Summer is over, and the cold nights are drawing in, which is when you start seeing dishes like soups and stews on everyone’s menu, and I love it!
During the winter months, I can’t think of much better than a warming bowl of homemade soup with a wedge of buttered bread on the side to mop it up. However, I know only some have the time to make them from scratch.
So, if you’re wondering which places in Houston serve the most delicious soup, I have put together this guide listing all my favorite spots in the city.
During this guide, I have, of course, checked out which places serve the most delicious soup. Still, on top of that, I also looked at a few other aspects, such as other dishes they do, what kind of restaurant they are in, and whether or not they host any special events.
Lastly, I looked at the pricing; I tried to select restaurants to suit all kinds of budgets. Of course, soup is usually a pretty inexpensive dish, so even at the poshest of destinations, it will never break the bank.
Where to Find The Most Delicious Soup in Houston?
This list is not in any particular order; in fact, they are all just as good as each other in their own way, and if they do have any downsides, I’ve been sure to make a note of them in my review.
So, let’s look at where to find the best soup in Houston.
1. Gumbo Jeaux’s
| Address | 15655 JFK Blvd, Suite Q, Houston, TX 77032 |
| Website | www.gumbojeauxs.com |
| My Recommendation | Crawfish Etouffee |
| Other Food | Tacos, burritos, salads, sandwiches |
As you have probably guessed, Gumbo Jeaux specializes in gumbo, a cajun-style soup made with rice, okra, smoked sausage, and shrimp.
However, they also have a range of soups available, and as gumbo is something I order frequently, I decided to try something a little different.
On this occasion, I opted for the Crawfish Etouffee, which was the right choice. The soup was made with crawfish tails, sweet peppers, and white rice. It was hot, well-seasoned, and nicely presented.
You can’t have a soup bowl without a nice fresh sandwich on the side. So, I also ordered the Cajun Philly sandwich, a thinly sliced ribeye steak cooked with peppers and onions and covered with Monterey jack cheese and chipotle mayonnaise.
The prices were average, the total of my meal with a drink came to $24.00, and they were both large portions. The soups are also available in small portions for just $3.00 – $4.25.
See Also: 7 Best Crawfish Restaurants in Houston
2. Ramen Tatsu-ya
| Address | 1722 California St, Houston, TX 77006 |
| Website | www.ramen-tatsuya.com |
| My Recommendation | Mi-So-Hot (Tonkotsu) |
| Other Food | Honey butter bomb, chili bomb, pork ramen, bone broth, almond milk ramen |
This is the place to be if you’re a fan of ramen, especially since that’s the only thing on the menu. To me, that means that guys are simply the masters of ramen; therefore, they don’t need anything else on the menu. This is their niche, and boy, do they execute it well.
The first thing that drew me to this restaurant was the super cool font used on the front of the building, large black and red flaming letters, which make it stand out. Then when I continued inside, I was still just as impressed with the decor. It felt authentically Japanese, with bright colors and Asian artwork hanging from the ceilings and walls.
The staff here are all extremely welcoming and humble and make you feel right at home as soon as you arrive, which is always a good start.
I found the prices reasonable, a large bowl of ramen was around $13.00 on average, and there were a few low-priced side dishes available which would be good to share if you only wanted nibbles. These included gyoza, katsu sliders, rice bowls, and spicy edamame beans.
They also have a fun set of rules, such as trying to eat with chopsticks, not allowing your noodles to go soggy, and slurping your broth as loudly as you can, which they claim aerates the broth and enhances the flavor.
Find More Great Ramen Restaurants: 8 Best Spots To Have Delicious Ramen in Houston
3. Bistro 55
| Address | 13616 Memorial Drive, Houston, TX 77079 |
| Website | www.bistro555.net |
| My Recommendation | Soupe Gratinée L’oignon |
| Other Food | Escargots, burrata, salad, duck leg confit, beef stew, mussels, salmon, steak |
If you love French cuisine, you’ll love this elegant French bistro on Memorial Drive.
This restaurant is run by a group of close friends and family of the original owners, who work tirelessly to keep the restaurant’s good name and the standard of the food as high as possible, and this shows on the plate.
Although it might not be a restaurant with many choices for soup, the one they have on the menu makes it to this list because it’s exceptional. You’ve guessed it, French onion soup, and I don’t think I have ever tasted one as good as this one. The soup is made with caramelized onions, rich broth, melted gruyere cheese, and topped with toasted baguette pieces.
The soup is on the starter’s menu. Still, it was so delectably rich that I wondered how anyone could eat that before a large plate of food, so I opted to have it as a main course for my lunch, and I was full and satisfied. It also meant that my lunch and a drink only amounted to $22.00 with a nice glass of high-quality red wine. Of course, you could keep the cost right down by ordering a soft drink.
The service was good, fast, and efficient and everyone seemed friendly, and the whole experience felt quaint and delightfully French.
Have a Read of the: 8 Best Wineries and Vineyards Near Houston, TX
4. Paulie’s Restaurant
| Address | 1834 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77098 |
| Website | www.pauliesrestaurant.com |
| My Recommendation | Cream of Mushroom |
| Other Food | Sandwich boxes, pizza, lasagne, roast salmon, veal chop, pecan tart, carrot cake |
Paulie’s Restaurant was opened in 1998 and was named after the owner’s son. In 2007, Paul took over the restaurant and still runs it to this day as the general manager and chef.
This is wholesome, fresh, home-cooked Italian cuisine, cooked using high-quality ingredients and to an incredible level. This is by no means a fine-dining Italian restaurant but an order-at-the-counter, authentic and simplistic eatery.
The staff are all very knowledgeable about the dishes on the menus and well-clued up about the chef specials, which is always a good sign of communication between the kitchen and the dining room.
They only have one soup at a time, their soup of the day, which is served as a starter dish (or a small meal if you don’t feel that hungry).
On this occasion, the soup was cream of mushroom, and I was surprised to find it was not only homemade but was actually highly flavored with mushroom, which I often think some mushroom soups don’t.
Of course, this was the only soup available, so I couldn’t sample the others. However, going off the quality of the one I had, I would go back to try more.
I also had the main course while here and opted for a classical pasta dish, Fettuccine Marinara with Grilled Shrimp. The portion size was huge, and I struggled to finish it after an entire bowl of soup, but I managed it because it was delicious.
Looking at the price, personally, it was extremely well priced. I ordered the large portion of pasta, which was $22.00, but you could order a smaller one for $14.00, and the soup was only $3.00 – $5.00, depending on size.
Love Italian Food? Check Out: The 7 Best Italian Restaurants in Houston, TX.
5. Street to Kitchen
| Address | 6501 Harrisburg Blvd, Houston, TX 77011 |
| Website | www.streettokitchen.com |
| My Recommendation | Tom Yum Soup |
| Other Food | Pad Thai, basil beef, roti bread, fried pork belly, cashew chicken, stir fry |
Being a lover of Thai food and Thai soups especially, I made it my mission to include at least one Thai restaurant in this guide, and some recommendations led me to this quirky little authentic eatery.
If you have ever been to Thailand, you will know that a lot of the food they eat there is nothing like what we know and get from our local Thai takeout. However, this place will change your mind for sure.
For one, Thai restaurants in the US tone down the spice a lot to suit our pallet, which always gets on my nerves because I love hot food.
Not here, though. All the dishes were packed full of flavor and left that lovely warming heat on your tongue for a good while after we’d finished eating. Perfect!
Don’t worry, though, if you’re a spice-phobe; plenty of sweet or salty dishes are available that don’t contain much heat.
The Tom Yum soup was the best I’ve ever had in the states, and that’s not exaggerating. It was so flavorsome. I didn’t want it to end, and I can’t wait to go back simply for that alone.
I had to get more. This place was going to be good, so I thought I couldn’t limit myself to soup alone. So, I ordered the Massaman curry with some jasmine rice. Once again, the flavors were incredible; the potatoes were delicious, soft yet firm, and had soaked up all the curry seasoning ideally.
Prices are great, depending on your hunger; most dishes can be ordered as a lunch dish or a small or large dinner dish. Most of which range from $10.00 – $15.00.
The service was excellent, too, it felt like you were being welcomed into someone’s home to try their cooking, and everyone was highly attentive.
6. Verandah
| Address | 3300 Kirby Drive, Suite 7-A, Houston, TX 77098 |
| Website | www.verandahrestaurant.com |
| My Recommendation | Murgh Goli Shorba |
| Other Food | Raita, tandori, samosa, biryani, kofta, curry, masala |
Once again, this isn’t necessarily a restaurant that would first come to mind when you think about places to go for great soup in Houston. However, they have a couple of magnificent soups on their menu.
There are two soups to choose from, and I decided to try them both. I have eaten at this restaurant on other occasions but had never tried either soup, so I decided to get both and see which was the best.
Although they were both delicious, there was a clear winner for me: the Murgh Goli Shorba, which means spicy chicken soup. It was a rich consomme which was nicely spiced and had chicken dumplings in it which were perfect.
I was with my partner on this occasion, who decided to have a main course. He chose the Peshawari Tikka, which was also fab.
The prices were slightly higher here than you would expect to pay if you were going out for a simple curry. However, this is far from your standard Friday night Indian food.
This is the real deal, the food is high-quality and authentic, and the restaurant is classy and elegant. Some of the dishes even feel like fine-dining styles.
However, suppose you wish to dine on a budget. I recommend getting the main course and two appetizers to share between two people, which you can easily do for around $50.00.
How About: 8 Best Indian Restaurants in Houston, Texas
7. The Annie Cafe & Bar
| Address | 1800 Post Oak Blvd, Suite 6170, TX 77056 |
| Website | www.theanniehouston.com |
| My Recommendation | Salad, steak tartare, crab cakes, seafood, grits |
| Other Food | The Annie Tortilla Soup |
Finishing my guide with a typically American-influenced fine dining restaurant, this is one of my absolute favorites for a special occasion.
With an award-winning chef in the kitchen, you can always guarantee that you will get something exquisite on your plate.
I have a few favorite dishes here, and the soup is something I usually always order if visiting for a light lunch. The tortilla soup is flavorsome, rich, and filling and comes with a side of avocado relish and queso fresco.
The prices here are high, so it’s likely somewhere that you’ll want to save for a special occasion. The soup, for example, is $14.00, which is definitely more than I would choose to spend on a bowl of soup, but it’s so good I can’t help myself.
Other items on the menu include some exquisite seafood dishes. One of my favorites is the Ahi Tuna Ceviche, served with diced mango and avocado jicama and sitting in a bowl of light citrus broth with crispy tortillas. It’s a delicious plate of food.
Bonus Read: 10 Top Fish and Seafood Markets in Houston, TX
Best Soup in Houston – A Final Word
So, when you think of a hot bowl of soup, there is so much more to consider than your standard bowl of tomato soup that your grandma used to make.
There are Indian, French, Thai, and so much more. So, where will you be heading next time the need for a bowl of good soup strikes?
Suppose you thought this was a worthwhile read. In that case, you should look at some other culinary wonders I have explored around Houston, such as the 6 Best Persian Restaurants in Houston for Authentic Persian Food and 7 Exquisite Spots Serving the Best Soul & Southern Food in Downtown Houston, TX.