I spent a lot of my adolescence at diners, so when I walked into Horizon Cafe, I immediately felt at home. Despite being located on North Broadway, a fairly busy street, the sunny, pleasant interior feels wonderfully cut off from the chaotic outside world. The spacious, comfy booths and friendly service make you want to stay for days.
But I was there for the soup! It’s worth mentioning that Horizon Cafe’s soups made it to the Top 10 List in Best of City Search – no small honor. The soups are made fresh on site every day, with a daily choice of two soups or a bowl of chili. I came in on a Saturday, and was treated to a bowl of Chicken Chipotle and Tomato Cream Navy Bean. The Chicken Chipotle is a rich, flavorful chicken soup with beans, elbow macaroni and some southwestern spice, topped with colorful tortilla strips that add a wonderful crunch to every spoon. The Tomato Cream Navy Bean is more subtle, the navy beans complimented wonderfully by the thick tomato soup. I also got to sample the Chicken Noodle, a tasty version of the old classic with big hunks of carrot and soft spiral noodles. Finally, I had a few spoonfuls of the chili – I was too stuffed to have an entire bowl – and regretted not having started with it. It’s a thick, spicy delight, topped with gooey cheddar.
The soups can be ordered on their own or deluxe, with a grilled cheese sandwich – the 4 cheese is American, Swiss and Mozarella that’s “breaded” in parmesan crumbs – or greek style potatoes. The soup comes in single or jumbo size, but I’m telling you now – single size is not small. Particularly when you take into account the accompanying bread basket, which offers a variety of local baked breads, including bialys and pretzel rolls. You can also get a container of soup to take home – it re-heats beautifully. Personally though, I’d rather enjoy it from the comfort of one of those cozy booths, watching the traffic through the window.