Soup's on! Here are our Space Coast favorites to warm your heart and belly
Auguste Escoffier, the man who organized restaurants, codified recipes and definitions and elevated the professions of preparing and serving food, was a man who saw the value in simplicity. Of that most basic of dishes, he said, “Soup puts the heart at ease, calms down the violence of hunger, eliminates the tension of the day and awakens and refines the appetite.”
So it does, and most, if not every, culture does have what Merriam-Webster describes as, “a liquid food especially with a meat, fish or vegetable stock as a base and often containing pieces of solid food.”
It is especially favored at this time of year, when the chill sets in, even in Florida. Café Margaux in Cocoa Village has been honored for the tomato and basil bisque it has served for a generation, and the Soup Shop, originally in Melbourne only, has brought its 70 varieties to Palm Bay/West Melbourne and will open a third store soon, in Viera.
So popular is the soup flight at Hook & Eagle Tavern in the Viera East Golf Club that last weekend, chef James Thompson almost ran out of bowls for his new flights.
“I’ve been featuring the choice of three soups out of a selection of broccoli cheese, white bean, chicken chorizo, chili, beef and barley, New England clam chowder, roasted tomato bisque and Guinness beer cheese,” Thompson said with a laugh. “I kind of (messed up), launching it before (I) the supplies I needed to facilitate it. We had a really busy night Saturday and I had just enough bowls.”
Hook & Eagle now has more than its share of bowls, as do other Brevard restaurants. Those renowned for their soup or potages include:
Antonio e Vittoria Italian Tavern | Satellite Beach
Chef Antonio Merola is Italian, not Italian-American, and so is his menu. Italians love soup, and his are the real thing, not least the minestrone. It is nothing like the usual pizzeria fare, but a vegetable-filled meal in its own right.
Details: 586 State Road A1A, Satellite Beach, 321-978-2242, avitalianmarket.com/restaurant-caterings
Bean Sprout | Viera
At least two FLORIDA TODAY types love tom kha, traditional Thailand’s coconut soup, and one of them is multimedia storyteller Rob Landers, who considers Bean Sprout’s the best in the area. Tom kha gai, the chicken version, is substantial, chock full of fowl and fresh mushrooms.
Details: 2221 Town Center Ave, the Avenue Viera, 321-632-8999, beansproutviera.com
CuiZine Restaurant & Lounge | Satellite Beach
What precedes a fine steak better than a fine French onion soup? Continental-flavored CuiZine’s is hot, onion-packed, crouton-floated and gooey-cheese-topped, as most diners would have it. “Divine!” said Jim Neil, a mainstay in our 321FlavorWhereBrevardEats group on Facebook. “It’s not only delicious, but the presentation is stunning.”
Details: 1790 State Road A1A, Satellite Beach, 321-779-3605,
Eatz | Suntree
One reason the well-established lunch joint is popular with a clientele that includes health care, legal and banking professionals is its homemade soup. Two varieties are available each day the restaurant is open, and its Italian wedding soup, with a multitude of mini-meatballs, is much loved.
Details: 7695 N. Wickham Road, Suntree, 321-426-7575, eatz-eatery.com
Heidi’s Jazz Club & Restaurant | Cocoa Beach
Heidi’s always has had an extensive menu of European and American specialties, and though many come for the jazz, some drive to the beach for the beautifully presented, creamy, finely herbed and chilled cucumber soup. It was a favorite when Eddie and Heidi Deleuil operated the place, and it hasn’t changed.
Details: 7 Orlando Ave., Cocoa Beach, 321-783-4559, heidisjazzclub.com/menu
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Lello's Ristorante Pizzeria | Rockledge
FLORIDA TODAY food editor Suzy Fleming Leonard will be the first to tell you: She hates cooked carrots. But purée them, add cream and Lello's blend of spices and seasonings, and even a confirmed carrot hater will fall in love.
Details: 2025 Murrell Road, Rockledge, 321-305-5933, lellosmenu.com
Niki’s Rainbow Restaurant | Satellite Beach
Niki’s started as a Greek-American restaurant, and it remains that, with Middle Eastern food to boot. Its avgolemono — lemon-chicken soup — remains its traditional, eggy self, one of the better versions to be found in the area.
Details: 570 Fla. A1A, Satellite Beach, 321-773-8696. https://nikisrainbow.restaurant.
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The Old Fish House Bar & Grill | Grant Valkaria
A restaurant located directly on the Indian River Lagoon, with “fish” in its name should have a great soup, and this one has a seafood gumbo that has earned plaudits. “The seafood gumbo wins the gumbo contest,” said Scott Kingston, another 321 Flavor member. “(It is) scratch-made from quality ingredients and just thick enough to be gumbo. Only problem is it’s not on the menu. You gotta find it on the specials board.”
Details: 5185 U.S. 1, Grant, 321-727-7007, oldfishhousebarandgrill.com
Shells | Melbourne
Ask about New England-style clam chowder and Shells’ thick, clam-filled, bacon-touched, potatoey version is bound to be an answer. “THE BEST,” wrote Angela Blackford Ritchey, and that explains why it has won chowder contests.
Details: 1490 W. New Haven Ave., Melbourne, 321-722-1122, shellsofmelbourne.com
Tely’s Chinese Restaurant | Suntree
No soup at Tely Tse’s upper-scale, white-tablecloth restaurant isn’t special, but the Special Won Ton is, in the words of Jeanne Neylan Downes, “Unique and very, very good, even if I have no idea what some of that stuff in there is. Regular is good, but special is very special.” Intended for two people, it contains big won tons with lots of roast pork, fat shrimp and vegetables, served traditionally.
Details: 6450 N. Wickham Road, Suntree, 321-425-4638, telychineserestaurant.com
Urban Prime | Viera
The menu at chef Ercan Enkinci’s new restaurant describes its wild mushroom chardonnay soup as “creamy and rich,” and it is that, with the earthiness of the mushrooms and the wine-touched liquid apparent. “I crave its fresh ingredients and unique flavor,” Kelly Brandon Hedges told 321 Flavor.
Details: 2435 Metfield Drive, Viera, 321-499-1188, urbanprimefoods.com
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Best soups in Brevard to warm a chilly day
