Learn more about SLM‘s dining team’s favorite soups on the Arch Eats podcast.
Asador del Sur: Lobster Bisque
Lobster bisque can be a a godsend or a disappointment (too salty, too thick, not lobster-y enough). At Asador del Sur, co-owner Maria Giamportone makes the stock using whole lobsters (including the tomalley); thickens it with rice (not flour); adds tarragon, brandy, and half and half; then adds chunks of lobster meat. It’s no wonder her husband, Daniel, who has sampled bisque across the world, says it is the best he’s ever had. 7322 Manchester.
Union Loafers: Chicken & Rice Soup
Unions Loafers wears a lot of hats and looks good in every one of them. It’s a bakery, pizzeria, and café, which offers a chicken and rice soup, with the pasture-raised poultry from Buttonwood Farm in California, Missouri. The recipe includes rice, carrots, and celery, with a splash of schmaltz and lemon juice. “Our aim with this soup is to deliver clean, straightforward, and intensely chicken-y soup,” says Union Loafers owner Ted Wilson. 1629 Tower Grove, 314-833-6111.
Fountain on Locust: Dill Pickle Soup
We always thought the Fountain got its name from the specialty cocktail and ice cream bar, but after seeing that it has 52 house-made soups on rotation, we’re starting to suspect that the moniker has more than one meaning. Perhaps the most famous soup is the signature Polish Dill Pickle Soup, created by founder Joy Grdnic from a secret family recipe. “When she retired and we took over the restaurant last fall, the most common question we heard was ‘Will you keep Joy’s dill pickle soup?’” says owner Danni Eickenhorst. “We wouldn’t dream of taking it off the menu!” 3027 Locust, 314-535-7800.
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Nudo House: Shroomed Out
Unlike the delicate mushroom or veggie broths that announce their presence with a whisper, the base of the Shroomed Out is a deep, throaty bellow. The mouthfeel is luxuriously rich, a texture typically reserved for cream-based soups, and the deep umami taste mimics the satisfaction of beef stew. Thick slices of king oyster mushrooms, fermented bamboo shoots, braised bok choy, a halved, soft-boiled egg, and perfectly springy ramen noodles bob in this outrageously delicious nectar, resulting in no mere soup but a specimen of pure beauty. 6105 A Delmar, 314-370-6970.
Schlafly Bottleworks: Beer Cheese Soup
Many pubs have a beer cheese soup on the menu, but very few can say that they brew the beer themselves. Using its own Hefeweizen, Schlafly marries an unfiltered wheat ale with pepperjack and white cheddar cheeses for a slightly spicy vegetarian union. 7260 Southwest, 314-241-7337.
Russell’s: Chicken Noodle
This hearty iteration, a nightly “verbal special,” is made with roasted chicken, reduced chicken stock, roasted mirepoix, herbs, and comes with a whoa-look-at-that! grilled bread garnish. For dessert, take home a piece of owner Russell Ping’s signature gooey butter cake with shortbread crust. (Also recommended: On Wednesdays at the Fenton location, a creamy, chicken pot pie soup is featured that includes all of the expected ingredients minus the crust.) 951 Brookwood, 636-343-8900; 5400 Murdoch, 314-553-9994.
King & I: Tom Kha
In this version of the Thai staple, a coconut milk broth comes loaded with lemongrass, kaffir leaves, chilies, galangal, mushrooms, lime juice, cilantro, and whatever protein you want. This hot soup will replenish your soul like a spiritual oasis in the cold desert of winter. 8039 Dale, 314-771-1777.
Soul Soup Stl: Weekly Specials
The newish pop-up kitchen only offers pickup orders, and you have to reserve a time slot in advance. The menu also changes weekly and is posted on Facebook and Instagram. To give you an idea of what’s offered, a previous soup was called “I Love You From My Head To-Ma-Toes” (pictured at right), which was made with fire roasted tomato, garlic, cream, oregano, parmesan, pesto-infused mozzarella, asiago crisps, and basil.
SqWires: Baked Onion Soup
SqWire’s crowd-pleasing baked onion soup has been on its menu for more than 20 years—and for good reason. It’s slow-cooked with yellow onions, beef stock, sherry, and thyme, and it’s topped with generous amounts of cheese. The Lafayette Square restaurant also offers a second soup of the day that rotates daily, both of which are available with a half sandwich– and–soup combo. 1415 S. 18th, 314-865-3522.
Crushed Red: Mushroom Brie Bisque
The soup lineup changes based on the day of the week, though the Monday/Thursday mushroom brie bisque is particularly noteworthy. “It’s a fan favorite,” says owner Chris LaRocca. “When we infused the brie to the mushroom soup, it really elevated it and gave it a far creamier texture.” Multiple locations.
Companion Café: Roasted Red Pepper
Companion Cafe in Ladue offers four flavorful soups daily. The roasted red pepper soup is a top seller and includes cream and a hint of smoked paprika to round out the rest of the zesty spices in the dish. The bakery recommends pairing the soup with its signature cornbread (though you might also opt for the crusty French roll). 9781 Clayton, 314-218-2280
Dado’s Café: Avgolemono
Dado’s is widely known for its gyros, but the Avgolemono soup is among its best dishes. A hot creamy chicken and rice soup with a backnote of lemon, it’s perfect for the brutal, unrelenting cold of winter—or a 110-degree day in August. 5425 Hampton, 314-224-5588.
Chao Baan: Tom Yum
At this Thai restaurant in the eastern end of The Grove, one of the most soul-warming dishes during the winter months is this flavorful spicy and sour soup, made with straw mushrooms and tomato. 4087 Chouteau, 314-925-8250.
Sister Cities Cajun: Seafood Gumbo
Co-owner Travis Parfait has been making gumbo a long time— and his seafood gumbo takes a long time to make (four hours and then some). He starts with a Cajun-style roux that gets as thick as peanut butter and adds the trinity, plus shrimp, scallops, crawfish, clams, and whitefish. Double down with the Dirty Chick, smoked chicken on a bed of dirty rice smothered in that gumbo. 3550 S. Broadway, 314-405-0447.
Fork & Stix: Khao Soi
A popular street food in Northern Thailand, Khao Soi is so addictive, it’s almost impossible to visit this East Loop gem and not order it. Egg noodles, red onion, pickled greens, fresh herb garnish, and a choice of tofu, chicken, or beef is added to a deeply flavorful curry and coconut milk broth. If you forget what it looks like while at Fork & Stix, just look around—there’s likely a bowl on nearly every table. 549 Rosedale, 314-863-5572.
Peel Wood Fired Pizza: Smoked Tomato Bisque
At Peel, its two everyday soups are anything but, so flip a coin to choose. Clearly homemade, the smooth-as silk Wild Mushroom is made with cremini, shitake, and oyster mushrooms, and the thick and lusty Smoked Tomato Bisque comes topped with croutons, parmesan threads, and basil. Available in a cup or bowl, you’ll find them hiding on the menu under “Add Ons & Sides.” Multiple locations.
The Daily Bread Bakery & Cafe: Vegetarian Vegetable
The soups rotate daily at the so-called “DB,” but one constant is the Vegetarian Vegetable and owner Patrick Judd’s mother’s recipe contains a summer garden’s worth: onions, celery, tomatoes, scratch made tomato puree, potatoes, zucchini, white mushrooms, sweet corn, carrots, plus green and Great Northern beans. 11719 Manchester, 314-909-0010.
Blueberry Hill: Chicken Noodle
You’d expect the 50-year-old pop-culture-memorabilia-filled restaurant and music club to serve a worthy burger (it does) and solid bar food (try the buffalo Fries), but one of the best chicken soups in town? Believe it. Chock full of chicken, onion, herbs, and carrot coins, guests can be assured that the best-antidote-for-a-cold is always consistent (since the kitchen manager, Gentry Smith, has been at the helm for 40 years). 6504 Delmar, 314-727-4444.
Colleen’s: Denver Green Chili
Served with a warm tortilla, Denver Green Chili is one of several rotating soups at this popular breakfast and lunch cafe. Made with chicken stock, plus slow roasted pork, tomatoes, garlic, and Hatch green chilies, this soup is so popular it’s now served daily throughout the winter months. For a super hearty meal, owner Colleen Thompson suggests ordering a breakfast burrito and smothering it with a cup of Denver Green Chili. 7337 Forsyth, 314-727-8427.
Canyon Cafe: Poblano Chicken Chowder
For over a decade, Manor Grove held an annual soup competition, called Soup’s On!, that featured several dozen soups and attracted up to 1000 guests. Canyon Cafe’s Poblano Chicken Chowder took home so many awards every year (many of them Golden Ladles) that the organizers asked if next year they could bring another soup, which they did (a posole), but the attendees longed for their multi-award-winning favorite, which returned the next year…and won more awards. Yes, this soup is that good. (Canyon’s other offering, a tomato-based Tortilla Soup, is excellent as well.) 1707 S. Lindbergh, 314-872-3443.
Lona’s Lil Eats: Hill Tribe Soup
Lona Luo has an awe-inspiring knack for flavor, apparent in the mouthwatering sauces, succulent brisket, dumplings, and whole fish served at her Fox Park restaurant, Lona’s Lil Eats. It’s no wonder, then, that she nails her soup game in the form of the delectable Hill Tribe Soup, a delicate yet deeply flavorful beef bone broth–based concoction brimming with rice noodles, stir-fried veggies, bamboo shoots, green onions, and rice noodles. It’s the sort of warm, soothing nectar that stirs the soul. 2199 California, 314-925-8938.
Gramophone: Jalapeño Popper Soup
Gramophone may be known for its sandwiches, but its soup game should not be underestimated. The Grove neighborhood eatery has a rotating selection of daily offerings, but its standout, the jalapeño popper soup, is available every day. Thank goodness for that. This rich, spicy concoction is inspired by the beloved bar food, touching on its cream cheese and fiery jalapeno flavors. Good on its own or even better as a sandwich dipper, this excellent soup is one of the best things on a spectacular menu. 4243 Manchester, 314-531-5700.
Corner 17: Handmade Wonton Soup
If your idea of wonton soup is a throwaway part of an American style Chinese lunch special, Corner 17’s version will change your tune. Succulent pork and shredded cabbage are wrapped by hand in silken wonton wrappers, then steeped in broth that’s so delicate, it dances on the tongue. Light, soulful, and deeply satisfying, it shows just how outstanding simple flavors can be when done exceptionally well. 6623 Delmar, 314-727-2402.
Brasserie: French Onion Soup
Gerard Craft’s Central West End restaurant is the gold standard of French cuisine in St. Louis, thanks to his and his team’s insistence on doing classic dishes the way they were intended. The French onion soup embodies this approach. Slow-cooked onions, so caramelized you could butter a piece of bread with them, give the soup its earthy richness, while luscious comte cheese smothers the crostini-covered soup crock. Steaming, rich, gooey—it’s perfection of the form. 4580 Laclede, 314-545-0600.
Sultan: Lentil Soup
Sultan’s matriarch, Jenar Mohammed, is technically a restaurant cook; for several years now, she and her husband, Akram Saeed, have been dazzling diners with her outstanding cooking at the beloved Grove neighborhood eatery. When you taste her lentil soup, however, you feel less like a customer than an invited guest into her home, sitting around the kitchen table as a pot of the rich, lightly curried concoction simmers on the stove, filling the air with its aromatic perfume. There’s a warmth to this soup, one that has nothing to do with its serving temperature. 4200 Manchester, 314-390-2020.
The Clover and the Bee: Three Cheese Cauliflower
Fontina, Parmigiano Reggiano, and American cheese blend together to form this outrageously satisfying concoction that could double as cauliflower fondue, though the key to this specialty is the smoked paprika, which gives the soup a satisfying, earthy depth that cuts through the richness and adds complexity. One bite makes you understand why this is such a crowd pleaser. 100 W. Lockwood, 314-942-1216.
Bowood by Niche: Cauliflower Soup
This delightful Central West End café, set in the stunning environs of Bowood Farms, offers an embarrassment of daytime culinary riches, not the least of which is its riff on the classic potato leek soup. Maple sherry cream adds a layer of complexity that is a master class in technique. 4605 Olive, 314-454-6868.
Levels: Pepper Soup
As powerful in flavor as it is delicate in texture, Levels’ pepper soup sets off chile-spiked fireworks on every surface of your palate that linger, thanks to oil and rendered goat fat. And that meat—so tender it falls apart like the slowest-cooked pot roast—is a stunning counter to anyone who’s ever complained about goat meat being inherently tough or stringy. After tasting this dish, you understand why pepper soup is typically served at celebrations. It’s pure joy. 1405 Washington, 314-571-9990.
Mai Lee: Pho Tai
It’s hard to narrow down what to order at Mai Lee, but the Tran family’s pho is perhaps its most quintessential dish. Here, it’s all about the broth, a mouthwatering, anise-scented nectar that’s simmered for 20 hours before being served with cuts of rare flank steak, onion, cilantro, Thai basil, jalapeño, citrus, and bean sprouts. 8396 Musick Memorial Drive, 314-645-2835.
Stew’s Food & Liquor: Coconut Curry
This Soulard hot spot and industry haunt delights with an Asian-inflected menu, including its warm-the-spirit coconut curry soup, a take on the Thai favorite, khao soi. The aromatic curry broth accented with cilantro is the perfect backdrop for pull-apart tender chicken thigh. 1862 S. 10th, No phone.
Ivy Cafe: Acorn Squash and Red Lentil
Tartines may be Ivy Cafe’s daytime calling card, but its acorn squash and red lentil soup is not to be missed. This richly satisfying vegetarian concoction is as if the flavors of autumn were distilled into a bowl. Add fresh ginger for a lovely zing. 14 A North Meramec, 314-776-9377.
Kain Tayo: Sinigang
This wonderful Midtown restaurant serves up Filipino home cooking, including its wonderful sinigang, a traditional sour and savory soup with fork-tender pork and fresh vegetables. 2700 Locust, 314-396-2110.
Neon Greens: Signature The Greens Soup
Neon Greens may be known for its ultra-fresh, innovative salads that feature lettuces grown on site, but its signature soup should not be missed. A play on the Thai specialty Tom Kha Gai, this delightfully tart and spicy soup, rounded out with a touch of creamy coconut, is reason alone to visit this unique spot. 4176 Manchester, 314-899-0400.
Learn more about the best soups in St. Louis on the Arch Eats podcast.
