Highest-rated Southern restaurants in New Orleans 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 New Orleans 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. Clesi's Restaurant & Catering
- Rating: 4.1/5 (455 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4323 Bienville St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: seafood, cajun/creole, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#27. Mosquito Supper Club
- Rating: 4.2/5 (64 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 3824 Dryades St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
#26. High Hat Cafe
- Rating: 4.2/5 (651 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4500 Freret St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: southern, soul food, burgers
- Read more on Yelp
#25. Sylvain
- Rating: 4.2/5 (1265 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 625 Chartres St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: southern, cocktail bars
- Read more on Yelp
#24. Snapper's Seafood Restaurant
- Rating: 4.2/5 (35 reviews)
- Address: 841 Canal St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: seafood, cajun/creole, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#23. Gris-Gris
- Rating: 4.2/5 (854 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1800 Magazine St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: cajun/creole, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#22. Trenasse
- Rating: 4.2/5 (1321 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 444 St. Charles Ave. Ste 100 Intercontinental Hotel New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: wine bars, seafood, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#21. Ye Olde College Inn
- Rating: 4.2/5 (267 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3000 South Carrollton Ave. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: southern, cajun/creole, new american
- Read more on Yelp
#20. Cochon
- Rating: 4.2/5 (5073 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 930 Tchoupitoulas St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: cajun/creole, southern, cocktail bars
- Read more on Yelp
#19. Lula Restaurant Distillery
- Rating: 4.2/5 (887 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1532 St. Charles Ave. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: southern, cajun/creole, distilleries
- Read more on Yelp
#18. Galliano Restaurant
- Rating: 4.2/5 (847 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 200 Julia St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: southern, cajun/creole
- Read more on Yelp
#17. Willa Jean
- Rating: 4.3/5 (2443 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 611 O'Keefe Ave. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: bakeries, breakfast & brunch, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#16. Boucherie
- Rating: 4.3/5 (620 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 8115 Jeannette St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: barbeque, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#15. Yakamein House
- Rating: 4.3/5 (30 reviews)
- Address: 2800 Tulane Ave. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
#14. Gallier Restaurant & Oyster Bar
- Rating: 4.3/5 (1536 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 129 Carondelet St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: seafood, cajun/creole, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#13. Walker's Southern Style BBQ
- Rating: 4.4/5 (66 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 10828 Hayne Blvd. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: barbeque, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#12. The Joint
- Rating: 4.4/5 (1458 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 701 Mazant St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: barbeque, southern, sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp
#11. 8 Fresh Food Assassin Restaurant & Lounge
- Rating: 4.4/5 (36 reviews)
- Address: 1900 North Claiborne Ave. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: soul food, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#10. Riteway Soul Food
- Rating: 4.4/5 (14 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3044 Gentilly Blvd. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: southern, soul food
- Read more on Yelp
#9. Cafe Sbisa
- Rating: 4.4/5 (659 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1011 Decatur St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: southern, cajun/creole, seafood
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Cafe Reconcile
- Rating: 4.4/5 (177 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1631 Oretha C Haley Blvd. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: cajun/creole, southern, community service/non-profit
- Read more on Yelp
#7. Café Cour
- Rating: 4.5/5 (14 reviews)
- Address: 520 Royal St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: cafes, southern, vegetarian
- Read more on Yelp
#6. Brigtsen's Restaurant
- Rating: 4.5/5 (431 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 723 Dante St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: cajun/creole, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Baronne Bistro
- Rating: 4.6/5 (52 reviews)
- Address: 616 Baronne St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: sandwiches, southern, cajun/creole
- Read more on Yelp
#4. Chapter IV
- Rating: 4.6/5 (91 reviews)
- Address: 1301 Gravier St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
#3. Leo's Caboose
- Rating: 4.6/5 (23 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1523 Aline St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Bonafried
- Rating: 4.7/5 (34 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: food trucks, southern, caterers
- Read more on Yelp
#1. 3 Southern Girls
- Rating: 4.7/5 (40 reviews)
- Address: 4402 Jefferson Hwy New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: soul food, seafood, southern
- 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.
