The 34th Annual Samaritan Center Soup Bowl is one of the warmest days on our calendar. This year it was set for Thursday, November 5, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Vero Beach Heritage Center, with soup and pottery also offered at more than 20 spots around Indian River County. Once you have your new handmade bowl, the fun part is finding reasons to fill it again all season. Here are six local kitchens with soup on their own menus.
Why the Soup Bowl Matters
The idea goes back 34 years, when the Samaritan Center's advisory board noticed that a bowl of soup was often the only meal a homeless person got in a day. They teamed up with the potters of Indian River Clay, and the bowl became a symbol of the basics many neighbors still go without. This year those potters made and donated more than 1,000 one-of-a-kind bowls. Organizers listed soup at $5 a bowl or $15 a quart, with a $20 donation for a handmade bowl.
Every dollar goes to the Samaritan Center, a program of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Palm Beach that gives homeless families with children in our county a safe place to live while parents work, save and take classes on budgeting, parenting and running a household. Families stay six to nine months on average, and the center reports a 90 percent success rate for families living on their own six months after they leave. Organizers say it has helped 750 families, including more than 1,250 children, since it opened.
All the soup details below come from each restaurant's own menu as of November 2026. Menus, prices and hours change, so call ahead.
Green Marlin
This US-1 seafood spot has a whole Soups and Chowders section. Look for the French onion crock with crouton and melted Swiss, and a traditional cream-based New England clam chowder with clams, onion, celery and potato, by the cup or the bowl. There is also a house-made soup of the day (call for today's pick) and a seafood gumbo with shrimp, scallops and sausage over rice.
1475 US-1, Vero Beach · (772) 999-5248 · Menu · Vero Vine listing
Ocean Grill
A beachside landmark on Beachland Boulevard. The dinner menu lists New England clam chowder ($8) and onion soup au gratin ($10), and chowder is also one of the side choices with an entree. Lunch runs Monday through Saturday and dinner every night, per the restaurant's site.
1050 Beachland Blvd, Vero Beach · (772) 231-5409 · Dinner menu · Vero Vine listing
The Lemon Tree
A breakfast and lunch favorite on Ocean Drive since 1987. The lunch menu has a soup of the day by the cup or bowl, and a cup of soup is one of the choices in the Pick Two. It is a daytime spot: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday.
3125 Ocean Dr, Vero Beach · (772) 231-0858 · Lunch menu · Vero Vine listing
Nino's Corner Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria
A homemade soup of the day sits on the appetizer menu, listed at $4 a cup or $7 a bowl. Easy to pair with a slice.
4236 20th St, Vero Beach · (772) 562-0276 · Menu · Vero Vine listing
UMAMI Noodle Thai and Sushi
A full Thai soup section: miso, tom yum and tom kha with chicken or shrimp, a clear vegetable soup topped with fried garlic, and wonton soup with chicken wontons. Tom kha is the creamy one, a coconut milk broth with lime, chili paste and mushroom.
4166 Atlantic Blvd, Vero Beach · (772) 257-5256 · Menu · Vero Vine listing
Thai Bayside II, Sebastian
Heading north? Thai Bayside II has its own soup section, from a simple miso to veggie miso, tofu soup, wonton, tom yum and tom kha, most in small or large sizes, with chicken, shrimp or seafood as add-ons.
709 US-1, Sebastian · (772) 918-8370 · Menu · Vero Vine listing
Or Make It at Home
Fill your new Soup Bowl bowl with our Treasure Coast Shrimp and Sweet Corn Chowder, coming up on Vero Vine this week. To learn more about the families the Soup Bowl supports, visit the Samaritan Center page at Catholic Charities.
Where do you go for the best bowl of soup in Indian River County? Tell us in the comments on our Facebook post.
My name is Ava Cook and I am a Freshman at Florida Southern College in Lakeland FL. I am currently a B.F.A musical theatre major with a minor in Business Administration. I love reading, singing, acting, dancing, and writing. My favorite part about Vero Beach and Indian River County as a whole is how close the community is. Vero Vine is important to me as it allows me to do my part it bringing the community together also, sharing events, small businesses, and other local happenings. If you have any questions or any recommendations for me, my email is always open [email protected].
- After the Soup Bowl: 6 Places to Get Soup in Vero Beach and Sebastian - November 5, 2026
- Treasure Coast Shrimp and Sweet Corn Chowder - November 5, 2026
- Meet Broogie's, the Breakfast and Lunch Deli on Aviation Boulevard - November 5, 2026
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