Chilled to the bone? We've slurped our way to a definitive list of the best takeout soups on the South Fork. Here's a full week's worth of loving spoonfuls.
MONDAY
Classic Chicken Soup
$8, quart
Mitad Del Mundo
106 North Main Street, East Hampton
Join the crowd of Spanish speakers greeting friends and chatting about work or “futbol” as an overhead television broadcasts Spanish-language news. Soup? They’ve always got something enticing in their hot-buffet lineup, but their chicken soup is the best around, bar none. Yes, you might find chicken feet in it, but you can pull them out before the kids notice. This chicken soup is the real deal. (We also love their very original tortilla soup with all the trimmings — cilantro, lime, radishes — but we had to choose just one.)
TUESDAY
Tuscan White Bean and Escarole Soup
Small, $4.95; large, $6.95
Harbor Market and Kitchen
184 Division Street, Sag Harbor
This savory and vegan blend of beans and vegetables in a clear broth checks all the boxes for what a great winter soup should be: comforting as well as wholesome. Its consistency is a happy medium — not too thick, not too thin — and the combination of herbs hits the tongue with just the right amount of extra flavor. The “large” size is filling enough to stand alone as a satisfying meal.
WEDNESDAY
Dal Soup
Small, $5.95; medium, $6.95; large, $12.95
Hampton Chutney
107 Newtown Lane, East Hampton
The takeout strategy of some soup-loving East staffers is to seek out the more complicated or time-consuming soups when going for takeout — rather than the simple recipes they can whip up at home. In this category is Hampton Chutney’s dal, which elevates a humble legume to another planet. The complex and healthful Indian spices are warming and the texture is just right. It’s vegan, too.
THURSDAY
Pork Pozole Rojo
Cup, $7.99; quart, $16
L&W Market
2493 Main Street, Bridgehampton
It brings the flavor! A hot broth packed with sizable chunks of tender pork, hominy (white maize or field corn), cilantro, garlic, chili pepper, and lime, this is a zesty and delicious cockle-warmer on a frozen December day. L&W — which is truly top-notch for takeout in general, doing more than just lip service to seasonal produce and locavore sourcing — also alternates the red pozole with a tomatillo-based green one. Definitely not just a starter but a meal on its own.
FRIDAY
Turkey Meatball Soup
Small, $5.50; medium, $11; large, $18
The Cookery
83 Springs-Fireplace Road, East Hampton
Mad for meatballs! This is a little different from meatball soups you may have had before; it’s not exactly an Italian wedding soup — no pasta, and the meatballs are bigger. We love it. It’s a clear broth and very meaty and hearty. Plus, we just like any excuse to drop by the Cookery, which is a charming roadside spot, and grab a cookie or cupcake with our nutritious soup. (As with most of the venues in this article, daily specials may vary, so call ahead if your heart is set on meatballs.)
SATURDAY
Thai Red Seafood Curry
Cup, $7.50, pint, $14.50, quart,$25
The Wainscott Seafood Shop
356 Montauk Hwy., Wainscott
Oh my stars, why is this so delicious? The Seafood Shop has become a favorite for takeout lunch, with an array of fishy lunch-special plates, from fry-ups to tacos, a steam table, and a rotating selection of seafood soups. There are daily New England or Manhattan chowders and bisques, which are rich and awesome, too, but the Thai seafood curry soup knocks our socks off. It’s jammed with fresh fish and shrimp or whatever the catch is that particular day and the creamy coconut broth is just spicy enough. It’s a wow.
SUNDAY
Restorative Chicken Soup
$24, quart
Carissa’s the Bakery
221 Pantigo Road and 68 Newtown Lane
(weekends only), East Hampton;
3 Bay Street, Sag Harbor
As with everything that emerges from the Carissa kitchens, this isn’t just a run-of-the-mill recipe. This chicken soup has more flavor “pow!” and a Southeast Asian zing, with carefully sourced ingredients, what’s described as “medicinal herbs,” jalapeño, and ginger. It may be magical thinking, but a dose of this “restorative” soup does make that head cold feel less miserable.