Soup is ready in the middle of the cold NYC winter: The much-missed founders Hale and Hearty are back

With the polar vortex, it’s perfect soup weather—and NYC has a hot new option for a warm bowl.

Brothers Andrew and Jonathan Schnipper — who founded the now-defunct Hale and Hearty chain 30 years ago — have opened Schnipper’s Quality Soups at the location of the first H and H (849 Lexington Ave., Upper East Side).

Serving richly flavored broths, bisques and soups, made fresh with no thickeners or additives, it fills a soup void left by the deaths of Hale and Hearty.

Schnippers sold Hale and Hearty in 2006. The new owners expanded to more than 30 locations at the expense of quality.

Rich and heavy options, such as “loaded potatoes” squeeze out lighter varieties. The bowls were often so packed with solids that the popular chain seemed to have forgotten that the soup was meant to be liquid.

In 2022, all Hale and Hearty locations were suddenly closed.

Meanwhile, Schnippers launched a new fast-casual concept, Schnipper’s, in 2009, serving burgers and hot dogs.

“We got sidetracked into burgers and comfort food, but that doesn’t mean we stopped loving soup,” Andrew said.

After customers repeatedly told them “there’s no place to get soup,” they decided it was time to return to their spoon roots.

The seven cups I tasted of Schnipper’s Quality Soups were masterpieces, thanks to a well-equipped kitchen that makes almost everything, even the salad dressings, from scratch.

Chicken Vegetables with optional curly noodles (no extra charge) is No. 1 seller for good reason. The soup is wonderfully rich and robust, the perfect base for a classic blend of chicken breast, carrots and parsley.

My favorite choice, though, was the chicken and sausage jambalaya, starting with the Cajun “holy trinity” of onions, celery and green peppers; abundant spices; garlic rice and “in a Polish twist” herby-colored kielbasa instead of the more spiced andouille.

Six classic selections ($4.50 to $7) are offered daily, along with a rotating lineup of seven or eight specials ($7 to $11). Such abundant choices are rare in Manhattan. Le Pain Quotidien, for example, makes good soup, but only has one or two choices a day.

Subject to current health concerns, there are plenty of gluten-free choices, including super-thick black beans and a tantalizing Indian mulligatawny.

“We’re careful to only have gluten in the dishes that need it,” Andrew said.

“We are not using seed oils, only olive oil,” he added. “And we’re cooking exclusively with sea salt, which has less sodium than regular Kosher salt.”

None of the new soups are exactly the same as the one at Hale and Hearty — the company that bought the name also owns the recipes. The tomato rice was even spicier and sweeter than the original H and H sold decades ago.

But the differences are not necessarily radical. “Tomato cheddar is still tomato cheddar. We’re not making pineapple cheddar,” Andrew joked.

There are also freshly made sandwiches ($6). I loved the ricotta heirloom tomatoes with lemon chickpeas on focaccia, a summery treat in January.

The tomato slices are delicious purple Kumatos – another menu surprise.

At this point, the brothers aren’t sure if they’ll open more locations.

“At the end of the day, my honest answer is, we’re now focused on a restaurant,” Andrew said. “We are very careful.”

But, he continued, “We have hospitality in our DNA. If we’re making people happy here, it’s up to us to make them happy elsewhere.

Only one place in Manhattan offers a comparable variety of high-end soups on a daily basis – The Original Soup Kitchen (founded by “Soup Nazi†Ali “Al†Yeganeh who is no longer involved in the operations of daily ) on West 55th Street.

But you have to stand frozen on the sidewalk while you wait in line.

Schnipper’s finally brings back great soup from the cold.