Yes, soup for you: 8 places who run the bowl game
What is it about a steaming bowl full of rich, spicy chili that just melts away the winter chill? Why does a that salty broth in an old fashioned chicken soup seem to have magical, virus-destroying powers? Where does pho get so much flavor?
Uh … who cares? All we really want to do is get these things in our belly.
This winter, check into these eight joints and see what they’re cooking up for ya (just don’t piss off the chef)..
Gallo’s Tap Room
5019 Olentangy River Rd
Gallo’s is tucked away in the sprawling Olentangy plaza, but the people who know how to find it will tell you that it is home to some of the best pub grub in town. If you’ve never been, let’s just say that you’d be a fool not to try the soup. It doesn’t matter which—the selection changes regularly but the rotating soup of the day is where the magic happens. A frequent selection is the ribolita, which an old-school Tuscan recipe based on creating a new soup out of some leftover minestroni (which is another soup you’ll find from time to time). It’s a complex soup, with robust flavor.
India Oak Grill
590 Oakland Park Ave
India Oak Grill is also tucked away from the beaten track, nestled in a non-descript space off of Indianola where Oakland Park dead ends. They keep a northern Ohio chili on hand, and allow for a rotating selection. Again, it’s impossible to go wrong, but if they happen to have beer cheese soup available, you gotta get and put it in you. It will move fast, and you’ll miss out on this silky miracle of culinary witchery.
Spagio
1295 Grandview Ave
Spagio offers up a decadent lobster bisque that has a proper amount of lobster meat and flavor steeped into the a cream and butter base you’d best not mention to your cardiologist.
Buckeye Pho
761 Bethel Rd
This place is not only a favorite of some of our readers, but also comes highly recommended by Vietnamese people living in town.
Huong
1270 Morse Rd
Another great pho can be found across Morse Road from Saraga Market. Huong has been vouched for as the best Vietnamese restaurant in town by the same Vietnamese friends who think Buckeye Pho is the bomb.
Luc’s Asian Market
3275 Sullivant Ave
An honorable mention goes to Luc’s on Sullivant for rocking a killer pho out of a kitchen in the back.
La Chatelaine
Multiple locations
Of course, just about anybody from Ohio has a place in their heart for a simple bowl of tomato soup. La Chatelaine comes to the rescue with a delicious version of everybody’s first experience with comfort food. Rich, sweet, and slightly acidic, with an herbaceous tweak from fresh basil this simple soup touches all the bases, add perfectly seasoned croutons and some grated cheese to take you back to a childhood lunch after a grueling morning of sled riding and snowball fights.
Fish Guys at the North Market
59 Spruce St
If you’re really more of a classic New England clam chowder, hit up the professionals at the North Market. A cup of chowdah, and lobstah roll is, frankly, one of the most underrated dining experiences in town.
Originally appeared in Stock & Barrel Winter 2017
BROUGHT TO YOU BY