A New York landmark, one ladle at a time
Since 1984, The Original Soup Kitchen has been a New York City landmark, serving the original recipes created by founder Al Yeganeh. The Midtown Manhattan restaurant became internationally recognized after inspiring one of Seinfeld's most iconic episodes, cementing its place in both pop culture and New York culinary history.
More than 40 years later, The Original Soup Kitchen continues to honor that legacy with the same authentic recipes, uncompromising quality, and dedication to craftsmanship that have made it a destination for generations of guests.
What that looks like in practice is simple. Around forty soups in the repertoire, nine of them served every day, each one made in the kitchen behind the window from the recipe Al created. A piece of Brooklyn Italian bread with every bowl, a piece of fruit, a small chocolate. A line that moves faster than it looks.
How we got here
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1984
The kitchen opens
Al Yeganeh opens a small soup kitchen in Midtown Manhattan and starts serving the recipes he had been perfecting for years. Word spreads the old way, one bowl at a time.
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1990s
The episode
The kitchen's reputation for exacting standards and extraordinary soup inspires one of Seinfeld's most iconic episodes, and a Midtown lunch spot becomes known around the world.
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Today
Same recipes, same corner
More than forty years on, the kitchen still works from Al's originals. The line still forms on 55th Street, and the lobster bisque still sells out.
Everything happens at the window
The kitchen works a few feet from the sidewalk, in plain view through the window. A couple of cooks, a row of pots, and a line down 55th Street that moves faster than it looks.
The Rules to order are posted above the window in over 10 languages, which tells you something about who eats here. Nobody minds a first-timer. Everybody minds a slow one.
Follow the Rules!
Three of them. They have not changed since 1984 either.
- 1Pick the soup you want.
- 2Have your money ready.
- 3Move to your extreme left after ordering!
Come taste the story.
Order ahead for pickup, or get in line and let the kitchen decide for you.