The best soups in St. Louis

In the long, cold winter months, a steaming hot bowl can be especially comforting. Here are some of our current favorites.

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Asador del Sur: Lobster Bique

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.

Commonwealth: Honey Jalapeño Bisque 

This deceivingly rich bisque features fire-roasted jalapeños made in house alongside shallots, spices, and caramelized honey from The Blessed Bee Company. It contains 43 percent butterfat cream from Rolling Lawns Farms and is garnished with chantilly to create a sweet honey taste ending that ends with a bit of warming heat. "I like to do unorthodox things," says executive chef Scottie Corrigan. "This was one of those successful stabs at creativity." 634 N. Grand, 314-405-3399.

Nudo House: Beef Pho

"It's the classic go-to," co-owner Qui Tran says of Nudo House's pho beef. The broth in the gluten-free soup is simmered for 20 hours before being served with cuts of rare flank steak, onion, cilantro, Thai basil, jalapeño, citrus, and bean sprouts. 11423 Olive, 314-274-8046; 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.

Highway 61 Roadhouse: Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

If you need a little help to clear up the sinuses, a reliable remedy is a meal with some Louisiana-style flair. The spicy chicken and sausage gumbo from Highway 61 Roadhouse will open up your airways. It also offers a shrimp and crawfish éttoufée, in case you’re looking for a little more heft. 34 S. Old Orchard, 314-968-0061.

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. 3157 S. Grand, 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

Both Companion locations (in Ladue and Maryland Heights) offer 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; 2331 Schuetz, 314-627-5262. 

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: Gaeng Som

At this Thai restaurant in the eastern end of The Grove, one of the top-selling dishes during the winter months is this aromatic, spicy, flavorful soup, made with fried white fish and papaya simmered in a turmeric and chili broth. 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 seven rotating soups at this popular breakfast and lunch cafe (the others are tomato basil, kale/potato/sausage, broccoli cheddar, corn chowder, French onion, and loaded baked potato). 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. 

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