Ah, soup! It’s the best part of winter. This time of year, a steaming bowl of comfort can warm you from the inside out, even during those single-digit overnight lows. And there’s way more than chicken soup.
The city’s cultural mosaic boasts everything from gumbo to pho to sopa de pata. Here are some of the best soups sure to wrap you in a blanket of flavor.
Sopa de pata: La Guanaquita Restaurante
📍 La Guanaquita Restaurante 2, 124 S. Girls School Road, Indianapolis, 317-273-0190
Eight soups, one more hearty than the next, populate the menu at this ode to the food of El Salvador and Central America.
Be sure to save a Sunday for sopa de pata at La Guanaquita Restaurante. Chiles season the knife-and-spoon Salvadorian stew that’s chunky with beef, potato, chayote and yucca, plus corn and cabbage. A bowl comes with tortillas, but level up by adding any of the pupusas, including one with shrimp.
Gumbo: SouthPaw Soul Kitchen
📍 SouthPaw Soul Kitchen, 3351 Central Ave., Indianapolis, 317-974-9349
Generations of gumbo secrets season every bowl of chef Ali Foster’s version of the famous Cajun stew at SouthPaw Soul Kitchen. Foster learned to make gumbo by watching his relatives cook and asking lots of questions at family reunions along the Louisiana-Mississippi line.
Now, people come all the way from Louisville for the spicy fix of SouthPaw’s shrimp, sausage and okra version. A half-ear of corn goes on top. The broth is so intense you’ll swear you’re in NOLA. That’s because Foster starts with a roux he cooks to the color of a copper penny, just like his aunt taught him.
Gumbo isn’t a daily menu item, and usually only available in colder months. Follow SouthPaw’s Facebook and Instagram for updates.
Mohinga all day: Chin Brothers
📍 Chin Brothers, 2318 E. Stop 11 Road, Indianapolis, 317-888-1850
The steaming bowl of mohinga arrives, a fragrant fog lifting to reveal golden noodles in a sunset-hued broth. The Burmese national dish is a symphony of flavors often served for breakfast, and available all day at Chin Brothers.
Fish sauce and peanuts season the broth, thick with the perfume of lemongrass, ginger and garlic. Then there are the toppings, a flurry of crispy fried shallots, bright cilantro and a hard-boiled egg.
French onion soup: English Ivy’s
📍 English Ivy’s, 944 Alabama St., Indianapolis, 317-822-5070
What’s better than a bronzed, bubbly crown of Swiss cheese oozing down the side of your bowl of French onion soup? Two soups to go with it.
When winter sets in, English Ivy’s, on Esquire’s list of best gay bars in America, offers its irresistible soup flights. The ménage à trois includes the beloved French onion’s mahogany-hued broth, luxurious with caramelized onions, meaty house beef chili and the delicious soup of the day.
Vegan goodness: Mrs. Murray’s Naturals
📍 Mrs. Murry’s Naturals, joy@mrsmurrysnaturals.com, 877-962-7778
Chef Iesha Murry infuses African American traditions and flavors into the vegan soups she and her husband, Jason, sell at Mrs. Murry’s Naturals. A hint of barbecue magic peppers her fan-favorite spicy or mild BBQ Chili, but Murry also stirs together roasted peanuts, fresh spinach, ginger, smoked salt, turmeric, garlic, cloves and cardamon in African peanut soup.
Order soup by the quart or soup bundles with two soups and homemade cookies. Pick up or arrange for delivery. Also find Mrs. Murry’s Naturals soups at the Indy Winter Farmers Market and Cleo’s Bodega & Café, 2432 Dr. M.L.K. Jr. St., Indianapolis.
Peru’s Sopa Criolla: Macizo
📍 Macizo, 6335 Intech Commons Drive, Suites C/D, Indianapolis, 463-202-2853
Sopa Criolla may be Peru’s most famous soup, and no surprise that it’s a melting pot of flavors and cooking styles. The country’s population, a blend of Indigenous cultures, Spanish colonial influence and significant immigration from various parts of Europe, Asia and Africa make its food deliciously diverse.
At Macizo, comforting beef soup, brimming with garlic, tomatoes, a pinch of chili, angel hair pasta, potatoes and milk, is topped with a sunny-side-up egg and served with a slice of bread for sopping up every last drop.
Its deliciousness likely owes a dash of inspiration to Italian culinary influences. The word “criolla” signifies a connection to creole cuisine. Macizo itself offers a menu of Peruvian and Mexican cuisines. Everything unites in a tasty soup for all.
Menudo or pozole rojo: Taqueria Jireh
📍 Taqueria Jireh, 4418 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, 317-863-8442
If you’re one of those people who can never decide between menudo or pozole rojo, go ahead and treat yourself to the pair at Taqueria Jireh, tucked inside Supermercado Jireh Mexican grocery store.
Considered a cure for hangovers, menudo is a lightly spicy stew made with beef tripe, chili peppers, onions and garlic. The slow-cooked tripe is tender but slightly chewy. Pozole rojo serves succulent pork and soft, earthy-sweet hominy. Simmering the broth for several hours allows the flavors of the pork and the chiles to meld together for a deeply satisfying experience.
Cross-culture chicken soup: Wisanggeni Pawon
📍 Wisanggeni Pawon, 2450 E 71St., Suite 200, Indianapolis, 317-756-9477
There’s chicken soup and then there’s the seriously bumped-up mie ayam at Wisanggeni Pawon. The Indonesian, head-clearing prescription fortifies with ramen noodles, nutritious bok choy and four wontons — two steamed, two fried. Fresh and fried scallions add more texture.
Why such a mix? Chinese immigrants brought pork-topped bakmi, a noodle dish, to Indonesia centuries ago. Indonesia’s Muslim population replaced pork with chicken to make the dish Halal. As time went on, more Indonesian flavors like sweet soy sauce emerged, leading to many regional variations.
Beef pho: Sandra Rice & Noodles
📍 Sandra Rice & Noodles, 10625 Pendleton Pike, Indianapolis, 317-823-8323
The rare beef pho is a must-try at Sandra Rice & Noodles, an unassuming spot in a strip mall on Pendleton Pike that serves up one of the best versions of Vietnam’s iconic soup.
The complex broth is fragrant, the noodles perfectly springy and the beef delicate and tender. Don’t forget to add a squeeze of lime and a dash of chili sauce for an extra kick.
Vegetarian pho: Pho Tasty
📍 Pho Tasty, 6044 E. 82nd St., Indianapolis, 317-436-7071
Pho is all about the meats, but look for vegan pho rau cai at the bottom of the list at Pho Tasty. Fried tofu replaces all the meatballs, sliced beef, oxtail and other beefy bits meat-eating pho fans adore.
Plenty of fresh veggies like broccoli add texture. Vegans may also request the flavorful vegetable broth that’s never watery nor too salty.
Sinigang: Ardys Concession
📍 Ardys Concession, 4141 S. East St., Indianapolis, 317-531-4523.
Don’t let the name mislead you—Ardys Concession celebrates the Filipino heritage of its husband-and-wife team. They started with the Ardys Concession kabab food truck, a familiar sight at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Grand Prix and Colts tailgates.
Now, their passion for Filipino food also shines through at their restaurant, especially in soul-warming sinigang. Tamarind gives this tangy soup its signature sourness, a tasty contrast to tender pork chunks and greens in a light, tomato-tinged broth.
Liz Biro is a Mirror Indy freelance contributor who also happens to be an award-winning food writer, multi-media storyteller, culinary entrepreneur and cook. You can reach her at lizbirodish@gmail.com.
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