Austin, TXSoups

The Soup Peddler is a soup shop with six locations across Austin, and this North Loop shop on Airport Boulevard serves its daily menu in to-go containers. The Indian-inspired mulligatawny, a thick blend of lentils, potatoes and curry powder, is always on the menu beside a tomato basil, with a rotation of seasonal soups around them. Order the mulligatawny.

Birdie's is chef Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel's small East Side restaurant on East 12th Street, and its soup changes with the seasons, chilled in the warm months and hot in the cold ones. The bowl might be carrot, potato and leek, tomato, mushroom or a minestrone packed with vegetables, and it tends to be a highlight of a meal that also runs to tartare, pastas and steaks. Order whatever soup is on that day.

Habanero Mexican Cafe is a casual South Austin spot on West Oltorf Street, and its menudo is velvety and chunky at once: tripe that melts off the spoon and hominy that soaks up the red chile broth, with raw jalapeños and onions on the side to stir in. Order the menudo, with a migas breakfast taco alongside.

Justine's Brasserie on East Fifth Street makes its soupe à l'oignon the French way with one change: the appetizer-sized bowl is capped with a molten layer of bubbled Comté instead of the usual Gruyère, over a fragrant onion broth. Order the onion soup with a glass of something sparkling.