As the temperature drops and the roads become icy, there is only one food on my mind during winter months: soup! There is nothing better than coming inside from the cold and warming up with a hot bowl of soup. I have made it my mission to scout out Sioux Falls’ best variety of soups from a mix of locally owned spots and more largely known places.

Bagel Boy

Starting off strong from my all-time favorite lunch spot is the chicken tortilla soup from Bagel Boy. I will order this soup any time of the day, all year round. Bagel Boy offers chicken tortilla soup and chicken noodle soup at both of their Sioux Falls locations. A cup of soup is only $4 and they also have the option to purchase a quart for $10.75. Chicken tortilla soup is my favorite kind of soup, and Bagel Boy makes it best. There is enough chicken, but not an overwhelming amount, and its base is very creamy. It is full of flavor, but not too spicy or overpowering and every bowl always comes steaming hot. The chicken tortilla soup pairs well with a plain, toasted asiago cheese bagel, which altogether makes a nice meal for just $6.50. The only downside that I could find with Bagel Boy’s soup is that it comes out extremely hot causing the consumer to have to wait a few minutes before enjoying their soup (I have burnt my tongue many times due to this fact). Overall, Bagel Boy offers a delicious soup option for the winter months and definitely a top contender for Sioux Falls’ best soups, earning a 4.5/5 rating.

Zoup!

As a first timer at Zoup!, I was not sure what to expect, but with a bit of browsing on their website I was ecstatic to see their wide variety of different types of soups, sandwiches, salads and other options. When I walked in the door over my lunch period, I was shocked to see all of the tables full and five or six people waiting in line. The worker encouraged us to sample any of the 8-10 different soups that they had that day, as the selection changes daily. I tried a few different kinds but landed on the Fire Roasted Tomato Bisque and paired it with the Pesto Cheese sandwich, my total coming out to around $13. Our orders were ready extremely quickly, almost immediately after we paid. The soup was creamy and flavorful and it also came with a baguette. For $13, the portion size was a bit small, but definitely enough for a substantial meal. I rate this soup a  3.5/5.

Krav’n

Although Krav’n is not the first place one might consider when craving a bowl of soup, the outcome was actually quite impressive. Krav’n offers chicken tortilla soup every day and their “soup of the day” as noted on their menu, which rotates daily with chicken wild rice, gumbo and others. All of their soups are made in house and they come in two different sizes, $4 for a cup and $6 for a bowl. I decided on the chicken tortilla and was very impressed with not only the taste, but the service as well. Their chicken tortilla soup was served with tortilla strips on top and a side of saltines. It came out very quickly and was hot and fresh when it arrived. The soup was creamy and flavorful, but a bit too spicy for my liking. In comparison to the other places, the soup was lacking in the chicken department, and the addition of more would have bumped its rating up. I gave this soup a 4/5 as it was a bit spicier than I would have preferred and also there was not enough chicken.

Camille’s

Camille’s has been one of my favorite places for years and I have been going there since I was a child, but one thing I had yet to try was their soup. The day that I went they were offering two different options: tomato soup and chicken wild rice. Naturally I chose the tomato soup, yet this was my first mistake. The soup was at a solid temperature, not too hot but not too cold. As for the taste and consistency, I was immediately concerned that I accidentally ordered tomato sauce and not tomato soup, because the consistency was almost identical to tomato sauce. As for price, the total came out to around $5, which is about average of all of these soups. Overall, the soup was not terrible, but it did not compare well to the others. Camille’s soup receives a 3/5 due to the strange consistency and average taste.