Until a couple of weeks ago, a Wednesday lunch on Parkside Main came down to one choice. Jalisco Mexican Grill is closed on Wednesdays, and so is Filet Steak & Seafood. That left Amici's door open at 11 a.m. and nothing else on the list. Sundays worked the same way in reverse: Amici and Filet were both closed, so Jalisco carried the day alone.
Then on October 20, Souper Jenny started serving at 1100 Parkside Main, right next to the movies. The Atlanta soup cafe keeps a schedule that fits neatly around its neighbors' closed days. For anyone at Del Webb at Lake Oconee, the drive is roughly 3.4 miles, or about eight minutes by Google Maps' route estimate from Oconee Shores Parkway via GA-44. That puts the newest lunch counter in Lake Oconee Village a short hop from home on exactly the days the village had the least to offer.
A Soup Counter With Atlanta Roots, Now Next to Parkside Main 8
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on October 17 that the Atlanta-based soup chain would "begin ladling Oct. 20" at its new Lake Oconee location. Lake Oconee is the company's sixth location since 1999. According to Souper Jenny, founder Jenny Levison still works daily creating new recipes.
The building sits next to Parkside Main 8, the eight-screen cinema at 1050 Parkside Main. It shares the 1100 Parkside Main address with Jalisco, which is in Suite 101.
The menu is what sets it apart from the rest of the street. Souper Jenny says its menu changes daily based on what's fresh and in season. In fall and winter, that means six hot soups, three sandwiches and four salads a day, along with gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options. The company also describes its lines as "often out the door" and promises it moves "lightning fast." You can sign up for a Lake Oconee mailing list on its Lake Oconee page to see the day's menu. With a rotating menu, that's the only way to know ahead of time whether a favorite soup is on.
How the Lunch Week Looked Before October 20
The day-to-day picture comes from laying out the posted hours for the four restaurants side by side. Amici Lake Oconee at 1101 Parkside Main #105 is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and closed Sunday and Monday. Jalisco Mexican Grill is open Sunday through Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., closed Wednesday, and open Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Filet Steak & Seafood at 1000 Parkside Main, Suite 101, serves from 11 a.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. On Saturday it opens at 4 p.m. for dinner, and it's closed Wednesday and Sunday.
Add Souper Jenny's Tuesday to Saturday 11 to 4 and Sunday 11 to 3 to those hours, and here's how many places are open for lunch each day:
| Day | Open at lunch before October 20 | Open at lunch now | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Filet, Jalisco | Filet, Jalisco | Nothing |
| Tuesday | Amici, Jalisco, Filet | Amici, Jalisco, Filet, Souper Jenny | Fourth option |
| Wednesday | Amici | Amici, Souper Jenny | Two options instead of one |
| Thursday | Amici, Jalisco, Filet | Amici, Jalisco, Filet, Souper Jenny | Fourth option |
| Friday | Amici, Jalisco, Filet | Amici, Jalisco, Filet, Souper Jenny | Fourth option |
| Saturday | Amici, Jalisco | Amici, Jalisco, Souper Jenny | Third option |
| Sunday | Jalisco | Jalisco, Souper Jenny | Two options instead of one |
Tuesday, Thursday and Friday were already the easy days, so a fourth choice there just means more variety. The change shows up at the edges of the week, on the days when one closed sign used to settle the decision.
Wednesday Stops Being an Amici-or-Nothing Day
Wednesday was the thinnest day on this stretch of Parkside Main, since two of the three established lunch spots close on it. Now a Wednesday plan has two very different directions. Amici covers pizza and wings and stays open until 9 p.m. Souper Jenny has the day's soups, sandwiches and salads until 4 p.m.
The difference matters most for midweek groups. A table of six with a vegetarian, someone eating gluten-free, and someone who just wants a slice used to have one menu to work with on Wednesdays. Souper Jenny's own description promises gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options every day. So the second Wednesday door adds a different kind of menu as well as another restaurant.
Sunday Lunch Gets a Second Door, With an Earlier Close
On Sundays the street had only Jalisco open for lunch, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Souper Jenny now opens the same morning at 11, with one catch. Its Sunday hours end at 3 p.m., an hour earlier than the 4 p.m. close it keeps Tuesday through Saturday.
That earlier close changes how a Sunday plays out. A late-morning service, a round, or an afternoon on the water can easily push lunch past 2:30. Arrive after 3 and Jalisco is once again the only place open on this list. The new option counts on Sundays only if you get there early.
Monday Is Where the Old Pattern Holds
Monday is the one day Souper Jenny doesn't change. The cafe's posted week runs Tuesday through Sunday, so Monday lunch on Parkside Main still means Filet or Jalisco, both open at 11 a.m. Amici is closed too, so Monday stays at two lunch choices, where it was before the cafe opened.
The reshuffle shows up in the counts too. Before October 20, Wednesday and Sunday tied for the fewest options, with one restaurant each. Now every day of the week has at least two lunch choices among these four. Monday, Wednesday and Sunday share the low mark at two, and Monday is the only one of the three that the new cafe didn't change.
A Lunch-Only Cafe on an Evening Street
Souper Jenny's hours also show what kind of place it is on Parkside Main. Every other restaurant on the table stays open into the evening. Amici and Jalisco run until 9 or 10 p.m., and Filet serves until 10 on Fridays and Saturdays. Souper Jenny closes at 4 p.m. at the latest, so it won't be part of a dinner-and-a-movie night next door at Parkside Main 8. It fits the middle of the day instead. Grab a quart before an afternoon errand, meet a friend for soup and a salad, or eat lunch first and pick a restaurant down the street for dinner.
For Del Webb residents, the eight-minute drive helps here. A lunch-only cafe is most useful when it's close enough to fit between other plans, and this one is.
The hours above are as posted on each restaurant's website, and kitchens do adjust them over the holidays, so a quick call before a group outing is worth it. With the season starting, downtown Greensboro's Holiday Open House runs Friday, November 13, and Saturday, November 14, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to Lake Oconee Life's calendar listing. That Saturday, Souper Jenny, Amici and Jalisco are all open for lunch along Parkside Main.
Lake Country's small additions often change daily routines more than the big announcements do, and keeping up with that kind of change is part of how we know these neighborhoods. If you'd like to talk about life around Del Webb at Lake Oconee and the corners of Lake Oconee Village closest to it, Boatright Realty Group would be glad to hear from you. Contact Us. Let's find your Lake Oconee home.
