A few months ago, I was invited to attend a VIP Grand Opening event at a new Cafe Zupas location here in Boise. Apparently I’ve been living under a rock, because the location where the party was is actually the third that they opened in our area! We’ve now been a handful of times, and I am a total convert now!
Thoughts: The soup was really good. Creamy, but not overly cheesy. It tasted just like roasted cauliflower. The fresh herb chicken sandwich was basically a traditional chicken salad, but with a few more herbs. It was good, but really salty. Granted, I’m not a huge fan of putting salt on / in anything I cook at home, so I’m a little more sensitive to it, but even my mom agreed that they had been a little heavy handed with the salt. The Mixed Berry Creme Brûlée was a little too sweet for my taste, and I did miss the crunchy torched sugar topping, but the Pomegranate Lime drink was amazing and I would seriously go there all the time, just to get more of it! Do you think they’d let me bring a gallon jug and just fill it myself?!
Thoughts: Growing up on the East Coast, we’re accustomed to a rich and creamy clam chowder, full of clams and potatoes. Cafe Zupas’ New England clam chowder was a bit of a let down because it was a pretty thin consistency, and only had a few clams. The flavor was still good, but it just wasn’t what we were quite expecting. We are both big fans of pesto, so her pesto chicken sandwich was really yummy, but again just a little heavy on the salt. The shining star of her order was the raw honey lemonade! My mom has her own bees, so we’re used to real, raw honey, and I had a hard time deciding if I liked her lemonade or my Limeaid more. It was just sweet enough to balance the tartness of the lemonade and so, so, so good.
Whatever Cafe Zupas is doing with their drinks, they need to keep doing it! I’ve since gone back to another one of our local locations and had the pesto chicken sandwich again, and it was much less salty the second time around. My theory is the new location was getting used to the recipes and the more they make the sandwiches and soups, the better they get! Overall, our entire experience was great – the restaurant is very clean and bright, the staff were all courteous and willing to answer our questions and make suggestions, and despite the saltiness, the food was good.
On my list of things I’d still like to try:
- The BBQ pork sandwich (house made honey mustard? YUM!)
- Crab Avocado melt (two of my favorites combined into one toasted sandwich!)
- Turkey Spinach Artichoke (I’m a sucker for sandwiches that have artichokes on them!)
- MangoBerry Salad (I mean, mango yogurt dressing and cinnamon almonds? Sold!)
- Asian Citrus Chicken Salad (even reading the description makes me salivate!)
With locations in Arizona, Idaho, Minnesota, Nevada and Utah, and coming soon to Illinois, it’s pretty obvious that Cafe Zupas is a popular place to enjoy some lunch with coworkers, friends or family!
Have you ever been to Cafe Zupas? What is your favorite thing to order? I’d love to hear what I should (or shouldn’t!) try!
Masshole Mommy says
That sounds like an amazing place to eat. I will keep it in mind 🙂
Patricia Delgado says
That food looks really light and fresh. I am wishing I had some of that soup right now!
Carol Cassara says
I've never been to Boise but I'm making my way through the surrounding states a state at a time. Boise has appeal for me and I'll pin this for the future.
Michelle Gwynn Jones says
I love New England Clam Chowder and the Manhattan kind and anything having to do with clams.
Rachel Mouton says
The food looks amazing! I'm getting hungry 😉
Amy Jones says
Looks so delicious, id love to try those sandwiches sometime 😉
Mom Knows Best says
The crab avocado one sounds delicious. The ingredients look fresh too.
Elizabeth O. says
Sounds like an amazing place for good food. I am so curious about your list, please update us on how it went! I'd love to give that lemonade a taste as well. This got me craving for some really refreshing drink and some soup! Lol.
MsCrookedHalo says
Looks delicious. And now I am so hungry that instead of working, I am off to an early lunch!
Emma White says
The food looks really tasty! I'm glad you ventured out as Iam the same I find somewhere I like and always go there X
Jen Robinson says
Thanks for trying us out! I'll be sure to pass along the feedback so we improve, as well as the kudos about the drinks (the Pomegranate is my favorite as well…so good).
Jen
Cafe Zupas
Jessica Hughes says
I want clam chowder like right now!!
agnes dela cruz says
Clam chowder is my favorite and to pair it with your favorite sandwich is just perfect.
mail4rosey says
Pesto on a sandwich sounds really good to me. I think everything looks good!
Eugenia says
I’ve never been to Cafe Zupas, but seems like a good place to eat! The food looks delicious and fresh! I’d love to try this Wisconsin Cauliflower soup and the dessert!
Yona Williams says
I really like the meal that you ordered for yourself. The cauliflower soup is something that I would like, and the sandwich looks delicious.
Katarzyna Wójcik says
We don't have them around here, but it sure does look like a nice place to grab a lunch, so if I ever come across, I'll definitely stop by. I hope you're right that they were getting used to recipes the first time and level of saltiness will be adjusted for good, as I'm not a fan of it either 🙂
ana de jesus says
That soup sounds exactly like what I need right now I am feeling the weather blues and soups are great motivators.
Maya LaBoo says
Wow! The pesto chicken sandwich looks amazing!
Dhemz says
Oh, my! I would love to try a pesto on a sandwich…sounds yummy! Thanks for sharing.
Shabby Chic Boho says
I've never been to Cafe Zupas before. I live in Georgia and we don't have access to one. The next time I'm traveling, I'll see if they have on in that area.
Doran HauteBeautyGuide says
I'll be in Boise in a few month! I will have to check this cafe out.
Ryan Escat says
That looks fun and great to visit. I hope I can bring my family to there. Thanks for sharing!
Kari Ann says
I have never heard of this spot, I will have to check it out if I am ever in Boise!
Heavenly Savings says
I don't have a Zoupas near me but my brother does and he talks about it all the time. I think I'm going to have to give them a try when I visit him in June!
Jenn @ BecauseImCheap says
All of it sounds delicious! Especially the drinks. Love pomegranate in anything 🙂
Ms KathyKenny says
It's pretty awesome when you get invited to those kind of events. I love attending them coz it's always fun.