State worker favorite La Bonne Soupe permanently closes after 16 years in Sacramento

No soup for you, or any of us.

Downtown restaurant La Bonne Soupe has permanently closed, owner Edward Stoddard announced in a Facebook post that was later deleted this week. A lunchtime destination for state employees and other downtown workers, it was shut down indefinitely for the last few months.

Opened by Daniel Pont on 8th Street between J and I streets in 2005, La Bonne Soupe drew rave reviews for its low-key French cuisine, scoring 29 points out of 30 — the most of any Sacramento restaurant — when Zagat reviewed the city’s dining options in 2008. Hour-long lines down the block formed around noon for Pont’s French onion soup and rotating sandwich selection.

Pont sold the cafe to Stoddard, a former Ella Dining Room & Bar cook, in 2011 as he prepared to open Chez Daniel (closed in 2015) in Folsom. Stoddard then moved La Bonne Soupe into a former Quiznos at 980 9th St., Suite 165 in 2018.

Downtown Sacramento businesses have struggled during the pandemic, and restaurants — including La Bonne Soupe — were hit particularly hard as state employees began working from home. Stoddard described the arduous process of trying to secure a Paycheck Protection Program loan for his five-person staff in an April 2020 interview with The Sacramento Bee, and ultimately got just over $9,000. A GoFundMe page brought in another $2,000, but Stoddard posted in June that his business was struggling to secure needed grants and loans.

Those seeking Stoddard’s soups can find him at Kodaiko Ramen & Bar, according to his Facebook post. The basement restaurant at 718 K St. from Kru Contemporary Japanese Cuisine founder Billy Ngo opened in 2019.

This story was originally published December 3, 2021 at 11:30 AM.