Great Global Soups to Warm You Up
Plus, why you should add sprats to your diet in 2025.
Here are Some of Our Go-To Columbus Soup Spots
By Bethia Woolf
In December, we wrote about Korean soups and stews, with insights shared by our friend, chef Laura Lee. We hope to bring you more deep dives into Asian soups over the next few weeks. But in the meantime, with the cold and snow outside, here are a few of our favorite soups around town to help you warm up.
Mexican
Mexican cuisine offers a wealth of delicious soups, from classics like menudo, sopa de Azteca and posole, to seafood extravaganzas and hearty beef or lamb soups. Some restaurants offer soups as weekend specials, while others serve them all week long. We recommend trying the posole from Casa Karmelitas food truck or visiting the West Side restaurants Tacos Don Deme (75 S. Murray Hill Road) or El Ranchito (1275 Brown Road).
Vietnamese
A steaming bowl of pho is an obvious choice for cold weather, but don’t miss other Vietnamese soup offerings like bún bò Huế at Mi Li Cafe (5858 Emporium Square) or GC Pho (1385 Georgesville Road); or try the bamboo noodle soup called bún măng mọc at Huong Vietnamese Restaurant (1270 Morse Road). I’m also a big fan of the wonton soups at Mi Li Cafe.
Salvadoran
Salvadorans also make excellent entrée soups. Try the short rib and veggie soup at Ranchero Kitchen or the sopa de gallina at newcomer Calero’s Bar & Grill (1644 E. Dublin-Granville Road).
Chinese
Jiu Thai Asian Cafe (787 Bethel Road) is known for its biang biang noodles and cold noodle dishes, but it’s also worth visiting for its hand-stretched noodle soups. You won’t go wrong with any of the protein options, but I particularly like the Bigguy Stretch Noodle Soup. Meanwhile, Lan Zhou Noodles (10 E. Twelfth Ave.), also known as Chinese Beef Noodle Soup, is a tiny Campus restaurant with a surprisingly large menu. Start with the spicy beef noodle soup.
Latin American
Another great destination for soups in Columbus is the Ecuadorian/Pan-Latin American restaurant Los Galapagos in Lincoln Village (378 S. Grener Ave.). The restaurant’s sancocho (a beef soup made with yuca and plantain) is a specialty, but they also serve a variety of Latin American fish, beef and seafood soups.
There are so many great soup options around town—and I haven’t even touched on ramen yet!
Want to read more about some of our favorite soups? Check out this 2024 story I wrote for Columbus Monthly.
Why You Should Add Sprats to Your Diet in 2025
By Bethia Woolf
It’s that time of year when many of us have resolved to eat more healthily, but it’s hard to get excited about salads in Ohio in January, especially when it’s also hibernation season. Steaming bowls of brothy beans are great, but I have another suggestion for a food that’s both healthy and delicious: smoked sprats!
Your first question is probably, “What on earth are sprats?” Essentially, sprats are small fish similar to sardines but smaller; they are the same kind of fish you might find deep fried as “whitebait.” Sometimes, they’re called brislings or brisling sardines.
So, why are they healthy? Like all oily fish, sprats are packed with Omega-3s, calcium and vitamin D. They’re high in protein but ideal for those of us watching our cholesterol.
Tinned fish has been a food trend since 2022, when it went viral on TikTok. There are many beautiful tins available at various price points, and while some deliver on flavor, many fall short. Smoked sprats, however, do not. They’re like bacon for pescatarians—smoky, fatty and packed with flavor. They’re also reasonably priced, shelf-stable and can last for years. You can enjoy them with toast, crackers, a bowl of rice with avocado and kimchi, or–if you want to double up on the virtues–on a salad. They’re easier to prepare than a cheese sandwich!
Sprats are a popular Latvian export, so it's common to see “Riga sprats” on jar or can labels. I usually find them at World Market or European markets, and they’re also available on Amazon.
Notes
Around the Columbus Food Scene
Danny Chung’s long-running Cantonese eatery Sunflower Chinese Restaurant, a local favorite for dim sum, has closed permanently at at 7370 Sawmill Road. In business for more than 30 years, Sunflower’s last day of business was New Year’s Day.
German Village is getting a new spot for authentic gelato. Downtown Delaware’s Ciao Cafe, which Erin wrote about back in 2018, is set to expand to 214 Thurman Ave. next to Fox in the Snow. Look for a grand opening in February.
The Philadelphia-style deli Hoagie City, located at 3870 Main St. in Hilliard, closed permanently at the end of 2024. In a Facebook announcement, the business owner cited rising food and labor costs as well as inconsistent sales.