Baltimore Soup Company Opens at 2 East Wells in South Baltimore
Baltimore Soup Company (Balt Soup Co) opened almost three weeks ago in a 2,000 sq. ft. retail space at 2 East Wells in South Baltimore. Balt Soup Co is the first tenant at this retail space at 2 East Wells, a 153-unit apartment building that was completed in 2015. This is the second location for Balt Soup Co, which opened its Towson location last June.
As the name suggests, Balt Soup Co focuses on soups. It offers a rotating selection of six soups every day that are made from homemade stocks, fresh meats, and hand-cut vegetables at the Balt Soup Co’s commissary in Timonium.
There are currently 65 soups in the rotation and co-owner Lisa Redmond, who owns Balt Soup Co with husband David Redmond, has about 250 soup recipes. The two have spent the last 16 years opening cafes around the Baltimore area and always found that soup was the most popular item on the menu. They sold their cafes in recent years and decided to launch their new soup-focused concept.
Customers will find different soups at Balt Soup Co every day, but Maryland Crab Soup will always be on the menu. The recipe for the Maryland classic comes from Lisa Redmond’s grandmother. The soup menu lets customers know when soups are vegetarian, low fat, gluten free, or dairy free. General Manager Thomas Russell told SouthBMore.com that there are always vegetarian selections and that nearly every soup is gluten free.
The most popular soups so far are the Cream of Crab and Lobster and Crab Bisque. Russell noted that both sell out very quickly when they are on the menu board.
Other soups in rotation include Chicken Noodle, Tomato Basil Bisque, Chicken Pot Pie, White Bean Chicken Chili, Loaded Baked Potato, Lentil Vegetable, Broken Lasagna, Chicken Gumbo, and Potato, Bacon & Leak. Every cup, bowl, or pint of soup is served with a piece of bread. All of the bread at Balt Soup Co comes from Baltimore-based bakeries Stone Mill Bakery and American Hearth Bakery.
Also on the menu are sandwiches and salads. Sandwiches include the Turkey BLT, Chicken Salad Powerhouse Wrap, Big Kahuna Tuna Wrap, Turkey Tuscan Panini, Three Cheese Veggie Panini, and Chicken Avocado Cobb. Customers can order a half sandwich and soup combo. Sandwiches come with an apple or bag of chips. Balt Soup Co will also soon add a mango quinoa salad as a side option.
Entree salads include Chicken Cobb, Kale Power Caesar, Napa Valley Salad, Mediterranean Market Salad, and Chicken & Fuji Apple Salad. Chicken can be added to any salad.
Balt Soup Co will offer breakfast and coffee all day on Saturdays and Sundays along with its regular menu. It serves craft sodas from Stubborn, fresh-brewed tea, and a variety of waters, juices, and energy drinks.
Balt Soup Co is open is open Monday through Friday from 11am to 9pm, Saturday from 9am to 9pm, and Sunday from 9am to 7pm. It has about 20 employees.
Free parking is offered in the 2 East Wells Garage for Balt Soup Co’s customers.
Balt Soup Co offers online ordering and delivery along with catering.
Balt Soup Co’s space has an order counter and a large dining room with booths and low- and high-top tables. The space features Balt Soup Co’s black, red, and yellow colors and pictures of Baltimore on the walls. Outdoor seating will be added in the spring.
David Redmond told SouthBMore.com that he has been blown away by the support of his South Baltimore restaurant so far. He was recruited for many months to bring his concept to 2 East Wells by owner Chesapeake Realty Partners, and finally said yes. He was worried that there weren’t enough customers in the surrounding area and that it would take a couple years to build up his business. But, he has been pleasantly surprised by the amount of business he gets from the surrounding apartments, adjacent company ZeroFox, South Baltimore businesses, and the community. He is also appreciative of the positive feedback from online community Facebook groups. Russell also noted that they already have regular customers.
“We are very thankful,” he said.
The team at Balt Soup Co is very excited about the new developments coming to Port Covington, which is just a couple blocks away from 2 East Wells. Employees of a new Port Covington business stopped by to introduce themselves to David Redmond and Russell during SouthBMore.com’s visit.
The team at Balt Soup Co has also met several of the other Wells St. business owners, including the owners of Hersh’s and Minnow next door at 2 East Wells.
Balt Soup Co will have its new blinds installed by Wilhide Draperies, a company that had its home at 1900 Light St. across the street for many years. Wilhide recently relocated, but still manages the building.
Balt Soup Co is currently negotiating on a space for a Hunt Valley location. David and Lisa Redmond are hoping to open about a dozen locations in the coming years.
About the Author: Kevin Lynch
Founder and Publisher of SouthBmore.com, longtime resident of South Baltimore, and a graduate of Towson University. Diehard Ravens and O's fan, father of three, amateur pizza chef, skateboarder, and "bar food" foodie. Email me at Kevin@InceptMM.com and follow me on Twitter at @SoBoKevin.
