I tried all the soups at the Brooklyn diner where Adam Driver said 'good soup.' They didn't live up to the viral phrase.

Advertisement
I tried all the soups at the Brooklyn diner where Adam Driver said 'good soup.' They didn't live up to the viral phrase.
  • The phrase "Good soup" became a TikTok meme after a "Girls" soundbite went viral.
  • It's from an episode where two of the HBO show's main characters go to a famous Brooklyn diner.
  • I decided to try out the famous diner's soups once and for all.
Advertisement

"Good soup," a line from "Girls," became a huge TikTok meme in late August.

"Good soup," a line from "Girls," became a huge TikTok meme in late August.
The "good soup" meme originates from a 2017 episode of HBO's "Girls." Know Your Meme

If you've been on TikTok recently, you've probably heard about the "good soup."

The sound comes from a 2017 episode of HBO's "Girls," when a deadpan Adam Driver slurps a big spoonful during an intense, emotional conversation with Lena Dunham's Hannah Horvath, the series lead.

The "good soup" meme is intoxicating in large part thanks to Driver's delivery, which is accompanied by a sharp "OK" hand sign.

Innocuous sound bites from various songs, commercials, TV shows, and movies become TikTok memes all the time. As Know Your Meme reported, the "good soup" sound began gaining traction in August, after users began making memes about eating ramen and drinking their own tears.

The "good soup" scene took place at Kellogg's Diner in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

The "good soup" scene took place at Kellogg's Diner in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Kellogg's Diner is a Williamsburg landmark, even in the pouring rain. Connor Perrett/Insider

I live within walking distance of the diner that the "Girls" scene was shot at. It's called Kellogg's Diner, and it's a landmark in the trendy Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn.

Kellogg's has a bright blue exterior, classic American diner atmosphere, and stays open all night. It doesn't have the greatest culinary reputation. Personally, I've had it several times and have never thought it was great. In fact, I usually think it's terrible.

The best way I can describe Kellogg's food is that it's sort of like those sad pictures of American public school lunches, where a hot dog bun has a slice of microwaved cheese on it.

Nonetheless, I decided to give every soup on the menu a chance, as Driver's character, also named Adam, does not specify which soup is the scene's "good soup."

Advertisement

Kellogg's carries two "soup of the day" options, which were split pea and chicken orzo when I visited the restaurant.

Kellogg's carries two "soup of the day" options, which were split pea and chicken orzo when I visited the restaurant.
The soup of the day cups and saucers matched the ones in Driver's "Girls" scene. Connor Perrett/Insider

Walking into Kellogg's Diner on a Wednesday night after work, the place was nearly empty, and my roommates and I got to pick our booth. We carefully selected the one that Driver was filmed in for "Girls" and ordered one of every soup on the menu.

There was a "soup of the day" option, so I ordered a cup of each — split pea and chicken orzo. The soups arrived one after another with a little plastic condiment cup containing croutons and some saltine crackers.

Appearance-wise, the soups looked and smelled pretty normal, and were served in similar dishes to the soup Driver had in "Girls."

On Wednesday, the soup of the day was pretty disappointing. Neither one of my two roommates liked the split pea, but I preferred it to the chicken orzo, which was in dire need of salt and pepper.

Once seasoned, both soups were significantly better. But they tasted just like the stuff you'd get out of a can, for the price of two or more cans.

In addition to the "soup of the day," Kellogg's had two more soup varieties to try.

In addition to the "soup of the day," Kellogg's had two more soup varieties to try.
I was surprised by how appetizing the french onion soup looked. Connor Perrett/Insider

After the mediocre soup of the day, I moved on to Kellogg's two remaining soup options, one of which was french onion. The experience I had eating the french onion soup single-handedly saved my dinner.

First of all, it was extremely cheesy on top, which is the most important characteristic a french onion soup can have. The cheese pull was a solid six inches before it snapped. The rest of the soup was extremely average, but the delicious melted cheese on top was incredible.

If this had been the "good soup" from "Girls," I would have agreed with Driver's assessment. Unfortunately, there's clearly no cheese on top of his soup cup. So, this soup was good, but it's not the good soup in question.

Advertisement

Kellogg's also serves chili in its soup section, but chili isn't soup.

Kellogg's also serves chili in its soup section, but chili isn't soup.
The chili from Kellogg's didn't meet my Cincinnati standards. Connor Perrett/Insider

The last soup option wasn't a soup at all. Kellogg's sells a big bowl of chili, listed under its soup offerings, so I ordered it as well.

Now, I'm from Cincinnati, and we have weird hang-ups around chili. The chili that Kellogg's served me was not my favorite. In fact, I thought it was an abomination compared to Cincinnati chili, which is typically served over spaghetti and has generous heaps of shredded cheese on top.

This chili had what appeared to be a wilted piece of an unidentifiable herb on top of it. Once discarded, my roommates consumed the rest with glee. They enjoyed the chunks of red onion on top mixed it with the savory, hot chili.

However, I vehemently disagree that chili is soup, so this is not the "good soup."

I wouldn't say the soup at Kellogg's is good enough to return.

I wouldn't say the soup at Kellogg's is good enough to return.
The "good soup" of your dreams is not at Kellogg's Diner. Kat Tenbarge/Insider

So, is the "good soup" actually good? From my experience eating the soup of the day at Kellogg's Diner, which is what the "Girls" scene appears to be based on, the answer is no.

If you want good soup, you would be better off going to the grocery, buying a can of soup, and heating it up yourself. There is no reason to subject yourself to Kellogg Diner's unsettling vibes and just-alright offerings.

In my opinion, little at Kellogg's Diner is worth the menu price. Make your own "good soup" instead.

Advertisement