Tortilla soup embodies the joyful spirit of Mexican cookery. It’s a symphonic overlay of bold flavors, colors and textures — a drama of clashing harmonies and foils. Think of it as Beethoven performed in a UFC-style octagon with a brass blast standing in for the roundhouse kick.
In its traditional guise, tortilla soup is prepared with a base of tomato, chili peppers, onion, garlic and chicken broth. It’s then garnished with fried tortilla strips, avocado slices, crumbled cheese and, sometimes, lime — salty, spicy, tart, crisp, gooey. Yum.
Yet the origins of this soup are mysterious, as are all great culinary innovations, with variations and styles reflecting different regions. You’ll discover renditions with a clear chicken broth base or a darker tomato stock.
It’s been known as “sopa Azteca,” or soup of the Aztecs, the civilization with a penchant for human sacrifice that flourished in central Mexico roughly from 1300 to 1500. However, some accounts credit the origins of this soup to the state of Tlaxcala near Mexico City, and the soup is immensely popular in the capital enclave.
But at its core, tortilla soup personifies the soul of the traditional Mexican culinary craft, blending both indigenous and Spanish influences. Chilis and corn — the latter the primary ingredient in tortillas — were staples in Aztec cookery, while chicken and cheese were introduced by the Spanish. These influences fueled the evolution of the soup we know and love today.
We explored the inner and outer reaches of Collin County to unearth the best of this traditional soup and its unrealized potential as a fall and winter palliative.
Anasofia’s Mexican Grill
1328 W. McDermott Drive, Suite 260, Allen
Anasofia’s Mexican Grill greets its guests with a crisp, modernish atmosphere, with white tablecloths on the tables and an arching brick backbar to shovel in some warmth. The walls feature splashes of bright color and contemporary art — great atmospherics for plunging a spoon into a bowl of simmering tortilla exuberance. It’s packed with strips of tortilla that crawl over the edge of the bowl — a leggy spider struggling to escape. These crisp ribbons share space with gooey cheese, tomato and onion, with flurries of cilantro filling in the gaps. It’s all floating in a broth with a breadth of richness that goes down with easy comfort.
CasaMia Mexican Restaurant & Bar
10935 Rolater Road, Suite 180, Frisco
This is a cozy, homey sort of strip mall locale with splashes of rich red, black ceilings with exposed ductwork, banquettes with cloth backs and red seating surfaces, and awning-topped windows jutting out of the walls. But it delivers a hearty tortilla pot-au-feu with a gigantic wedge of avocado floating in a rich, smooth broth amid tortilla confetti and cilantro flurries. It’s a diamond in the tortilla-potage rough.
El Pueblito Mexican Cocina
901 W. Spring Creek Parkway, Suite 120, Plano
This family-owned strip mall point of disembarkation has been churning out old-school Tex-Mex since 1996 — the last time the Cowboys scored a Super Bowl ring, with some guy named Switzer leading the charge. But let’s skip the melancholic memories. Tortilla soup is steaming joy. El Pueblito is a festive place crammed with tables and stately rustic wooden chairs that have “El Pueblito” carved into their backs. It features a colorful mural showcasing Latin luminaries, such as Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. The tortilla soup is topped with tortilla triangles that blanket shredded chicken, melted cheese, jalapeno, onion and flecks of cilantro that converge deftly in a lightly soothing broth. Worth the trip.
At its core, tortilla soup personifies the soul of the traditional Mexican culinary craft, blending both indigenous and Spanish influences.
La Hacienda Ranch
Preston Road, Dallas & Frisco
La Hacienda Ranch is a tabernacle of kitsch. Design elements include roughly hewn logs and wood panels, trophy animal heads and a stuffed bear standing upright with a wooden sign chained around its neck that says “Please Don’t Touch Me. I Bite!” But would this heavy, hairy mammal object to having its gaping maw touched by a La Hacienda Ranch frozen mango margarita? We’ll go out on a limb, so to speak, and say: doubtful. So maybe it’s no surprise that La Hacienda brings performance art to the tortilla soup genre. It’s delivered on a cart with a bowl brimming with tortilla soup fodder: wedges of avocado, carrot, celery, shreds of chicken, tomato and the requisite strips of tortilla. That cart also transports a saucepan filled with steaming broth that is ceremoniously poured into the bowl. There’s a lime wedge planted on the edge of the bowl for squeezing. Do it. The soup is tranquillizingly rich with a salty bite. But it hits the spot exposed by the tickled-pink hand-shaken ’rita.
Lita’s La Mexicana
7224 Independence Parkway, Plano
This destination is pleasingly spartan, with modern cloth-topped table settings, splashes of muted color emerging from the banquettes and strategically placed art pieces on the walls. You’re immediately served a bowl of chips and a platter lined with a trio of dips: salsa, black bean and tomatillo salsa verde. These dips perform well as palate sparkers. This is good because the tortilla soup is rich with strips of tortilla welded together with cheese, ribbons of moist chicken breast, and bits of tomato, onion and pepper. Lita’s has a special happy hour, too, with concessionary prices all day, Sunday through Thursday, to cool your tongue after every spoonful.
Meso Maya Comida y Copas
4800 W. Park Blvd., Plano
With an upscale casual vibe and a curvaceous bar, Meso Maya proffers a Yucatan-style tortilla soup with a light chicken-broth base. It’s a masterful mashup of carrot, onion, chayote squash, celery and corn, topped with flecks of cilantro, avocado, and tortilla strips knotted into an abstract art installation with Chihuahua cheese. It’s devilishly rich and satiating, perfect after a crisp blast of cool North Texas seasonal air not discharged from an air conditioner. Squeeze in generous dribbles of lime to stimulate the palate for a refreshing foil to this soup’s unfolding richness.
Mi Dia From Scratch
3310 Dallas Parkway, Suite 105, Plano
Who knew this temple to tequila would ladle up great tortilla stock? This bowl of liquid comfort is laced with strips of chicken, onion, celery and specks of cilantro. It’s topped with a wedge of avocado crowned in a weaving bead of crema. Strips of blue corn tortilla entwined with bands of melted cheese undergird this ensemble. The broth has the pronounced flavor of caramelized onion — tortilla soup meets soupe à l’oignon — with a spice bite on the finish. Think of this as an antidote to the ice storms it is hoped we won’t get — unless they are laced with blue agave.
Rick’s Chophouse
107 N. Kentucky St., McKinney
The bar at Rick’s Chophouse is the perfect launchpad for nutrition of any sort. It’s handsome, with a used-brick backbar drenched in subtle lighting that sets the bottled spirits glowing. It’s comfortable. The bartenders are first-round draft picks. That’s why we started our visit with a healthy serving of fresh fruits and vegetables, namely the cucumber crush. The crush is a lusty pink martini constructed from citrus-infused vodka, muddled cucumber, strawberry and simple syrup in floating granules of ice. A velvety folded strip of cucumber on a cocktail pick serves as a garnish. It’s the ultimate amuse-bouche for Rick’s thick and rich Rosa’s tortilla soup. This bowl of zest chases winter chills like a pit bull in pursuit of an armadillo. The robust tomato-based broth floats avocado, onion, tortilla strips, tomato and cilantro. Squeeze in a bit of lime to amp up the flavor profile. Rosa’s with a side of crush is the perfect soup-and-salad combo.
This story originally appeared in the Jan./Feb. 2025 issue of Local Profile. To subscribe, click here.
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