Cold weather have you craving soup? Us too. Here’s a list of the 23 best soups in Charlotte.
After years of soup taste testing, below is the list of top soups around Charlotte (in no particular order).
(1) Baked French Onion Soup – 300 East
Baked provolone with croutons for $6.50 served inside 300 East’s old-school Dilworth space.
Related Agenda guide: Best French onion soups in Charlotte
(2) Lobster Bisque – BrickTop’s
This $12 soup with fresh Maine lobster, cream, and brandy is a huge hit in SouthPark. The lobster comes in alive to the restaurant every morning — that’s how fresh it is.
(3) Tom Yum Soup – Thai Taste
It’s a slightly sour spicy soup with herbs, tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, and mushrooms.
Another top soup seller is Thai Taste’s Tom Kha, a coconut cream soup with mushrooms, green onions, tomatoes, galanga, cilantro, and lemon grass.
(4) Wild Mushroom Soup — Barrington’s
It’s a fancy soup with truffle whipped cream and topped with fresh thyme.
Also, look for Barrington’s to roll out their tasty cauliflower soup with shaved black truffle, North Carolina lump crab and mascarpone this winter.
(5) Blake’s Chicken and Dumplings – Leroy Fox
A fresh take on a classic, this Chicken and Dumplings dish features braised chicken stew, carrots, celery, onion, and dumplings. This dish is huge and definitely can be shared between 2-3 people.
(6) Tonkotsu Ramen – Futo Buta
It’s got pork bone broth, pecan smoked pork belly, scallion, organic mushroom, onsen egg, pickled ginger, nori, sesame, and black garlic.
Futo Buta offers eight different ramen bowls including other popular choices like their Miso Ramen, Fire & Ice Ramen, and Chizu Ramen.
Related Agenda guide: Best ramen in Charlotte
(7) She Crab Soup – Eddie’s Place
Eddie’s Place may be known for their breakfast all day, but you’ll learn why they do about 150-200 She Crab soups each day after you give it a shot. A bowl is $6.95 and comes with two giant pieces of warm salted bread.
(8) Bread Soup – Lincoln Haberdashery
It’s huuuge.
This popular soup consists of chicken stock, tomato, onion, fennel, basil, extra virgin olive oil, basil, and soaked sourdough topped with parmesan.
(9) Sopa De Pollo – Viva Chicken
Pulled rotisserie chicken, homemade chicken broth, cilantro infused rice, green onions, red onions, red peppers, and cilantro.
(10) Chicken Tortilla Soup – Paco’s Tacos
Poached chicken, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, and chilis — garnished with avocado, lime, and a jalapeño.
Related Agenda guide: Best Mexican restaurants in Charlotte
(11)French Onion Soup — Crepe Cellar
Melted gruyère and crostini.
Photo courtesy of Meg Seitz/Crepe Cellar
(12) Curry Laska – CO
Shrimp, shredded chicken, bun rice noodles, shredded cucumber, Thai basil, and baby bok choy, served in a spicy coconut broth.
(13) Tomato Soup – Papi Queso
This tomato soup with tarragon cream obviously pairs well with a grilled cheese (try Papi’s new burger melt grilled cheese).
(14) New England Clam Chowdah – Moosehead Grill
I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect Moosehead to have one of our city’s top soups, but it’s delicious. Described as “wicked good,” this clam chowder features big chunks of clam.
Related Agenda story: Best wings in Charlotte
(15) Chicken Noodle — Pasta & Provisions
If you’ve never bought a large frozen containers of soup from Pasta & Provision, you can’t call yourself a soup lover.
Other soup options include their ham & hominy, pasta e fagioli, Italian wedding, tomato bisque, vegetarian minestrone, and cioppino (seafood stew).
(16) Spicy Crab Soup – Alexander Michael’s
Served in a perfectly cozy historic Fourth Ward home, this soup has a perfect mix of crab and spice.
(17) Tomato Bisque – Rooster’s
When it’s got the owner’s last name in front of it, you know it’s going to be good. It’s served with goat cheese crostini.
(18) Texas Chili — Lupie’s Cafe
They say it’s hot, and they mean it. Easily my favorite of Lupie’s four different chilis. It’s made with ground chuck but NO tomatoes, and it simmers in beer sauce for over six hours (which you can totally taste).
(19) Pho Dac Biet — Lang Van
Lang Van used to be a hidden gem on the east side of town, but now I feel like everybody knows this Vietnamese hotspot. If you’re new to pho, they’ll guide you to the pho dac biet, a huge bowl of beef noodle soup.
And yes, I consider pho a soup. Don’t email me.
(20) Spicy Pork Ramen — Boa & Broth
Pork and chicken broth, Fresno chili paste, Cashe pork belly, Shoyu egg, and pickled ginger (love that additional flavor).
(21) Onion Soup Gratin — La Belle Helene
This French onion soup comes dripping with gooey comte and gruyere cheese. Oh, and save a few pieces of their homemade table bread for dipping purposes.
(22) Chicken Tortilla – Cantina 1511
Traditional soup of pulled chicken in a fresh vegetable broth, topped with Mexican cheese, tortilla chips, and fresh avocado.
(23) Nei Jiang Beef Noodles — The Dumpling Lady
Egg noodles with house-made beef stock, beef stew, bok choy, chives, and cilantro.
