Eight best soups in NYC

Soup

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  Chicken Polenta Soup at Mae Mae Cafe

  Photograph: Virginia Rollison73.ea.maemaecafe06.JPG1972171
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  Borsct at Left Bank

  Photograph: Virginia Rollison73.ea.leftbank07.JPG1972152
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  Walnut Soup at Gwynnett St

  Photograph: Virginia Rollison73.ea.gwynnettst04.JPG1972133
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  Eight Vegetable Soup at Balade

  73.ea.balade.jpeg1972114

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Chicken Polenta Soup at Mae Mae Cafe

Photograph: Virginia Rollison

All restaurant information is correct as of press time. However, since hours, prices and other details are subject to change, it’s wise to call ahead.

Balade
208 First Ave between 12th and 13th Sts (212-529-6868, baladerestaurants.com). Subway: L to First Ave. Average soup price: $6. High chairs, booster seats. At Middle Eastern eatery Balade, the brood will have a ball biting into the likes of crispy falafel and thin-crusted pizzas. Getting them to eat their veggies is a breeze, too. The nutrition-packed V Eight soup teems with green beans, carrots, corn, peas, lima beans, spinach, potatoes and celery, and is brightened by a sprinkling of white Lebanese cheese and parsley.

Blaue Gans
139 Duane St between Church St and West Broadway (212-571-8880, kg-ny.com/blaue-gans). Subway: 1, 2, 3 to Chambers St. Average soup price: $9. High chairs. When the wind is whipping, this Tribeca boîte from Austrian mega-chef Kurt Gutenbrunner offers refuge with its hearty offerings of Wiener schnitzel and bratwurst. The silken potato leek soup, worth the butter and heavy-cream splurge, is an especially apt choice for fussy palates.

David Burke At Bloomingdale’s
1000 Third Ave at 59th St (212-705-3800, burkeinthebox.com). Subway: N, R to Lexington Ave–59th St; 4, 5, 6 to 59th St. Average soup price: $12. High chairs. Before the tantrums kick in post–shopping excursion, settle in at David Burke at Bloomingdale’s for lunch. Here, you can relax with a mustard-crusted yellowfin tuna sandwich while the kids alternate between slurping up ricotta tortellini bobbing in soothing chicken-veggie soup and biting into the accompanying grilled cheese slider.

Gwynnett Street
312 Graham Ave at Ainslie St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (347-889-7002, gwynnettst.com). Subway: L to Graham Ave. Average soup price: $10. High chairs, booster seats. At newly arrived eatery Gwynnett Street, kids will feel just as at home as the hipsters wading their spoons into chef Justin Hilbert’s walnut soup. Studded with diced Bartlett pears, for a touch of sweetness, and lightly pickled radish slices, it’s a more flavorful alternative to the ubiquitous chestnut versions. If the gang’s still hungry, order them a round of fresh cheese dumplings strewn with smoked macadamia nuts.

Il Bambino
34-08 31st Ave between 34th and 35th Sts, Astoria, Queens (718-626-0087, ilbambinonyc.com). Subway: N, Q to Broadway. Average soup price: $7. High chair. Although you can’t grab a perch on the serene outdoor patio this time of year, you can indulge in soup, which is reason alone to visit Il Bambino. Soup specials rotate daily, from sweet sausage and roasted vegetable to split pea and prosciutto. But it’s the smoked tomato bisque that really conjures up childhood, even if Saltines have been replaced by toasted crostini generously spread with basil pesto.

Left Bank
117 Perry St at Greenwich St (212-727-1170, leftbankmanhattan.com). Subway: 1 to Christopher St–Sheridan Sq. Average soup price: $8. High chairs, booster seats. As you decide between split chicken and crushed new potatoes or a pan-roasted heritage pork chop with young sauerkraut and dijon at neighborhood bistro Left Bank, order a bowl of borscht for the tykes. They are sure to be captivated by the brightly hued concoction topped with sour cream and fresh dill. One caveat for budding vegetarians: Chef Laurence Edelman adds the chopped white cabbage, red beets and seasonings to a beef stock.

Lobster Place
75 Ninth Ave between 15th and 16th Sts (212-255-5672, lobsterplace.com). Subway: A, C, E to 14th St; L to Eighth Ave. Average soup price: $5. Upon entering Lobster Place in Chelsea Market, the aroma may transport you to a summer shack in Maine. Little ones, however, are more likely to wrinkle their nose—that is, until they see crustaceans gurgling in tanks. Take advantage of their rapt attention to peruse the sushi selection, then try to snag a seat to savor one of the homemade soups, such as lobster bisque or chunky New England clam chowder.

Mae Mae Cafe
68 Vandam St between Hudson and Varick Sts (212-924-5109). Subway: 1 to Houston St. Average soup price: $6. After a visit to the Children’s Museum of the Arts’ new digs, pop into cozy Mae Mae Cafe, where tots can refuel on a restorative bowl of gluten-free chicken polentina, with free-range chicken, Italian polenta and winter greens. Stay after 4pm for happy hour, and you can avoid the cold with $5 wine specials while the kids nosh on grilled cheese triangles.