Southerners know what to serve to comfort and satisfy your cravings. Fried chicken, crab cakes, and shrimp and grits are the kinds of food that do much more than just solve hunger.
And according to a new ranking, you don’t always have to go directly to the South to get the best Southern food. OpenTable on Tuesday released its list of the 50 Best Southern Restaurants in America for 2018. The reservation platform determined the list based on diner reviews for more than 27,000 restaurants in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
All restaurants in the “Southern” cuisine category with a minimum “overall” score and number of qualifying reviews were included for consideration. Qualifying restaurants were then scored and sorted according to their overall food rating. The top 50 restaurants — listed alphabetically below — can be found in 14 states and Washington D.C.
Louisiana tops the list with the most restaurants. Texas and North Carolina came in second, followed by Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia which all tied for third.
While Southern states claim the most restaurants on the list, you can also find some of the top-ranked establishments in states like New York, Philadelphia, and Illinois.
50 Best Southern Restaurants in the U.S.
Abel Brown – Augusta, Georgia
Acadiana – Washington, D.C.
Acre – Auburn, Alabama
Alligator Soul – Savannah, Georgia
Anson – Charleston, South Carolina
Antebellum – Flowery Branch, Georgia
Atchafalaya Restaurant – New Orleans, Louisiana
The Boil Waverly – New York, New York
Boucherie – New Orleans, Louisiana
Brennan’s of Houston – Houston, Texas
Cafe Dupont – Birmingham, Alabama
Carrollton Market – New Orleans, Louisiana
Circa 1886 – Charleston, South Carolina
Cured – San Antonio, Texas
Cypress Restaurant – Tallahassee, Florida
Distilled at The Sire Hotel – Lexington, Kentucky
Dogwood Southern Table & Bar – Charlotte, North Carolina
Fixe – Austin, Texas
High Street Caffe & Vudu Lounge – West Chester, Pennsylvania
Highball & Harvest – Orlando, Florida
Highlands Bar & Grill – Birmingham, Alabama
Hot and Hot Fish Club – Birmingham, Alabama
Ida Claire – Addison, Texas
Kitchen Notes – Omni Nashville – Nashville, Tennessee
The King’s Kitchen – Charlotte, North Carolina
Langdon’s Restaurant – Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Madison’s – Highlands, North Carolina
Mandolin – Raleigh, North Carolina
Maple Tree Inn – Blue Island, Illinois
Merrick Inn – Lexington, Kentucky
Midtown Cafe – Nashville, Tennessee
Mozelle’s Fresh Southern Bistro – Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Mr. B’s Bistro – New Orleans, Louisiana
Muriel’s Jackson Square – New Orleans, Louisiana
The Olde Pink House Restaurant – Savannah, Georgia
Preserved Restaurant – St. Augustine, Florida
Rapscallion – Dallas, Texas
Restaurant IRON – Pensacola, Florida
Restaurant R’evolution – New Orleans, Louisiana
Restaurant Rebirth – New Orleans, Louisiana
Root & Bone – New York, New York
RT’s Restaurant – Alexandria, Virginia
Rx Restaurant – Wilmington, North Carolina
South City Kitchen – Multiple locations
State of Grace – Houston, Texas
Stella’s Bistro – Simpsonville, South Carolina
Toutant – Buffalo, New York
Urban Grub – Nashville, Tennessee
Willa Jean – New Orleans, Louisiana
Yardbird Southern Table & Bar – Multiple locations
