This Florida Irish Restaurant Somehow Serves 18-Cent Soup In 2026

Everyone's looking for a good deal on dinner these days, and sadly, they are getting harder to find. But one Florida restaurant still offers a bargain that is too good to pass up — a bowl of soup for less than a quarter. Eighteen cents, to be exact, and it's at one of Florida's most-loved Irish restaurants along the Gulf Coast. 

McGuire's Irish Pub, which has locations in Destin, Pensacola, and Panama City Beach, is a local institution that has been serving up good food and drinks since the first location opened in 1977. That's when it originally started serving Senate bean soup, using the same recipe as the soup served in the U.S. Senate dining room at the time. While the Senate has raised the price since then, at McGuire's, the price has stayed the same — unless you are ordering just the soup, in which case you'll be shelling out $18.

Bean soup isn't exactly a complicated dish. But it is hearty and delicious — and at 18 cents a bowl, it's a great addition to any meal. It's is a staple in Irish cuisine, and the Senate bean soup served at McGuire's (and at Senate dining rooms) is similar to a common traditional Irish recipe, Irish Parliament Bean Soup. Despite being an Irish-style pub, McGuire's doesn't actually have a whole lot of traditional Irish pub dishes on the menu. You won't find an Irish cream pie or colcannon, but you will find some delicious boxties (breaded balls of garlic mashed potatoes) on the appetizer menu, along with bread pudding and Irish whiskey sauce for dessert. Of course, there is also plenty of bean soup to be had. 

Senate bean soup is a fairly simple recipe, but sometimes the simplest dishes are the ones we crave the most. Comfort food at its finest, this dish consists of navy beans, smoked ham hocks, onion, butter, and salt and pepper to taste. The recipe isn't just well known, it's a time-honored tradition — and it's actually a requirement in the United States Senate. Per the Senate rules, this specific dish must be available every day that the Senate is open. 

According to Senate lore, the requirement dates back to the early 20th century when senator Fred Dubois of Idaho, who served in the Senate from 1891-1897 and 1901-1907, passed a resolution making the soup a menu requirement. As chairman of the committee that oversaw the Senate restaurant, apparently making his favorite soup an American tradition was one of the perks of the job. Dubois wasn't the only senator with a fondness for the soup, and conflicting stories also credit this requirement to Senator Knute Nelson of Minnesota who simply adored the recipe.

Regardless of who you choose to give credit to, Senate bean soup has not only been a staple in the U.S. government for more than a century, it has also graced the menu of McGuire's since opening day. At 18 cents, it's quite possibly the best deal you'll find at any restaurant in the country — even the Senate restaurant, where guests now pay $7 for a bowl of this simple yet satisfying soup.