With orange leaves falling, white cardigans coming out of closets and temperatures quickly dropping, there’s no better time to break open a recipe book and fix up a soup.
But if you aren’t in the mood to spend all evening in your cramped kitchen chopping vegetables and stirring broth, the District boasts plenty of seasonal soups to slurp down this fall. From pink, vegan Russo-Ukrainian chowder to an iconic D.C. dish, try these soups around the city.
Black Bean Soup, Say Cheese!
Tucked away in the heart of Georgetown, this stone-faced cafe sports a menu chock full of — as you might’ve guessed — cheese-based items and, somewhat less predictably, a range of smoothies. But the best bite to satisfy a soup craving is their black bean soup ($2.75 to $5.50).
The soup comes out piping hot, packed with just enough spice to warm you up on a chilly autumn day but not so much as to burn your tongue and prevent you from enjoying your other favorite fall foods, like a pumpkin spice latte or a pumpkin bread. The texture is a perfect midpoint between brothy and creamy, letting the richness of the base balance out the almost sweet side of the beans.
1071 Thomas Jefferson St. NW. Open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Ben’s Famous Chili Bowl, Ben’s Chili Bowl
For a side of history with your soup, venture out to Ben’s Chili Bowl. The restaurant has been home to celebrity patrons like Barack Obama and Bruno Mars and is credited as the originator of the half-smoke, a D.C. spin on the chili dog.
As the name suggests, Ben’s Chili Bowl also offers a chili bowl ($6.79 to $8.99), which comes with either beef, turkey or just vegetables. The dish is full of peppers, sure to make you feel toasty as the hustle and bustle of Ben’s regulars stream in among the autumn-colored walls to get their chili. But be warned — if you try to down too much at once, the dark chili can spatter all over your fall fits, and napkins can only be so much of a defense against the D.C. classic.
1213 U St. NW. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.
Borscht, sPACYcLOUd
While fall favorites like a Thanksgiving turkey might put meat at the center of the table, there are plenty of vegetarian soup options in D.C. to enjoy as the leaves fall from the trees. sPACYcLOUd, an Adams Morgan-based, vegan Russian eatery, offers dishes from dill-infused fries named after Leon Trotsky ($14) to vareniki ($22), a Ukrainian spin on the dumpling.
The star of their menu is their borscht ($8), a soup that combines nearly every vegetable under the sun into a hearty broth. The reddish-pink dish has a twinge of sweetness from the beets and potatoes, balanced out by the grounded flavors of the rest of the dish.
2309 18th St. NW. Open 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday and 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Bi-Partisan Chicken Soup, Prescription Chicken
Whether you feel like a night in with a comforting bowl of chicken noodle soup or are trying to kick a nasty cold, look no further than Prescription Chicken to heal you. The family-run business operates as a soup delivery service in the DMV for those needing a quick pick-me-up that only a warm cup of soup can provide.
Though some soup skeptics claim a clear broth is never filling, Prescription’s bi-partisan chicken soup ($15) is carbo-loaded with enough matzah balls and noodles to satisfy both sides of the aisle. Filled to the brim with sauteed carrots and onions and rounded out by a dill-infused chicken broth, this meal is the antidote to those congested, stuck-on-the-couch days.
1819 Seventh St NW. Open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Sunday.
A.S.S. Ramen, Chaplin’s
Run by Chef Myo Htun, who studied under a master ramen chef in Tokyo, this swanky eatery is known for both its very strong beverages and flavorful bowls of ramen and mazemen, a thickened broth version of ramen. Located a half-hour metro ride from campus in Shaw, the lively atmosphere and savory broths are well worth the journey.
Chaplin’s A.S.S. ramen ($17.50), short for Asian spicy sour, has a lemongrass and coconut milk base seasoned with red chili, mirroring a curry dish. Full of chicken chashu, scallions and noodles, this peppery dish is not for the faint of heart.
1501 Ninth St. NW. Open Monday through Thursday 4 p.m. to 1:45 a.m., Friday 4 p.m. to 2:45 a.m., Saturday 12 p.m. to 2:45 a.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 1:45 a.m.
