New Orleans, LASoups

Jamila's Cafe is a charming, cozy Tunisian restaurant that keeps its crawfish, zucchini and spinach bisque ready all year. The green soup was a Jazz Fest rite of spring until the family retired from the festival, and all those greens make it hearty and savory yet as refreshing as a garden smoothie, with the pop of crawfish within. Order the crawfish, zucchini and spinach bisque.

Mandina's is a Mid-City classic for Creole-Italian comfort cooking, and the turtle soup is the way to begin, with the garlic bread brought out for the table. The deep-brown roux base has the texture of a Bolognese from all the meat, and a shot of sherry goes in at the table. Order the turtle soup before the meatballs or the fried chicken.

Vincent's Italian Cuisine is one of a pair of sibling Creole-Italian classics, and its crab and corn bisque is a throwback that endures. The bisque is nearly thick enough to be a pasta sauce and comes in a bread bowl, as it has for decades, as comforting as shrugging into a favorite old sweater. Order the crab and corn bisque in the bread bowl.

Real Pie Man is a takeout shop on the West Bank whose ya-ka-mein follows the old-school New Orleans template. Pry the lid off the foam container to find a deep, salty broth and noodles under meat like the debris for a roast beef po-boy, boiled eggs bobbing on the surface and a thick scattering of crunchy green onion. Order the ya-ka-mein.

La Crepe Nanou is a French brasserie whose true soup pick is the classic French onion. The cheese bubbles over the top, and rather than plunging straight through, it pays to peel that top back like a lid and draw out the tangle of onions and broth beneath. Order the soupe à l'oignon gratinée.