot bowl of soup to warm the body and the soul!
Not only does New England Soup Factory meet my expectations, they far surpass them! I find myself craving their clam and corn chowder often. They have multiple soups everyday for you to choose, some seasonal and some staples. If you don’t know what to order or want to try something new, they’re not shy about giving you a sample!
After trying a few of the soups, I always come back to the classic clam and corn chowder. I pride myself on being able to cook and replicate recipes at home, but I really can’t place what they put in their chowder – there’s this savory, umami flavor that doesn’t just come from the clams they put in the chowder. It’s just so delicious and hits the spot every time!
The soup is served with either oyster crackers or a white/​wheat roll. I’m not sure if they freshly bake the bread on premise, but the rolls are fresh and chewy. They’re perfect to dip in the soup and fill you up.
The service is great! The owner/​manager is always friendly, courteous, and makes you feel welcome. Again, don’t be shy about asking for samples!
Highly recommended!

Do you like soup? This is your place! You can try any of the soups before you buy and they usually have a good variety of hot soups/​salads and sandwiches. My favorites are the Lobster Newburg and the Chicken noodle. There are a lot of good places in Salem to eat, but if soup is your things, this is the go to place. There seem like some good options for vegans/​vegetarians too. A good local spot!

I was excited to try this place out after hearing about the other locations on Chronicle and Phantom Gourmet, but didn’t realize it was the same as the place in Salem.
My husband and I were both feeling a little under the weather and craving some hearty and delicious nourishing soup, but neither of us had the motivation to cook. I mentioned to him that I’d read about this place on Unilocal and that we should give it a try.
I loved the «sample your soup» feature… Such a fun experience to get to taste before you buy, and make sure it’s exactly what you like. The sample size could have been a little bit more generous.
I ended up going with Cream of Tomato, a staple for me, and found it to be really very hearty and delicious. My husband tried the Chicken Vegetable, and the owner was kind about offering exactly the quantity of accompanying noodles to suit his fancy.
The soup was good, but we would’ve preferred our soup served in real dishware rather than paper and plastic containers, since we were dining in. We also were bothered by the rocking of the table at which we sat. (Tough to eat piping hot soup on a table that was moving)
The bread (both white and wheat) was the unsung hero, and a pleasant complement to the meal. It was both crunchy on the outside, but soft and chewy on the inside.
All in all it was a good experience and we will certainly be back.

Good choices for lunch. Soups & sandwiches. Some salads. Pleasant, about a dozen tables for eat in. Lots of options for vegan, DF, GF, etc. Soup comes in 12, 16oz and industrial.

Very delicious, perfect stop and grab type of place. Soups are cozy and the sandwiches are delicious. Simple meal

The New England Soup Factory is a cute place for a little quick bite in Salem. They serve a variety of tasty sandwiches, soups, salads, and snacks, and all within a cheerfully painted small space, with a nice view of the comings and goings on the main street. The woman who helped my mom and I on the day that we ate here was super nice and happy to give samples. This was especially helpful when deciding if we really wanted to eat a big bowl of soup on a hot summer day. The verdict: The soup was good, but we’ll have to come back when it’s colder to really enjoy! The avocado chicken wrap was fresh and flavorful, and I enjoyed the tomato mozzarella salad we ordered as a side. They also have a nice selection of chips and drinks from the local area. Now that I’ll be working in the area, I’ll definitely plan on coming here more often.

I would say pricey but fresh. Not the best clam chowder just OK, mine was barely warm and watery. The chili is very good and hearty, sandwiches are fresh and good nothing to write home about. I have had better chowder from a can. we came because all the good reviews, what a bummer.

We walked in for lunch having not been in the area before. The shop is cute and not too busy. We went to the counter to order and they told us to try some samples. They said try as many as you like.
I decided to get the lemon zest chicken with orzo (which came with a bread roll or oyster crackers). It was delicious. The perfect amount of sour with a nice spinach taste that’s not overwhelming. The orzo was soft and doesn’t even really need to be chewed. The chicken didn’t interest me. It was okay but I usually find chicken in soup to feel dry and not as flavorful. But the soup as a whole was one of the best I’ve had. I followed my family into the place not sure I even wanted soup and left feeling like I got a unique taste of Salem. The only other complaint is that they don’t have ice water in a cup.

I went to the New England Soup factory due to the fact I love my soup. I came in with high expectations, this being a «soup factory». I ordered a potato and chive soup which had decent flavor, but was very watery and had no potato chunks in it. I ordered a drink with the soup and the whole thing came out to $ 8.00 which was an absolute joke because I could have eaten a full course meal afterward.
The only reason I will come back is if I get sexually molested in below freezing temperatures in downtown Salem and am in need of warmth/​comfort food.

This place was odd but the soup was really good. We got the clam and corn chowder and really enjoyed it. We got it with a «French roll» which was a little block of ciabatta (not great). But the chowder was awesome!

A little disappointed.
Sampled their lobster Newburg and their chili before settling, and I do mean settling like you would for a woman during last call at the bar, for their corn and clam chowder.
Once again a lukewarm chowder with very little flavor other than the cream.
Honestly, had it not said «corn» I wouldn’t have noticed it in the soup.
Lackluster chowder.
My search for the best MA chowder continues…

This place has great soup. I ordered the Chili con Carne and devoured the entire cup greedily. That being said… No amount of amazing food can make me forget about the service itself. That is JUST as important, and seeing as they’ve been in this town for so long, you would think they know better.
The only worker I saw that day was the boss man. He was a bit stand-​offish and kept questioning my choice, with comments such as «It’s spicy» and «It has meat in it.» I found it quite frustrating since I read the board which lists the ingredients. I didn’t say a word though, I thought that might just be his personality. Then, two other groups came in after me, all males. He was kind and talkative with them! Didn’t bat an eye at their orders. Really? I don’t know if it’s because I was a female there alone or what, but I don’t appreciate being treated so differently.

Great place for a soup before visiting the town! There is good parking on the street nearby or park in the structure near the theater and walk over.
You can sample the soups prior to ordering.
My favorites were the chicken noodle soup with puff pastry top and the clam chowder.
The soups come with a roll or chips and they have 8 to choose from. Highly recommended while in the area for a warm meal that won’t break the bank!
They also have an ice cream and dessert case for those of you who want something sweet afterwards!