5 Chain Restaurants Where You Can Order A Bowl Of French Onion Soup

There are plenty of tips for making the absolute best French onion soup if you love the idea of perfecting a home-cooked version of this classic. With a fair amount of time, effort, and patience, you, too, can certainly pull off anything from an easy French onion soup recipe to one that's a bit more complicated. In truth, though, many chefs will agree that French onion soup tastes better at a restaurant than at home. When you'd rather not spend all that time over a hot stove, you can rest assured that there are a number of perfectly viable options across a variety of popular chain restaurants where you can get your French onion soup fix in a more convenient setting.

Whether your taste in restaurants leans more casual or you'd prefer to treat yourself to an elevated sit-down dining experience, there's a French onion soup out there to suit your desires. With chains continuing to take over the restaurant industry, you'll have your pick of several French onion soups, each of which has its own merit and specific style. Here are five of the best spots to enjoy a bowl of comfort and savory goodness.

The Bistro French Onion Soup takes the number one spot on Tasting Table's list of the best Panera menu items and stands out in second place among rankings of Panera Bread's soups and macs. This is certainly no coincidence, as this soup is a widespread favorite. According to Panera Bread's website, its Bistro French Onion Soup is made with "sweet caramelized onions in a savory broth with a sherry wine vinegar gastrique, sea salt, topped with cheese and black pepper and sea salt croutons." 

Hitting all of the essential points in a classic French onion soup recipe, this is a bowl of savory delight in every slurp. Among the many choices for sit-down restaurants, Panera tends more toward the casual side. A quick spot for meals, your soup might not necessarily look as pretty as advertised, but you'll definitely get a rich and tasty dish of Bistro French Onion Soup. In fact, you can also get many of Panera's iconic pantry staple-inspired soups in your grocery store for even more convenience.

Swinging the pendulum to the opposite end from casual over to fine dining is Morton's The Steakhouse. Of the many different steakhouse chain restaurants in the U.S., Morton's ranks highly on Tasting Table's list for having a great selection of food — it's also on our list of chain restaurants that use high-quality steaks. It might seem like a tall order to head to a steakhouse for a simple bowl of soup, but at Morton's, it's no ordinary soup and definitely deserves the special trip. 

In a post on the Morton's Instagram page, the restaurant states that its Baked French Onion Soup Gratinée "is just the thing to warm you from the inside out." According to a copycat recipe taken straight from "Morton's The Cookbook: 100 Steakhouse Recipes for Every Kitchen" (available on Amazon), it's actually fairly simple to make the robust recipe containing no less than five different types of onion, including shallots, Spanish onions, and leeks. For those special evenings where you'd like to indulge in a full fine dining experience, it's definitely worth heading to Morton's and getting yourself a hearty bowl of French onion soup.

While limited to a smattering of locations around the U.S., Mimi's Cafe boasts a basic and straightforward French onion soup that's sure to satisfy. Per Mimi's website, its recipe includes "a savory broth with onions topped with Swiss and parmesan cheese and a crostini." Similar to making a three-cheese substitute for Gruyère on French onion soup, it appears that Mimi's Cafe has taken some liberties with a classic French Onion soup composition by including a mix of Swiss and parmesan as a topping, adding a layer of earthy complexity to the overall soup flavor.

If you're in a town near a Mimi's Cafe, it's definitely worth checking out this bistro-inspired restaurant and all of the wonderful bakery and other menu items therein. When you want a no-frills but nonetheless delicious French onion soup, this is definitely one to try. Often the beauty of many dishes lies in their simplicity and this bowl of soup from Mimi's is no exception.

One of the many underrated Outback Steakhouse menu items you should try, the French onion soup at this chain restaurant is both a surprise and delight. For one thing, if there was ever a dining establishment that really knows its onions, you can be sure it's Outback, as the restaurant is largely famous for its Bloomin' Onion appetizer. The French onion soup from Outback is made using Holland Rusk toast and a blend of cheese thought to be Colby-Jack by those who have attempted copycat recipes.

If you want a French onion soup that is convenient while also thoughtfully prepared, then Outback's offering is an excellent choice. The composition of the recipe is simple and effective, using a blend of cheeses and a unique choice of bread to accentuate the onion as the star of the soup. This also makes it a great accompaniment to any steak entrées you might be tempted to order alongside your soup — though, of course, you can also enjoy it on its own.

Finishing off this French onion soup roundup is another steakhouse that leans toward the fine dining experience. Ranked by Tasting Table as the absolute best steakhouse chain to dine at, The Capital Grille definitely has it all, including excellent soups. The restaurant's Caramelized French Onion Soup is described on Capital Grille's website as "sweet onions under a blanket of perfectly melted cheeses," and one wonders what could be better than that? Searching for copycat recipes, it appears the soup is made with beef broth, a French baguette, and either Swiss or Gruyère cheese.

Although using a mix of beef broth, chicken broth, and water is typically the blend to give French onion soup the best possible flavor, clearly The Capital Grille is doing something very right with its pared-down recipe. Among a bevy of elevated dishes, Capital Grille's standout French onion soup is presented in a double-handled mini tureen, giving it an especially classy look with a taste that is hard to beat. Additionally, you have your portion choice of either a cup or a crock of soup, meaning this dish can be the gift that keeps on giving in the form of leftovers, too.