Loon Cafe vs. Lunds & Byerly's in a battle of wild rice soup

Yael Grauer

Whose wild rice soup is the most slurpable? We put two to the test.

​Wild rice is not only Minnesota's official state grain, it has also been important to Native American culture long before European immigrants ever set foot in the region. Once found throughout the state, the grain is now primarily located in central and northern Minnesota. The nutty seed matures in the late summer and is harvested on canoes with a wooden pole. Although November has been mild, shorter days and longer nights bring with them a hankering for wild rice soup. We went to two locations to try to find the best.

Yael Grauer

The Loon Cafe's wild rice soup has white rice and chunks of chicken.

​Loon Cafe
Our first stop was Loon Cafe, where a bowl of wild rice soup runs $5.50, and a cup is $3.95. The soup contains long-grain wild rice, of course, along with white rice, chicken chunks, vegetables, and stock. The soup was a little too salty, the meat a little too tough, and the soup was a little too watery. Although the recipe has been featured in Bon Appetit, we were thoroughly unimpressed.

Yael Grauer

Lunds & Byerly's wild rice soup comes with ham and is thickened with half and half.

​Lunds & Byerly's
Our next stop was Lunds & Byerly's, where the wild rice soup is available in the deli, or can be had to go. It'll run you $4.49 for 12 ounces or $7.49 for 20 ounces (though it's sometimes on sale for $6.49), and it has an ingredient list as long as your arm. This variation, however, is much tastier. It's thickened with half and half and sprinkled with almond slivers. The meat of choice is ham, though the recipe also uses chicken. Vegetables include carrots and onions, and seasonings include white pepper and bay.





The winner: Lunds and Byerly's wild rice with ham soup. The price is better, the soup is thicker and more filling, and although sitting in a deli or getting soup in a plastic to-go container isn't as glamorous as a sit-down restaurant, the added flavor is definitely worth it.