15 superb soups and stews worth slurping in the DC area this winter

As winter settles over the D.C. region, the brisk chill of the air may bring forth a longing for one specific dish. WTOP has rounded up 15 soups and stews from local restaurants in the District and beyond that should appeal to spoon-clutching diners in need of something warm and comforting, nostalgic and familiar or even indulgent and revelatory.

Below are 15 soups and stews worth slurping right now in the D.C. area. For bowls of warmth, depth and a good excuse to linger a little longer over lunch or dinner this winter, check out these restaurants — but know that many of these dishes are temporary additions to the menus, so don’t expect all of them to last once the season is over.

Arracacha soup at MITA
804 V Street NW, D.C.

Completed tableside, this soup features a mushroom-forward dashi with a silky foam of root vegetables arracacha and parsnip. It’s served over tender fresh fava beans sautéed with a Japanese togarashi blend featuring ground red chili, roasted orange peel, black and white sesame seeds, hemp seed, ginger, nori, poppy seed, and yuzu peel. The dish is complemented by crisp fried sweet plantains, and on top of it all, an “onion ash.” It’s a mouthful to describe, but when guests do get a mouth full of this soup, it’s earthy, a touch sweet and totally satisfying. Oh, and in case you didn’t realize it, there is no meat in this dish, but you won’t miss it.

Aush at Lapis
1847 Columbia Road NW, D.C.

Shamim Popal, executive chef at Lapis, told WTOP that Lapis is “a family restaurant” that strives for authenticity in its Afghan flavors, while employing modern techniques. There are several soups on the menu worth trying, including nask with yellow lentils, potatoes, celery and carrots, and its chicken soup, with potatoes, carrots, turnips and dill. But Lapis’ aush is a hearty, homey dish determined to delight diners with rice noodles, kidney beans, ground beef, dill and labneh. It’s a filling, creamy and spicy soup that doesn’t leave diners feeling too heavy after.

Duck wonton sopa de tortilla at Paraíso
1101 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, Unit 1, D.C.

In Capitol Hill, the Mexican restaurant, Paraíso, is serving up standout dishes like branzino a la brasa, half-roasted chicken with a house-made mole negro, a wide array of tacos and, most importantly, the duck wonton sopa de tortilla. With a deeply flavorful tres chiles broth, this aromatic soup offers ground duck and chicken wontons, topped with avocado, crema and a queso cotija. Give it a sip, and learn why this restaurant is known as paradise.

Shoyu ramen at Daikaya
705 6th St NW, First Floor, D.C.

This Japanese noodle shop offers several varieties of deeply flavorful bowls of ramen, including shio (a clear, golden broth), mugi-miso (a barley miso broth), and a tomato curry ramen (a “slightly exotic” dish blending miso with tomato and a hint of curry). For guests uncertain of which to try, consider the shoyu, which offers a broth with a soy sauce that’s blended with the shop’s Chintan stock with flavors of toasted garlic. The egg-based noodles used are imported from Sapporo, Japan, and are topped with bean sprouts, ground pork, chashu, scallions and nori, with the option to load it up with more toppings like onsen eggs or pork belly.

Soupe à l’oignon at Minetta Tavern
1287 4th Street NE, D.C.

Whether you’ve lived in France, traveled there or have dreamed of a vacation in the country for all of your life, the French onion soup at Minetta Tavern can appeal to all, but most especially those who prefer their onions caramelized and their cheese oh so gooey. Certainly, this is the standard dish that diners at this restaurant recommend, but that’s because it’s perfectly done. What more could you want?

Ukrainian borscht with pampushka at Ruta
Various locations

Ruta, the first Ukrainian restaurant in the D.C. area, has high pride in its borscht. The dish tops its menu with the option for a green borscht — with sorrel, spinach, chicken eggs, potato and vegetables — or a classic Ukrainian borscht with pampushka (or a small, yeast-raised bun) and a dollop of tangy sour cream on the side. Diners can opt for either beef or a vegetarian version of this dish. The hot, red brothy soup is perfect for a brisk winter’s evening.

Pho at Pho 75
Various locations

Anyone who knows soup knows Pho 75 has lasted 40 years in the local restaurant industry because they’re experts in their field. Since its founding in 1985 by two Vietnamese refugees, Pho 75 has brought some of the best pho to the D.C. region. Their soups can be served with a choice of eye-round steak, brisket, skirt flank, soft tendon, beef stripe or meatballs, plus bean sprouts, fresh basil leaves and a squeeze of lemon. Just be sure to bring your dollar bills with you as this is a cash-only establishment.

Hot ebi tempura udon soup at Sushi Taro
1503 17th Street NW, D.C.

It’s, of course, in the name, but diners won’t go wrong with ordering sushi at Sushi Taro. But for those who need a respite from the cold weather, the ebi tempura soup is worth consideration. This soup can be served hot or cold and with udon or soba noodles. My preference is hot and with udon as the udon noodles are thicker and chewier, giving more heft to the dish, while soba noodles are more delicate and made from buckwheat flour, offering a nuttier, earthier flavor. Sushi Taro also offers a kamo nanban soup with roasted duck.

Gazpacho de remolacha at Jaleo
480 7th Street NW, D.C.

Any D.C.-area soup roundup is incomplete without a gazpacho from chef and humanitarian José Andrés. Andrés is a James Beard award-winning chef and one of the most influential people in philanthropy, according to Time Magazine. He is most notably the founder of the not-for-profit food relief organization, World Central Kitchen. With all this said, Andrés’ most famous gazpacho recipe is actually thanks to his wife. The Spanish chef credits her as being the developer of the recipe that he is famous for. Whether the dish found in the Penn Quarter restaurant, Jaleo, is identical to the one Andrés’ wife makes at home is unknown to me (Tichi, my schedule is open for you!). And, really, it might seem counterintuitive at first to eat a cold soup in the winter, but I implore you to not rebel against delicious things in life. Give it a whirl!

Chicken noodle soup at Unconventional Diner
1207 9th Street NW, D.C.

Since opening eight years ago, Unconventional Diner has kept its chicken noodle soup on the menu this whole time. The mainstay has proven to be worth the longevity, in part thanks to the twists made to the dish. It includes matzo balls, house-made chicken stock, and the fresh macaroni pasta is house-made by sister restaurant L’Ardente, according to Ricardo Ibarra, executive chef at Unconventional Diner. The pleasant soup is rich with chunky pieces of pulled chicken and vegetables like carrots and celery.

Tom yum seafood soup at Rimtang
1039 33rd Street NW, D.C.

Rimtang, a Thai restaurant that opened recently in Georgetown, has a tom yum seafood soup on the menu that is worth searching for. While the most expensive dish served at $30 (even higher than the “hot and spicy” soup with pork ribs), this herby, seafood soup is worth a mention. Ingredients in this clear broth include shrimp, squid, clams, mushroom, cilantro, cilantro, holy basil and a bit of Thai chili. If you’d prefer other dishes on the menu, consider the spring rolls or the panang curry.

Porcini mushroom and roasted chestnut soup at Fish Shop
610 Water Street SW, D.C.

This modern, seafood-centric restaurant revels in oysters, mussels, “trout tartare tots” and other dishes. But if you’re in search of a soup that is earthy in all the right ways, consider the porcini mushroom and roasted chestnut soup. The soup includes thinly sliced raw mushrooms as well as walnut oil. If I could recommend an accompaniment, the house-made, buttered focaccia pairs well with this dish.

Cardoon soup at Annabelle
2132 Florida Avenue NW, D.C.

Depending on the season, the kind of soups or stews guests can expect at Annabelle can vary, but this winter, it’s the cardoon soup that shines. The dish at the modern American restaurant in Kalorama is seemingly simple with a minimal amount of ingredients: vegetable stock, whole eggs, Parmesan cheese, lemon oil and, of course, cardoons. For those unfamiliar, cardoons taste earthy and nutty like slightly bitter artichoke hearts, while looking like celery. Annabelle Executive Chef Michael Fusano told WTOP, “A lot of people don’t use cardoons, or I think they’re kind of afraid of it.” This can be due to how the ingredient is temperamental to grow depending on the environment, but he said it’s a “nice starter, especially during the cold weather.”

Ghormeh sabzi or pistachio soup at Joon
8045 Leesburg Pike, Suite 120, Vienna, Va.

It’s a difficult task to pick just one, so WTOP has listed two soup dishes at the elevated Persian restaurant, known as Joon, that are worth considering. First, the ghormeh sabzi, a dish which is often called Iran’s national dish, is a stew that features beef and beef marrow simmered with fresh herbs, dried lime, and leeks, served alongside saffron-steamed chelow rice with crispy tahdig. Najmieh Batmanglij, co-founder of Joon, said her version is unique in that she uses pomegranate as a garnish for the soup, plus “just a touch” of grape molasses to add some sweetness.

For the pistachio soup, Batmanglij told WTOP that her kitchen team makes a chicken stock combined with cumin, ginger, and garlic with ground-up and whole pistachios mixed with saffron and “sour orange juice” for flavor, altogether garnished with crispy onions. The soup is nutty, creamy, and seemingly simple, but packed with flavor.

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