Best Soup Twin Cities MN

Alright, we've established who has the best ice cream, sandwiches and burgers. Now, who has the best soup...

My two favorites are the Three Mosaic Soup at Zander and the Beer Cheese at Muffaletta. I'm also a big fan of the Chicken Pho at Jasmine Deli.

Anyone else?

[PikaPikaChick]

I had borscht at Cecil's Deli in St. Paul several years ago that was out of this world. I haven't been back since, so I wonder if it's still as good today?

[churchka]

I had an outstanding cold plum soup at Blackbird Cafe a couple weeks ago. Has anyone else had soup there? Was it also outstanding?

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Blackbird Cafe
3800 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55409

[drew13000]

I used to love the corn & crab chowder at Dixies Calhoun. They're gone, but they might still serve it at the Grand Ave. location. Plus, biscuits and honey, yuuuuum!

[chompchomp]

The pho at Pho Ga is GREAT. I also really like the Tuscan Chicken Soup at D'Amicos, and the chicken salsa chili at Cafe Latte.

[autmommy]

Where is Pho Ga?

[chompchomp]

I meant Pho Ca Dau. my bad!

[clepro]

Whoops. It's Pho Ca Dao. Or, is it just Ca-Dao? (per Places link)
Regardless, it's my birthday tomorrow and although my family was expecting me to want to celebrate with a more fancy choice of dinner spot, I've asked for pho at either Pho Ca Dao or Saigon, followed by a shared bite of duck confit at Ngon and perhaps their ginger cream (unless my husband manages to get that cake from Bravo...) Great soup indeed.

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Pho Ca Dao Restaurant
439 University Ave W, St Paul, MN 55103

[Uisge]

Pho Ca Dao. It's my favorite pho spot (though I'm far from having tried them all).

[Enso]

Quang again, their sea bass and shrimp soup - served only on weekends and often runs out on Sunday - is pure heaven! Very rich and addictive flavor for a seafood soup.

[tart1]

For a soup from a resto...my best pick is the coconut soup at BonXai on University and Snelling in St. Paul. It made me swoon! The next best pick I'd make is the miso soup from Obento-Ya - it was so complex and smokey, and addicting with each spoonful!

[stymie]

Pepperoni Soup at The Victoria House, Victoria, MN (just west of Chanhassen)

[Enso]

Re: Obento-ya...Really? I didn't find it detectably different from the packaged miso soups available at United Noodle Groceries.

My vote would go to Cafe Latte--anything that sounds good. I tend not to eat soup at restaurants as most of them use a distasteful amount of salt.

[JC65]

My pick for best soup in the Twin Cities would be the Pozole that is the Friday lunch special at El Burrito Mercado in St Paul. Huge bowls of slow stewed pork and hominy corn in a spicy red broth with a side bar of 'fixins' including onion, peppers, cilantro and more. Served with your choice of flour or corn tortillas.

[mikemcg62]

I'm surprised nobody has brought up EDDINGTON'S ?
I know they've opened up all over the place now! I had a chance to get to
their Roseville loc recently and the Chicken Wild Rice Soup is still as
good as it ever was! I love the Chicken Salad on a croissant too!
http://www.eddingtons.com/

[reannd]

Eddingtons openly says they use MSG. Sad.

Quang's Soup is all around consistently good.. no matter what kind you get. The most exceptional is their VEGETABLE soup. A waiter told me once that the broth is really vegetarian.. and made of stewed apples. How awesome is that? Even non-veg's think it's awesome. Plus you get huge chunks of every color of veggie imaginable, served with any noodle you fancy. Guaranteed leftovers for the day after, all for $6. Unbeatable.

I would like to try the Mix & Match soups @ Thai Bazil (this idea is huge in Thailand right now), but I'm so enamored with the Lao menu section I can never stop ordering from that page.

[AnneInMpls]

The tomato-bread soup at Al Vento is wonderful. Add a salad and a glass of wine, and you've got a lovely lunch.

http://alventorestaurant.com/menu.htm

I'm also quite fond of the avgolemono soup at Christo's, but only after adding lots more lemon juice. (My homemade version is better...

)

Anne

[Neitz]

My wife gets a craving every once in a while (especially in the cold months) for the dojic at Babani's Kurdish restaurant on St. Peter overlooking 94 in downtown St. Paul. Its a lemon chicken soup that is our favorite thing there.

[churchka]

It is amazing, I agree. It is the best soup I have ever had, and I love soup. Plus the bread they serve it with is awesome. Get the large soup, small salad combo and you have an awesome meal.

[demijohn]

Black's Ford in Wayzata has a nice rotation of soups. I don't know if there's a pattern to when they'll show up--but a favorite is a Butternut Squash or Pumpkin Soup (paired with the Jane Salad) that makes a perfect autumn lunch.

[aerobicidal]

Does anyone know the name of the soup mentioned (way) above from dear, departed Udupi? Is it rasam?

I would recommend the tomato basil soup (and little else) at Zelo and Zelino. Turtle Bread has many good soups but I particularly like their split pea soup. Also, last time I was at Auriga, they had an amazing leek and split pea soup.

[Chris Mitra]

I'm a sucker for Turtle Bread's tomato-basil soup, for the simple reason that they don't over-spice it. I'm happy that I have found a place to get a creamy tomato soup that doesn't taste like pizza sauce, but rather, like tomatoes.

[faith]

Just tried the frozen homemade chicken soup from Farm in the
Market at Global Midtown, made by the Callisters. I did thaw
it out, fyi, lol. Enjoyed it quite a bit. Also had some very
good tomato basil type soup at Kieran's recently.

[g rote]

1) S2 @ Quang--that broth is magical, and the add-ins are fab.
2) Tomato Ginger Soup @ Cosmos
3) My wife makes the best Matzoh Ball Soup in Minnesota, end of discussion.

The "Jewish Deli" in Eden Prairie is Jake's (on Shady Oak)...file it under "there are no real Jewish Deli's in MN"

[katebauer]

I have to disagree with daldrich's "9 times out of 10 the matzo ball soup is great." Again, maybe it's that I'm a picky New Yorker and no one can beat my grandmother's matzo ball soup, but I've been really disappointed in MN. Brother's Deli in the skyway (6th and Nicolet?) has the best in my opinion. Cecil's is okay, not fantastic, and I find Crossroad's Deli's inpalatable. I can't understand why everyone raves about it. My husband brought me some home from a "Jewish deli" in Eden Prarie once, can't remember the name, and it was okay. Again, none of these places beside's Brother's have really impressed me. Unfortunatley Brother's is only open during breakfast and lunch during the work week :(.

[dahlsk]

I have also loved the mosaic soup at Zander, and Vincent's soups, too. I also like the curried chicken noodle soup at Cheng Heng in St. Paul. And another spot for pretty good hearty soup is at Kraczmaruk's (sp?). Recently, the sauerkraut soup was perfect on a cold day!

[daldrich]

I am in sales and have over 2 million miles on Northwest, so I have eaten all around the US and know what I like. Soup is one thing I like, but is hard to find a good soup these days.

If you have never had lamb stew, and you see it on a menu give it a try. Usually very good, complex flavors, especially if they have root vegetables in it. Have had it a number of places in the Twin Cities and really savor it. Perfect on a cold winter day or evening.
Sometimes they put some sherry in it and that is good too.

Also, it is hard for me to recommend a chain restaurant as a food snob, but I highly recommend the Artichoke Soup at Cheesecake Factory. They only have it certain days, so call ahead, I think they usually have it Fridays or Saturdays. Wow! You have to taste it to believe it. I don't really care that much for artichokes, but it has made me a believer. I know some of you calorie counters don't like creamy type soups, but if you want to splurge, this is the one to try.

I wish that the restaurant web sites had a category for best soup and for best sandwich.
I have visited the east coast and I can tell you there is no place in minnesota that comes even close to the little italian deli's out there when it comes to sandwiches. Not just the sandwiches, but the sides of garlicky pasta and the olives and even the desserts.

Another winner is the chicken soup at Boston Market. No lie, give it a try. Rich broth and filled with meat and pasta and vegetables. Your spoon will easily stand straight up and not fall over. I bought a gallon of it one time for a church social.

And finally, if you have a deli in the area, or if you like dumplings, definitely try the matzo ball soup, very tasty and really not that many calories for something with so much flavor. The dumplings can range from very light to very heavy. I happen to like heavy dumplings, but the gals tend to like the light ones. Nine times out of 10 the matzo ball soup is great. -Chow Hound in Plymouth

I have to submit my favorite place to get soup is Muffuletta. I almost always order the soup of the day there and have never been disappointed, and have usually been impressed with the offering. I, too, am a fan of Zander's Mosaic, but I think Muffuletta has Zander beat.

For me the best tasting soup in the TCs is also a remedy for colds and flu... the Tomato soup at Taste of India is a super-duper, will kill whate'er ails ya cure all, especially when ordered extra spicy. It's also under $3.

The soups at Restaurant Vincent are my favorite. In fact, they are really what Vicent is best at. His root vegetable soups are incredible. His parsnip veloté may be the best soup I've ever had. They change weekly.

Although not open to the public, the wild rice soup and the clam chowder with bacon at the Minneaplis Club are great. If you ever get a chance to have lunch there, do it.

The borscht at Brothers Deli is pretty adictive as well.

I second the Vincent soup vote. I remember a wonderful
cream of cauliflower I had there. Interesting that while I was posting my Ecopolitan borscht vote, Michael was mentioning borscht at Brothers Deli. You
can't beet it!

The Borscht at Brothers has corned beef in it, I think. The veggie version sounds great as well. I do love beets.

I "third" the Vincent soup vote. I always get soup when I'm there, and I'm always delighted and amazed. Last time it was a celeriac-pear soup with something dark green swirled in the middle. Yum!

And the Carrot-Ginger soup at Cupcake is on my top-ten list.

Anne

My votes:

#1 - Wonton Noodle Soup at Village Wok on Washington Ave. in Mpls (only available on their "late night special" menu). Porky, shrimpy, sesame-y wontons in a delicate broth with egg noodles, scallion, and cilantro. Mmmm.

#2 Chipotle bean chili at Cafe Latte on Grand Ave in St. Paul. Their other soups are also mostly excellent.

I love the noodle soups at Tanpopo, too. FYI, an earlier posting cited their address on Selby, but Tanpopo moved to downtown St. Paul last year - the current address is

308 Prince St # 140 (on the block kittycorner to the SE from the St. Paul farmers' market)

AHhhh!! You're right--that was me quoting the old address for Tanpopo below. Thank you for correcting it.

~TDQ

I had the best Chicken and Wild Rice soup *ever* last night at Lucias. Highly recommended.

Link: http://lucias.com

One more reason to go to Lucias. Hmmmm---I just followed the link you provided to Lucia's website and they say they have a cookbook coming out on Oct. 1. Of this year? Interesting. I wonder if their best *ever* wild rice soup recipe is in there. Still, it's never quite the same at home.

~TDQ

I like the wild rice soup at Byerly's restaurant at County road C and Snelling--love the little slivers of almonds and the teensy bits of ham and, of course, the wild rice. Yum.

I don't know if you count udon or soba as "soup," but both are fabulous at Tanpopo Noodle Shop. And who couldn't appreciate a nice, steaming bowl of noodles this time of year?

Tanpopo Noodle Shop
367 Selby Ave., St. Paul; [phone]

~TDQ

I forgot about Tanpopo. Theirs is my favorite Beef broth based soup. I should eat there more often.

TDQ...that Byerly's soup is pretty easy to make. The recipe is printed right on the Byerly's brand wild rice. Another of my favorite soups is made in my own kitchen -- Manischewitz Matzo Ball soup. Right out of the box, no modifications, no additions, no subtractions. You can get it anywhere in MSP grocery stores.

As for restaurants, Tanpopo's Nabeyaki Udon is a wonderful soup. I can't think of any soups around here that I like better.

Cafe Latte's chicken chili (does that qualify?) is usually very good too. But again, I have the recipe for that and usually make it at home.

Thank you to diesel's post above, the corrected address for Tanpopo:

308 Prince St # 140 (on the block kittycorner to the SE from the St. Paul farmers' market)

~TDQ

Actually, it is the chicken rice noodle soup at Jasmine; my understanding is that pho only refers to beef broth. And anyway, I have eaten at Jasmine with Paz from time to time, so I know it is the chicken rice noodle.
I am a big fan of the spicy soup at Udupi. I am pretty sure that is what it is called, spicy soup. I am betting that all of their soups are amazing.

I had that fabulous soup at Udupi. It was great, very complex. I've also had Pho Ga at Jasmine . It was Pho with chicken. I've had a delicious Pho Ga at Quang, but they serve it only on Saturdays and Sundays. Pho Bo is the beef version. Had a good one at Pho Tau Bay. I really like the meatball Pho at Quang. I think they serve that everyday.

It's been a while since I had it, but the beet borscht
at Ecopolitan is great, a really ecstatic marriage of
garlic and citrus along with the beets, and some avocado and olive oil to smooth it out. It even passed my Jewish mother's test when she was here.

[misterpatrick]

The two Indian soups that are (were) usually available at Udupi and should be on any Indian menu are rasam and sambar. Rasam is thiner and spicer. Sambar is lighter and has more vegetables. Both are excellent.