I had driven by Smokin' bowls for years before I finally stopped the other day. Within minutes I felt dumb for never visiting there before. This place is the definition of big things coming in small packages. They have at least 10 things on the menu and this is a very small food truck. I sampled all the soups and chilis (I think there was five the day I went) and they were all delicious. I ended up going with the pulled pork nachos and I wasn't disappointed. The prices are reasonable, the staff is friendly and there's a pick nick table behind the cart if you'd like it sit and relax. This is a place you must stop at if you're passing through. read more

Smokin' Bowls - Pulled pork nachos - Fast Food Near Me - Chester, Vermont

I love smokin bowls! And now that it's winter again, one of their cups of soup hits just right. My favorite is the African peanut soup but their chili is also bomb. The staff are always friendly and service is fast. read more

Really good food and the name is so Catchy and the vibe is just perfect. Location is easy to find and plenty of parking. Great service and great food. Food is SO good and prices are great read more

Post snowboarding eats! Quick and great service. We were ravenous after 4 hours on the mountain and definitely over ate. We had the pulled pork sandwich and hot dogs but that wasn't enough so we ordered the nachos. Them nachos are no joke. So good but put me right to sleep! Great stop before the long drive home and will return after our next trip. read more

See all

Quirky place with interesting menu. The Cheech and Chong chili and caprese salad were quite good. Great place to stop for lunch, especially on a beautiful day, if you're passing through. read more

Been coming here on my way home from Ludlow for a few years now. Love the soups to go k. Perfect for a cold afternoon.

One of our best meals in New England came from Smokin Bowls! My son and I shared a burrito and it was a large portion and SO DANG GOOD. Lots of healthy/fresh options. Quick and easy. Really good service. Highly recommend! read more

Smokin' Bowls - Fun little stop! - Fast Food Near Me - Chester, Vermont

See all

I ordered a cup of soup which was absolutely delicious, and it came with a piece of bread which was also excellent. The problem...it was over $8 for a cup of soup. Seemed like a lot. read more

Little bit of a wait after you order so please make sure to give yourself some time if you come here for lunch but OMG.. it is so worth the wait. The food here tastes great, it's a very cute outdoor picnic vibe, and the menu is short and sweet. Springfield doesn't have much but I highly suggest checking this place out if you're in the area. You won't be disappointed. read more

This place is the bomb...so good and homemade soups for those cold Vt days. Add a sandwich and dessert and still one of the affordable and yummiest meats in southern Vermont! read more

Chili was very good! Meatloaf wrap was decent. My daughter loves stopping to bring soup home! New picnic tables would be nice! We will be back! read more

Really hate leaving negative reviews for small businesses but it was really awful. Thought this would be a perfect stop on a long road trip home based on the yelp reviews. Waited a while for two chili dogs, a hot dog, a buffalo chicken wrap and a Tuna sandwich. The hot dogs were a foul grey/brown color and the "chicken" in the wrap was some sort of fried, cubed unidentifiable meat that was not edible. We spent $69 and threw most of it away. Sorry to say this is not a place I would recommend stopping - hoping those of us in my fajita who did eat their meals won't get sick. read more

Ok foodies you all have heard of the Sinefeld show with the soup nazi. Well let me tell you all this place is not anything like that. This place is soup nirvana on steroids. The selections of soup and other items is amazing and the flavorful ingredients are magically blended into the most silky of dishes I have come across in a long time. If you're in VT and looking for a great meal. Then make sure you hit this place or make it a destination location. You will not be disappointed! read more

Smokin' Bowls - Very cool! Front of place. - Fast Food Near Me - Chester, Vermont

The soups are a bit overpriced (get the peanut soup - so good), but the are really delicious. The big surprise were the nachos - SO MUCH CHEESE! Amazing read more

The owner is rude EVERY single time I come in and the food is mediocre at best. Very thrown together and overpriced with watery chilli. All of that would be acceptable if not for the owner being a total dickhead. read more

This was our second time stopping here. We usually come up this way once a year to see the leaves and stop at a few of our favorite shops. We stopped in for a late lunch and we both ordered soup. I ordered the onion, apple cheddar soup and my partner ordered the African peanut soup. Both of the soups had great flavor, but the African peanut soup was the hit of the day, it was very hearty and satisfying. This place is a very tiny building on the side of the road and they have picnic tables outside for dining. By the time we came back around to get back on the highway there had to be at least eight or 10 cars in the parking lot. Stop in if you get the chance. read more

My barbecue pork w/pretzel bun sandwich was delicious. Sides were good also. The bun was light and fresh. It's hard to please me having the perfect bread and they did a fabulous job. Definitely a must stop driving into VT. read more

Smacking Chili Cheese dogs! Delicious Clam Chowder. Can't beat the price. Friendly owner. read more

Smokin' Bowls - Chili Cheese Dog - Fast Food Near Me - Chester, Vermont

Glad we made a stop here!! This little shack was impressive. Quick and friendly service and a good number of options for a small place like this. Four of us got a chili cheese dog, broccoli cheddar soup, curried split pea soup, and African peanut soup. All were excellent!!! read more

I must've passed this place a hundred times -- each time saying that one day I will need to stop. Just did so and I'm really glad I did. Had the Cheech n Chong Chili (at Smokin' Bowls, get it?) and it was top notch. Just the right amount of heat mixed with fresh beef, beans and tomatoes. Liked it so much that I stopped again the next day. Service is quick and comes with a slice of french bread to boot. Prices are reasonable for the quality and it was a big hit. Can't wait for the next stop. read more

I wish I lived closer to this soup mecca, because it is PHENOMENAL. I saw the tiny shack right off of the highway as I was en route to a weekend VT getaway, and knew at that moment I would be stocking up on the way home. A few days later, right before we jumped on the highway, I stopped to gather some soup. (It's Vermont. I like to pretend I'm picking it from bushes like berries.) Two of my favorite things about this place are that they have several vegetarian and vegan offerings, and they allow you to sample soups before you commit. Great customer service wins me over every time. I chose the West African Peanut in a 16oz. cup. It was the perfect blend of peanut and almost a tomato taste, with maybe some pureed beans, and an unfamiliar but extremely palatable spice blend. It had a great mouth feel to it, and was an all around spectacular choice. The boy chose the Cheech and Chong Chili, which he said had a distinct sweetness to it, and he adored it. The bread offered with both soups was soft and delicious. We got a quart of the Butternut Squash Bisque to bring home, and in true VT fashion, it was ladled into an eco friendly, reusable glass canning quart. They also offer a 1/2 gallon glass jug, which I will get next time just because I can, and because the soup is truly that good. The bisque was delightfully light and well seasoned. Definitely the best butternut soup I've had to date. Honestly, the soup was so good that I am thinking of making the two hour drive in a couple of weeks, to go "hiking" aka soup-fetching! read more

What an amazing treat. Small roadside stand with delicious food. He got the pulled pork hot dog and the chili cheese dog. Loved both but preferred the chili dog. No surprise from the reviews of the chili! They had veggie, and vegan options. And gluten free brownies! Had the vegan peanut soup and it is an instant fave. Clean and soothing. Slight kick of ginger! Do yourself a favor and pull over at Smokin Bowls. read more

We travel over an hour just to get this great homemade food. The New England Clam Chowder is amazing. The Minestrone soup was delicious. They serve it with the best homemade Baguette. Always looking forward to my next meal. They always have a bunch of choices when it comes to the soup lineup. read more

I LOVE Smokin' Bowls. I pass both locations on my frequent voyage from home to college, so I've sampled nearly all of the (vegan) soups. Boy oh boy are they good! My favorite is the Lentil, followed closely by VT Butternut Squash. This little shack is definitely worth a trip, particularly if you're a vegan foodie. read more

Delicious soups and chilis make a perfect stop for dinner on the way into Okemo or on the way home. Always friendly!

Had pizza from the new Ludlow location. Sorry not good tried to call them to let them know.

I love this small business, if I could rate higher I would!! Amazing food, great customer service, and it's hung around and weathered the storm for a while-- even during COVID! I appreciate the owner as well, had some good convos. read more

Stopped by on the way home from skiing in early March 2022. I ordered chili & the flavor was good but it was Luke warm, it was not smokin.

Don't pass by this little shack, STOP by and taste some love! I am a huge fan of soup, and I've never had one here that I didn't like. I live just up the road from the Winhall location, and between my son & I, we've probably had at least 10 different kinds over the past couple of years, I think my favorite has been the Roasted Garlic and Brie and also I have loved all of the different variations with coconut (I think I've had curry coconut, thai coconut, coconut sweet potato, probably some others I can't remember.) Ya get a cup of soup to go (bigger than a restaurant cup of soup, its served in a to-go coffee cup with a lid, about the size of a medium Dunkin Donuts or a grande at Starbucks) and a chunk of french bread for five bucks. Can't beat it! I was very sad this past spring to see when Smokin' Bowls converted to an ice cream shack for the summer, this soup is sooooo good, I would definitely eat it all year long! (although, having said that, my little girls sure did like the maple milkshakes the ice cream shack sells) read more

We still like Smokin Bowls: they make some really tasty soups. But we've dropped them by one star as a result of our experiences over the last year. Problems: schedules, absences and delays. SCHEDULES: They are not always open when they say they will be (and if you're driving a few miles to get there, it makes a difference), and other times you may find them open at an unexpected time. Not very helpful, and the website seems to get it right only about half the time. ABSENCES: They frequently -- the last five drop-bys in our experience -- run out of many soups rather early in the day. Their chalkboard rarely reflects the supplies on hand. Annoying and disappointing. DELAYS: When there's a line of any sort, everything moves very slowly. If it's cold out, the lines seem to move extra slowly. Annoying. Honestly, it weren't for the fact that they make such darned good soups, we'd give 'em up. read more

After spending the day hiking around Ludlow Mountain with my obnoxious, little dog, I had to check this place out. I saw the Smokin' Bowls sign on my way up, and made a mental note to check it out. Of course a big "Smokin' Bowls" sign is going to attract my attention. When I've been playing in the woods all day, and I'm sweaty and dirty, it's a beautiful thing being able to get hot food without having to actually enter a building. Nobody wants to be in an enclosed space with me at that point. Also, having a dog with me, I can't really go have a sitdown dinner somewhere. I decided to try the Cheech and Chong Chili because there was a sign claiming it had won some award. Yeah, it's that easy to get me to try something. Tons of meat, a proper amount of tomato and beans, and plenty of flavor. I would definitely recommend it. I was impressed to the point that I've started planning future trips around being able to stop here on the way back. That shouldn't be too hard, seeing as there are two main roads in the entire state of Vermont. I also picked up a bottle of their hot sauce. It's on the thicker side, and has a tangy but smokey flavor. It's very mild, so you'll like it even if you're not a fan of heat. Roadside joints don't get any better than this. Well, if they do, I haven't found one yet. read more

What a random side-of-the-street stop. Completely awesome and almost necessary after ski lodge food. So what do they have...and no, it's not that. They have soups, stews, gumbos, chilis...etc. They also have pulled pork sandwiches. I wanted the chicken and sausage gumbo, but they had run out (this was around 5:30 or so). So my next things I was thinking about were New England clam chowder or the Cheech & Chong chili. I couldn't decide...so what do you do but get both. The clam chowder was good, but a little bland. I did like the amount of potato that was in it...cooked to perfection; delicious potato that wasn't overdone and had a little bit of crunch to it (in a good way). The chili, wasn't the chili I was expecting. It was, more or less, just a good wholesome chili with stewed tomatoes, ground beef and chili stuff. It was good and definitely hardy. A single serving is 16oz for $8...filling! I really shouldn't have bought two, but I was conflicted. My friends got the pulled pork sandwich, which was good, but really not the best pulled pork sandwich I'd ever had. The sauce was a bit sweet, not so tangy...the pork wasn't as "melty" as it could have been...more dry...even with the sauce. TLDR: great place to stop for to-go on the way home (there's no sitting). Literally just a roadside stand, but they do have a port-a-potty behind them for those who need to go. read more

Smokin' Bowls isn't a crime, just good soup! I second that...and more... it was great soup! I had the Asian Beef Noodle Soup, my BF had the Cheech and Chong Chili...we both enjoyed our soup.... we were sorry when we reached the last spoonful. Check out this Roadside Shack if you get a chance...you won't be disappointed! Yum! read more

Delicious food, great menu, beautiful roadside location in the fall. We had the pulled pork cheese dogs, clam chowder, African peanut soup and nachos. They also sell pickled vegetables. And limited edition comics! read more

See all

There was a line about 10 people deep for this place. I really enjoy roadside trucks/shacks especially in rural areas so I stopped for some soups. I had the beef stew ($8.50), and the mushroom soup ($6.50). Both were OK not fantastic. The soups come in a 16oz coffee cup which is a good touch considering all of their business is either getting on the interstate for a long ride home or driving 30+ minutes to Ludlow or killington. They are only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday along with Monday holidays. So overall not a bad place to stop and get some soup for the road. The main thing keeping me from going every time I go by there on the way to go skiing is the relatively long wait for something as easy as dumping soup in a cup. Waited on line for about 10 minutes. read more

Awful, awful and awful This is absolutely the worst soup I have ever had! No flavor, over cooked and luke warm. I usually prefer the little guy but this is terrible. We drive by SB every weekend and we wouldn't go back if you paid us $100! Avoid this place like the plague! read more

Smokin Bowls is NOT a crime! What a tasty treat. I know my soups and I can say with certainty that whoever is making them knows them better than I do. The people that work there are consistently nice and even offer samples if you're not sure what to get. Even when I was down to my last ten dollars for my VT trip I made it a point to spend that last bit on a large cup of smokin' bowls. Innovative names, good location, heartwarming soup. How can you go wrong? read more

If there's one thing that can win this girls heart, it's soup. Soup on hot days, soup on cold days...if it starts with an 'S' and ends with an 'oup', I'm there. On our way back from upstate NH, to my surprise, we pulled over and low and behold there was my dream, standing in front of me, in the form of a little shack selling soup on the side of the road. Grey, overcast, cold. The makings of a perfect backdrop for eating soup. On the side of the little shack, there's a chalkboard that lists the soups up for grabs for the day, one of which was a vegan option, which was pretty unexpected. Apparently, the chili is to die for (someone actually stopped on his way to MA just to get the chili) but there was none available. I went for the next best thing, the Shephards Pie Soup. WHAT?? Yes, you heard right. Shephards Pie Soup. Even though the salt content in the mashed potatoes sent my non existant high blood pressure issues into the heavens, it was still a rather tasty concoction.It literally was Shephards Pie in a cup. A mixture of ground beef and corn topped with a load of mashed potatoes. The soup came with a (could have been much larger) piece of bread and I ordered a soda. To the side of the shack was a man selling free range eggs, and home made salsa, both of which we ended up purchasing as well. Since we're a fan of mega hot salsas, the guy was able to add an extra spoonful or three to the mix to make it an almost unbearable heat. Even though this place is in VT, you bet your bucket of soup that I'll be back any and all times I happen to be in the area. Mmmmm...soup!!!! read more

5 star chili - with a delicious taste of smoked chipolte, al dente carrots, celery, ground beef/'pork? Really delicious. 'Glad they just use dark red kidney beans and not the light. Mucho flavor burst! The soups are also very fresh tasting, but the potato leek was a bit too salty for my taste. Otherwise, it was actually perfect. The butternut squash, ginger, coconut soup was not thick - but had a yummy flavor and crisp little bites of fresh ginger. 'Good bread served with it, also.The day we were there, they gave out some free little pecan dessert pastries that were lovely. I too, wish we lived closer! read more

I have been wanting to stop here for a while, and after this visit I will assume their winter menu is much better than the summer. Few choices piqued my interest. Their white fish tacos were permanently salmon? Veggie burger was not available. So I settled on the meatloaf sandwich special. It was served on store bought Italian garlic bread and absolutely difficult to eat. It should have been cut in half like a normal sandwich but it was served as one ginormous piece. The tomatoes were cut too thick for my liking on a sandwich, thinner tomatoes don't slide around. Served w/ iceberg lettuce and mayo. It was yummy. But feeling like nothing was homemade and that is what I was hoping for. Won't be back until winter - I hope his bowls are all homemade and not just heated up pre made soups. read more