Soup Season

Nothing beats a hot bowl of soup on a winter day. And though I hate the cold, I look forward to #SoupSzn every year (but, tbh, you can also find me downing soup in the summer. Sue me!). This year, I leaned into my soup obsession extra hard to find some of the best bowls in Raleigh. After weeks of sipping, slurping and dunking, here are my top local soup-er stars. 

Butternut Squash Bisque, Bloomsbury Bistro

This soup will no doubt have you scraping up every last drop from the bowl. It’s creamy, smooth and a little sweet thanks to the Granny Smith chutney—and you best dig for those rosemary croutons and blue cheese crumbles. bloomsburybistro.com

Cream of Broccoli Soup, Cafe Carolina

You could almost even classify this soup as a dip—it’s that thick (get a roll on the side for dipping!). Like your fave broccoli cheese soup counterpart, Cafe Carolina’s rendition is creamy, cheesy and hearty. Panera, who? cafecarolina.com 

Onion Soupe, Jolie

Everything’s better with cheese, and the amount of cheese on Jolie’s French onion soup is ideal (read: a lot). Underneath the thick layer, you’ll find soft onions in a hearty beef broth and crunchy croutons—altogether resulting in the perfect bite. restaurantjolie.com 

Loaded Sweet Potato Soup, Wye Hill

Wye Hill takes everything you know and love about a loaded baked sweet potato and puts it into a slurpable soup form (um, yum). The toppings—fried sweet potato skins, country ham crumbles—take it next-level. wyehill.com

Tomato Basil Soup, Relish

Creamy without being too heavy, Relish’s tomato basil soup is perfect for grilled cheese dipping (and the resto has plenty of those from which to choose), or just slurping by the spoonful. Childhood nostalgia, unlocked. relishraleigh.com 

Wedding Soup, Bella Monica

I didn’t know why they call it Italian wedding soup (turns out: “marriage” of greens + meat)—but it’s a thing. And you may just wanna marry Bella Monica’s. Starring fresh chicken stock, meatballs, spinach, egg drops and orzo, it’s a hearty yet light savory explosion. bellamonica.com