When you travel below the Mason-Dixon Line, you'll find some of the most mouthwatering, comforting cuisine in the U.S.: Southern food.
Southern dishes are a vital part of American cuisine, from hush puppies to ham hocks and beignets to barbecue. It's impossible to define a classic Southern meal, but a solid one starts with the sharp savory flavor of pimento cheese dip, followed by the delicious crunchiness of fried chicken or a spicy Louisiana étouffée, culminating with a sugary slice of chess pie that's best washed down with a tall glass of sweet tea.
What's unique about Southern fare is that multiple ethnic and cultural groups have influenced it. Spanish staples, such as potatoes and cocoa, are in many Southern dishes; the Acadians, who traveled to Louisiana from Nova Scotia and later became Louisiana Creoles, contributed their seafood to many Southern meals; African ingredients—okra, sorghum (an ancient grain), and black-eyed peas—became a part of the cuisine through the forced labor of enslaved people; French cooking methods, like braising and sautéing, are used for many Southern recipes; and Native Americans introduced corn to Southern recipes, yielding dishes like succotash and grits.
The Southern culinary scene is an explosion of cultures. To find out where you can sample some Southern offerings, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated Southern restaurants in New York City using data from Yelp. Data is as of June 11, 2024. Businesses were selected using Yelp's ranking system, which calculates an adjusted rating value that takes into account the number of ratings as well as the rating score itself. Only restaurants with at least 10 reviews were considered. In an effort to highlight independent restaurants and local chains, restaurants with more than five locations nationally, based on the Yelp data, were not included.
Read on to find the perfect spot to get a taste of the South near you.
Note: The photos in this article are stock images and do not necessarily depict the specific restaurants listed or the dishes they serve.
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#28. Butterfunk Biscuit
- Rating: 3.5/5 (14 reviews)
- Address: 3229 Broadway New York, New York
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
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#27. Hill Country Barbecue Market
- Rating: 3.6/5 (2370 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 30 West 26th St. New York, New York
- Categories: barbeque, southern, bars
- Read more on Yelp
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#26. Ginny's Supper Club
- Rating: 3.6/5 (189 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 310 Lenox Ave. New York, New York
- Categories: southern, jazz & blues, diners
- Read more on Yelp
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#25. Sylvia's Restaurant
- Rating: 3.6/5 (2212 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 328 Malcolm X Blvd. New York, New York
- Categories: southern, soul food, seafood
- Read more on Yelp
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#24. Cowgirl Seahorse
- Rating: 3.7/5 (679 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 259 Front St. New York, New York
- Categories: tex-mex, seafood, southern
- Read more on Yelp
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#23. Blue Smoke
- Rating: 3.7/5 (761 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 255 Vesey St. New York, New York
- Categories: southern, barbeque, sports bars
- Read more on Yelp
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#22. Javelina
- Rating: 3.7/5 (551 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 119 East 18th St. New York, New York
- Categories: tex-mex, southern, mexican
- Read more on Yelp
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#21. Cap't Loui
- Rating: 3.8/5 (246 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 3147 Broadway New York, New York
- Categories: cajun/creole, seafood, southern
- Read more on Yelp
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#20. Melba's Restaurant
- Rating: 3.8/5 (1874 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 300 West 114th St. New York, New York
- Categories: southern, american, soul food
- Read more on Yelp
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#19. Sisters' Caribbean Cuisine
- Rating: 3.9/5 (244 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 47 East 124th St. New York, New York
- Categories: caribbean, southern, soul food
- Read more on Yelp
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#18. Javelina
- Rating: 3.9/5 (178 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1395 2nd Ave. New York, New York
- Categories: tex-mex, mexican, southern
- Read more on Yelp
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#17. Amy Ruth's
- Rating: 3.9/5 (3028 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 113 West 116th St. New York, New York
- Categories: southern, soul food, sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp
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#16. Bobwhite Counter
- Rating: 4.0/5 (24 reviews)
- Address: 124 East 14th St. Located Inside Urbanspace UrbanSpace Union Square New York, New York
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
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#15. Bondurants
- Rating: 4.0/5 (500 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 303 East 85th St. New York, New York
- Categories: cocktail bars, new american, southern
- Read more on Yelp
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#14. Sweet Chick
- Rating: 4.0/5 (1946 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 178 Ludlow St. New York, New York
- Categories: southern, breakfast & brunch, chicken shop
- Read more on Yelp
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#13. Cornbread Brooklyn
- Rating: 4.2/5 (380 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 409 Eastern Pkwy New York, New York
- Categories: soul food, southern
- Read more on Yelp
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#12. Cadence
- Rating: 4.2/5 (166 reviews)
- Address: 111 East 7th St. New York, New York
- Categories: soul food, southern, vegan
- Read more on Yelp
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#11. Jacob's Pickles Moynihan Train Hall
- Rating: 4.2/5 (61 reviews)
- Address: 383 West 31st New York, New York
- Categories: breakfast & brunch, comfort food, southern
- Read more on Yelp
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#10. Jacob's Pickles
- Rating: 4.2/5 (5609 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 509 Amsterdam Ave. New York, New York
- Categories: comfort food, southern, american
- Read more on Yelp
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#9. Yankee Doodle Dandy's
- Rating: 4.3/5 (153 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: New York, New York
- Categories: food trucks, southern, new american
- Read more on Yelp
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#8. Bobwhite Counter
- Rating: 4.3/5 (941 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 94 Ave. C New York, New York
- Categories: southern, comfort food, american
- Read more on Yelp
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#7. Texas Star
- Rating: 4.4/5 (38 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 741 Saint Nicholas Ave. New York, New York
- Categories: southern, sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp
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#6. Bird Dog
- Rating: 4.4/5 (263 reviews)
- Address: 525 Hudson St. New York, New York
- Categories: southern, tuscan
- Read more on Yelp
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#5. C as in Charlie
- Rating: 4.6/5 (282 reviews)
- Address: 5 Bleecker St. New York, New York
- Categories: korean, tapas/small plates, southern
- Read more on Yelp
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#4. Greedy Pot
- Rating: 4.7/5 (63 reviews)
- Address: 1944 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd. New York, New York
- Categories: caribbean, southern, barbeque
- Read more on Yelp
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#3. MayRee
- Rating: 4.7/5 (67 reviews)
- Address: 58 East 1st St. New York, New York
- Categories: thai, southern, cocktail bars
- Read more on Yelp
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#2. Bird Dog Cafe
- Rating: 4.8/5 (32 reviews)
- Address: 523 Hudson St. New York, New York
- Categories: southern, coffee & tea, breakfast & brunch
- Read more on Yelp
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#1. Hollybrook Lane
- Rating: 4.9/5 (13 reviews)
- Address: 1712 1st Ave. New York, New York
- Categories: southern, comfort food
- Read more on Yelp
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Rasha Aly, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 143 metros.
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