This time of year, we crave a bowl of warm, flavorful comfort. And while there are plenty of well-known spots to get a great bowl of soup — Brick & Tin’s soup du jour, Chez Lulu’s Peasant Garlic, Olexa’s tomato basil and Surin’s Thai coconut — we thought we’d highlight a few off-the-radar places that have unbelievably good soup.
Crape Myrtle’s Cafe’s chicken and rice soup
Located inside the Little Professor in Homewood, Crape Myrtle’s Cafe is a charming, Southern-style eatery where patrons are free to browse the books and magazines while enjoying lunch. The creamy chicken and rice soup is rich and hearty, perfect for cold winter days. If you’re looking for lighter fare, the vegetarian vegetable soup hits the spot, too.
Crape Myrtle’s Cafe • 2721 18th St. S., Homewood • (205) 879-7891
Rich and creamy, the chicken and rice soup at Crape Myrtle’s Cafe is delicious!
Gilchrist’s Chili
A Mountain Brook Village institution since 1928, this little soda shop is well known for its limeade, as well as its hot beef sandwich, but one of the best items on the menu is the homemade chili! Perfectly spiced and loaded with meat, this chili will have you wishing they sold it in quarts to bring home for the entire family.
Gilchrist • 2805 Cahaba Rd., Mountain Brook Village • (205) 871-2181
The chili at Gilchrist is hearty and perfectly seasoned.
Mafiaoza’s Pasta Fagioli
Made from scratch, this family recipe is loaded with all kinds of good stuff — bacon, onions, celery, tomatoes, carrots, kidney beans, pasta and Parmigiano. A bowl of this soup will stave off the chills and cure any winter blues!
Mafiaoza’s • 2 Dexter Ave., Crestline Village • (205) 414-7878
Pasta Fagiloli is so chock full of delicious ingredients that you may not consider ordering pizza at Mafiaoza’s for some time. Image credit: Mafiaoza’s
Slice Pizza & Brew’s soup du jour
Known for their artisan pizzas and well-stocked selection of beer, Slice is a great Lakeview neighborhood spot for casual dining. The soups are made from scratch daily, utilizing fresh, local, in-season ingredients, yielding a flavorful bowl of hearty goodness.
Slice Pizza & Brew • 725 29th St. S., Lakeview District • (205) 715-9300
Soups are made fresh daily at Slice, using fresh-from-the-local-farm ingredients. Butternut squash soup is shown here.
So now you have something to get excited about when the chilly weather blows in and hangs around. Soup’s on!
Find more great restaurant ideas in the SB Guide!
