Soup is a staple starter and hearty liquid lunch option in Toronto, especially as the days grow cold. Be it a rich bisque, clear consommé or chunky chowder, there's a seemingly endless variety to choose from, so when selecting from the options that abound, I considered the specialists as well as those establishments where ordering a single steaming bowl would be most welcome.
Here are my picks for the top soup in Toronto by neighbourhood.
THE ANNEX
One Love Vegetarian can be found just north of Bathurst Station ladling out piping hot bowls of corn soup ($3/$5) to go. This rich, peppery broth is thickened with chunks of potato, Jamaican pumpkin, peas and fresh corn.
CABBAGETOWN
Chicken soup by the cup ($2.75) or bowl ($4.50) is a staple on the menu at Murgatroid, but you'll also find daily features like tomato soup, or roasted squash. Mason jars for take-home are available too.
CHINATOWN
Sink into a bean bag chair at One Hour to enjoy a steaming bowl of beef noodle soup ($6.29) loaded with noodles, mustard greens and braised beef shank.
CHURCH WELLESLEY VILLAGE
Fabarnak, housed in The 519, offers a unique menu of sustainable, homestyle foods that includes daily soup ($6) ranging from tomato bisque to borscht.
DUNDAS WEST
Souppe Shoppe operates out of an upcycled shipping container at Market 707. Expect to find hearty seasonal selections like clam chowder, Thai chicken stew, and Ethiopian lentil soup in the colder months, and gazpacho and vichyssoise in the summer.
ETOBICOKE
Thrive Organic Kitchen is a vegan cafe where you can curl up on a couch by a fireplace to enjoy daily soup that rotate through a roster including cream of broccoli, kale and spinach, Mexican black bean soup, and creamy coconut ginger with sweet potato soup (to name just a few).
FINANCIAL DISTRICT
Soup is just one of the many prepared foods stocked by health food shop, Naturally Yours in First Canadian Place. The selection cycles through options like yam potage, mushroom barley, pesto minestrone, and chickpea basil.
FOREST HILL VILLAGE
At Mediterranean grill Mashu Mashu, the house favourite is the lentil soup ($5). Enjoy it on its own or along with pita coupled with mezze dips.
JUNCTION
Soup ($4/$6) at The Beet is made fresh daily and served with multi-grain toast slathered with sun dried tomato pesto. Creamy sweet potato coconut soup and curried butternut squash are just a couple recent examples.
JUNCTION TRIANGLE
Baguette and Co. is home to flavourful soup that'll fill you up. The Thai coconut chicken soup ($1.99/$2.99) is a big seller.
KENSINGTON MARKET
Soup at Hibiscus Cafe is sold by the cup ($4.50), bowl ($5.85), or paired with a salad ($12.50). The daily selection offers options like ginger squash, sweet potato coconut milk, or miso soup swimming with cauliflower, chickpeas, and potato.
KING WEST
The housemade soup ($3/$4.20) is on a schedule at Wagamama. Highlights include the vegan carrot and fennel soup served Wednesdays, corn chowder with bacon on Fridays, and apple squash soup on Saturdays.
LIBERTY VILLAGE
Health conscious soup is the specialty at Oats & Ivy where Moroccan lentil soup ($6.25) is loaded with chickpeas, spinach and mint, and the chicken and kale soup ($7.95) features wild rice and a medley of vegetables.
LITTLE INDIA
The lentil soup at Maha's Restaurant is delicious, rich and filling. Have it on its own ($6) or in combination with the also excellent, date grilled cheese sandwich ($12).
MOUNT PLEASANT
Istanbul Cafe will have you slurping up every last drop of Turkish soup ($5). This steaming bowl of comfort comprises lentils and carrots and is finished with sumac and garnished with mint.
NORTH YORK
United Bakers Dairy always has soup on its menu ($3.69/$4.89). Every day you'll find a choice of either green split pea or beet borscht, plus a daily feature like vegetable, bean and barley, potato, or cabbage borscht.
OSSINGTON
Spicy coconut laska packed with chow mein, tofu and eggplant is the thing to get at Hawker Bar. Order a veg-friendly version for $11.50 or have it with extra protein like chicken ($12.50) or shrimp ($14).
QUEEN WEST
Saffron Spice Kitchen offers one vegetarian soup and one non-vegetarian soup each day ($4/$6). Look forward to options like chicken and lentil, split pea, butternut squash, and mulligatawny.
PAPE VILLAGE
Warm up at Goat Coffee Co. with a hearty bowl of their signature lentil soup ($4/$6), which pairs especially well with a slice of avocado toast.
PARKDALE
As its name suggests, RaviSoups is devoted to bisques, broths, and purées. The hearty curried apricot and red lentil soup ($8.99) served with cheddar biscuit and red pepper jelly is a local fave.
RIVERSIDE
Pulp Kitchen is a great source for soup by the bowl ($5.50) or take-home jar ($12). The lunch counter stirs up the selection daily with options like curried veg purée, sprouted black bean, and kale and sweet potato soup.
RONCESVALLES VILLAGE
Dundas Park Kitchen is a lunch counter and bake shop where an ever changing array of soups includes options like chicken with orzo, tomato basil with cheddar croutons, and Mexican black bean soup. Add soup as a side to any sandwich for $3, make it a meal for $7 or take home a litre for $14.
SCARBOROUGH
Cliffside Hearth Bread Company knows that a hearty bowl of soup and a nice crusty bread are a perfect match. In the cooler months (fall through spring) find one litre containers ($9.50) offered in weekly featured flavours like lentil, split pea, or minestrone with quinoa - all of which are lean and low in salt.
ST. CLAIR WEST
CocoaLatte is more than just a coffee shop. Homestyle, organic, and vegan sopa del dia is big draw at lunch and has been known to feature selections like tortilla soup and apple squash purée.
WEST QUEEN WEST
Vegan soups like "cheesy" broccoli and jalapeno or chipotle dill corn chowder can be found on special daily at the Feel Good Guru.
YORKVILLE
Find at least seven soups a day at Esther Queen of Soups, a locally famous food court vendor in Cumberland Terrace. The mulligatawny is a favourite.
Thanks to Just Eat for sponsoring this post.
Lead photo from Maha's by Jesse Milns.
by Liora Ipsum via blogTO
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