Best Lunch: Penny’s Soup and Sandwich

Home-cooked meals have a special kind of warmth and comfort that you don’t often get from fast-food counters. They’re made with personal care and offer a touch of nostalgia and satisfaction because you know it’s a meal made from scratch.

Perhaps that’s why Penny’s Soup and Sandwich shop in Melfort has earned a reputation for offering the best lunch in town.

“It’s homemade. It’s not frozen. We don’t pop anything out of a bag and into the microwave. My staff is very efficient and friendly. We’ve got great customer service and people just keep coming back again and again and again, telling us that we’re the best place,” said owner and chef Penny Baker. “We’re doing something right.”

Her shop is a little gem located within the Bourgault Curling Centre in Melfort. She has the typical lunchtime fare like chicken fingers and poutine, but it’s her homemade recipes that are tantalizing tastebuds. Among her most popular items is a Carrot Dill Soup made from scratch.

“Most of the soups are my recipe. I might Google for ideas and may tweak things. I’m always looking for new recipes and trying new things,” said Baker.

Whether it’s the Potato Bacon, Chicken Lasagna or Cabbage Roll soup, customers can’t get enough, especially when paired with a freshly made sandwich at an affordable price.

If you’re lucky, you may get to try Penny’s baking. These days her schedule is generally full due to an increase in catering business, but she still manages to find a little time to make homemade pies and cheesecakes and often has cookies and squares available.

Penny’s Soup and Sandwich regular hours are Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and there are extended hours during the curling season. This summer, Penny’s will be closed to regular business during July and August so she can concentrate on catering only. (Limited bookings for catering are still available.)

Being located in the curling club, the lunch spot is ‘a little off the beaten path’, but being the winner of the ‘Best Lunch’ category in the 2025 ‘Best of the Best’ awards proves a trip to Penny’s Soup and Sandwich is well worth it.

“I rely a lot on word of mouth and there’s lots of people that find me and say, ‘Wow. I didn’t know you existed.’ and so having the BOB awards and advertising gets us that further reach, so its great to get recognized by everyone in the community,” she said.

You can contact Penny’s Soup and Sandwich at (306) 921-4988 or follow them on Facebook.