Emily In France Exclusive 🇫🇷 6 Excellent French Onion Soups for Winter

From the desk of an expat.

In these cold and dreary days that characterize a Parisian winter, I find myself seeking out comfort food classics: rich beef bourguignon, hearty cassoulet, and, of course, that perennial Parisian classic… French onion soup.

As with many things purporting to be French in the English language from fries to kisses, French onion soup is not thusly named in the langue de Molière. Here, we call it either soupe à l’oignon gratinée or gratinée des Halles, both of which bring the cheesy gratinée topping into full focus, and the latter of which offers a hint as to the soup’s Parisian origins.

For centuries, central Paris was home to a teeming market known as Les Halles, a place described by Emile Zola as being the “belly of Paris.” It was here that Parisian restaurateurs and food purveyors sourced most of their wares until 1969, and it was here, legend has it, that French soupe à l’oignon got its golden, cheesy crown.

As I reported for Vice, onion soup is pervasive throughout France, where it’s above all seen as a means of warding off a hangover. (It's no surprise that if you attend a French wedding, someone may offer you a post-cake bowlful at around 4am.) It wasn't until the 19th century that someone got the clever idea of making the soup even richer by adding a hearty helping of grated cheese and melting it under the salamander, a development most attribute to the 24-hour restaurants that once surrounded Les Halles. Beloved by both bourgeois revelers seeking something to soak up all that absinthe and quinquina before hitting the hay and les forts des Halles, the “strong men” who needed something fortifying to give them the energy to unload their wares, these restaurants became famous for their soupe à l’oignon gratinée, whence the demonym.

While French onion soup is one of the rare truly Parisian dishes, alongside croque monsieur or ham-and-butter sandwiches, these days, most iterations of the classic are rather disappointing, with broths that are either overly salty or far too thin, with a paltry dose of onions that have visibly not been coaxed to caramelized perfection. I've had soups that were more bread than broth; I’ve bemoaned gratins that are either greasy or barely melted.

But as somewhat of a connoisseuse of the genre, I’ve got a few favorites. Here are my must-try French onion soups in Paris.

The Old Faithful

While Les Halles as a market is no more, the neighborhood is still hopping – and it’s actually become an epicenter for all things pastry, as anyone on my Paris’ Pastry Paradise tour well knows. Still kicking are the 24-hour restaurants that long dotted the area, including the gorgeous brasserie Au Pied de Cochon, which claims to be the inventor of the original gratinée des Halles.

The soup is still on the menu today, made according to a time-tested recipe. The onions here are seasoned with pepper only, to keep the soup from growing too salty, and only day-old bread is used, which keeps the croutons on top from transforming into soggy sponges. The cheese topping is generous, encompassing about a third of the volume of the bowl.

This soup does tick a few boxes: The broth is excellent, and the storied dining room is an inimitable setting. It may not be my favorite in Paris, but it’s worth it if you want a tasty soup served with a heaping helping of history.

Au Pied de Cochon – 6, rue Coquillère, 75001

escargot_montorgueil

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The New Classic

The first time I tried a French onion soup with puff pastry instead of the more typical blanket of cheese was at the sadly-shuttered Bichettes, which I visited with Milk Street to film their episode on new bistro classics. While at first I worried I’d miss the signature cheese pull, I was wooed by the lighter chicken broth base and the crispy topping that eradicated the pervasive problem of sogginess.

Luckily, despite Bichette’s closure, there’s another spot serving this play on the soup, and it’s also just steps from Les Halles. L’Escargot Montorgueil has been famous for its eponymous snails since opening in 1832, but it’s also long served a delicious French onion soup. In addition to the golden puff pastry topping, each diner receives a ramekin of grated cheese to sprinkle into the hot soup, where it melts immediately, ensuring you get the best of all worlds.

L’Escargot Montorgueil – 38, rue Montorgueil, 75001

The Perfect Classic French Onion Soup

While these historic addresses certainly serve up a tasty soupe, they're not my favorites in the city.

To find out which is – and to discover my other three faves, including a few that deviate a bit from tradition and a vegetarian option – consider subscribing to my paid newsletter!