Soup in Palo Alto

November brings the first real rain to Palo Alto. It is the start of soup season. The city does not have a soup shop, but it has a wide range of soups on restaurant menus: Vietnamese pho and spicy Hue noodles, Korean soft tofu stew that arrives still boiling, Burmese catfish chowder, Thai coconut soups, a Cuban black bean soup, a seasonal squash soup on University Avenue, lentil soup at an Israeli hummus shop and chicken noodle soup at a 1923 diner. This guide sorts them by style so you can match the bowl to the day.

We cover noodle soups in more depth in our pho guide and our ramen guide. Every place named here was confirmed in late October or early November 2026 through its own website or a verified page in our business directory. Dish names are as each restaurant prints them. Prices come from posted menus and change often, so treat them as a guide. A few nearby options are within about 12 miles.

At a glance

Noodle soups

Pho Ha Noi, 185 University Avenue

Pho Ha Noi builds its menu around a beef broth it describes as a 24-hour bone marrow soup. Pho bowls run from a No Meat, Beef Broth Pho to an Oxtail Pho, with most full bowls about $18 to $22 on the posted menu. For something hotter, the Spicy Hue Noodle with 1 LB of Short Rib is bun bo Hue, the lemongrass and chili beef noodle soup of central Vietnam. The restaurant closes between lunch and dinner.

Rangoon Ruby, 445 Emerson Street

Rangoon Ruby lists three Burmese soups. Monk Hingar, which the menu calls a catfish chowder, is mohinga: thin rice noodles in a rich soup of ground catfish, ginger, lemongrass and fried rice powder, topped with egg and fried yellow peas. It is Myanmar's national breakfast. Ohnoh Kawt Swe is a creamy coconut noodle soup with chicken and crispy wonton chips. The Samosa Soup (V) is a hearty bowl of samosas, potatoes, lentils and cabbage. On the posted menu they ran from about $18 to $19.

Ramen fills this role at four shops around town. Our ramen guide covers the broths.

Korean stews

So Gong Dong Tofu House, 4127 El Camino Real

So Gong Dong is a family-run Korean restaurant built around soondubu, soft tofu stew. Its menu lists 16 versions, including Original, Combination, Seafood, Dumpling, Ham Sausage and Vegetable Soft Tofu Soup. Each arrives bubbling in a stone pot with a raw egg to crack in. You choose the spice level. The house specials add Yook Gae Jang, a spicy soup of beef, glass noodles, vegetables and egg. Rice and banchan side dishes come with the meal. It is open for lunch and dinner every day with a break in the afternoon. Our hot pot guide covers other bubbling pots nearby.

A short drive south, Ginza at 475 Castro Street in Mountain View lists a Kimchi Beef Soup sized for three or four people, served alongside its tabletop grill menu.

Thai and modern Vietnamese

Indochine, 2710 Middlefield Road

Indochine has one of the longest soup lists in town. Its menu lists Spicy Sour Shrimp Soup (Tom Yum), Thai Chicken Soup (Tom Ka Gai) with galangal and coconut milk, a Seafood Soup, a creamy Pumpkin Soup, a Deluxe Won Ton Soup, Sizzling Rice Soup, Hot and Sour Soup and a Chicken Corn Soup. Pho Ga and Pho Tai fill out the list. Most were priced in the mid teens. At lunch, Monday to Saturday, entrées come with a daily soup when you dine in.

Tamarine, 546 University Avenue

Tamarine is the sit-down choice. Its winter menu lists a Honeynut Squash Soup, marked gluten-free and vegan, with spiced pumpkin seeds, coconut milk, lime leaves and chili oil. The Ha Long Bay Soup brings blue crab and asparagus wontons with coriander and coconut milk. At weekday lunch a Beef Pho Soup is made with American wagyu. These soups cost more than at a pho shop, in the low to mid $20s.

Bean, lentil and vegetable soups

• Cuban Black Bean Soup, La Bodeguita del Medio. La Bodeguita on California Avenue marks it vegan and lists it at $8.80, one of the cheapest bowls on this page.
• Lentil Soup, Oren's Hummus. Oren's on University Avenue makes it with vegetable stock, lentils, garlic, onion, celery and carrot.
• Sopa de Calabaza, Reposado. Butternut squash and coconut milk at the upscale Mexican restaurant on Hamilton Avenue, marked gluten-free.
• Carrot & Orange Soup, Bistro Elan. With ginger crème fraîche at the small French restaurant on Birch Street, served at dinner Wednesday to Saturday.
• Kwati, Rara. A Nepalese soup of nine sprouted beans at Rara on California Avenue, listed among its vegan dishes.
• Pepper pot soup, Coconuts. A vegan Caribbean soup at Coconuts on Ramona Street.
• Avgolemono, Taverna. The Greek chicken, egg and lemon soup at Taverna on Emerson Street.

Chowder, chili and diner soup

The Palo Alto Creamery on Emerson Street serves the classic American lunch: a Soup & Half Sandwich, with a choice of 11 sandwiches and a cup of Chicken Noodle Soup, listed at $17.50. For a little more you can swap in Turkey Chili or Texas Beef & Black Bean Chili. It opens at 8 a.m. every day.

Pacific Catch at Stanford Shopping Center lists a Grilled Salmon Chowder with applewood bacon and gold potato, plus a Shiitake Miso Soup. Our directory also lists a fried clam chowder among the hot starters at THE SEA on El Camino Real, a dinner-only seafood room. For lamb soup, Tie Mu Zhen at 3345 El Camino Real serves Inner Mongolian lamb soup with oat noodles.

Dietary notes

• Stock. Vegetable soups are often made with chicken or beef stock. Ask, even when a soup sounds vegetarian. Our vegetarian and vegan guide lists more plant-based meals.
• Fish. Fish sauce seasons pho and Thai soups. Mohinga is built on catfish. Soft tofu soups may use seafood stock.
• Gluten. Rice noodles have no wheat, but soy sauce and some thickeners do. Chowders are usually thickened with flour.
• Heat. Tom yum, Hue noodles, yook gae jang and spicy soondubu all run hot. So Gong Dong lets you pick the level.

Taking soup home

Soup is one of the best takeout foods if it is packed well. Ask for noodles, herbs and crispy toppings in a separate container from the broth. At home, bring the broth back to a boil, then add the noodles and toppings. Stone-pot tofu stews lose their sizzle in a box, so reheat them in a small pot on the stove. Bean, lentil and squash soups reheat well and keep in the fridge for a couple of days.

Frequently asked questions