New Jersey Deli Makes The Best Soup You’ll Ever Have

In Bergen County, tucked into a small strip-mall area you will find a delicatessen that has been serving the local community with authentic and delicious food for over 50 years. Of course, this includes sandwiches, hot items, and salads, but behind the counter you will also find hot bowls of the best soup in New Jersey.

This past week, I've been battling with my old friend the flu. The good news is that my appetite was not completely gone, but the only thing I was in the mood for was soup. This was in part to coat my incredibly sore throat and try to gain some resemblance of a voice back. In addition, there was a comfort to having soup for literally two or three meals per day, even though it was not cold outside.

This certainly got me thinking about one particular bowl that stands above the rest.

In Wyckoff, at the appropriately named Wyckoff Deli, they cook up a cream of chicken soup that is from another planet. Sure, you can find a similar recipe or an establishment that serves this menu item at many different places. There's just something that hits different about the Wyckoff Deli's version.

Sure it's filled with nostalgia, but this bowl of happiness is also beyond tasty. It's cream-based but not too heavy and overwhelming. It's then filled with diced chicken, rice, and carrots. I'm sure some salt, pepper and other key ingredients are added into the pot, as well. It's served with some soup crackers that perfectly accompany the experience.

I've been going to the Wyckoff Deli for 30 years. I'm not sure I've been there and have not left with an order of their cream of chicken soup. In fact, it's hard not to grab an extra to save for another day. The key is that it tastes the same upon each and every visit over three decades.

It's the perfect blend of filling, delicious, and comfort food all in one to-go experience. You can't eat inside this deli so taking it on the road is the only option. However, that adds to the experience when you first take the lid off and finally get to dig in.

If you want to try the best soup in New Jersey for yourself, the Wyckoff Deli is located at 637 Wyckoff Avenue. They are open Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and have their infamous cream of chicken soup everyday.

Ben and Jerry's new flavors couldn't be more different from each other. The popular New England based ice cream brand has added three options to their creative family so far this year, and here I will rank them all.

Coincidentally, I tried each of these in one sitting. This was an unplanned taste test. With a house full of young kids, a visiting friend recently stopped by and knew the way to quickly win over the youngsters. Pints of ice cream.

Before I get into explaining which was best, I should note I am not an ice cream (or dessert) enthusiast by any means. Dare I say, I hardly seek out ice cream, even in the summer months. However, if it is put in front of me, I will eat it if it's one of my favorite varieties.

If I'm going for ice cream, though, Ben and Jerry's is easily my brand of choice. Being a New Englander, I have toured their Vermont location a handful of times. Their half-baked in a cone is my go-to choice.

If you are not familiar, these are the Ben and Jerry's new flavors that have rolled out in 2024. Impretzively Fudged, PB S'More, and Marshmallow Sky. Now, it's important to note that Marshmallow Sky is new just to pints. Meaning, it was available in their scoop shops only.

Another flavor entitled Strawberry Cheezecake was also unveiled earlier this year. This did not qualify here as a new flavor ranking because it had been an ice cream flavor (branded "cheesecake). The new "cheeze" version is a vegan dairy-free dessert.

Upon seeing these at my house, I realized they were new. So, instead of selecting one pint to scoop, I took one for the team and realized I needed one proper scoop of each.

My process was to try one at a time and not have all three in the same bowl. Blending flavors might compromise the intended taste.

As a result, there was a flavor where one bite was enough. Another where I couldn't get enough, and the third was somewhere in between.

Here is my official ice cream ranking of Ben and Jerry's new flavors.

It's chocolate ice cream with fudge covered pretzel pieces and pretzel swirl. The problem here is that I do not like chocolate covered pretzels. Oddly enough, I love pretzels alone. Dip them in sugar and ice cream and it either compromises the flavor or classifies as "too much." So, this was my least favorite.

Here we have toasted marshmallow ice cream with peanut butter cups, graham cracker pieces, and marshmallow swirl. The graham crackers are the star of this show. They pair better with the ice cream and chocolate than the typical marshmallow of a S'More. This was certainly a tasty delight, but I feel if the marshmallow swirl did not need to be invited to the party.

Admittedly, I was a little cautious about the blue ice cream color thinking it could suffer from cotton candy syndrome (where too much equals upset stomach city). That is not the case here. It's marshmallow ice cream with swirls, and then chocolate chip cookie dough and chocolate chocolate chip cookie dough. The latter of the cookie dough bites just brings this to another level. Some sweets get forced together and some just belong together and make each other better. That's the case here. It's no wonder Ben and Jerry's decided to promote this flavor. It tastes as cheerful as it looks.