Brunch has grown into so much more than just a misplaced meal wedged between breakfast and lunch and served with a slice of cantaloupe — It’s become a social experience for friends to lament over the trials and tribulations of the night before. For chefs and food lovers, it’s a free form, anything goes meal leaving just about every avenue exposed for creative interpretation. Chances are that if you’re a fan of this special, social meal, you have a short list of places you readily refer to people when someone says, “You up for brunch?”

Soup Kitchen Cafe (2146 E. Susquehanna Ave.) has long been a quaint neighborhood staple for people to grab a bite to eat (the soups and sandwiches are have always fresh and tasty) and a cup of coffee.

Owner Ben Bigler first opened Soup Kitchen Cafe after what he describes as a year of cooking in his free time for himself and others. Bigler, who was a lawyer prior to opening shop, wanted to run a restaurant that served the kind of food a self-described “picky” eater like himself would enjoy.

“I just wanted to make food that I thought was really good to me,” Bigler said. As the surrounding neighborhood began to grow, Soup Kitchen Cafe gained popularity and it became clear that an upgrade was necessary. That was when Bigler brought in his friend and restaurant consultant Steph Irwin to change almost every aspect of what his cafe was. Irwin is no stranger to the restaurant game in Philly and the Riverwards: She helped open Pizza Brain and has also managed at a few Starr Restaurants.

While Soup Kitchen Cafe has always served alcohol, choices were limited to brunch staples like bloody mary’s and mimosas and a few beer options. According to Irwin, she was able to use some of her contacts around the neighborhood, like Billy Hines of Sancho Pistola’s (19 W. Girard Ave.), to come together and shape the new restaurant into something that highlighted booze as well as soups, sandwiches and coffee.

“[Hines] was able to help make something in line with their current approach, which is fresh squeezed juices and herbal cocktails,” Irwin said. “We want them to be light and refreshing, something you can enjoy more than one of.”

You’ll now find seasonal cocktails on Soup Kitchen Cafe’s menu with ingredients like carrot juice, walnuts, strawberry jam, fresh pears and elder flower. They’ll also be offering a six person “Brunch Punch Bowl,” with ingredients including champagne, ginger and cranberries, in addition to a well curated bottled beer list.

Aesthetically, Irwin says the old space was not efficient enough to handle the type of business Soup Kitchen Cafe wanted to do. With that in mind, she brought in Outside in Design to create a 3D model for their renovation. They added a bar and a food window. According to Irwin, some patrons have seen the new space and felt like it was smaller. That’s not the case. They’ve actually added about 10 seats including a community table. Irwin also brought in Heads of State, who have worked with Spruce Street Harbor Park, to help with rebranding. Now Soup Kitchen Cafe has a uniform logo on all their pint glasses, coasters and coffee sleeves.

“The menu is relatively the same,” Irwin said. According to her, when she polled some patrons from the neighborhood about changing the menu, the response was overwhelmingly against it. However you will find specials and new to go items on their menu, including a ready-made marinated cauliflower sandwich and Sicilian tuna sandwich for those who may be in too much of a hurry for sit and eat situation. They also switched to Philly Bread and are serving cinnamon and sugar brioche donuts that they get daily from there too.

Now time for my experience:

From my seat at Soup Kitchen Cafe, I gazed through the tall glass window at a well manicured garden at the corner of Blair Street as I set this sunny Sunday morning brunch in motion. The Shakshuka came highly recommended to me, so I was sure to have a taste. According to Epicurious, Shakshuka originates in Tunisia, but is widely enjoyed throughout the Middle East and beyond. The Soup Kitchen mixes red peppers, red onions and jalapenos into a well seasoned tomato based stew. It’s thick and clings to the crunchy chunks of pepper and onions. Three poached eggs are submerged in the tasty sauce. It’s topped with crumbled feta cheese, cilantro and served with a baguette to make sure you sop up every last drop.

I also tried their lox and bagel. This classic brunch sandwich is served on an everything bagel with a healthy schmear of cream cheese, capers, shaved fennel, red onions, sliced tomato and Lox. Soup Kitchen Cafe does it open faced, which is the way it was meant to be enjoyed. If having all that deliciously cured, thin sliced salmon right up in your face is intimidating, you can get the other half of the bagel, or as they call it, the “lid” for a small upcharge. As a lover of lox and cream cheese bagels, I can assure you this was absolutely delicious. All the flavors here mix perfectly. The fresh salmon, and the generous amount of cream cheese makes each bite decadently delicious. I’ll be returning for sure.