When the thermometer starts dipping a little lower and the weather starts to get … challenging, there’s one simple and magical dish that has warmed you, body and soul, since you were a little kid.
You don’t have to go far to find the perfect bowl of soup in Cleveland. Whether you’re getting after it with a spoon, chopsticks or just a big hunk of crusty bread, check out these local favorites for hot, hearty deliciousness (or cold ... looking at you, gazpacho). By the cup or by the crock, soup’s on in The Land.
Concealed inside an unassuming strip mall in AsiaTown, this humble, family-owned hideaway draws standing-room crowds despite its covert locale. True to their namesake, you'll find more than a dozen award-winning iterations of Vietnam's fragrant national dish, served piping hot in shareable portions.
Craving romance? Mission accomplished! Savor a seafood stew at sunset while dining a deux on the Gold Coast, just a quick jaunt from downtown via the Shoreway. Bouillabaisse tastes better when enjoyed perched on a cliffside, overlooking Cleveland’s skyline snuggling the Lake Erie shore.
Local trendsetters frequent this artisan Ohio City ice creamery to warm up in wintertime, when frozen treats are pared down to a pair of Asian-inspired soft-serve flavors in favor of steaming bowls of Japanese ramen and fruit-infused teas. Now that’s sweet!
For a midweek treat, head to Balaton's new home in Chagrin Falls on Wednesdays for Gulyás Leves, a rich Hugarian goulash soup of succulent beef and tender potatoes simmered in a creamy paprikash broth. Soups are switched up daily, each scratch-made from central European family recipes prepared in Cleveland since 1964.
Slip into the back dining room of this Ohio City eatery for a bubbling crock of comfort: Cheese-crowned French onion soup. The restaurant’s secluded atrium space is flanked in foliage, with intimate bistro tables encircling a spiral staircase, each blanketed in sunlight for otherworldly warmth.
With tried-and-true favorites like the spicy Jambalaya Soup and their hearty Chicken Paprikash Soup (their top seller), as well as an ever-changing lineup of soups and chili, Souper Market offers hand-crafted delights made from in-house stock. Pair your faves with a salad, Souper Goopy Grilled Cheese or even Chicken Wings Confit to add extra deliciousness at multiple locations across Cleveland.
Bright, acidic gazpacho is a chilled, tomato-based soup of Spanish origin that’s satisfying year-round. Sop it up with warm crusty bread in Mallorca’s cozy dining room if it’s nippy outside or snag a spot on the patio for prime Warehouse District people-watching when weather permits.