Cafe Zupas Menu Prices 2026: Soups, Salads, Sandwiches & Pick Two

The standard Pick Two combo at Cafe Zupas is $13.49 as of May 2026. It lets you pick any two from four categories: half sandwich, half salad, cup of soup, or dessert (Cafe Zupas is one of the only fast-casual chains where dessert counts as a combo half). Upgrading to Lobster Bisque as the soup pushes the combo to $14.99 — that's the only standard upcharge. House-baked bread is included with most combos. Mountain West suburban cafes sit at or near these prices; downtown and airport locations typically run $1–2 higher.

Cafe Zupas Lobster Bisque is the chain's most iconic and most-photographed item. It's made with sweet Maine lobster meat, sherry, heavy cream, and a paprika-cayenne base for warmth. A cup is $7.49 and a bowl is $8.99 as of May 2026 — about $1.50 more than a standard soup. Inside the Pick Two combo, the Lobster Bisque upgrade brings the combo to $14.99 (vs. $13.49 standard). It's the single most-ordered soup at Zupas and is usually on the daily rotation board at every cafe.

Cafe Zupas operates approximately 70 locations across the U.S. as of 2026, concentrated heavily in the Mountain West — Utah (the home state and densest market), Idaho, Nevada, Arizona and Colorado. The chain expanded into the Midwest over the past five years, with cafes now in Illinois, Ohio, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Missouri. Headquarters is in Salt Lake City. Cafe Zupas does not currently operate on the East Coast or in California. Use the store locator on cafezupas.com for exact addresses and hours.

They're directly comparable but tuned differently. Cafe Zupas positions as 'fast fine' — bread baked in-store at every cafe, soup made fresh daily, no fryers in the kitchen, and dessert built into the combo. Panera Bread is bigger (~2,200 vs. ~70 cafes), bakes its own bread, runs the Unlimited Sip Club drink subscription, and has the Cinnamon Crunch Bagel as its bakery hero. On price the Pick Two ($13.49) and You Pick Two ($13.99) are nearly identical; Zupas wins on dessert-as-a-half and Lobster Bisque, Panera wins on scale, bakery breadth and drink subscription value. If you have both nearby, Zupas tends to feel more chef-y / boutique and Panera more reliable / scaled. Compare Panera Bread menu prices →

Yes — Cafe Zupas runs a rotating soup program with 8+ soups on the daily board, drawn from a much larger seasonal rotation (40+ recipes across the year). Lobster Bisque, Tomato Basil, Chicken Enchilada Chile Verde and Wisconsin Cauliflower are essentially permanent because of demand. Tuscan Chicken & Orzo, Coconut Curry, Loaded Baked Potato, Thai Tom Kha, Beef Stew, Cheese Tortellini & Sausage and seasonal squash soups rotate in and out. Each soup is made fresh at the cafe daily — no central commissary distribution. The current day's soup board is posted on the menu screen at each cafe and on the cafezupas.com order flow.

Vegetarian options are well-developed at Zupas: Tomato Basil Soup, Wisconsin Cauliflower, Loaded Baked Potato, the Caprese Vegetarian Sandwich ($10.49), the Mediterranean Power Bowl, and any signature salad ordered without chicken (Bountiful no-chicken is $9.99). Vegan options are tighter — the Roasted Vegetable Minestrone is vegan-as-served, and most salads can be made vegan by skipping cheese and choosing a vinaigrette. Zupas is not a fully meat-free kitchen but is more accommodating than most peer fast-casual brands. The Coconut Curry can sometimes be made vegan with tofu — ask the cafe.

Most house-made desserts at Cafe Zupas are $3.49 each as of May 2026 — including the signature Chocolate Strawberry (the chain's #1 dessert), Chocolate Mousse, Snickerdoodle, Lemon Bar and Chocolate Chip Cookie. Seasonal items like Carrot Cake run $3.99. Inside the Pick Two combo, a dessert counts as one of the two halves — so for $13.49 you can pair a half sandwich, half salad or cup of soup with a dessert at no upcharge. That's a Zupas signature; most peers (Panera, Mendocino Farms) don't allow dessert as a combo half.

Cafe Zupas was founded in 2004 in Provo, Utah by Tim Lashbrook, who built the first cafe around the soup-salad-sandwich model with bread baked in-store and a rotating fresh soup program. The chain stayed Utah-focused through its first decade before expanding through the Mountain West and, more recently, into Midwest markets. The company remains privately held and headquartered in the Salt Lake City area. The name 'Zupas' is a play on the word soup (zuppa in Italian) — soup is the menu's anchor category and the chain's identity.

Cafe Zupas does not market itself as a fully organic kitchen, but its ingredient story emphasizes freshness, scratch-cooking and in-cafe preparation: bread is baked in-store throughout the day, soup is made fresh at each cafe daily (no central commissary), there are no fryers in any cafe, and produce is delivered multiple times per week. Chicken used in salads and sandwiches is grilled, never fried. Some ingredients are organic where available, but the chain's positioning is 'fast fine / made fresh' rather than 'certified organic.' Allergen and ingredient info is posted on cafezupas.com and at the order counter.

Yes. Cafe Zupas kids' meals are $5.99 each and include a main, a kid's side and a drink. Options are Turkey Sandwich, Grilled Cheese, Kid's Soup (any standard soup, no Lobster Bisque) and Kid's Mac & Cheese. Sides include a whole apple, fruit cup or chips. Drinks include juice, milk, or a small fountain. The kids' menu is one of the cheaper full-meal kids' options in fast-casual — comparable to Panera ($5.99) and slightly below Mendocino Farms (~$7).