Hopefully by now you’ve seen Baby Yoda — yes, a tiny, adorable mini Yoda creature from Disney+’s Star Wars series The Mandalorian who is so cute he made legendary German director (and Mandalorian star) Werner Herzog cry on set with his “heartbreaking beauty.” Baby Yoda is a cultural sensation who has been turned into countless memes, including a “Baby Yoda drinking soup meme” (in one scene, the mischievous infant shows up at a heated tussle, calmly watching the action unfold while sipping a cup of bone broth).
Thanks to Baby Yoda — though show creator Jon Favreau said that “The Child” isn’t actually the toddler-version of the Yoda we already know — this wintertime warmer is having its culinary moment in the spotlight.
Here are 12 places to find excellent soup in Cincinnati.
Sleepy Bee Cafe: Turmeric Bone Broth
The soup Baby Yoda is slurping in the iconic fight scene is a bone broth obtained from a local cantina on the planet Sorgan (as if bone broth wasn’t already having its moment in the sun). However, you don’t have to travel the galaxy to find your own — Sleepy Bee Cafe offers a turmeric bone broth on its menu, made with “enriched broth from roasted beef and chicken bones, simmered with aromatics.” 3098 Madison Road, Oakley; 8 E. Fourth St., Downtown; 9514 Kenwood Road, Blue Ash, sleepybeecafe.com.
Mita’s: Pozole Verde Con Mariscos
This seafood and hominy stew is filled with lobster, shrimp, squid and red snapper and topped with cilantro and avocado. CityBeat’s Dining Critic Pama Mitchell called the dish “fabulous,” while her friend referred to it as “seafood stew as it should be.” To serve to Baby Yoda, one would only have to add frogs. (He likes to eat frogs almost as much as he likes soup.) 501 Race St., Downtown, mitas.co.
Zundo Ramen & Donburi: Tonkotsu Ramen
The broth for this thick, creamy soup takes almost 14 hours to make. CityBeat’s Leyla Shokoohe was told in an interview last year that the restaurant uses nearly all the bones of a pig to make the ramen in a traditional tonkatsu style. Although Baby Yoda appears to be a little carnivore, Zundo also serves up other ramen varieties, from spicy miso to vegetarian. 220 W. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine, zundootr.com.
Blue Jay Restaurant: Homemade Soup
Mando (aka the Mandalorian, a be-helmeted bounty hunter) is on the run, so if his travels with Baby Yoda somehow led him to our little dot of the galaxy, they’d likely grab grub somewhere low-key. Northside’s Blue Jay Restaurant is just that. The neighborhood diner has served up all-day breakfast, sammies and, yes, homemade soups since 1967. While their soup specials change, you can’t really go wrong with this Queen City staple. 4154 Hamilton Ave., Northside, Searchable on Facebook.
Pho Lang Thang: Đặc Biệt (Vegan Soup)
If Jedi Master Yoda is any indication, members of his mysterious species are capable of being omnivores. (Verdict is out on if that’s preferred.) The kooky, wrinkly green creature was eating a stew made of yarum, galla seeds and mushroom spores when Luke Skywalker found him living in exile on Dagobah. Pho Lang Thang’s vegan Đặc Biệt isn’t that much different. This pho features ready-to-slurp rice noodles in broth steamy enough to fog your glasses. And it has the works: tofu, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, cilantro, onions and scallions, plus whatever extras you choose to throw in. 1828 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, pholangthang.com.
The National Exemplar: Mushroom Soup
The National Exemplar in the Mariemont Inn is a restaurant for those who like a reliable meal. Open since 1983, it’s a solid stalwart with a handful of favorite menu items that keep patrons coming back again and again (and again) like prime rib, liver and onions and Hungarian mushroom soup. The soup is a velvety dish, with added paprika, celery and plenty of chunky fungi — a fact that would please an older Yoda, whose Root Leaf Stew is made with foraged finds; mushrooms (and their spores) would fit right in. 6880 Wooster Pike, Mariemont, nationalexemplar.com.
Scotti’s Italian Restaurant: Minestrone Soup
Mando and Baby Yoda may not be bonded by blood, but they’re family nonetheless. The Mandalorian’s stoicism coupled with the tot’s (can we even call him that? He’s 50 years old!) cuteness is truly wholesome to behold. Downtown’s Scotti’s Italian Restaurant has been owned by the same family since 1912. One of their staples? A long-simmered minestrone soup that features a hefty portion of veggies, beans and ditalini pasta all snuggled into a thick broth. One could imagine that this duo would feel at home here. Stormtroopers would never. 919 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, searchable on Facebook.
Unataza Coffee: Sopa de Res
Unataza Coffee is no stranger to the Greater Cincinnati area, but the Honduran coffee pop-up recently got some permanent digs in Dayton, Kentucky. The shop may be well-known for its delicious caffeinated beverages, but they also offer a petite menu of Honduran-inspired dishes, including their Sopa de Res. Roast beef mingles with celery, onions, grilled carrots, potatoes, shredded cabbage and cilantro in this hearty soup made with beef stock. Question: Would Baby Yoda drink coffee? Apparently, it’s called “caf” in Star Wars and I’m guessing they’re too busy to care about how they get their caffeine fix — with endless intergalactic war and all — but we’d like to see Mando and The Child chilling at a quaint coffeehouse. That twosome loves to travel and explore different cultures while on the run. 620 Sixth Ave., Dayton, Kentucky, unatazacoffee.com.
The Comet: Brunch Soup
Like a hopping Star Wars-style cantina, The Comet bar in Northside is a gathering place for anyone and everyone. And during Sunday brunch, this typically burrito-focused eatery flexes its culinary muscles with a changing menu of sweet and savory bites. Head to the bar and order a bowl of whatever soup is in the kitchen. Recently, it’s been a sweet potato coconut blend with ginger confit, Sriracha, cilantro and scallions. 4579 Hamilton Ave., Northside, cometbar.com.
French Crust Bistro & Cafe: Creamy Chicken Soup
Chef Jean-Robert de Cavel’s Parisian-style bistro offers this mainstay soup on its brunch/lunch menu, stuffed with mushrooms and a creamy, blended rice. There aren’t any bones or amphibians in this dish, but frog legs and snails are available as a dinner appetizer at J-Ro’s nearby downtown eatery Table. 1801 Elm St., Findlay Market/Over-the-Rhine, frenchcrust.com.
Cheapside Cafe: Tomato Soup
Although this downtown eatery has attracted the national spotlight (via People magazine) for its breakfast sandwich — which was named the best sandwich in Ohio — Cheapside’s unique take on tomato soup offers a savory and spicy combo. Served with breadcrumbs and a dollop of cream, this will definitely warm you inside and out, even if it feels like Hoth outside. 326 E. Eighth St., Downtown, cheapsidecafe.com.
Ron’s Roost: Mock Turtle Soup
Baby Yoda might be slightly sad to learn this soup is not made with turtle meat; humans, however, will be glad. As Mike Breen wrote for CityBeat in 2010, mock turtle soup is made with meat “kind of like a hot dog.” He wrote, “Mock turtle soup popped up in the mid-1700s as a cheaper alternative to green turtle soup (it was popular enough to spawn the Mock Turtle character in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland). But if the idea of eating Yertle the Turtle in soup form makes you queasy, the original mock turtle soup’s recipe isn’t much more appetizing, consisting of things like calves’ heads, brains and organs. Cincinnati has a big part in the mock turtle soup lore thanks to the Worthmore company, which started more than 90 years ago downtown… Instead of turtle meat or calf brains, Worthmore’s Mock Turtle Soup is made primarily with lean beef, hard-boiled eggs, ketchup and lemons.” If you don’t want to trek to the grocery to grab a can of Worthmore, head to Ron’s Roost on the West Side, which offers an iconic version of the non-reptilian dish. Family owned and operated since the 1960s, it’s easy to find Ron’s — just look for the giant fiberglass rooster on the roof. 3853 Race Road, Bridgetown, ronsroost.net.
This article appears in Jan 8-21, 2020.
