With temperatures dropping and chestnuts ready to roast on an open fire, a warm bowl of broth is becoming the season's star dish. From American classics to East Asian ramen and pho, a wide range of soup flavors and styles can be snagged anywhere in Gainesville. The list of items below spotlight some of the best soups a city can comfort you with.
Vietnamese Grille – Chicken, Beef or Seafood Pho
Nestled in the back of a small corner store beside the lively and bustling nightlife of Gainesville’s Midtown, Vietnamese Grille can be considered a hidden gem for Southeast Asian cuisine in town.
The restaurant, run by a Vietnamese couple since before the COVID-19 pandemic, doubles as a grab-and-go and sit-down style restaurant. Gracing the menu are generous portions of pho soup, packed with thin rice noodles, a medley of vegetables, and a protein of your choosing in a beef or chicken broth. To top, a plate of crunchy bean sprouts and a squirt bottle of hoisin sauce sit on top tables inside the restaurant.
Standout pho dishes include beef, chicken or seafood. The beef pho is garnished with thinly cut slices of beef, the chicken pho is stuffed with small but thick pieces of chicken and the seafood is loaded with pieces of imitation crab, squid and shrimp.
Sweetberries – Bean and Sausage Soup
A quaint and colorful cafe known for its creamy custard, Sweetberries can serve some stellar soups and sandwiches. Although the pesto grilled chicken on ciabatta is undoubtedly my favorite menu item, I can always count on the bean and sausage soup when I am in the mood for something warm and homey – and it is always great for some serious sandwich dunkage.
With a mixture of various melt-in-your-mouth beans tossed together with savory pieces of sausage, a 12-ounce cup of this can make for one hearty, protein-packed meal at a UF campus favorite and other Gainesville locations.
Dragonfly Sushi and Sake Co. – Rib Miso Ramen
A restaurant that never fails to disappoint for its sushi and long wait times, Dragonfly is a downtown dining center for sushi, sashimi, steaks and special dinner dates. Menu items tend to be on the pricier side, but no dollar is wasted on such high quality food, including refined forms of ramen.
The rib miso ramen particularly stands out with its feature of short rib, a cut of meat rarely found in other Gainesville restaurants. With the addition of a perfectly poached egg – a ramen essential – this soup is the next best thing if you skip out on the raw fish.
Publix – Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
A staple supermarket in all of Florida, Publix does not fail to grace the streets of Gainesville with power-punching pub subs, $5 sushi Wednesdays and rotating soup flavors to fill your cup this fall.
With styles like lobster bisque, chicken noodle, broccoli cheddar and chili with beans, the title of personal favorite has got to be handed to the chicken and wild rice soup.
As a kid, one thing I always looked forward to was a Publix shopping spree with my mom, taking any opportunity I could to secure that soup. Although Publix sells the soup in cans and cartons, the kind you can scoop fresh with a ladle to the side of the deli is the one I can bank on being the best. Small pieces of tender chicken and a medley of seasonal vegetables mix perfectly together with wild and brown rice in a savory broth – an aroma I can identify anywhere.
Although in Publix stores year round, the combination of flavors and foods in this soup make a fall favorite meal.
Panera – Autumn Squash Soup
A seasonal product, the Autumn Squash Soup is a gem of an item at Panera locations, including the Newberry Road and Archer Road locations in Gainesville.
Made with a base of butternut squash and a blend of holiday spices, this soup almost feels like a sweet treat, which wins in my book as someone with a major sweet tooth. One bite and you are instantly taken to a scene where you curl up by a fire and watch D.C.O.M. (Disney Channel Original Movie) Halloween movies or a showing of Hocus Pocus.
The addition of a small baguette for dipping enhances the soup-sipping experience tenfold. The saltiness of the bread paired with the sweetness of the soup makes for an even balance of flavors and textures. The fuji apple salad with chicken has been a longtime favorite salad of mine and paired together with the Autumn Squash soup and bread, I can look forward to a comforting, refreshing meal this season.
Final Thoughts
Whether a town-only or a successful chain, many spots in Gainesville serve soup that soothes the soul. As the leaves continue to brown and winter time approaches, it just makes sense for soup to be your go-to breakfast, lunch or dinner.