Where to get Long Island's best soup

Soup isn't just a good way to warm up: It's an occasion for culinary artistry, and these are local masterpieces.

Avli

461 Hempstead Tpke, West Hempstead

Avgolemono, a heavenly Greek amalgamation of lemon and tempered eggs, is here augmented by a hearty amount of breast meat and contributions of carrots and orzo suspended in a thick and creamy velouté. (Other location at 2449 Jerusalem Ave., North Bellmore). More info: 516-564-7575, avligreek.com

NY Soup Exchange

945 Franklin Ave., Garden City

Ken Kaplan’s Galveston gumbo is as hearty as it gets. Expect bountiful portions of pork sausage and chicken to lose themselves in Cajun splendor and heat, assisted mightily by a buttery roux studded with onions and okra. You’ll find no better cure for the winter blues. Or blocked sinuses, for that matter. More info: 516-742-7687, nysoupexchange.com

Luso

133 W. Main St., Smithtown

Caldo verde, a Portuguese soup, is the very definition of rib-sticking, particularly at this churrasqueira, where the verde-ness comes not from kale but mellower collard greens, which join forces with an exceptionally creamy potato base, kicky vinegar, and a few thin slices of smoky chouriço scattered here and there. More info: 631-406-6820, lusorodizio.com

Little Mexico

3253 Horseblock Rd., Medford

At this supersized Mexican restaurant in Medford (a younger-but-bigger sibling to the original Little Mexico in Middle Island), warm up with a bowl of pozole, the hearty soup made from a chili-rich broth, big hunks of pork and the eponymous pozole (hominy), kernels of corn that have been plumped and tenderized by a soak in a mild lye solution. More info: 631-730-8199

Pine Aire Fish & Deli

140 Pine Aire Dr., Bay Shore

At Pine Aire Fish & Deli, a Salvadoran seafood restaurant adjacent to a fish market, the two-meal-sized sopa de pescado comes with shrimp, a few clams and a whole red snapper in a heady brew, fragrant with cilantro. More info: 631-231-1655, pineairedeli.com

Saigon Casa

4747 Nesconset Hwy., Port Jefferson Station

In addition to a fine, fragrant pho, Saigon Casa makes the great noodle soup from the north Vietnamese city of Hue, bun bo Hue. It starts with pho broth that is fortified with chili paste, fermented shrimp paste and various bits and bobs of meat. The noodles for bun bo Hue are, as in pho, made with rice, but they are much thicker — almost as thick as Japanese udon — which suits the soup’s robust character. More info: 631-509-1000

Bigelow’s

79 N. Long Beach Rd., Rockville Centre

While fried clams take center stage at this South Shore stalwart, in-the-know customers commence with clam chowder. The white is all creamy New England luxuriance while the red is that rare bird, a Manhattan clam chowder that doesn't taste like minestrone with a few clams thrown in. Don't care for clams? The suave seafood bisque features crab, shrimp and scallops. More info: 516-678-3878, bigelows-rvc.com

Yamaguchi

49 Main St., Port Washington

Among the classics at this long-standing Japanese restaurant is nabeyaki udon, thick wheat noodles in a crystal-clear broth along with chunks of chicken, shrimp tempura, sliced fish cakes, scallions and shiitake mushrooms. Thanks to its cast-iron pot, the soup stays hot for as long as it takes you to finish it. More info: 516-883-3500, restaurantyamaguchi.com

Dun Huang

8 Cold Spring Rd., Syosset

This restaurant specializes in the hand-pulled wheat noodles of the Gansu province in Northwest China. The signature dish here is Lanzhou beef noodles, named for the province’s capital, which features noodles in a beef broth slicked with a layer of chili oil, along with slices of beef tendon and radish. Noodles are also available extra-thin, wide and extra wide. More info: 516-921-7060

Compiled by Erica Marcus and Scott Vogel