At noon on a humid Monday in Koreatown, tables at BCD Tofu House filled with customers ordering steaming bowls of soondubu jjigae. Staff said lunchtime demand for spicy soup rarely drops, even as the city faces temperatures in the high 80s.
Several Midtown ramen shops reported steady evening business over the weekend. At Ichiran on West 31st Street, a line formed outside Friday night. The manager noted that orders for hot tonkotsu broth remained unchanged from colder months.
Some restaurant owners pointed to longstanding dining habits in other hot climates. "In Vietnam, people eat pho year-round," said Linh Tran, who runs a small shop in Chinatown. Tran said her regulars keep coming for beef noodle soup, regardless of weather.
Customers interviewed cited a sense of comfort and the belief that sweating over a hot meal can help the body adjust. Others said air conditioning inside made eating soup more appealing.
Despite the heat, soup remains a fixture on many summer menus. Chefs see little reason to alter offerings, even as lighter fare appears elsewhere in the city.