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We've hit a beautiful moment in this finicky Southern climate, where, finally, cool breezes welcome more generous appetites. With a hankering for the warming foods we've missed, we present our favorite soups around the Triangle. Indulge with us as we pack it on for the winter.
DUCK CONGEE
Lantern
423 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill
Ah, the elusive duck congee. If you have it once, you'll forever peek your head inside the restaurant's door to ask what its daily,fresh-made soup is, fiending for it. Lantern's take on the traditional Chinese breakfast rice porridge includes pickled mustard greens, pulled roasted duck, and crunchy duck cracklings. I've never had a bad soup there, but this one gets me howling like an alley cat down Franklin Street. –Eryk Pruitt
CALABRIAN ONION SOUP
Toast
345 West Main Street, Durham
An indecisive scan of Toast's chalkboard menu, followed by a flood of memory of a Tar Heel point guard (Dante Calabria!) precipitated my first order of this deep, tomato-toned soup about which I knew nothing. Innumerable orders followed. Orange-hued oil beads against the surface with an elastic web of cheese on top. A submerged crostini sponges deep, warm flavors off the bottom of the bowl. Thank you, Dante Calabria, for accidentally showing me the way. –Matt Poindexter
CHOWDA
Saltbox Seafood Joint
608 North Mangum Street, Durham
While the memory of summer fades, we can taste the beach in a warming chowda from Saltbox. Chef creates them on a whim, sometimes daily, sometimes weekly, depending on seafood availability. Last week's offer began as a slightly buttered crab roux simmered in a shellfish broth-turned-chowder, thickened by cauliflower and emulsified olive oil (no cream). Big chunks of dogfish, hominy kernels, and fresh-cut herbs bounce in the cup, topped with a couple of Instagram-worthy crab claws. –Victoria Bouloubasis
VEGAN CHICKENAND WILD RICE
The Remedy Diner
137 East Hargett Street, Raleigh
Whenever I was sick as a kid, I would only eat two things: ramen noodles (the ten-cent packages) or chicken and rice soup. I've since become a vegetarian, and that second flavor has been hard to come byuntil I found Remedy's brothy vegan chicken and wild rice soup (with a healthy helping of carrots, celery, and onion). They only have it once every couple of weeks. But good news for vegetarians: the soup of the day at Remedy is always vegetarian. –Paul Blest
SPICY COCONUT SOUP
Thai Cafe
2501 University Drive, Durham
Durham's Thai Cafe is not a secret, and neither is its coconut soup. Both are indefatigably reliable. Dip into the milky broth dotted with chili oil and catch the micro tofu cubes as they bounce on the spoon. Delicate slivers of chive stems are dwarfed beside large chunks of baby portabella mushrooms. A sweet beginning on the apex of the tongue trails to mild spice that pleasantly scratches the back of the throat. This is everything a soup should be: a serious comfort. –Blanche Brown
NORTHSIDE NOODLES
Northside District
403 West Rosemary Street, Chapel Hill
This hidden storefront up Rosemary Street in Chapel Hill's West End hides the Triangle's best kept secret: a delicious noodle bowl served until 2 a.m. Served with crunchy carnitas (chicken or soy also available), muddy broth, fried shallots, and wilted gai lan, there may be nothing better to slap sense into your whiskey-dulled taste buds as you amble closer to last call and your Uber ride home. –Eryk Pruitt
SHOYU RAMEN
Dashi
415 East Chapel Hill Street, Durham
What makes Dashi worth revisiting is the way surprising Southern ingredients pop up. On the current menu, I love the spears of pickled green beans tucked around the rim of the Shoyu ramen, how their bright, green crispness cuts through the big funk and fat of soy sauce and roasted pork. Who knew a bowl of Japanese noodles could take you back to a jar of dilly beans from childhood, picked off a general store shelf? At Dashi, it will. –Matt Poindexter
ASH RESHTEH
Sage Cafe
1129 Weaver Dairy Road, Chapel Hill
In an unassuming strip mall, this classic Persian soup immediately transports me back to my childhood home, where ash reshteh bubbled in a massive pot to welcome Nowruz, the Persian New Year. Thanks to Sage Cafe you can snag a bowl all year round. Slurp-able flat noodles"reshteh"swirl around in a savory onion and turmeric broth loaded with herbs like cilantro, chives, and mint and hearty kidney beans, chickpeas, and lentils. Order a big bowl of this vegan dish and share with the table. –Susie Locklier
CURRIED CHICKPEA STEW
Sandwhich
407 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill
Sandwhich knocks it out of the park with a menu to please everyone, especially with its daily, scratch-made soup offerings. The curried chickpea stew, for one, deftly mingles many bold flavors within a thin tomato broth. Sharp and piquant, the spices hit the tongue with a host of question marks that quickly transform to exclamation points. –Eryk Pruitt
CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
Dos Taquitos
6101 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh
The most miserable head cold I've ever had hit me the morning before a Saturday "date night" with my wife. A waiter at Dos Taquitos recommended a bowl of the restaurant's signature chicken tortilla soup. The broth conjured up memories of my mom's homemade chicken noodle soup, adding spicy notes, paired with creamy, cool, fresh avocado slices as a garnish. And for balance: the crunch of fried tortilla strips. My sinuses were clear by the time the entrée arrivedand "date night" was back on. –Ken Fine
SOONDUBU JJIGAE
Seoul Garden4701 Atlantic Avenue, Raleigh
You'll need to sift through the menu at Seoul Gardena restaurant known mainly for Korean BBQto find this hidden gem: soondubu jjigae. A spicy broth is loaded with extra soft tofu and your choice of add-ins (my choice: kimchi and beef). Once it arrives at your table, crack an egg into it to level up the flavor. Bonus: the myriad of rotating banchan (side dishes) served alongside it. - Jordan Chavis
RASAM
Vimala's Curryblossom Cafe
431 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill
Vimala Rajendran's rasam is better classified as an elixir. While working at Curryblossom for nearly two years, I often kept a small thermos of rasam underneath the cash register during the winter months, to sip away any potential cold. The broth is much like a spider webdelicate in its form, strong in its purpose. Tamarind, garlic, ginger, and lots of sharp Malabar black pepper give rasam a nourishing depth of flavor and a healing magic. -Victoria Bouloubasis
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