Highest-rated Southern restaurants in Atlanta 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 Atlanta 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.
#28. The Flying Biscuit Cafe
- Rating: 4.0/5 (1957 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1001 Piedmont Ave. Northeast Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: breakfast & brunch, southern, new american
- Read more on Yelp
#27. Wisteria
- Rating: 4.0/5 (641 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 471 North Highland Ave. Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: new american, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#26. The Ponce Room Bar & Kitchen
- Rating: 4.0/5 (37 reviews)
- Address: 640 Peachtree St. Northeast Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: bars, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#25. Farmer's Basket
- Rating: 4.0/5 (44 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3393 Peachtree Road Northeast Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: fast food, southern, comfort food
- Read more on Yelp
#24. Q - Time Restaurant
- Rating: 4.0/5 (112 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1120 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. Southwest Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: southern, soul food
- Read more on Yelp
#23. Roasters
- Rating: 4.0/5 (467 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2770 Lenox Road Northeast Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
#22. Southern Bistro
- Rating: 4.0/5 (226 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4920 Roswell Road Northeast Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: american, breakfast & brunch, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#21. Flying Biscuit Café - Candler Park
- Rating: 4.1/5 (844 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1530 Dekalb Ave. Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: breakfast & brunch, southern, new american
- Read more on Yelp
#20. Hattie B's Hot Chicken
- Rating: 4.1/5 (112 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 711 10th St. Northwest Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: southern, chicken wings, chicken shop
- Read more on Yelp
#19. Folk Art Restaurant
- Rating: 4.1/5 (1218 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 465 North Highland Ave. Northeast Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: american, breakfast & brunch, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#18. Haven
- Rating: 4.2/5 (344 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1441 Dresden Drive Northeast Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
#17. The Vault
- Rating: 4.2/5 (83 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 3120 Donald Lee Hollowell Pkwy Northwest Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: breakfast & brunch, southern, cocktail bars
- Read more on Yelp
#16. RC's Kitchen Southern Cuisine
- Rating: 4.2/5 (17 reviews)
- Address: 2541 Gresham Road South East Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
#15. Southern Kitchen & Grill
- Rating: 4.2/5 (332 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3781 Presidential Pkwy Ste 306 Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: southern, soul food, american
- Read more on Yelp
#14. Gunshow
- Rating: 4.3/5 (1467 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 924 Garrett St. Ste C Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: new american, southern, bars
- Read more on Yelp
#13. South City Kitchen Buckhead
- Rating: 4.3/5 (1085 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3350 Peachtree Road Northeast Ste 175 Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Fox Brothers Bar-B-Q - Atlanta
- Rating: 4.3/5 (89 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 120 Ottley Drive Northeast Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: barbeque, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#11. Mukja Korean Fried Chicken
- Rating: 4.3/5 (328 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 933 Peachtree St. Northeast Ste 951 Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: korean, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#10. Roc South Cuisine
- Rating: 4.4/5 (771 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 3009 Buford Hwy Northeast Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: southern, bars, seafood
- Read more on Yelp
#9. Buttermilk Kitchen
- Rating: 4.4/5 (2316 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4225 Roswell Road Northeast Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: breakfast & brunch, southern, new american
- Read more on Yelp
#8. South City Kitchen Midtown
- Rating: 4.4/5 (3312 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1144 Crescent Ave. Northeast Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
#7. Home Grown
- Rating: 4.4/5 (1639 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 968 Memorial Drive Southeast Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
#6. Delilah's Everyday Soul
- Rating: 4.5/5 (82 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1235 Chattahoochee Ave. Northwest Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: soul food, southern, chicken shop
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Atlanta Breakfast Club
- Rating: 4.5/5 (7147 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 249 Ivan Allen Jr Blvd. Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: southern, breakfast & brunch, american
- Read more on Yelp
#4. The Getaway Cafe
- Rating: 4.5/5 (17 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3030 Amwiler Road Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
#3. Southern National
- Rating: 4.5/5 (30 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 72 Georgia Ave. Ste 100 Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: southern, wine bars, cocktail bars
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Southern Belle
- Rating: 4.5/5 (134 reviews)
- Price level: $$$$
- Address: 1043 Ponce De Leon Ave. Northeast Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: new american, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Doug's North Carolina BBQ
- Rating: 5.0/5 (15 reviews)
- Address: 1235 Chattahoochee Ave. Northwest Booth 15 Atlanta, Georgia
- Categories: barbeque, southern, soul 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.
