We Asked 4 Chefs Their Favorite Soup—They All Said the Same One

If you ask us, every season is soup season. Others are brothy amateurs, cooks who mostly make versions of the dish to warm up come winter. Whichever category you happen to fall into, there’s no time like the present to whip up a batch of liquid love. 

Since soup lives deep in the realm of comfort food for most of us, it can be tough to think of ways to elevate our game when making it. We all know how to craft a cozy chicken soup, but when it comes to turning a soup into an interesting meal for the whole family, not everyone can automatically prepare a pot of Moroccan-Inspired Chicken & Sweet Potato Soup or Colombian Ajiaco Bogotano. But we know who can: chefs.

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With the goal of learning a few soupy secrets, we reached out to some of our favorite chefs to find out what their favorite soups are. And there was a powerful through line among all the answers. It turns out that no matter where in the world the culinarians hail from, they all love beef-based soups. You thought it was going to be chicken? We were surprised, too, but pho and French onion, both made with beef stock, won out. 

What the Chefs Chose

Michael Correll of Ruse at The Wildset Hotel in St. Michaels, Maryland, is known for his way with local ingredients, especially the raw seafood that fills his menu. But when the weather turns colder, he starts running for beefy broth. “French onion soup is probably the most comforting soup to me; it’s the first thing I order at any French bistro,” he says. 

He isn’t alone. Jonathan Dearden of Knead Hospitality + Design is well-known in the Washington, D.C., area for his restaurants that include Succotash, Mi Vida and Beresovsky’s Deli. He said that his favorite is the French onion soup at his own Bistro du Jour, which has two locations in D.C.

But meaty pho is a nostalgic favorite for Correll. “When I lived in Philly in my 20s, I would have friends come visit and we would go out at night and party,” Correll recalls. “The next day, when everyone was hung over, I would take them to my favorite spot, Pho 75, and it was a cure-all for everyone’s hangover.”

James Wozniuk’s D.C. Malaysian restaurant, Makan, is a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand winner that’s famous for its indulgent brunch. He also has a location for his spice-forward menu in Charleston, South Carolina. He says that the soup he eats the most often isn’t his beloved curry mee, but pho. 

“I always go with dac biet, which translates to ‘special,’” he says. “It has all the cuts of beef, which I love … The combination of meats with an aromatic broth and chewy noodles make for a very exciting dining experience time after time.”

Another Michelin-recognized chef, Yuan Tang, whose D.C. restaurant, Rooster & Owl, has one star, says that pho gets a slight edge over French onion soup, “because any form of noodles is a win in my book.” But he says French onion is his other favorite.

When Tang and his wife, Carey, opened Ellie Bird in their native Falls Church, Virginia, in 2023, he decided to split the difference between the two soups that he says are both common in Northern Virginia. “It’s very reflective of the mix of cultures in the area, and even for me, who spent time in Hong Kong as a kid before returning to the U.S. They are both equally complex, comforting and most importantly, delicious,” he says. 

How to Make the Mashup

The key to cooking French onion soup? Time. Just look at our Slow-Cooker French Onion Soup with Gruyère Toasts. We build up the flavor of the beef-based broth and caramelized onions for 12 hours. 

Want to make it a mashup with pho like Tang does? It’s all in the aromatics. After all, as he points out, both soups hinge on long-stewed beef bones. Both have cooked onions, too—they’re caramelized in French onion soup and heavily charred in pho. 

Both descend from French traditions, but Vietnamese herbs and spices are what make us love pho so much, like our Spiced Beef, Cabbage & Noodle Soup. That recipe benefits from the inclusion of cinnamon, cardamom, coriander and fennel to flavor it. Licorice-like star anise is a common inclusion, too. 

When he makes his recipe at Ellie Bird, Tang says, “We start by braising oxtail in a pho broth, and from there, we utilize the meat and the braising liquid to create our French onion soup. We finish it with some crunchy sourdough croutons and melted Parmesan and Gruyère. The combination was a match made in heaven, and the result is hearty, comforting and delicious, just as it should be.”

The Bottom Line

At any time of year, chefs love a beefy soup. If you’re in a pinch, you can buy pre-made broth, but there’s nothing quite like homemade. Rich French onion soup is a favorite for pure comfort, but to really make it sing, why not try fusing it with noodle-filled pho? The result could be your own Michelin-worthy meal.