Where to Eat Soul Food Around the World

The Grey ★ 4.9

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.

OrderWhatever is running in the dining room that night; the bar serves a tighter Diner Bar menu walk-up.

TipBook via Resy for the formal Dining Room. The Diner Bar takes walk-ups along the bar and runs a la carte until close.

Husk ★ 4.9

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.

OrderThe skillet cornbread with bacon-fat butter, plus whatever the wood grill is running tonight.

TipBook on huskcharleston.com. The bar serves the full menu walk-up from 17:00 onward, no reservations needed.

Elvie's ★ 4.8

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.

OrderGulf oysters and duck fat frites at the marble bar, or the redfish meuniere at dinner

TipWalk-in breakfast is the city's best-value Michelin meal; arrive before 09:30 for a table.

Husk Savannah ★ 4.8

The fourth Husk opened on Oglethorpe in January 2018, running the heritage-grain Lowcountry programme Sean Brock built at the original Charleston room.

OrderWhatever the wood grill is running tonight, paired with a glass of small-producer Southern wine.

TipReserve via Resy. The bar serves the full menu walk-in 17:00 onwards. Brunch runs Saturday and Sunday 10:00-14:00.

Common Thread ★ 4.8

Brandon Carter's Common Thread on East 37th, a Bon Appetit Best New Restaurant 2022 and a 2025 James Beard Best Chef Southeast semifinalist. Victorian house.

OrderThe chef's tasting; menu rotates with the market.

TipReserve on Resy. Tasting and a la carte both run; check the menu page before booking.

Niki's West ★ 4.8

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.

SignatureFried catfish, Turnip greens, Cornbread

Eagle's Restaurant ★ 4.8

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.

SignatureSmothered pork chop, Fried catfish, Greens and cornbread

L'Opossum ★ 4.8

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.

Book3 to 4 weeks ahead

Burdell ★ 4.8

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.

OrderSunday gravy-inspired brunch plate.

TipSunday brunch service runs 11 to 2 only, then resumes for dinner. Book the 1 pm slot to roll straight into the afternoon.

610 Magnolia ★ 4.8

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.

OrderWhatever the night's tasting menu opens with, then a bourbon pairing flight from the cellar.

TipBook on OpenTable for parties of six or fewer. Wednesday and Thursday seats open up first.

Stella's Southern Brasserie ★ 4.8

Stella's Southern Brasserie runs French-influenced Southern from a Rocky Slope Road storefront: shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes, bourbon-pecan tart.

SignatureShrimp and grits, Fried green tomatoes, Bourbon-pecan tart

Bully's Restaurant ★ 4.7

Bully's is Jackson's James Beard-winning soul food institution, with steam-table oxtails, neckbones, catfish, and homemade cobblers from a morning start.

OrderOxtails with greens, mac and cheese, and a slice of sweet potato cobbler

TipThe steam table closes when the food runs out, usually by 15:00; arrive at opening for the full selection.

Lemaire ★ 4.7

Lemaire inside the Jefferson Hotel is named for Etienne Lemaire, Thomas Jefferson's maitre d'. Chef Patrick Willis since 2009; grande dame of RVA.

SignatureVirginia ham, She-crab soup, Tasting menu

Supperland ★ 4.7

Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown's Supperland in Plaza Midwood is a Michelin-recommended Southern dining room set inside a converted 1950s church.

OrderWhatever is coming off the hearth; the kitchen builds the menu around live-fire cooking.

TipBeverage director Colleen Hughes won Michelin's Exceptional Cocktails Award in 2025. Order a drink from her list, then book the Sunday supper.

Good Hot Fish ★ 4.7

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.

TryFried catfish basket

TipOrder at the counter upstairs. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Beer downstairs at Burial.

Lockeland Table ★ 4.7

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.

OrderMargherita pizza from the wood oven and the pork chop.

TipHappy hour 16:00-17:30 runs half-price pizza and pours at the bar; James Beard Community Kitchen nominee.

Paschal's ★ 4.7

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 $$.

OrderFried chicken plate with collard greens, mac and cheese, candied yams.

TipThe current Castleberry Hill location since 2002 expanded with a banquet space; the original Hunter Street site is preserved at Clark Atlanta.

Busy Bee Cafe ★ 4.7

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.

OrderFried chicken with two sides; the oxtails on lunch special when available.

TipCash and card. Lunch and early dinner only Tuesday to Sunday; line forms before noon weekends.

Olamaie ★ 4.7

Olamaie in Austin is Michael Fojtasek's Michelin-starred Southern dining room in a converted house near downtown, named for three generations of women.

OrderThe off-menu biscuits with whipped honey butter, requested as soon as you sit down.

TipThe four-course prix fixe is built with chef de cuisine Amanda Turner; vegetarian path is available on request.

TrimTab Brewing Co. ★ 4.6

TrimTab Brewing on 5th Avenue South Lakeview Birmingham stays open until midnight Friday and Saturday with the Paradise Now fruited-sour series and snacks.

TryFruited sours and snacks

Mama J's Kitchen ★ 4.6

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.

SignatureFried catfish, Collard greens, Mac and cheese

Leah and Louise ★ 4.6

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.

OrderThe hot tamale, the catfish plate and whatever Mississippi River Valley special is on the board.

TipThe new west-end home opened in 2025. Check the operator's site or Resy for the current address before booking.

The Four Way ★ 4.6

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.

OrderSmothered turkey wings, collard greens, mac and cheese, sweet potato pie.

TipOpen Wednesday to Saturday for lunch only, 11:00-17:00. Cash and card both fine.

Husk Nashville ★ 4.6

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.

OrderThe cornbread skillet, then whatever the menu lists from the wood hearth.

TipLunch is a quieter seat with the same kitchen. Book the porch in spring; it overlooks downtown.

Arnold's Country Kitchen ★ 4.6

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.

OrderRoast beef or fried catfish with three vegetables, sweet tea, banana pudding.

TipCafeteria line, lunch only Monday through Friday 10:30-14:30. A North Nashville sit-down location opened in 2025.

Souley Vegan ★ 4.6

Souley Vegan returned to Jack London Square in July 2025. Tamearra Dyson's Creole vegan soul food has run since 2009 with a national following.

SignatureBBQ tofu, Cajun mac and cheese

Miller Union ★ 4.6

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.

OrderThe farm egg with grits and roasted vegetables; the menu shifts weekly.

TipLunch is the quieter seat. Resy reservations open 30 days out; the bar takes walk-ins.

The Plaid Apron ★ 4.6

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.

OrderA morning cinnamon roll with grits, or the smash burger at dinner.

TipWednesday to Saturday for brunch and dinner; Sunday is brunch only and the kitchen closes Mondays and Tuesdays.

Proof on Main ★ 4.6

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.

OrderThe bison burger from the local grass-fed herd, plus a bourbon flight built by the bar team.

TipWalk in for the bar menu before 18:00, then dinner reservations land easier on weeknights.

J. Graham's Cafe ★ 4.6

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.

OrderThe Hot Brown, served the way Fred Schmidt wrote it in 1926.

TipWalk-in for lunch. Book the Lobby Bar through the hotel for an evening Hot Brown and bourbon.

Se7en Bites ★ 4.6

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.

SignatureMinnie pearl biscuit, Pot pie

The Ravenous Pig ★ 4.6

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.

Book2 weeks ahead

Soby's New South Cuisine ★ 4.6

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.

SignatureShe-crab soup, Spicy pimento cheese, Fried green tomato Benedict

Communion ★ 4.6

Communion in Seattle's Central District is Kristi Brown's Seattle Soul kitchen: catfish, hood sushi, berbere chicken, served from the Liberty Bank Building.

OrderThe smoky berbere chicken, half-portioned over jollof rice with a side of greens.

TipSundays are family-style: a single price prix fixe for the room with one menu that changes weekly.

The Eagle OTR ★ 4.6

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.

SignatureFried chicken, Spoonbread

Ellerbe Fine Foods ★ 4.6

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.

OrderFarm-sourced pork chop with seasonal vegetable; scratch-made biscuit with honey butter.

TipThe menu changes weekly based on farm sourcing; ask the server what arrived that day.

Big Apple Inn ★ 4.5

Big Apple Inn on Farish Street has served pig ear sandwiches and Delta hot tamales in a civil-rights landmark since 1939, for under $3 each.

OrderPig ear sandwich and a smoke, under $6 total

TipThe tamales here connect directly to the Delta tradition; order a dozen to go.

Haberdish ★ 4.5

Haberdish on N Davidson is the NoDa mill-town Southern kitchen from Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown, with a craft-cocktail bar built into the room.

OrderThe fried chicken plate with a biscuit and pimento cheese. That combination is the Charlotte signature.

TipBrunch runs Tuesday to Friday 9 to 2 and Saturday and Sunday late-morning. The chicken and biscuit show up on the brunch menu too.

Sunny Point Café ★ 4.5

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.

OrderThe huevos rancheros, or the buttermilk biscuit and sausage gravy plate.

TipDaily 08:30-14:00. Walk-in only; weekends wait 60-90 minutes after 10:00. The patio takes the queue first.

Biscuit Head ★ 4.5

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.

OrderThe Mimosa Fried Chicken biscuit (sweet potato butter, sriracha slaw, poached egg).

TipWalk-in counter service. Open Mon-Fri 08:00-14:00; weekend lines spill out the door from 09:30.

Bertha's Kitchen ★ 4.5

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.

OrderFried pork chops, okra soup over rice, the cornbread.

TipLunch only Mon-Fri; closed weekends. Counter ordering, cash and card.

Hannibal's Kitchen ★ 4.5

Hannibal's Kitchen has fed the Eastside of Charleston soul food since 1985. At 16 Blake St. Reservations advised. A neighbourhood favourite.

TryCrab rice, smothered pork chop, fried whiting, lima beans

TipCounter order, dining-room seat. Lunch beats dinner; the line peaks 12:30-13:30 weekdays.

Alcenia's ★ 4.5

Betty Joyce Chester-Tamayo's Pinch District Memphis soul food room has run fried chicken, collards and a hug at the door since 1997. Priced at $$.

OrderFried chicken plate with greens and yams; ask for a Ghetto Aid.

TipCounter service, cash preferred. B.J. greets every table; the experience is half the meal.

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken ★ 4.5

The Memphis flagship of Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken on South Front Street downtown runs spicy crisp birds from a tin-roof shack, the chain's 2001.

OrderThree-piece dark meat plate with fried pickles and slaw.

TipCounter service, no reservations. Lunch line moves; dinner can run an hour during weekends.

Dame's Chicken & Waffles ★ 4.5

The definitive Durham brunch: choose bird preparation, waffle style, schmear and drizzle. Sweet potato waffle with spiced honey butter is the signature.

OrderSweet potato waffle with fried chicken and spiced honey butter

Sweet P's BBQ Uptown Corner ★ 4.5

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.

OrderA pulled pork sandwich with the daily soul-food sides.

TipClosed Mondays; weekday lunch is the easiest window before the dinner crowd.

SoCo Restaurant ★ 4.5

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.

SignatureShrimp and grits, Fried chicken

Denver Biscuit Company ★ 4.5

Denver Biscuit Company in Denver is Drew Shader's Southern-biscuit counter on Colfax since 2010, with house-baked buttermilk biscuits and a giant.

OrderThe Franklin sandwich (fried chicken, bacon, cheddar, apple butter on a biscuit) and a cinnamon roll to share.

TipWalk-in only; weekend mornings hit a 60-minute wait. The Atomic Cowboy bar shares the space and pours bloody marys.

Welton Street Cafe ★ 4.5

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 goFive Points' Caribbean and soul food kitchen, run by the Smith family since 1986, in a neighborhood most visitors skip.

TipThe Tropical Banquet plate (jerk chicken, oxtail and rice) is the must-order; the kitchen runs Wednesday to Sunday.

The Waterboy ★ 4.5

Rick Mahan's Northern Italian and Southern French Capitol Avenue room opened November 1996, Sacramento's long-running farm-to-fork midtown bistro.

OrderSpaghetti alla carbonara, red-wine braised beef short ribs, the steak tartare

TipLunch Tuesday to Friday, dinner Tuesday to Saturday. The bar takes walk-ins.

Screen Door Eastside ★ 4.5

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.

OrderButtermilk fried chicken on a sweet potato waffle with hot honey

TipBrunch 08:30-14:00, dinner 16:30-21:00 daily. Reservations for the dining room; bar takes walk-ins.

Radish & Rye ★ 4.5

Radish & Rye pairs farm-to-table Southern plates with 175 American brown spirits in an Agua Fria adobe; bourbon flights and steak tartare lead.

SignatureSteak tartare with Calabrian chili, Bourbon-braised short ribs, Buttermilk fried chicken

FUME ★ 4.5

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.

OrderThe grilled lamb or whatever the live fire is sending; the wine list leans southern European.

Book1 week ahead

TipThe summer terrace runs 60 seats in the Rotermann courtyard. Group bookings over 11 must email ahead.

Juke Fried Chicken ★ 4.5

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.

OrderTwo-piece fried chicken with a buttermilk biscuit and slaw.

TipCounter only; the bone-in dark meat is the kitchen's calling card. Weekend late-night service runs to 23:00.

Public House ★ 4.4

Public House has anchored Warehouse Row since 2009, pairing Southern plates with local farm sourcing and craft cocktails in downtown Chattanooga.

OrderThe rotating Southern plate lunch built from local farms.

TipClosed Sunday except Mother's Day. The bar menu runs all day between lunch and dinner services, handy for off-hours eating.

Champy's Famous Fried Chicken ★ 4.4

Champy's Famous Fried Chicken fries chicken to order on MLK Boulevard in Chattanooga, with Delta hot tamales, cold beer and blues on the speakers.

OrderFried chicken with Delta hot tamales on the side.

TipFriday and Saturday the kitchen runs to midnight. Expect a wait after Lookouts games; the banana pudding travels well.

Distilled on Jefferson ★ 4.4

Distilled on Jefferson pairs farm-to-table Southern cooking with a deep bourbon bar on Lexington's Jefferson Street restaurant row, in business since 2014.

TipDinner only. The bourbon list rewards asking the bar for a Kentucky-only pour before you order food.

The Merrick Inn ★ 4.4

The Merrick Inn serves Southern dinners and weekend brunch from a former horse-farm manor off Tates Creek Road, a Lexington occasion room of long standing.

TipBrunch runs Friday to Sunday 10:00-15:00; the walled patio is the seat to request from May to September.

Ramsey's Diner ★ 4.4

Ramsey's Diner has plated Lexington's meat-and-three since 1989, with an excellent Kentucky Hot Brown and pies from its Missy's Pies sister bakery.

SignatureKentucky Hot Brown, Meat and three

TipThe Zandale Drive room is the classic location. Save room for a slice of Missy's chess pie.

Chicken Hut ★ 4.4

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 goWeekday lunch only, runs out early, cash-focused, no social media presence to speak of

Tupelo Honey ★ 4.4

Tupelo Honey runs scratch-made Southern on the North Main corner: fried chicken biscuits, shrimp and grits, sweet potato pancakes. Asheville-born group.

SignatureFried chicken biscuit, Shrimp and grits, Sweet potato pancakes

Niecie's Restaurant ★ 4.4

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.

OrderSmothered chicken with greens, mac and cheese, and peach cobbler to finish.

TipDaily plate specials rotate; the lunch buffet is the value. Sunday gospel brunch packs the room.

Cornbread Restaurant & Bar ★ 4.4

Cornbread Restaurant & Bar on Northwestern Highway in Southfield serves Detroit soul food, the successor to Beans & Cornbread since 1997. Located in Ferndale.

OrderFried chicken and waffles, the catfish dinner, and a slice of cornbread.

TipClosed Wednesdays. Sunday brunch with gospel runs from 11:30; book ahead.

Yardbird ★ 4.4

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.

OrderThe chicken n watermelon n waffles plate; the chicken alone is the order if you only want one bird.

TipBook the patio if it's open. Locals brunch Saturday before the queue takes the dining room past 1pm.

Grace Meat + Three ★ 4.4

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.

OrderThe fried chicken and a rotating trio of vegetable sides.

TipIt is counter service; the half chicken plus three sides feeds two. Smoked meats sell through, so come early on weekends.

Old Man Rivers Table & Tavern ★ 4.3

Old Man Rivers Table & Tavern cooks Southern food with no deep fryer in a century-old North Shore house in Chattanooga, opened by Alexander Rivers II in 2023.

OrderThe seasonal vegetable plates alongside an Old Fashioned.

TipClosed Monday and Tuesday. Sunday is brunch only from 11:00 to 15:00; happy hour bridges lunch and dinner on other days.

Town Biscuits ★ 4.3

Town Biscuits runs a Thursday-to-Sunday biscuit breakfast in Oakland's Uptown. Fried chicken and bacon-egg sandwiches on flaky buttermilk biscuits.

SignatureButtermilk biscuit sandwich, Fried chicken biscuit

Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen and Bar ★ 4.3

Tupelo Honey on Market Square, the Asheville-born Southern kitchen that brought its biscuit menu to downtown Knoxville, runs all-day brunch with fried.

OrderThe fried chicken biscuit with sweet tea, or the Shoo Mercy double-biscuit plate.

TipWeekday lunch runs faster than weekend brunch; the Farragut branch on Biddle Farms is quieter on UT football Saturdays.

Music City Hot Chicken ★ 4.3

Music City Hot Chicken fries Nashville-style birds on Prospect Road in Fort Collins across a ladder of heat levels, from Southern to the Flammable Solid dare.

OrderHalf chicken at Nashville Hot with white bread and pickles

TipVegans get crispy fried tempeh in any heat level; weekend brunch adds chicken and waffles plus a Monte Cristo.

Niecie's Restaurant Lunch ★ 4.3

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).

TryDaily plate special

TipLunch buffet on weekdays is the value; Sunday gospel brunch is a different price.

Coquette ★ 4.3

Coquette in New Orleans is the Magazine and Washington corner restaurant from Michael Stoltzfus, a 2008 modern-Southern room with rotating tasting menus.

OrderWhatever the Blind Faith tasting menu is running that week. Trust the kitchen.

TipSit upstairs for the corner-window view; downstairs runs faster and louder.

Sweet Home Cafe ★ 4.3

Sweet Home Cafe in Washington DC is the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture cafeteria on Constitution Avenue.

OrderThe pan-roasted catfish with cornbread and collards; the menu's most-ordered Southern plate.

TipMuseum admission is free but requires a timed-entry pass; eat after 14:00 to skip the queue.

Big Jones ★ 4.3

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.

OrderButtermilk biscuit with sorghum butter, plus the shrimp and grits.

TipSunday brunch tables go on the books two weeks out. The bar takes walk-ups if you arrive at 11:00.

His Place Eatery ★ 4.3

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.

OrderChicken and waffles, the rib platter, the mac and cheese.

TipSunday is the busiest. Two locations; eastside is the original.

Lo-Lo's Chicken & Waffles ★ 4.3

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.

OrderThe fried chicken and waffles, the plate that built the whole menu.

TipThe Central Avenue flagship is the original; expect a wait at weekend breakfast.

Bauernschaenke ★ 4.3

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 goTucked on Rindermarkt away from the Niederdorf tourist drag; locals' soul food without the queue.

TipBook for Friday dinner; Saturday afternoons get crowded with the regulars who turn up without a reservation.

Sylvia's Restaurant ★ 4.2

Sylvia Woods's Harlem soul-food restaurant has served fried chicken, collards and yams in New York City since 1962. Kitchen leans soul food.

OrderSmothered chicken, candied yams, cornbread.

TipSunday brunch books up two weeks in advance. Weeknight dinner is the easy seat for the same menu.

Red Rooster Harlem ★ 4.2

Marcus Samuelsson's Lenox Avenue Harlem room runs an Afro-Swedish-Southern hybrid menu in New York City. Priced at $$$. Kitchen leans soul food.

OrderYard bird fried chicken with mac and greens.

TipSunday brunch is the room's big draw; bookings essential. Bar walk-ins for a quick supper around 18:00.

Biscuit Bitch Pike Place ★ 4.2

Biscuit Bitch in Seattle near Pike Place is the Southern-style biscuit counter: buttermilk biscuits with sausage gravy, jalapeno cheddar grits.

TryHot Mess biscuits and gravy

Boucherie ★ 4.2

Boucherie in New Orleans is Nathanial Zimet's Carrollton tasting-menu room, a former food truck turned Southern-modern five-course degustation.

OrderThere is no choice; the five-course tasting changes with the produce. End with the Krispy Kreme bread pudding.

TipBourree next door is the daiquiri and wings spinoff; sit there first for a cocktail before dinner.

The Porch Restaurant and Bar ★ 4.2

The Porch on K Street in midtown Sacramento is the South Carolina Lowcountry-styled room, fat cornmeal fried shrimp and a bourbon flight list.

OrderCornmeal fried shrimp, the crab cake, fried green tomatoes and a bourbon flight

TipClosed Monday and Tuesday. Sunday brunch 09:00-14:30. Bourbon punch bowls for groups.

Fixins Soul Kitchen ★ 4.2

In Tulsa's Greenwood District, Fixins serves soul food from smothered chicken to peach cobbler in a spacious, welcoming room off Archer Street.

SignatureFried chicken, Catfish, Mac and cheese

Florida Avenue Grill ★ 4.2

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.

TryBreakfast plate with eggs, grits, biscuit ($13)

TipBreakfast runs all day; the half-smoke breakfast plate at $13 is the editorial value meal of the menu.

Mangos Southern Kitchen and Bar ★ 4.2

Mangos Southern Kitchen and Bar works bold Southern comfort cooking with Caribbean accents on Florida Avenue in Seminole Heights, with weekend live music.

OrderFried chicken with mac and cheese and the weekend brunch shrimp and grits.

TipWeekend brunch leans on live music; book ahead for a table near the band.

Lula & Sadie's ★ 4.1

A neighbourhood Southern restaurant with a Sunday jazz brunch that fills the room. Shrimp and grits and fried catfish anchor the menu on Chapel Hill Road.

SignatureShrimp and grits, Fried catfish, Sunday jazz brunch

Bubba ★ 4.1

Downtown Des Moines' Southern comfort destination pairs fried chicken, jambalaya and Southern fried catfish with an extensive brown-liquor selection.

SignatureButtermilk fried chicken, Chicken and waffles, Shrimp and grits

Blackxican Soul Food Shak ★ 4.1

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.

OrderCollard green quesadilla; peach cobbler fried taco

TipRegular Friday spot at Truck Yard OKC; follow @thesoulfoodshak on Facebook for schedule updates.

Honey's Sit 'n Eat ★ 4.1

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.

OrderChallah French toast; potato latkes with sour cream and applesauce; the brisket-and-egg plate.

TipNo reservations. Aim for 10:00 weekday or 09:30 Saturday. Cash and cards land equally.

Amy Ruth's ★ 4.0

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.

OrderThe Reverend Al Sharpton: chicken and waffles.

TipWeekend brunch is the destination; weeknight dinner serves the same plate without the wait.

Whiskey Kitchen ★ 4.0

Over 400 whiskeys spanning bourbon, rye, Scotch, Irish, and Japanese paired with a Southern kitchen that sources locally. NC trout is a benchmark.

SignatureNC rainbow trout, Smoked catfish dip, Buttermilk biscuits

Southern Comfort Kitchen ★ 3.8

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.

OrderNew Orleans fried chicken with Cajun sides