There is a new pop up in Portland serving soup through the winter. Lucky Soup is a cart in the patio next door to Guero on NE 28th Ave. For the last 3 years Guero has been hosting wonderful summer pop ups in their patio space with the likes of Paradise Hamburguesas and Farag’s. This is the first year that they have done something over the wintertime, and it is delightful! Lucky Soup is serving really high quality, inventive, delicious and nourishing soups. I have gone three times now. They generally have 3-4 different soups that rotate, along with a menu of sipping broths and a few sides. Know that they might have different soups from the ones you see here depending on when you go. They are open M-F 12-7.

Pictured above is from my first visit. The “Lucky Caldo” with creamy potato parmesan broth, smoked chorizo, kale, heirloom ayocote beans and lemon oil. First off, delicious. This might be my favorite of the three, if I had to choose. Both familiar (potato, sausage) and unique (heirloom beans, lemon oil) it felt both comforting and nourishing, while also being very crave-able. The bread that they use is from local favorite Tabor Bread. A red wheat, is is hearty and delicious and pairs perfectly with the soups. They grill it, brush it with oil, and serve it with Rodolphe Meunier butter. It’s all the small details that really shine. Like that butter! So delicious.

Next up is from my second visit, when they were doing bread bowls for the first time (not sure if that was a one-off or not) using the same bread from Tabor Bread in a custom, hollowed-out boule. I got the Calliope soup, silky egg yolk + chicken bone broth, lemon, toasted orzo, chicken, dill, and olive oil. Maybe not the best soup choice for the bread bowl, the previous one or the lentil soup would have made a more logical choice, but it was still delicious and I had wanted to try this chicken soup. The soup was good, subtle with pronounced lemon, olive oil and egg flavors. The chicken and orzo were a good pairing. Below is a picture of the soup broth in its container, so you get a sense of the coloring.

My third and most recent from two weeks ago is shown above. Nine Lives Herbal Soup with “Restore” broth, roasted mushrooms, soba noodles, ginger, garlic, greens, green chile, lime, and a miso butter float. This was so unique, tasty, tangy, nourishing and insanely healthy! One of those foods that immediately makes you feel better after eating it. Soba noodles aren’t my favorite, but they worked well here, and the broth was complex and delicious, with a hearty dose of ginger and garlic. Again, all really high quality ingredients that merged harmoniously in a unique and flavorful way. Got the bread of course (a must!) and this time I also tried their other side, a baked Murasaki sweet potato with honey miso ginger butter. This thing was a real show-stopper, a game-changer. A fairly simple item, but one of the single most delicious things I’ve ever eaten, and again, a fresh take on a baked (sweet) potato. The honey miso ginger butter really made it sing.

I highly recommend a visit to Lucky Soup, whether you live in town or are passing through in the next 3 months or so. Come June this spot will turn back to Farag’s, equally as an amazing of a spot, with much different vibes. Think summer and mezcal. Eat more soup! Happy eating.