There were a lot of things I loved about the IVF Abroad / Procreation Vacation Mike and I did in tropical Barbados this December 2021—particularly all of the delicious and different fresh fish we ate each day, often while seated on a stunning oceanfront patio.
But being away from home for 17 days in a location with very limited Asian food options really stirred up some comfort food cravings, so as soon as I got back to Edmonton, I basically bathed myself in Asian soups, lol.
While I was satisfying my soup cravings, I thought it would be nice to put together a little list of some of my favourite soups to slurp up in the city so if you’re ever dealing with some comfort cravings, you can use this go-to list yourself!
As I started listing some of my favourite soups, and the list kept growing and growing, I realized this blog post has now become my little love letter to the food that is most comforting to me.
I absolutely love soup. It brings me such warmth and joy. It activates a lot of food memories and nostalgia for me—often my best soup experiences have been with my family and friends. In fact, I grew up in a Vietnamese noodle soup restaurant (my parents—King Noodle House Pho Hoang) so much of my early soup experience is connected to memories growing up in our soup shop. When I first heard the phrase ‘broth runs through our veins’ (from the 2008 Kungfu Panda animated film lol), I recall audibly gasping because it was DESCRIBING ME.
Often soup is a go-to when I’m feeling down or sick. Or I literally cannot function without a splash of broth hitting my tongue. Sometimes the star of the soup is the broth. Other times its the noodles. Sometimes it takes just one spice or ingredient to make the soup *the soup.* Sometimes it’s the fact that a broth simmers for over 14 hours to get it to exactly the flavour it’s supposed to be.
Soup is perfect, of course, on cold winter days or rainy days where you just want to warm up. But I also have fond memories people watching soup lovers in the summertime at my parents restaurant, the absolute commitment to slurping up each and every drop of broth while sweat pours down their face. The utter satisfaction—despite being so hot already, we soup lovers need this dish no matter the weather. I love that experience about soup.
I just love the versatility of this dish. It can literally be a “throw all your ingredients into the pot with some water and some seasoning” and viola, a delicious soup is born—it’s accessible, it’s unpretentious. Or perhaps the soup does come as a result of painstaking work and expert craftsmanship. I’m always impressed with how different soups can be, from taste to texture, and of course all the flavour. And how some soups might seem deceptively simple to make but actually require a load of skill, and time to produce.
Soups are often a true labour of love. And I truly love them!!
If you love soup as much as I do, I hope you love this blog guide to Asian soups in the city.
I am well aware that the timing of this post is simply perfect as we enter the coldest months of the year here in Edmonton. I hope you use this blog to guide your soup adventures through the season, and if you do—tell me about it! Tag me @lindork (and the restaurants). Let me know your favs.
Please note as with all my food recommendations, this is not an *exhaustive* list, it’s entirely based on my own preferences and experiences, and of course there are many more delicious soup offerings in the city (along with non-Asian soup options that are delicious), but here’s just a few Asian, south east Asian, east Asian, style soups I love in the city and I think you will love too. I’m sorry if I didn’t include your favourite spot :(
Guide to My Favourite Asian Soups In The City
20+ Spots To Satisfy Comfort Soup Cravings in Edmonton
listed in alphabetical order by restaurant (not by ranking lol)
Bonus fun times: If you want to turn your love of soup in the city into a game, use my little soup passport to check off your progress!!
1. An Chay – Spicy Noodle Soup (Vegetarian)
Edmonton’s only Vegetarian / Vegan Vietnamese spot An Chay serves up some really tasty dishes including their vegetarian take on a Vietnamese Bun Bo Hue—typically a spicy lemongrass beef and pork soup, An Chay’s version is filled with vegetables including fried tofu, cauliflower, baby bok choy, enoki mushrooms, and vegetarian sausage. Sometimes when I eat vegetarian cuisine I am left feeling like there’s something missing in my tummy, but that’s never the case with An Chay eats.
Also order:
- Vegan Vietnamese Cha Gio Spring rolls
- Vegan and Gluten-Friendly Bi Cuon Shredded Tofu Rolls
2. Chef Hung – Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup
For a taste of authentic Taiwanese beef noodle soup in Edmonton, look no farther than Chef Hung. Chef Hung’s soups derive from over 20 years of recipe development, using premium beef, noodles with excellent bounce and chew, and a flavourful broth. Try the Champion Beef Brisket or Award Winning Beef Shank soups.
Also order:
- Cold and Black Fungus
- Pork and Cabbage Dumpling
- Braised Pork Hock
3. Chinese Hot Pot Buffet – Hot Pot
I am obsessed with hot pot—a Chinese, all you can eat, cook your own ingredients meal that’s extremely filling and super comforting. There are many spots in the city to satisfy your hot pot cravings, but my favourite spot is Chinese Hot Pot Buffet restaurant in south Edmonton. You pick your preferred broth, select your sauces, then go nuts with meat, seafood, vegetable, noodles, and all sorts of other items (over 200 to choose from here!), drop items into your boiling pot of broth to cook it, and enjoy! Slurping up the broth is a must.
Also order:
- Don’t forget the Mango dessert!
Also read my blog post on How to Hot Pot at Home if you want to try it at home!
Additional hot pot restaurant recommendation:
- Chili Hot Pot
- 97 Hot Pot
- Liuyishou Hot Pot
4. Dagu Rice Noodle – Crossing the Bridge Sour & Spicy Soup
I can’t tell you the amount of times I crave the Crossing the Bridge Noodle Soup from Dagu Rice Noodle. This soup originates from the Yunnan province of China and is said to be called Crossing the Bridge for a few possible reasons including a story of a wife who was regularly bringing soup to her husband on an island had to cross a bridge for the delivery and started separating soup ingredients after she found the soup was repeatedly cold and noodles soggy after the journey. Or the name could come from the process of transferring ingredients into broth, where the ingredients have to “cross a bridge” into the bowl. I always get the Sour & Spicy soup with beef and add shrimp, and my friend loves the Mushroom broth too. Noodles are unlimited here as well!
Also order:
- Spicy Crispy Chicken (so addictive)
- Kiwi Super Fruit Tea (add strawberry and jelly)
Additional Crossing the Bridge Soup restaurant recommendation:
5. Dorinku Tokyo – Carbonara Udon
Okay so technically I don’t think this dish counts as a “soup” lol but the creamy, comforting, hot stone Carbonara Udon from Dorinku Tokyo is an amazing dish and for the purposes of this blog post I’m going to categorize it as a soup as it gives me major soup vibes, lol. The creamy carbonara sauce is so plentiful and thick it’s like an udon carbonara soup with bacon, parmesan, poached egg and scallions, this is one of the most popular dishes from Dorinku Tokyo (one of my favourite Japanese restaurants in town), and a must-order (whether it is officially a soup or not lol).
Also order:
- Pressed Salmon Sushi
- Jewelry Bowl (diced sashimi rice bowl)
- Ramen Salad (cold ramen salad with pork and poached eggs)
Additional Udon Soup restaurant recommendation:
6. Good Buddy – Century Egg Congee
Sometimes all you want is a bowl of congee—like an Asian rice porridge. It’s perfect when you’re feeling under the weather, or just want to warm up, and my favourite comes with Century Egg (pungent, preserved eggs), like the Century Egg Congee from Good Buddy. My family visits the north Edmonton location but they also have South and Sherwood Park spots. We enjoy Good Buddy’s dim sum as well!
Also order:
- Dim Sum
Additional Congee restaurant recommendation:
7. Gui Lin Noodle House – Pork Hock Vermicelli Soup
Gui Lin Noodle House used to be a spot my dad and I would frequent for lunches, where we’d share their delicious fried macaroni as well as one of their soups—typically a Pork Hock Vermicelli Soup, or Lamb or Beef Brisket Soup. Tasty broth, tender meat, and awesome pickled vegetables, the flavours are fantastic here and I can’t recommend them enough.
Also order:
- Fried Macaroni (Gui Lin Style)
- Fried Instant Noodles with Minced Pork (Gui Lin Style)
8. HanJan – Budae Jjigae Army Stew
HanJan is one of my favourite Korean restaurants in the city! The food. The vibes. It’s all perfect. I love Budae Jjigae, a popular Korean “army stew” made of ham and sausages, rice cakes, ramen noodles, scallions and a spicy anchovy broth, which you have to get here (among other great, comforting Korean soups). If you go to the southside location, you can also book a private karaoke room! And their banchan (unlimited Korean side dishes) are addictive, including an awesome apple mashed potato plus all the pickled vegetables.
Also order:
- Pajeon (seafood green onion cake)
- Jaeyook Bokkeum (spicy pork belly, kimchi and vegetables)
- Bossam (pork belly lettuce wraps)
- Honey Butter Bread
Additional Korean soup restaurant recommendation:
9. HOM – Khao Soi Coconut Curry Noodle Soup
HOM means fragrant and that’s the praise their dishes often get—their made-from-scratch and locally sourced South East Asian inspired dishes are fragrant and flavourful. Their stand-out dish is the Khao Soi coconut curry noodle soup, inspired by the many bowls chefs ate while in the city of Chaing Mai in Northern Thailand. It’s hearty and the chicken is super tender too. They are often doing feature soups as well so watch their social media for updates!
Also order:
- Kuaytiaw Pet duck noodle soup
- Laap Muu (minced pork salad)
10. Kazoku – Tonkatsu Black Garlic Ramen
There are few restaurants in Edmonton that Mike proactively suggests we go to and one of the very few spots is Kazoku Ramen, home to Mike’s favourite ramen in the city. Order up his favourite bowl: Tonkatsu Black Garlic Ramen, and be sure to add a “table curry” to share—that’s what we always do. The Tonkatsu Pork Curry here is so good! I usually switch between Spicy Garlic Miso or Tonkotsu Creamy Pork ramen.
Also order:
- Chicken Kaarage (fried chicken)
- Tonkatsu Pork Curry Rice (fried pork with rice, egg, and curry sauce)
Additional ramen restaurant recommendation:
11. King Noodle House – Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Pho)
No comfort food, comfort soup list could be complete without an ode to my parents’ Vietnamese beef noodle soup (pho) at King Noodle House Pho Hoang in Chinatown. They’ve been serving this soup in Edmonton for over 25 years. Get it while you still can (they’re trying to sell the building and retire but are slinging soup until that happens). Get the Dac Biet Special which comes with a bit of all the different beef cuts in our special broth recipe that’s been part of our family for generations, or if you like specific cuts, just do the rare Steak (cooks in the broth), or Steak and Beef Balls. I’m also partial very partial to the Bun Bo Hue (spicier lemongrass with round vermicelli noodles, beef and a Vietnamese ham).
Also order:
- Spring Rolls (pork)
- Grilled Pork Balls
Additional Pho or Bun Bo Hue restaurant recommendation:
12. Lan Noodle Restaurant – House Special Beef Noodle Soup
At Lan Noodle Restaurant you get a show with your soup—because they make their authentic, hand-pulled noodles to order, right before your eyes, making for not only a delicious but super fun meal too. I really enjoyed my House Special Beef Noodle Soup. I am told their Handmade Noodle with Shakshuka Sauce is also a must-order.
Also order:
- Lan Cold Noodle
- Beef Salad
- Tossed Cucumber Salad
13. Ma Chef – Ttukbaegi Gamjatang Soup
Ma Chef is a tiny little Korean restaurant in south Edmonton that offers dishes big on flavour. The menu isn’t big but usually that means everything is really good. Try Ma Chef’s Ttukbaegi Gamjatang soup, a spicy pork bone stew with potatoes, napa cabbage and served with rice. It’s delicious and super comforting.
Also order:
- Bossam pork belly wraps
- Spicy Pork Ribs
- Rocky Mountain Bulgogi Jeongol hot pot
- Sellongtang Beef Bone Soup
- Mabboki (rice and fish cake)
14. Midnight Sun – Hot & Sour Soup
- 11003 124 Street
- Website
Another spot my dad and I used to frequent for lunches is Midnight Sun on 124 Street, where we’re share their Bot Chien (Vietnamese pan fried rice cakes with egg—we think they make the best in the city!) along with a Hot & Sour Soup (just the right balance of both flavours!) This is a Chinese and Vietnamese restaurant so they’ve got a big assortment of tasty dishes representing both cultures.
Also order:
- Bot Chien (pan fried rice cakes with egg)
15. Noodleholic – Build Your Own Chinese Noodle Soup
- 9658 107A Avenue (Chinatown)
- Website
I remember loving the concept of Building Your Own Noodle Soup when I first tried it years ago at a place called Tao Garden (no longer exists). Luckily after that one sadly shuttered, I think one of the owners moved across the street to start Noodleholic, continuing to offer the amazingness that is creating exactly the delicious soup bowl you want, from broth to noodles to toppings! That’s what you can do at Noodleholic. If you’re curious, my bowl is: Spicy Little Sheep Broth with Udon Noodles, Luncheon Meat, Enoki Mushrooms, Sirloin Beef Sliced, and sometimes Shrimp.
Also order:
- Congee (they’ve got various options)
- Cold Noodle Bowl
16. Noodle Bar by Nomiya – Kimchi Nabe
I am obsessed with the Kimchi Nabe hot stone bowl from Noodle Bar by Nomiya. It’s a spicy tonkotsu broth with kimchi, chicken, tofu, glass noodles and vegetables, and I always add a side of white rice. It’s so good for the SOUL. I actually am not sure if they offer it their other Nomiya locations so double check, or just head to the Noodle Bar Oliver spot satisfy this craving.
Also order:
- Tan Tan Don (pork with quail egg rice)
- Tsuke Mein (cold dipping ramen)
- Chicken Kaarage (crispy fried chicken)
- Yaki Gyoza (pork dumplings)
17. Noodle Feast – Sliced, Hand Pulled, Rolled or Spinach Noodle Soups
There are too many great noodle soup options at Noodle Feast, I can’t pick one and recommend you rotate with visits anyway (the non-noodle soup options are great too). Since it’s unique, you need to try their housemade Spinach Noodles in a Spicy and Sour Soup (though that one doesn’t come with meat), or with Minced Pork Sauce. Or try their Hand Pulled Noodles with Beef and Beef Bone Soup, or Rolling Noodles in a Sour and Spicy Soup with Pork and Vegetables, or Sliced Noodles with Pork Ribs and Pork Bone Soup.
Also order:
- Sesame Pancake
- Rou Jia Mo (Chinese Pork Burger)
- Any of the noodles and their saucy counterparts without soup
18. Shanghai 456 – Xiao Long Bao Soup Dumplings
I like to gauge favourite dishes by whether they make me exclaim, ‘Oh my god, this is so good!’ and although I’ve had an immeasurable number of the Xiao Long Bao XLB soup dumplings from Shanghai 456, each and every time, I still exclaim, ‘Oh my god, this is so good!’ This is a go-to spot for my family and extra special as I introduced my niece and nephew to soup dumplings here and now we all have to have our own baskets—no sharing lol. It’s not technically a bowl of soup but I am counting it as a soup because I mean it’s basically a spoonful of soupy goodness! If you’ve never had a soup dumpling, my recommended technique is to place the dumpling in your spoon, bite a little hole into the top, pour in a bit of soy sauce or vinegar, then put the whole dumpling in your mouth! Literally the BEST bite.
Also order:
- Cold Marinated Beef
- Jelly Fish with Pickled Vegetables
- Peaches and Shrimp with White Rie
19. Siam Thai Kitchen – Tom Yum Kai Soup
For some of the tastiest Thai in the city, head to the north west end to the unassuming Siam Thai Kitchen for their Tom Yum Kai sweet, spicy and sour soup with chicken, tomatos, onion, mushrooms and thai basil. Tom Yum is my absolute favourite Thai soup (tamarind is one of my favourite paste (spice? fruit? lol) and I could just slurp it up all day long. While here, you’ve got a lot of other great Thai dishes to choose from so the Tom Yum Kai should really be a table soup to share.
Also order:
- Thai Chicken Wings
- Red Thai Curry
- Larb Beef or Chicken
Additional Thai soup restaurant recommendation:
20. Tang Bistro – Mount Qi Pork Soup
Tang Bistro specializes in authentic Xi’an cuisine (north west China), including their 岐山臊子 Mount Qi Hot & Sour Pork Soup which comes with your choice of thin, sliced or hand pulled noodles. Simply delicious, and accompanied by diced potatoes, carrots, green beans, back fungus, egg and chive, this is one of many tasty noodle options (dry or with broth) at Tang Bistro.
Also order:
- Spicy Casserole Soup
- Braised Beef Noodle Soup
- Braised Beef (Appetizer)
- Roujiamo (like a Chinese bao/bun sandwich)
- Pork and Cabbage Dumplings
21. Xu Hue – Bun Rieu
There’s only a few Vietnamese restaurants in Edmonton that serve up some special dishes you won’t find anywhere else and Xu Hue in Chinatown is one of them. One of those hard to find dishes include a Bun Rieu, a hearty crab, pork, tomato soup. I also love their Bun Hen, a baby clam vermicelli dish. You simply cannot go wrong with either! Delicious!!
Also order:
- Bo Luc Lac (marinated cubes of beef)
- Bun Bo Hue (lemongrass soup)
- Bo Tai Chanh (rare beef salad)
- Bot Chien (pan fried rice cakes with egg)
—
As mentioned, when I started writing this post I was just listing off a few of my favourite soups, and some of the soups I was slurping up as a result of being away for a few weeks. Then it quickly turned into a love letter to the food that is most comforting to me.
These are not listed in order of my FAVOURITE (that’s so hard lol), but alphabetical by restaurant.
If you love soup as much as I do, I hope you use this blog to slurp your way through the season, and if you do—tell me about it! Tag me @lindork (and the restaurants). Track your soup adventures using my little soup passport (purely for fun lol). And let me know which soups you love!!
And if you have a favourite soup in the city that’s not listed, tell people about it in the comments below!
Linda
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1 Comment
The mixed satay noodle soup at Hung Phat is pretty good.
The wonton, wonton noodle, and wonton noodle with brisket at Double Greeting is another favourite.
I like the congee with pork and black egg at All Happy Family (they don’t skimp on the black egg..haha) and they also do a good job seasoning their congee.
I’d like to see the spicy garlic and black garlic miso at Nomiya downtown go head to head with Kazoku and Tokiwa!
Also, no Vietnamese stew? The last at Pho Hoan Pasteur was good (really great tender brisket) but there might be better out there!