With fall around the corner, the Peruna Plague is beginning to sweep the campus. When you’re sick, there’s nothing worse than having to cook a meal or get watery, below average soup from the dining hall. Just because you’re sick doesn’t mean you can’t have a good meal to get you through the day. Thanks to my good friend strep throat, I was on an all liquid diet for a week and found the best places to grab a bowl of soup by SMU.
1. Central Market Soup Bar
Right across 75, Central Market is the holy grail with a rotating bar of six different soups. When you’re super sick, it’s great to go in and grab to-go cups of all different kinds so you aren’t stuck with bland chicken noodle. They also have pre-packaged homemade soups if their soup bar flavors aren’t your jam. I basically lived off the cream of mushroom and tomato soup for the week.
Spoontip: There’s nothing better than tomato soup and a grilled cheese, so once you grab your soup head to the sandwich bar for a fresh oooey gooey grilled cheese.
2. Bird Bakery
In Highland Park Village, Bird Bakery is famous for their cupcakes and pastries, but even better is their soup. With the weather cooling off, warm up with their tomato bisque or their creamy butternut squash corn chowder. I’m a huge fan of their zesty tomato bisque paired perfectly with their “nostalgic” grilled cheese on thick slices of brioche. It’s the perfect pick me up close to campus and you can treat yourself to one of their delicious pastries afterwards. A win, win situation.
3. La Madeline
As I’m sure you’ve gathered from this article, I love tomato soup, and La Madeline’s is no exception. When you’re feeling sick and need a warm bowl of soup between classes, La Madeline is the closest and quickest spot. They’re famous for their tomato soup, but don’t skip out on their french onion filled with carmelized onions and topped with melty cheese and soft baguette croutons.
4. Sumo Shack
New to the SMU food scene is Sumo Shack located right on SMU Blvd. There’s something super comforting about ramen when you’re sick, and I’m not talking about the pre-packaged cup of noodle you have stashed away in your dorm room. Sumo Shack is the sister shop to Greenville’s Wabi House, and they know how to do ramen. Their succulent ramen is full to the brim with meat, vegetables, and noodles to give you some much needed nutrients while you’re sick.
5. Pho Is For Lover’s
If you’re more of a pho fan, definitely head to Pho is For Lovers. Located on Lovers Lane, you can indulge on an authentic bowl of Vietnamese Pho filled with rice noodles and meat of your choosing. Don’t worry if you’re vegetarian/vegan, their tofu pho bowl is packed with fresh veggies like carrots, daikon radishes, and mushrooms in a vegan broth. Plus, the added heat from the jalapeños and the chili oil will clear your sinuses in no time.
Peruna plague is sweeping through SMU and nobody wants to cook when they’re sick. Even worse is having to deal with dining hall food. Sometimes, the best cure for sickness is a warm bowl of soup and with my guide, there’s no excuse.