228 editor-picked soul food restaurants across 44 cities.
Soul food is the cooking of Black Americans, descended from West African agricultural and culinary traditions carried through the trans-Atlantic slave trade, transformed by the foodways of the antebellum South (where enslaved people often cooked for plantation households with the cuts of meat and vegetables they were given access to), and codified by the Great Migration of the 20th century that carried six million Black Americans from the South to the cities of the North and West. The term 'soul food' itself was popularized in the 1960s as part of the Black Power movement's cultural assertion, and it identifies a specific cooking tradition: the Black Southern kitchen.
The defining grammar is collard greens slow-cooked with smoked pork (turkey neck, ham hock, smoked turkey wings in modern kitchens), fried chicken with a buttermilk soak and seasoned-flour dredge, cornbread (Southern style: skillet-baked, less sweet than the Northern version), mac and cheese baked in a casserole with multiple cheeses, candied yams (actually sweet potatoes, glazed with brown sugar and butter), black-eyed peas with smoked pork or turkey, okra and tomatoes, fried catfish, smothered pork chops, oxtails, neckbones, chitterlings (hog intestines, slow-cooked), and a parade of pies (sweet potato, pecan, peach cobbler) and cakes (red velvet, pound, caramel) for dessert.
Soul food is distinct from Southern food broadly (which includes white-Southern cooking and overlaps with soul food) and from Lowcountry, Cajun, and Creole traditions. The institutions are Sunday dinner after church, the family reunion, the funeral repast, and the soul food restaurant: cafeteria-line counters in Atlanta, Memphis, Detroit, and Harlem; sit-down places like Sylvia's in Harlem and Dooky Chase in New Orleans; and the home kitchens where the tradition is most fully alive.
The originating geography. Collards, fried chicken, cornbread, sweet tea, fried catfish, biscuits and gravy. Atlanta is the modern soul-food capital, with Mary Mac's, Paschal's, and Busy Bee anchoring the institution-grade restaurants.
The Great Migration carried the cuisine to Harlem (Sylvia's, Amy Ruth's, Melba's), Detroit (Beans & Cornbread, Steve's Soul Food), Chicago (Pearl's Place, Soul Veg), Washington DC (Florida Avenue Grill), and South Central LA. Each city's soul food scene has its own twist; LA leans vegan-friendly, Detroit leans heavier on Coney-Island-style chili.
Distinct overlap with Southern soul food, but with stronger BBQ influence and East Texas catfish. Houston and Dallas have serious Black-Southern restaurants that mix soul food with Texas BBQ.
From the 1970s onward, a Black vegetarian and vegan movement (often connected to Rastafarian, Nation of Islam, or health-reform communities) has built its own soul food: vegan mac and cheese, jackfruit pulled barbecue, smoked-paprika collards. Souley Vegan in Oakland and Slutty Vegan in Atlanta are the modern leading lights.
A soul-food cafeteria works the line: pick a meat (fried chicken, smothered pork chop, oxtails, fried catfish, meatloaf, baked chicken), then two or three sides (collards, mac and cheese, yams, black-eyed peas, cabbage, sweet potatoes, corn), with cornbread on the tray. Sweet tea is the default drink. At a sit-down soul-food restaurant, the menu is the same but presented as a plated meal. Many places offer a Sunday brunch with fried chicken and waffles, grits, and biscuits.
The rookie mistakes: under-ordering sides (sides are the meal, not a supplement to the meat), declining cornbread (it is the bread for the meal), missing the hot sauce on the table (Texas Pete, Crystal, or Frank's, used on greens and catfish), tipping less than 20 percent at a family-owned soul restaurant (cash tip preferred), and ordering a single piece of fried chicken (the dark meat and the white meat plus a wing is the standard portion). Sundays after church are the busiest day of the week.
Sweet tea, brewed strong and sweetened heavily while hot, is the universal table drink. Lemonade in summer. Red Kool-Aid at a family meal. Coffee with dessert. Wine is unusual at the soul-food table; the more typical alcohol is a beer with dinner or a bourbon after. Soul food restaurants are often dry (especially in the South, where many remain on streets without liquor licenses). With sweet potato pie or peach cobbler, vanilla ice cream is the universal closer.
Atlanta is the modern soul-food capital, with Mary Mac's Tea Room (since 1945), Paschal's (since 1947), and Busy Bee Cafe (since 1947) as the institution-grade restaurants. Harlem for Sylvia's (since 1962), Amy Ruth's, and Melba's. Detroit for Beans & Cornbread. Chicago for Pearl's Place and Lem's BBQ adjacent tradition. Washington DC for Florida Avenue Grill (since 1944). New Orleans for Dooky Chase (the late Leah Chase's restaurant). LA for Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles. The cuisine has had limited international export.
Soul food descends from the cooking of enslaved Black Americans on Southern plantations from the 17th century onward, drawing on West African agricultural traditions (rice, okra, black-eyed peas, leafy greens, peanut, watermelon), the Native American crops (corn, sweet potato, squash) of the region, and the cuts of meat and produce that the plantation system left to enslaved kitchens. The Great Migration of 1910 to 1970 carried the cuisine to Northern cities, where the term 'soul food' was coined in the 1960s as part of the Black cultural-pride movement. The cuisine has shaped American food broadly: fried chicken, mac and cheese, sweet potato pie, and barbecue all have Black-Southern lineage.
Soul food is specifically Black Southern cooking, the tradition that emerged from enslaved Black communities and was codified in the 20th century. Southern food is the broader umbrella that includes both Black and white Southern cooking. The cuisines overlap heavily (fried chicken, biscuits, cornbread, sweet potato pie are shared), but soul food has its own institutions, restaurants, and cultural identity.
No. Cajun is southwest Louisiana Acadian cooking (gumbo, jambalaya, etouffee, boudin). Creole is New Orleans Afro-French-Spanish-Caribbean cuisine. Soul food is the broader Black Southern tradition; the Louisiana traditions are regional offshoots with their own ingredients (file powder, andouille, crawfish) and techniques.
Historical naming. African enslaved people in the American South used the word 'yam' (from the West African word for yam, nyami) to refer to the New World sweet potato that they cooked in similar ways to the true African yam. Botanically they are different plants, but the name stuck in the Black Southern lexicon.
Ashleigh Shanti's Good Hot Fish at Burial's South Slope runs a $14 fried catfish basket as standard. Hush puppies, slaw dog and Carolina mustard included.
Try: Fried catfish basket
Tip: Order at the counter upstairs. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Beer downstairs at Burial.
Sunny Point Café on Haywood Road in West Asheville opened in 2003 as a family-owned breakfast and lunch room with an on-site production garden.
Signature: Huevos rancheros, Buttermilk biscuits, Shrimp and grits
Order: The huevos rancheros, or the buttermilk biscuit and sausage gravy plate.
Tip: Daily 08:30-14:00. Walk-in only; weekends wait 60-90 minutes after 10:00. The patio takes the queue first.
Jason and Carolyn Roy's Biscuit Head opened the West Asheville flagship on Haywood Road in 2013. Cathead biscuits with a jam-bar of house preserves, hot.
Signature: Cathead biscuit, Mimosa biscuit french toast, Fried green tomatoes
Order: The Mimosa Fried Chicken biscuit (sweet potato butter, sriracha slaw, poached egg).
Tip: Walk-in counter service. Open Mon-Fri 08:00-14:00; weekend lines spill out the door from 09:30.
Paschal's in Atlanta has served soul food since 1947, when brothers Robert and James Paschal opened on Hunter Street. Located in Downtown. Priced at $$.
Signature: Fried chicken, Collard greens, Peach cobbler
Order: Fried chicken plate with collard greens, mac and cheese, candied yams.
Tip: The current Castleberry Hill location since 2002 expanded with a banquet space; the original Hunter Street site is preserved at Clark Atlanta.
Busy Bee Cafe in Atlanta opened 1947 on MLK Drive and won the James Beard America's Classics Award in 2022 for its decades of soul food service near the AUC.
Signature: Fried chicken, Oxtails, Collard greens
Order: Fried chicken with two sides; the oxtails on lunch special when available.
Tip: Cash and card. Lunch and early dinner only Tuesday to Sunday; line forms before noon weekends.
Chef Steven Satterfield's modern Southern room in Atlanta's West Midtown opened 2009 and won a James Beard Best Chef Southeast in 2017 for produce-driven.
Signature: Farm egg with grits, Sea island red peas
Order: The farm egg with grits and roasted vegetables; the menu shifts weekly.
Tip: Lunch is the quieter seat. Resy reservations open 30 days out; the bar takes walk-ins.
Olamaie in Austin is Michael Fojtasek's Michelin-starred Southern dining room in a converted house near downtown, named for three generations of women.
Signature: Buttermilk biscuits, Skillet cornbread, Boiled peanuts
Order: The off-menu biscuits with whipped honey butter, requested as soon as you sit down.
Tip: The four-course prix fixe is built with chef de cuisine Amanda Turner; vegetarian path is available on request.
Olamaie in Austin is Michael Fojtasek's Michelin-starred Southern dining room in a converted house near downtown, with a four-course prix fixe of modern.
Order: The off-menu buttermilk biscuits with whipped honey butter, asked for at the start of the meal.
Tip: The four-course tasting accommodates a full vegetarian path on request; ask at booking.
Niki's West on Finley Avenue West Birmingham has run the canonical meat-and-three since 1957, with a cafeteria steam table by the Alabama Farmers Market.
Signature: Fried catfish, Turnip greens, Cornbread
Eagle's Restaurant on 16th Street North in Smithfield is the Black-owned soul-food anchor since 1951, with Friday catfish and weekday meat-and-three plates.
Signature: Smothered pork chop, Fried catfish, Greens and cornbread
The Marble Ring on 41st Street South Avondale Birmingham stays open until 02:00 with classic cocktails and the phone-booth entry, a late-night anchor.
Try: Classic cocktails
Sean Brock's Husk in Charleston opened on Queen Street in 2010 and rebuilt Southern fine dining around heritage Anson Mills grains, Sea Island peas.
Signature: Cornbread in a cast-iron skillet, Wood-grilled local fish
Order: The skillet cornbread with bacon-fat butter, plus whatever the wood grill is running tonight.
Tip: Book on huskcharleston.com. The bar serves the full menu walk-up from 17:00 onward, no reservations needed.
Husk in Charleston opened in 2010 under Sean Brock and rebuilt Southern fine dining on heritage grains and hyper-local produce. Located in Downtown.
Order: The cast-iron cornbread, plus whatever the wood grill is running.
Tip: Book on the website. Bar seats walk-in at 17:00 and serve the full menu.
Bertha's Kitchen in North Charleston has run family-owned soul food cooking since 1979. Order the fried pork chops, okra soup over rice, the cornbread.
Signature: Fried pork chops, Okra soup
Order: Fried pork chops, okra soup over rice, the cornbread.
Tip: Lunch only Mon-Fri; closed weekends. Counter ordering, cash and card.
Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown's Supperland in Plaza Midwood is a Michelin-recommended Southern dining room set inside a converted 1950s church.
Signature: Sunday supper, Wood-fired sides
Order: Whatever is coming off the hearth; the kitchen builds the menu around live-fire cooking.
Tip: Beverage director Colleen Hughes won Michelin's Exceptional Cocktails Award in 2025. Order a drink from her list, then book the Sunday supper.
Greg and Subrina Collier's Leah and Louise is the Memphis juke-joint Southern kitchen that left Camp North End in 2024 for a larger home in west Charlotte.
Signature: Catfish, Hot tamale, Mississippi-Delta plates
Order: The hot tamale, the catfish plate and whatever Mississippi River Valley special is on the board.
Tip: The new west-end home opened in 2025. Check the operator's site or Resy for the current address before booking.
Greg and Subrina Collier's Leah and Louise is the Memphis juke-joint Southern kitchen that left Camp North End in 2024 for a new home in Charlotte's west end.
Signature: Hot tamale, Catfish, Mississippi Delta plates
Order: The hot tamale and the catfish plate; the Mississippi River Valley dishes that built the menu.
Tip: The west-end relocation opened in 2025. Check the operator's social channels for the current address before booking.
Big Jones in Chicago is Paul Fehribach's Andersonville Southern kitchen on Clark Street, with shrimp-and-grits and buttermilk biscuits that anchor the brunch.
Signature: Buttermilk biscuit, Shrimp and grits, Fried chicken
Order: Buttermilk biscuit with sorghum butter, plus the shrimp and grits.
Tip: Sunday brunch tables go on the books two weeks out. The bar takes walk-ups if you arrive at 11:00.
The Eagle on Vine Street in OTR runs the Thunderdome group's fried chicken and southern sides menu in a converted 1894 US Post Office building.
Signature: Fried chicken, Spoonbread
The Eagle on Vine Street in OTR runs the Thunderdome group's fried chicken and southern sides menu in a converted 1894 US Post Office building.
Signature: Fried chicken, Spoonbread
Denver Biscuit Company in Denver is Drew Shader's Southern-biscuit counter on Colfax since 2010, with house-baked buttermilk biscuits and a giant.
Signature: Cinnamon roll biscuit, Franklin sandwich, Biscuits and gravy
Order: The Franklin sandwich (fried chicken, bacon, cheddar, apple butter on a biscuit) and a cinnamon roll to share.
Tip: Walk-in only; weekend mornings hit a 60-minute wait. The Atomic Cowboy bar shares the space and pours bloody marys.
Welton Street Cafe is five points' caribbean and soul food kitchen, run by the smith family since 1986, in a neighborhood most visitors skip.
Why locals love it: Five Points' Caribbean and soul food kitchen, run by the Smith family since 1986, in a neighborhood most visitors skip.
Tip: The Tropical Banquet plate (jerk chicken, oxtail and rice) is the must-order; the kitchen runs Wednesday to Sunday.
Denver Biscuit Company in Denver is the East Colfax Southern-biscuit counter since 2010, with the $11 Franklin biscuit sandwich and cinnamon-roll biscuit.
Try: Franklin biscuit sandwich
Downtown Des Moines' Southern comfort destination pairs fried chicken, jambalaya and Southern fried catfish with an extensive brown-liquor selection.
Signature: Buttermilk fried chicken, Chicken and waffles, Shrimp and grits
Downtown Southern comfort with a broad menu spanning fried chicken, shrimp and grits, Southern fried catfish, jambalaya and an extensive whisky selection.
Signature: Buttermilk fried chicken, Chicken and waffles, Shrimp and grits, Jambalaya
All Des Moines restaurants →
Cornbread Restaurant & Bar on Northwestern Highway in Southfield serves Detroit soul food, the successor to Beans & Cornbread since 1997. Located in Ferndale.
Signature: Fried chicken, Catfish
Order: Fried chicken and waffles, the catfish dinner, and a slice of cornbread.
Tip: Closed Wednesdays. Sunday brunch with gospel runs from 11:30; book ahead.
The definitive Durham brunch: choose bird preparation, waffle style, schmear and drizzle. Sweet potato waffle with spiced honey butter is the signature.
Order: Sweet potato waffle with fried chicken and spiced honey butter
Open since 1957, Chicken Hut is weekday lunch only and sells out by noon. Eater named it the best fried chicken in America in 2022. Arrive before midday.
Why locals love it: Weekday lunch only, runs out early, cash-focused, no social media presence to speak of
Open since 1957 and Eater-named one of America's best in 2022, Chicken Hut does weekday lunch only and sells out before mid-afternoon. Arrive before noon.
Try: Southern fried chicken
Ellerbe Fine Foods on W Magnolia Ave in Fort Worth is a Southern-American restaurant in a converted 1920s filling station with a rotating seasonal menu.
Order: Farm-sourced pork chop with seasonal vegetable; scratch-made biscuit with honey butter.
Tip: The menu changes weekly based on farm sourcing; ask the server what arrived that day.
Stella's Southern Brasserie runs French-influenced Southern from a Rocky Slope Road storefront: shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes, bourbon-pecan tart.
Signature: Shrimp and grits, Fried green tomatoes, Bourbon-pecan tart
Soby's anchors the Main Street dining scene in Greenville: Carl Sobocinski's 1997 New Southern flagship in a former dry-goods store, with she-crab soup.
Signature: She-crab soup, Spicy pimento cheese, Fried green tomato Benedict
Tupelo Honey runs scratch-made Southern on the North Main corner: fried chicken biscuits, shrimp and grits, sweet potato pancakes. Asheville-born group.
Signature: Fried chicken biscuit, Shrimp and grits, Sweet potato pancakes
His Place Eatery on East 30th Street in Indianapolis runs gourmet soul food and BBQ. Chicken and waffles, ribs, scratch sides and a Sunday family room.
Signature: Chicken and waffles, Ribs
Order: Chicken and waffles, the rib platter, the mac and cheese.
Tip: Sunday is the busiest. Two locations; eastside is the original.
Maxine's Chicken & Waffles on Indiana Avenue in Indianapolis runs scratch soul food. Fried chicken over Belgian waffles and Sunday brunch institution.
Signature: Chicken and waffles, Smothered chicken
Order: Two-piece chicken with a waffle, a side of mac, a sweet tea.
Tip: Sunday brunch is the city's longest line. Weekday lunch quieter.
Elvie's holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for its Mississippi French menu: Gulf oysters, duck fat frites, and duck confit cassoulet in a marble-bar dining room.
Order: Gulf oysters and duck fat frites at the marble bar, or the redfish meuniere at dinner
Tip: Walk-in breakfast is the city's best-value Michelin meal; arrive before 09:30 for a table.
Elvie's holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for its Mississippi French menu of Gulf oysters, bouillabaisse, duck confit cassoulet, and house-baked pastries.
Order: Redfish meuniere at dinner, or oysters with duck fat frites at the marble bar
Tip: Morning pastries and coffee are a Michelin-calibre deal; Elvie's is as good at 08:30 as at 20:00.
Elvie's morning service brings Michelin Bib Gourmand quality to brunch: French omelets, house-baked pastries, pancakes, and Gulf oysters at the marble bar.
Order: French omelet with house toast, or pancakes with seasonal fruit and Gulf oysters
Tip: Saturday mornings from 09:00 are the best time for a relaxed Elvie's brunch without dinner competition.
See all 29 soul food rooms in Jackson →
Niecie's Restaurant on Troost Avenue in Kansas City has run Black-owned soul food since 1985, when Denise and Perry Ward opened their first location.
Signature: Smothered chicken, Catfish, Peach cobbler
Order: Smothered chicken with greens, mac and cheese, and peach cobbler to finish.
Tip: Daily plate specials rotate; the lunch buffet is the value. Sunday gospel brunch packs the room.
Niecie's Restaurant in Kansas City: soul food room. On Troost Avenue, Kansas City's historical Black main street. Soul food from Denise and Perry Ward.
Why locals love it: On Troost Avenue, Kansas City's historical Black main street. Soul food from Denise and Perry Ward since 1985 (current Troost address since 2009), deeply local.
Tip: Sunday gospel brunch is the event; the lunch buffet is the value.
Niecie's Restaurant on Troost Avenue in Kansas City has carried Denise Ward's Black-owned soul food since 1985 (current Troost address since 2009).
Try: Daily plate special
Tip: Lunch buffet on weekdays is the value; Sunday gospel brunch is a different price.
The Plaid Apron on Kenesaw Avenue in Sequoyah Hills, the long-running Southern brunch and dinner room in West Knoxville, works with East Tennessee farmers.
Signature: Cinnamon rolls, Smash burger, Grits
Order: A morning cinnamon roll with grits, or the smash burger at dinner.
Tip: Wednesday to Saturday for brunch and dinner; Sunday is brunch only and the kitchen closes Mondays and Tuesdays.
Sweet P's BBQ Uptown Corner on Tazewell Pike, Cookie Patton's North Knoxville barbecue and soul food counter, runs the brand's pulled pork and brisket since.
Signature: Pulled pork sandwich, Soul food sides
Order: A pulled pork sandwich with the daily soul-food sides.
Tip: Closed Mondays; weekday lunch is the easiest window before the dinner crowd.
Tupelo Honey on Market Square, the Asheville-born Southern kitchen that brought its biscuit menu to downtown Knoxville, runs all-day brunch with fried.
Signature: Fried chicken biscuit, Shoo Mercy
Order: The fried chicken biscuit with sweet tea, or the Shoo Mercy double-biscuit plate.
Tip: Weekday lunch runs faster than weekend brunch; the Farragut branch on Biddle Farms is quieter on UT football Saturdays.
Edward Lee's 610 Magnolia in Louisville runs a weekly tasting menu out of an Old Louisville Victorian, the chef's Southern-Korean flagship since 2003.
Signature: Weekly changing tasting menu, Bourbon pairings
Order: Whatever the night's tasting menu opens with, then a bourbon pairing flight from the cellar.
Tip: Book on OpenTable for parties of six or fewer. Wednesday and Thursday seats open up first.
Proof on Main in Louisville pairs chef Cody Stone's Ohio Valley plates with a deep bourbon list, set inside the 21c Museum Hotel on West Main Street.
Signature: Bison burger, Seasonal Ohio Valley plates
Order: The bison burger from the local grass-fed herd, plus a bourbon flight built by the bar team.
Tip: Walk in for the bar menu before 18:00, then dinner reservations land easier on weeknights.
J. Graham's Cafe in the Brown Hotel serves Louisville's original Hot Brown, the open-faced turkey-and-Mornay sandwich invented here in 1926.
Signature: Hot Brown, Bourbon flights
Order: The Hot Brown, served the way Fred Schmidt wrote it in 1926.
Tip: Walk-in for lunch. Book the Lobby Bar through the hotel for an evening Hot Brown and bourbon.
The Four Way is Memphis's defining Black-owned soul food room on Mississippi Boulevard since 1946. Martin Luther King Jr. ate here; the walls show the guests.
Signature: Fried chicken, Smothered turkey wings
Order: Smothered turkey wings, collard greens, mac and cheese, sweet potato pie.
Tip: Open Wednesday to Saturday for lunch only, 11:00-17:00. Cash and card both fine.
The Four Way on Mississippi Boulevard in South Memphis is the city's defining Black-owned soul food room since 1946, where MLK ate but most tourists never go.
Why locals love it: South Memphis sits off the visitor track; the room rewards those who make the drive.
Tip: Lunch only Wednesday to Saturday. Save room for sweet potato pie.
The Four Way on Mississippi Boulevard in South Memphis runs a soul food lunch plate around $15 with two sides, the Black-owned Memphis room that fed MLK.
Try: Soul food lunch plate
Order: Smothered turkey wings, collards, mac and cheese, sweet potato pie.
Tip: Lunch only Wednesday to Saturday, 11:00-17:00. Cash and card both fine; sit at a counter.
Yardbird in Miami Beach is the Lenox Avenue Southern table that put 27-hour brined fried chicken on the South Beach map and runs brunch through dinner daily.
Signature: 27-hour brined fried chicken, Chicken n watermelon n waffles, Mama's biscuits
Order: The chicken n watermelon n waffles plate; the chicken alone is the order if you only want one bird.
Tip: Book the patio if it's open. Locals brunch Saturday before the queue takes the dining room past 1pm.
Chef Hal Holden-Bache's Five Points room in East Nashville opened 2012 in a corner storefront, running wood-fired pizzas and Southern-accented neighbourhood.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, Pork chop with redeye gravy
Order: Margherita pizza from the wood oven and the pork chop.
Tip: Happy hour 16:00-17:30 runs half-price pizza and pours at the bar; James Beard Community Kitchen nominee.
Sean Brock's Rutledge Hill institution in Nashville cooks ingredient-driven Southern food on a wood hearth, run today by chef de cuisine Brian Baxter.
Signature: Cornbread skillet, Pork belly with peas
Order: The cornbread skillet, then whatever the menu lists from the wood hearth.
Tip: Lunch is a quieter seat with the same kitchen. Book the porch in spring; it overlooks downtown.
The Arnold family's Gulch meat-and-three lunch counter in Nashville won the James Beard America's Classics Award in 2009. Located in The Gulch.
Signature: Meat-and-three plate, Turnip greens
Order: Roast beef or fried catfish with three vegetables, sweet tea, banana pudding.
Tip: Cafeteria line, lunch only Monday through Friday 10:30-14:30. A North Nashville sit-down location opened in 2025.
Coquette in New Orleans is the Magazine and Washington corner restaurant from Michael Stoltzfus, a 2008 modern-Southern room with rotating tasting menus.
Signature: Tasting menu, Charcuterie board
Order: Whatever the Blind Faith tasting menu is running that week. Trust the kitchen.
Tip: Sit upstairs for the corner-window view; downstairs runs faster and louder.
Boucherie in New Orleans is Nathanial Zimet's Carrollton tasting-menu room, a former food truck turned Southern-modern five-course degustation.
Signature: Five-course tasting, Krispy Kreme bread pudding
Order: There is no choice; the five-course tasting changes with the produce. End with the Krispy Kreme bread pudding.
Tip: Bourree next door is the daiquiri and wings spinoff; sit there first for a cocktail before dinner.
Sylvia Woods's Harlem soul-food restaurant has served fried chicken, collards and yams in New York City since 1962. Kitchen leans soul food.
Signature: Smothered chicken, Cornbread
Order: Smothered chicken, candied yams, cornbread.
Tip: Sunday brunch books up two weeks in advance. Weeknight dinner is the easy seat for the same menu.
Marcus Samuelsson's Lenox Avenue Harlem room runs an Afro-Swedish-Southern hybrid menu in New York City. Priced at $$$. Kitchen leans soul food.
Signature: Yard bird fried chicken, Helga's meatballs
Order: Yard bird fried chicken with mac and greens.
Tip: Sunday brunch is the room's big draw; bookings essential. Bar walk-ins for a quick supper around 18:00.
Amy Ruth's on West 116th Street has served chicken and waffles in Harlem, New York City since 1998. Order the the reverend al sharpton: chicken and waffles.
Signature: Chicken and waffles, Smoked turkey wing
Order: The Reverend Al Sharpton: chicken and waffles.
Tip: Weekend brunch is the destination; weeknight dinner serves the same plate without the wait.
Burdell in Oakland's Temescal opens for Sunday brunch with a Southern gravy-anchored menu. The Michelin Recommended room flips to brunch service on Sundays.
Order: Sunday gravy-inspired brunch plate.
Tip: Sunday brunch service runs 11 to 2 only, then resumes for dinner. Book the 1 pm slot to roll straight into the afternoon.
Geoff Davis's soul food room in Oakland's Temescal carries Michelin Recommended status and made Food and Wine's Best Restaurants in America list.
Signature: Fried chicken, Collard greens, Dry-aged duck
Burdell is Geoff Davis's Michelin Recommended soul food room in Oakland's Temescal. Collards and fried chicken alongside contemporary Southern plates.
Blackxican Soul Food Shak is a Black-owned Oklahoma City food truck blending soul food and Mexican in dishes like collard green quesadillas and fried tacos.
Order: Collard green quesadilla; peach cobbler fried taco
Tip: Regular Friday spot at Truck Yard OKC; follow @thesoulfoodshak on Facebook for schedule updates.
All Oklahoma City restaurants →
Se7en Bites on North Primrose Drive in the Milk District is chef Trina Gregory-Propst's Southern bakery and brunch counter, with biscuits and pot pies.
Signature: Minnie pearl biscuit, Pot pie
The Ravenous Pig on West Fairbanks in Winter Park is the James and Julie Petrakis gastropub, with a seasonal Southern menu and on-site brewery.
SoCo on East Central Boulevard in Thornton Park runs a modern Southern menu with shrimp and grits, fried chicken and a covered weekend brunch patio.
Signature: Shrimp and grits, Fried chicken
Honey's Sit 'n Eat in Philadelphia is the Northern Liberties comfort-food counter at 4th and Brown since 2005, with challah French toast, latkes.
Signature: Challah French toast, Latkes
Order: Challah French toast; potato latkes with sour cream and applesauce; the brisket-and-egg plate.
Tip: No reservations. Aim for 10:00 weekday or 09:30 Saturday. Cash and cards land equally.
Lo-Lo's Chicken & Waffles on South Central is Larry White's soul-food flagship, the Phoenix room that built a small chain on fried chicken and waffles.
Signature: Chicken and waffles, Catfish, Mac and cheese
Order: The fried chicken and waffles, the plate that built the whole menu.
Tip: The Central Avenue flagship is the original; expect a wait at weekend breakfast.
Nicole and David Mouton's Southern dining room on E Burnside in Portland since 2006, the canonical Portland fried-chicken plate and a published hushpuppy.
Signature: Buttermilk fried chicken and sweet potato waffles, Praline bacon and biscuits
Order: Buttermilk fried chicken on a sweet potato waffle with hot honey
Tip: Brunch 08:30-14:00, dinner 16:30-21:00 daily. Reservations for the dining room; bar takes walk-ins.
Over 400 whiskeys spanning bourbon, rye, Scotch, Irish, and Japanese paired with a Southern kitchen that sources locally. NC trout is a benchmark.
Signature: NC rainbow trout, Smoked catfish dip, Buttermilk biscuits
Over 400 whiskeys spanning bourbon, rye, Scotch, Irish, and Japanese paired with a Southern kitchen sourcing locally. NC trout is among the best in the city.
Signature: NC rainbow trout, Smoked catfish dip, Buttermilk biscuits
L'Opossum in Oregon Hill is David Shannon's quirky French-Southern fine-dining room. James Beard Best Chef Mid-Atlantic semifinalist (2016) and Southern.
Lemaire inside the Jefferson Hotel is named for Etienne Lemaire, Thomas Jefferson's maitre d'. Chef Patrick Willis since 2009; grande dame of RVA.
Signature: Virginia ham, She-crab soup, Tasting menu
Velma Johnson's soul food kitchen on 1st Street in Jackson Ward, opened 2009 by her son. Sunday-dinner Southern cooking in the Harlem of the South.
Signature: Fried catfish, Collard greens, Mac and cheese
Rick Mahan's Northern Italian and Southern French Capitol Avenue room opened November 1996, Sacramento's long-running farm-to-fork midtown bistro.
Order: Spaghetti alla carbonara, red-wine braised beef short ribs, the steak tartare
Tip: Lunch Tuesday to Friday, dinner Tuesday to Saturday. The bar takes walk-ins.
The Porch on K Street in midtown Sacramento is the South Carolina Lowcountry-styled room, fat cornmeal fried shrimp and a bourbon flight list.
Signature: Cornmeal fried shrimp, Shrimp po' boy
Order: Cornmeal fried shrimp, the crab cake, fried green tomatoes and a bourbon flight
Tip: Closed Monday and Tuesday. Sunday brunch 09:00-14:30. Bourbon punch bowls for groups.
Southern Comfort Kitchen in downtown San Jose serves New Orleans and Cajun soul food from family recipes, with fried chicken and gumbo near San Pedro Square.
Order: New Orleans fried chicken with Cajun sides
Southern Comfort Kitchen in downtown San Jose serves New Orleans soul food with fried chicken, gumbo, red beans, and jambalaya from family recipes.
Order: New Orleans fried chicken with Cajun red beans and rice
Radish & Rye pairs farm-to-table Southern plates with 175 American brown spirits in an Agua Fria adobe; bourbon flights and steak tartare lead.
Signature: Steak tartare with Calabrian chili, Bourbon-braised short ribs, Buttermilk fried chicken
Mashama Bailey's Grey runs from a restored 1938 Greyhound bus terminal on MLK, a Port City Southern menu rooted in West African and Lowcountry technique.
Signature: Foie gras and country ham, Country captain
Order: Whatever is running in the dining room that night; the bar serves a tighter Diner Bar menu walk-up.
Tip: Book via Resy for the formal Dining Room. The Diner Bar takes walk-ups along the bar and runs a la carte until close.
Mashama Bailey and John O. Morisano's flagship in a 1938 Greyhound bus terminal. Bailey: 2019 James Beard Best Chef Southeast, 2022 Outstanding Chef winner.
The fourth Husk opened on Oglethorpe in January 2018, running the heritage-grain Lowcountry programme Sean Brock built at the original Charleston room.
Signature: Wood-grilled coastal Georgia fish, Heirloom-grain plates
Order: Whatever the wood grill is running tonight, paired with a glass of small-producer Southern wine.
Tip: Reserve via Resy. The bar serves the full menu walk-in 17:00 onwards. Brunch runs Saturday and Sunday 10:00-14:00.
Communion in Seattle's Central District is Kristi Brown's Seattle Soul kitchen: catfish, hood sushi, berbere chicken, served from the Liberty Bank Building.
Signature: Smoky berbere chicken, Catfish and grits, Hood Sushi
Order: The smoky berbere chicken, half-portioned over jollof rice with a side of greens.
Tip: Sundays are family-style: a single price prix fixe for the room with one menu that changes weekly.
Communion in Seattle's Central District is Kristi Brown's Seattle Soul kitchen: catfish, hood sushi, berbere chicken, all served from the Liberty Bank.
Signature: Smoky berbere chicken, Catfish and grits, Hood Sushi
Order: Smoky berbere chicken, half-portioned over jollof rice with a side of greens.
Tip: Sunday family-style: one prix fixe for the room with a menu that changes weekly.
Biscuit Bitch in Seattle near Pike Place is the Southern-style biscuit counter: buttermilk biscuits with sausage gravy, jalapeno cheddar grits.
Try: Hot Mess biscuits and gravy
Rick and Elisa Lewis run this Grove meat-and-three around some of the best fried chicken in Missouri, ordered at the counter. Rick is a James Beard nominee.
Order: The fried chicken and a rotating trio of vegetable sides.
Tip: It is counter service; the half chicken plus three sides feeds two. Smoked meats sell through, so come early on weekends.
FUME in Rotermann is the Siigur group's newest Michelin-listed room and a 2026 Bib Gourmand, with a Madrid-made Vulcano Gress grill, the largest of its kind.
Order: The grilled lamb or whatever the live fire is sending; the wine list leans southern European.
Tip: The summer terrace runs 60 seats in the Rotermann courtyard. Group bookings over 11 must email ahead.
Mangos Southern Kitchen and Bar works bold Southern comfort cooking with Caribbean accents on Florida Avenue in Seminole Heights, with weekend live music.
Order: Fried chicken with mac and cheese and the weekend brunch shrimp and grits.
Tip: Weekend brunch leans on live music; book ahead for a table near the band.
In the heart of the Greenwood District, Fixins serves soul food from smothered chicken to peach cobbler in a spacious, welcoming dining room.
Signature: Fried chicken, Catfish, Mac and cheese
Historic Greenwood District soul food counter serving smothered chicken, black-eyed peas, cornbread, and peach cobbler, rooted in the community that was once.
All Tulsa restaurants →
Juke Fried Chicken on Keefer Street since 2017 is a Southern-style fried chicken counter, the reference soul-food window plus a sister Juke 4-Front cocktail.
Try: Fried chicken and bone-in pieces
Order: Two-piece fried chicken with a buttermilk biscuit and slaw.
Tip: Counter only; the bone-in dark meat is the kitchen's calling card. Weekend late-night service runs to 23:00.
Sweet Home Cafe in Washington DC is the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture cafeteria on Constitution Avenue.
Signature: Pan-roasted catfish, Sweet potato pie
Order: The pan-roasted catfish with cornbread and collards; the menu's most-ordered Southern plate.
Tip: Museum admission is free but requires a timed-entry pass; eat after 14:00 to skip the queue.
Florida Avenue Grill in Washington DC is the LeDroit Park 1944 diner with breakfast all day, the city's cheapest soul food sit-down with eggs-grits-biscuit.
Try: Breakfast plate with eggs, grits, biscuit ($13)
Tip: Breakfast runs all day; the half-smoke breakfast plate at $13 is the editorial value meal of the menu.
Bauernschaenke is a soul food room in Zurich. Book for Friday dinner; Saturday afternoons get crowded with the regulars who turn up without a reservation.
Why locals love it: Tucked on Rindermarkt away from the Niederdorf tourist drag; locals' soul food without the queue.
Tip: Book for Friday dinner; Saturday afternoons get crowded with the regulars who turn up without a reservation.
More cities are in research. Want soul food covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.