SOUPERFICIAL: THE BEST SOUPS IN DENTON

The khao soi from Thai Ocha

The khao soi from Thai Ocha

It's cold and overcast y'all. Get that fireplace going and go get yourself some soup. Nothing is better on a chilly winter day than a warm bowl full of various broths, liquids, and slow-cooked goodness. (Side rant: chili is not soup, dudes. In a recent in-house WDDI discussion on soup, someone suggested a chili and a pot pie for best soup.) While soup is delicious, it can also be time-consuming and we don't always have the time required to create a wonderful soup. In fact, when we want soup, we want it RIGHT THEN AND THERE. Thankfully, Denton is full of plenty of delicious soups. Read on for some of our favorites and share yours in the comments!


 

Khao Soi - Thai Ocha

This authentic Thai soup is by far our favorite soup in town. It’s a red curry base with your choice of meat or tofu. There are boiled egg noodles in the broth and lovely crispy egg noodles on top. In addition, they sprinkle on plenty of pickled cabbage, shallots, and lime. Sometimes, you’ll be offered a choice of a “spice level” at Thai Ocha - presented on a scale of one to five if our experience is the norm. We almost always get the five and almost always regret it. It kicks our butt like nobody’s business, but what a way to go out. The soup has a very deep, earthy flavor that also contrasts with the tanginess of the lime and pickled veggies on top. The crisp fried noodles give it a crunch that isn’t needed, but really pushes it over the top. This is our favorite item at one of our favorite restaurants in town. Go get warmed-up with it now. 

Tom Kai Gai/Egg Drop Soup at Chopsticks

Asian soups are kinda like cheating with this. They dominate the taste boards and are all delicious. Maybe we just like coconut milk too much? Either way, we had a long, free-wheeling discussion on which of these two soups is the best at Mr. Chopsticks. Arguments were made. Names were called. A winner was not named. Both of these soups are delicious and for different reasons. As far as the Egg Drop Soup goes, too many egg drop soups just taste like warm eggs. The first bite of Chopsticks' egg drop soup immediately lets you know the game has changed. It has a fantastic flavor profile and sticks with you. It’ll change your mind on egg drop soup if you’ve never liked the stuff. The Tom Kai Gai on the other hand has plentiful fresh mushroom, cilantro, and chunks of chicken that will do any body good. The coconut flavor and the smallest bit of spice make it one of our favorites.

Random Homemade Soups - J and J’s Pizza

Yeah, so J and J’s Pizza on the square often has delicious homemade soups. We’ve tried one or two and have never been let down. They’re definitely worth feeling the embarrassment of asking, “Do you have soup today?” at a pizza place.

Broccoli Beer Cheese Soup at The Chestnut Tree

The Chestnut Tree has plenty of delicious soups that they offer on a rotating basis, but the Potato Bacon Soup is particularly delicious and since a lot of their stuff is local, you know that bacon is picked fresh from the ground at Cardo’s bacon farm. Their Broccoli Beer Cheese soup is also worth your time.

Tomato Basil Soup at Queenie’s

Yeah, so we’re recommending a soup at Queenie’s. Yes, we’ve promised a review of the place for a long time and it’s still forthcoming. It’s complicated, y’all. Cut us a break. In the meantime, let’s talk about one specific part of their menu; the tomato basil soup. It’s good. It’s better-than-Hannah’s good. It might be because it has pesto on it and pesto is one of our weaknesses. Either way, this is a hearty tomato basil soup that will warm up your soul. The only thing that could make this better would be if they offered it with a grilled cheese sandwich alongside.