Highest-rated Southern restaurants in Orlando by diners
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 Orlando 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.
#21. Maryland Fried Chicken of Union Park
- Rating: 3.2/5 (74 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 9710 East Colonial Drive Orlando, Florida
- Categories: soul food, southern, fast food
- Read more on Yelp
#20. Sophia's Trattoria
- Rating: 3.5/5 (14 reviews)
- Address: 1500 Eastbeach Way Orlando, Florida
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
#19. Ole Red Orlando
- Rating: 3.6/5 (306 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 8417 International Drive Orlando, Florida
- Categories: southern, bars, music venues
- Read more on Yelp
#18. Cask & Larder
- Rating: 3.6/5 (548 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1 Jeff Fuqua Blvd. Gates 100-129 Orlando, Florida
- Categories: southern, bars, new american
- Read more on Yelp
#17. Latitude & Longitude
- Rating: 4.0/5 (52 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 8701 World Center Drive Orlando, Florida
- Categories: southern, buffets
- Read more on Yelp
#16. Nikki's Place Southern Cuisine
- Rating: 4.0/5 (244 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 742 Carter St. Orlando, Florida
- Categories: southern, soul food, comfort food
- Read more on Yelp
#15. Cask & Larder - Terminal C
- Rating: 4.0/5 (16 reviews)
- Address: 9202 Jeff Fuqua Blvd. Orlando International Airport Orlando, Florida
- Categories: bars, new american, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#14. 4 Rivers Smokehouse
- Rating: 4.0/5 (481 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 11764 University Blvd. Orlando, Florida
- Categories: barbeque, southern, smokehouse
- Read more on Yelp
#13. Huey Magoo's Chicken Tenders - Dr. Phillips
- Rating: 4.2/5 (151 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 7538 West Sand Lake Road Orlando, Florida
- Categories: southern, new american
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Soco Thornton Park
- Rating: 4.2/5 (695 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 629 East Central Blvd. Orlando, Florida
- Categories: southern, new american, cocktail bars
- Read more on Yelp
#11. Eat N Wash
- Rating: 4.2/5 (36 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1723 South Rio Grande Ave. Orlando, Florida
- Categories: southern, seafood, soul food
- Read more on Yelp
#10. Highball & Harvest
- Rating: 4.4/5 (501 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 4012 Central Florida Pkwy Orlando, Florida
- Categories: new american, bars, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#9. The Pinery
- Rating: 4.4/5 (238 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 295 Northeast Ivanhoe Blvd. Ste A Orlando, Florida
- Categories: american, southern, cocktail bars
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Pig Floyd's Urban Barbakoa
- Rating: 4.4/5 (2349 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1326 North Mills Ave. Orlando, Florida
- Categories: barbeque, latin american, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#7. P & D Soulfood Kitchen
- Rating: 4.4/5 (148 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 927 South Goldwyn Ave. Ste 120 Orlando, Florida
- Categories: soul food, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#6. The Monroe
- Rating: 4.5/5 (465 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 448 North Terry Ave. Orlando, Florida
- Categories: new american, cocktail bars, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#5. The Garden Bistro
- Rating: 4.5/5 (74 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 712 East Washington St. Orlando, Florida
- Categories: southern, caribbean, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#4. Smokey Jay's BBQ
- Rating: 4.5/5 (15 reviews)
- Address: 9318 East Colonial Drive Ste A-9 Orlando, Florida
- Categories: southern, barbeque
- Read more on Yelp
#3. Dharma Southern Chick'n
- Rating: 4.5/5 (37 reviews)
- Address: 5565 Old Cheney Hwy Orlando, Florida
- Categories: vegan, vegetarian, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Uncle Tony's Backyard Bbq
- Rating: 4.9/5 (204 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 6807 South Orange Ave. Ste 110 Orlando, Florida
- Categories: barbeque, soul food, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Kook'n with Kim
- Rating: 4.9/5 (55 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 307 West Kennedy Blvd. Orlando, Florida
- Categories: southern, soul food, desserts
- 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.
