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White xiao mian noodles, green cilantro, and brown nuggets of ground pork barely sit above a pool of orange broth in a black bowl.
Chongqing Xiao Mian at Chong Qing Noodle
Ryan Sutton/Eater NY

15 Warming Soups in NYC

Here’s where to find a stellar steaming bowl of soup, from wonton to avgolemono

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Chongqing Xiao Mian at Chong Qing Noodle
| Ryan Sutton/Eater NY

Soup weather is upon us in New York City. For diners soon-to-be bundled in layers there are endless options for steaming bowls of soup. Whether it’s a Korean take on gumbo or a piping bowl of goat birria, restaurants all across town are offering soul-warming selections. (If it’s pho, ramen, or hot pot you seek — check out those individual maps.)

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Beef pho at Com Tam Ninh Kieu

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Nhu Ton and John Nguyen have been getting attention lately for Banh Vietnamese Shop House, their Upper West Side spot fast becoming one of the year’s hottest new openings. But the team’s original restaurant in the Bronx is still one of the city’s most important Vietnamese spots, and one where you can slurp a bowl of piping hot pho served with brisket, tendon, tripe, and beef ball.

A bowl of soup with slices of beef and pale noodles visible.
Beef pho at Com Tam Ninh Kieu.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Asopao at Calle 191 Pescaderia

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Located in Washington Heights, Calle 191 Pescaderia is a fish market with a festive restaurant (and a bar) wedged on one side. It excels at Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban seafood dishes, including a marvelous asopao (sometimes called “soupy rice”) with jumbo shrimp. Squeeze in the lime juice!

A rice-based yellow soup with hunks of shrimp is served in a bowl ontop of a red Chinese plate with three slices of lime.
The asopao.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Goat birria at Las Delicias Mexicanas

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Though quesabirria tacos and birria mulitas are big in New York City, East Harlem gem Las Delicias focuses on a more traditional look at the dish. Las Delicias’ goat birria with a load of carrots is one of the city’s most comforting bowls of soup for the season.

A spoon is dipped into an orange and red soup filled with birria and carrot in a white bowl.
Soup at Las Delicias
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Spicy Isan pork rib soup at Zabb PuTawn

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Sometimes when cold weather hits, you want a soup that’s not only hot but spicy hot as well. Zabb PuTawn’s pork rib soup more than qualifies — the broth is mouth-searingly spicy, via Thai chiles. And the slew of enoki mushrooms adds a welcome slipperiness.

A dark thin bowl of soup with a spoonful of tiny ribs and enoki mushrooms raised above it.
Spicy Isan pork rib soup at Zabb PuTawn
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Chongqing xiao mian at Chong Qing Noodle

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Chinese xiao mian is less often seen in New York City, than, say, Yunnanese mixian. But the mala chongqing xiao mian at this Hell’s Kitchen spot is making a name for itself in a part of Manhattan with a growing collection of Chinese restaurants. Eater critic Ryan Sutton says you can choose from the thin, stringy noodles or the thicker, knife-cut option — your stomach will be happy no matter what you decide.

A bowl of soup filled with sweet ground pork.
Chongqing xiao mian at Chong Qing Noodle.
Ryan Sutton/Eater NY

Boiled fish at Guan Fu

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Okay, so boiled fish isn’t technically a soup — the stock is much too salty and meant as a backdrop to the hunks of flaky white fish swimming throughout — but that hasn’t stopped us from eating it like one whenever we visit Guan Fu. Hunt for bits of pickled cabbage with chopsticks in the oil-slicked stock, made from fish bones, or slurp the sour broth from the bowl, as we often do, with a serving spoon.

A table crowded with dishes at Guan Fu, a Sichuan restaurant in Flushing.
The Sichuan boiled fish (upper right) at Guan Fu.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Chicken soup at Margon

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The Cubano sandwich gets most of the attention at this Midtown lunch counter, but it’s the chicken soup that shouldn’t be missed. The viscous broth looks like it’s been bubbling away for days. Generous chunks of bone-in chicken, potatoes, and yam make this an idyllic meal for any cold day.

A red awning over a walk-down storefront.
Margon on Times Square.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Pickle soup at Karczma

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We’ll say it right now: New York needs more pickle soup. And this version from Polish stalwart Karczma in Greenpoint is making one of the strongest cases for it. Customers who are the kind of people who like pickle-backs or sipping on the juice at the end of the pickle jar will enjoy this creamy-yet-acidic soup that has slivers of chopped cucumber pickles.

A sun dappled facade with a big wooden sign.
Pickle soup at Karczma.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Gumbo at Mokyo

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Kyungmin “Kay” Hyun uses a hint of pepper from her native Korea along with nasturtium in this take on gumbo. She mixes tiger shrimp with crawfish, throws in the classic andouille sausage, and adds the “holy trinity’’ of onions, bell pepper, and celery, but excludes traditional okra.

A bowl of pink soup.
Gumbo at Mokyo
Mokyo

Roasted corn soup at Smyth Tavern

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Every once in a while a soup comes along that seems pure invention — and one has trouble thinking of something similar. The roasted corn soup at Smyth Tavern is such a potage. Silky and smooth, it’s an arresting shade of yellow with a natural sweetness from the maize, and the crabmeat dropped into it only amplifies the sweetness.

A bowl of bright yellow smooth soup with chives in top.
Roasted corn soup at Smyth Tavern.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Wonton noodle soup at Mee Sum Cafe

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This Cantonese spot on Pell Street serves up a classic Chinatown wonton soup made well. The thin wonton wrappers show pork filling waiting to burst through, with the right amount of greens to give the soup a rounded crunch. You simply cannot go wrong here.

A bowl of soup with dumplings greens and yellowish curvy noodles.
Wonton noodle soup.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Green peppercorn fish stew at Antidote

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This newer Sichuan restaurant is easy to miss, tucked away on a quiet side street near the Williamsburg waterfront, but seek it out for this fish stew alone. Chunks of white fish glisten in a yellow broth that’s slightly sour and perfect for those with a spice tolerance. Perched on top, find pickled red chiles and a stalk of green peppercorns you’ll want to pick at like grapes from the vine.

A compact bowl of soup laden with green peppercorns, red chiles, and massive hunks of fish.
Green peppercorns bob throughout the fish stew at Antidote.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Kharcho at Wall Street Bath & Spa 88

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The Russian bathhouse on Fulton continues to serve as a restorative respite from New York’s chilly streets. Sweating it out in the hot sauna is a good place to start, but at some point, you’ll want to put some sustenance back in your body. The spa’s own restaurant, Matryoshka, will allow you to do just that. Swing by and order a steaming bowl of kharcho. The spicy Georgian lamb soup — packed with peppercorns, rice, and succulent slabs of meat on the bone — conveys both peppery warmth and gently gamy sweetness.

A bowl of brown soup with nested Russian dolls in the background.
Kharcho at Wall Street Bath.
Wall Street Bath

Avgolemono at Yia Yia's Taverna

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Chicken Soup for the Soul comes to mind when spooning out servings of this avgolemono from Yia Yia’s Taverna, a Greek restaurant on Bushwick’s Flushing Avenue — one of the area’s more underrated establishments. The cozy, chicken-y lemon soup is exactly what we want a big bowl of next time we come down with the chills.

A bowl of yellow soup with greens wadded in the middle.
The avgolemono soup at Yia Yia’s Taverna.
Emma Orlow/Eater NY

Cowheel soup at German's Soup

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Known for its thick, Guyanese soups that are as hearty as stews, this Brooklyn spot uses a base of yucca, plantains, and corn chocked with flour dumplings, then serves it simply vegetarian or with beef, chicken, oxtail, or cow heel. Thanks to its natural gelatin, the hoof version is particularly viscous.

A bowl of yellow soup with corncobs and onions floating in it.
Cowheel Soup at German’s Soup
German’s Soup

Beef pho at Com Tam Ninh Kieu

Nhu Ton and John Nguyen have been getting attention lately for Banh Vietnamese Shop House, their Upper West Side spot fast becoming one of the year’s hottest new openings. But the team’s original restaurant in the Bronx is still one of the city’s most important Vietnamese spots, and one where you can slurp a bowl of piping hot pho served with brisket, tendon, tripe, and beef ball.

A bowl of soup with slices of beef and pale noodles visible.
Beef pho at Com Tam Ninh Kieu.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Asopao at Calle 191 Pescaderia

Located in Washington Heights, Calle 191 Pescaderia is a fish market with a festive restaurant (and a bar) wedged on one side. It excels at Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban seafood dishes, including a marvelous asopao (sometimes called “soupy rice”) with jumbo shrimp. Squeeze in the lime juice!

A rice-based yellow soup with hunks of shrimp is served in a bowl ontop of a red Chinese plate with three slices of lime.
The asopao.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Goat birria at Las Delicias Mexicanas

Though quesabirria tacos and birria mulitas are big in New York City, East Harlem gem Las Delicias focuses on a more traditional look at the dish. Las Delicias’ goat birria with a load of carrots is one of the city’s most comforting bowls of soup for the season.

A spoon is dipped into an orange and red soup filled with birria and carrot in a white bowl.
Soup at Las Delicias
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Spicy Isan pork rib soup at Zabb PuTawn

Sometimes when cold weather hits, you want a soup that’s not only hot but spicy hot as well. Zabb PuTawn’s pork rib soup more than qualifies — the broth is mouth-searingly spicy, via Thai chiles. And the slew of enoki mushrooms adds a welcome slipperiness.

A dark thin bowl of soup with a spoonful of tiny ribs and enoki mushrooms raised above it.
Spicy Isan pork rib soup at Zabb PuTawn
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Chongqing xiao mian at Chong Qing Noodle

Chinese xiao mian is less often seen in New York City, than, say, Yunnanese mixian. But the mala chongqing xiao mian at this Hell’s Kitchen spot is making a name for itself in a part of Manhattan with a growing collection of Chinese restaurants. Eater critic Ryan Sutton says you can choose from the thin, stringy noodles or the thicker, knife-cut option — your stomach will be happy no matter what you decide.

A bowl of soup filled with sweet ground pork.
Chongqing xiao mian at Chong Qing Noodle.
Ryan Sutton/Eater NY

Boiled fish at Guan Fu

Okay, so boiled fish isn’t technically a soup — the stock is much too salty and meant as a backdrop to the hunks of flaky white fish swimming throughout — but that hasn’t stopped us from eating it like one whenever we visit Guan Fu. Hunt for bits of pickled cabbage with chopsticks in the oil-slicked stock, made from fish bones, or slurp the sour broth from the bowl, as we often do, with a serving spoon.

A table crowded with dishes at Guan Fu, a Sichuan restaurant in Flushing.
The Sichuan boiled fish (upper right) at Guan Fu.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Chicken soup at Margon

The Cubano sandwich gets most of the attention at this Midtown lunch counter, but it’s the chicken soup that shouldn’t be missed. The viscous broth looks like it’s been bubbling away for days. Generous chunks of bone-in chicken, potatoes, and yam make this an idyllic meal for any cold day.

A red awning over a walk-down storefront.
Margon on Times Square.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Pickle soup at Karczma

We’ll say it right now: New York needs more pickle soup. And this version from Polish stalwart Karczma in Greenpoint is making one of the strongest cases for it. Customers who are the kind of people who like pickle-backs or sipping on the juice at the end of the pickle jar will enjoy this creamy-yet-acidic soup that has slivers of chopped cucumber pickles.

A sun dappled facade with a big wooden sign.
Pickle soup at Karczma.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Gumbo at Mokyo

Kyungmin “Kay” Hyun uses a hint of pepper from her native Korea along with nasturtium in this take on gumbo. She mixes tiger shrimp with crawfish, throws in the classic andouille sausage, and adds the “holy trinity’’ of onions, bell pepper, and celery, but excludes traditional okra.

A bowl of pink soup.
Gumbo at Mokyo
Mokyo

Roasted corn soup at Smyth Tavern

Every once in a while a soup comes along that seems pure invention — and one has trouble thinking of something similar. The roasted corn soup at Smyth Tavern is such a potage. Silky and smooth, it’s an arresting shade of yellow with a natural sweetness from the maize, and the crabmeat dropped into it only amplifies the sweetness.

A bowl of bright yellow smooth soup with chives in top.
Roasted corn soup at Smyth Tavern.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Wonton noodle soup at Mee Sum Cafe

This Cantonese spot on Pell Street serves up a classic Chinatown wonton soup made well. The thin wonton wrappers show pork filling waiting to burst through, with the right amount of greens to give the soup a rounded crunch. You simply cannot go wrong here.

A bowl of soup with dumplings greens and yellowish curvy noodles.
Wonton noodle soup.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Green peppercorn fish stew at Antidote

This newer Sichuan restaurant is easy to miss, tucked away on a quiet side street near the Williamsburg waterfront, but seek it out for this fish stew alone. Chunks of white fish glisten in a yellow broth that’s slightly sour and perfect for those with a spice tolerance. Perched on top, find pickled red chiles and a stalk of green peppercorns you’ll want to pick at like grapes from the vine.

A compact bowl of soup laden with green peppercorns, red chiles, and massive hunks of fish.
Green peppercorns bob throughout the fish stew at Antidote.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Kharcho at Wall Street Bath & Spa 88

The Russian bathhouse on Fulton continues to serve as a restorative respite from New York’s chilly streets. Sweating it out in the hot sauna is a good place to start, but at some point, you’ll want to put some sustenance back in your body. The spa’s own restaurant, Matryoshka, will allow you to do just that. Swing by and order a steaming bowl of kharcho. The spicy Georgian lamb soup — packed with peppercorns, rice, and succulent slabs of meat on the bone — conveys both peppery warmth and gently gamy sweetness.

A bowl of brown soup with nested Russian dolls in the background.
Kharcho at Wall Street Bath.
Wall Street Bath

Avgolemono at Yia Yia's Taverna

Chicken Soup for the Soul comes to mind when spooning out servings of this avgolemono from Yia Yia’s Taverna, a Greek restaurant on Bushwick’s Flushing Avenue — one of the area’s more underrated establishments. The cozy, chicken-y lemon soup is exactly what we want a big bowl of next time we come down with the chills.

A bowl of yellow soup with greens wadded in the middle.
The avgolemono soup at Yia Yia’s Taverna.
Emma Orlow/Eater NY

Cowheel soup at German's Soup

Known for its thick, Guyanese soups that are as hearty as stews, this Brooklyn spot uses a base of yucca, plantains, and corn chocked with flour dumplings, then serves it simply vegetarian or with beef, chicken, oxtail, or cow heel. Thanks to its natural gelatin, the hoof version is particularly viscous.

A bowl of yellow soup with corncobs and onions floating in it.
Cowheel Soup at German’s Soup
German’s Soup

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