Bone-in fried chicken, brined and breaded, served with sides at a Southern Black-owned dining room. Paschal's set the standard in the civil rights era.
Where to eat it: 12 restaurants across 4 cities.
Atlanta's fried chicken tradition runs through Paschal's, founded in 1947 by brothers Robert and James Paschal on West Hunter Street and a key civil rights organising room where Martin Luther King Jr planned with the SCLC. Busy Bee Cafe opened in 1947 on Hunter Street and won a James Beard America's Classics Award in 2022. Mary Mac's Tea Room since 1945 still serves the cracker-crusted version with sides. The dish is the city's continuous thread from Reconstruction-era cooking to today.
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy
Tip from the editors. Cast iron at 165C is non-negotiable; too hot and the coating burns before the inside cooks. Rest 5 minutes before serving so juices redistribute.
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.
Mary Mac's Tea Room in Atlanta opened 1945 and runs Southern Sunday dinner classics in a four-dining-room compound on Ponce de Leon, with the same recipes.
Signature: Fried chicken, Pot likker and cornbread, Peach cobbler
Order: Pot likker with a side of cornbread, then fried chicken with three sides.
Tip: Order the pot likker as a starter; it comes free with cornbread. No reservations Monday through Thursday lunch; OpenTable for dinner and weekends.
Haberdish on N Davidson runs the NoDa Southern brunch programme Tuesday to Sunday in Charlotte, with biscuits and gravy, fried chicken plates and a strong.
Order: Buttermilk biscuits with sausage gravy and the brunch fried chicken plate.
Tip: Weekend brunch fills early. Walk in at 11 on Saturday for the easiest seat.
Bossy Beulah's Freedom Drive flagship runs a simple chicken-sandwich menu under $12 in west Charlotte, with four city branches and consistent counter-service.
Try: Fried chicken sandwich and tenders
Tip: Counter-order. The combo with fries lands under $15. The Brandywine, Ballantyne and Derita branches serve the same menu.
Mert's Heart and Soul on N College Street is the uptown soul-food room with a fried-chicken-and-sides lunch plate around $14, the budget anchor of the uptown.
Try: Fried chicken plate with two sides
Tip: The two-side combo is the best value. Weekday lunch is the easiest seat.
OJ's Diner in Greenville: Black-owned Pendleton soul food counter, cash preferred and weekdays only. Locals know; tourists routinely miss it.
Why locals love it: Black-owned Pendleton soul food counter, cash preferred and weekdays only. Locals know; tourists routinely miss it.
Tip: Get there before 13:00 on weekdays. The fried chicken sells out by 14:00 most days.
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
GB&D runs burgers, fried chicken and a tight Asian-inflected menu in the Commons. Casual, no fuss, all-day Sunday brunch. Recently moved from the Village.
Signature: Burgers, Fried chicken sandwich, Avocado toast
Bully's is the best-value James Beard award-winning meal in the United States: oxtails, catfish, and six sides for under $14, in a modest dining room.
Try: Soul food steam table with oxtails, neckbones, catfish, and sides
Order: Oxtail plate with mixed greens, mac and cheese, and yams
Tip: Arrive before 13:00 for the widest steam table selection; popular items sell out.
The Pig and Pint pairs some of Jackson's best BBQ with one of Mississippi's largest craft beer selections - around 80 rotating handles - in a relaxed Fondren.
Signature drink: Rotating Mississippi craft beer on draft
Food: Full BBQ menu
Order: A local Mississippi craft beer with a brisket plate and fried green tomato tacos
Tip: The beer selection rotates constantly; the bartender knows what's new and what pairs with the BBQ.
Hal and Mal's kitchen runs until 21:00 but the bar stays open later on live music nights, making it downtown Jackson's most social late-night venue.
Try: Southern food with live music
Order: Mississippi beer on draft with whatever is left on the kitchen menu before 21:00
Tip: Check the event calendar; special events extend the bar hours well past the kitchen close.
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