• There are usually three ever-changing, lovingly crafted soup options at One on One (117 Washington Av. N., Mpls., 612-371-9565, www.oneononebike.com), the welcoming bike shop/casual cafe in Minneapolis' Warehouse District.

• Vegans have a refuge in the Hard Times Cafe (1821 Riverside Av., Mpls., 612-341-9261), where the open-almost-24/7 kitchen prepares two different meat- and dairy-free options daily.

• Pho purists make no-nonsense Pho Ca-Dao (439 W. University Av., St. Paul, 651-222-4615) a regularly scheduled stop, because variations on the traditional Vietnamese soup are the kitchen's sole pursuit.

• There are always two enticing soups (and a winning vegan chili) on the stove at Lucias to Go (1432 W. 31st St., Mpls., 612-825-9800, www.lucias.com), culled from an exhaustive recipe library.

• The soupmakers at Surdyk's (303 E. Hennepin Av., Mpls., 612-379-3232, www.surdyks.com) prepare two different daily soups, culled from a vast, globally inspired repertoire. Remove uncertainty and check out the shop's website, which posts a month's worth of scheduled soups.

• Discover four daily soups at vegetarian-, vegan- and gluten-free-friendly Common Roots Cafe (2558 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls., 612-871-2360, www.commonrootscafe.com), at least until the weather turns warm and that figure shrinks to one. "Although we have a number of months until that happens," said owner Danny Schwartzman with a laugh. Updates are posted on Twitter daily, @commonrootssoup.

• There are always three soups at the roomy new Butter Bakery Cafe (3700 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls., 612-521-7401, www.butterbakerycafe). Two are an ever-revolving selection (one meat-based, the other vegetarian) and the third is the kitchen's hearty vegan black bean chili. Don't forget to order a grilled biscuit.

• In the heat-and-eat department, the freezer at Kitchen in the Market in the Midtown Global Market (920 E. Lake St., Mpls., 612-568-5486, www.kitcheninthemarket.com) is a reliable grab-and-go source.

• And Lenny Russo & Co. are always putting up quarts of something fantastic, seasonal and hyper-local, soup-wise — vegan tomato, chicken-wild rice in a smoked goose stock — in the freezer at Heartland Restaurant & Farm Direct Market (289 E. 5th St., St. Paul, 651-699-3536, www.heartlandrestaurant.com).

RICK NELSON