Highest-rated Southern restaurants in Las Vegas 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 Las Vegas 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.
#20. Krispy Krunchy Chicken
- Rating: 2.5/5 (32 reviews)
- Address: 4371 North Rancho Drive Las Vegas, Nevada
- Categories: chicken shop, cajun/creole, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#19. Big Billy's BBQ
- Rating: 2.9/5 (16 reviews)
- Address: 610 Las Vegas Blvd. South Ste 610 Las Vegas, Nevada
- Categories: barbeque, southern, sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp
#18. The Hush Puppy
- Rating: 3.4/5 (719 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 7185 West Charleston Blvd. Las Vegas, Nevada
- Categories: seafood, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#17. Soul Food Cafe
- Rating: 3.4/5 (722 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 7320 South Rainbow Blvd. Ste 112 Las Vegas, Nevada
- Categories: soul food, southern, barbeque
- Read more on Yelp
#16. Lucille's Smokehouse Bar-B-Que
- Rating: 3.5/5 (1164 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 11011 West Charleston Blvd. Las Vegas, Nevada
- Categories: barbeque, southern, smokehouse
- Read more on Yelp
#15. Ole Red
- Rating: 3.5/5 (361 reviews)
- Address: 3627 South Las Vegas Blvd. Las Vegas, Nevada
- Categories: southern, bars, music venues
- Read more on Yelp
#14. Southern Express Soul Food
- Rating: 3.5/5 (95 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2810 South Maryland Pkwy Las Vegas, Nevada
- Categories: soul food, southern, comfort food
- Read more on Yelp
#13. Soul Foo Young
- Rating: 3.7/5 (217 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1216 West Owens Ave. Las Vegas, Nevada
- Categories: soul food, chinese, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Nellie's Southern Kitchen
- Rating: 3.9/5 (342 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 3799 South Las Vegas Blvd. Las Vegas, Nevada
- Categories: southern, waffles, cocktail bars
- Read more on Yelp
#11. Texas BBQ wagon
- Rating: 3.9/5 (56 reviews)
- Address: 5081 North Rainbow Blvd. Ste 100 Las Vegas, Nevada
- Categories: soul food, southern, barbeque
- Read more on Yelp
#10. Rollin Smoke Barbeque Summerlin
- Rating: 3.9/5 (783 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4115 South Grand Canyon Drive Ste 100 Las Vegas, Nevada
- Categories: barbeque, southern, comfort food
- Read more on Yelp
#9. Hattie B's Hot Chicken
- Rating: 3.9/5 (1270 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: Level 2 Cosmopolitan Of Las Vegas Blvd. Tower Level 2 Las Vegas, Nevada
- Categories: southern, chicken shop, comfort food
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Swine & Sons
- Rating: 4.1/5 (27 reviews)
- Address: 9490 West Russell Road Las Vegas, Nevada
- Categories: burgers, coffee & tea, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#7. Louisiana Famous Fried Chicken
- Rating: 4.1/5 (15 reviews)
- Address: 3333 South Maryland Pkwy Ste 11 Las Vegas, Nevada
- Categories: southern, chicken shop
- Read more on Yelp
#6. Hell's Chicken
- Rating: 4.2/5 (114 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4300 Spring Mountain Road Ste 101 Las Vegas, Nevada
- Categories: chicken shop, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Darla's Southern Cajun Bistro
- Rating: 4.2/5 (83 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1100 North Martin Luther King Blvd. Las Vegas, Nevada
- Categories: cajun/creole, southern, waffles
- Read more on Yelp
#4. Gritz Cafe
- Rating: 4.3/5 (1086 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1911 Stella Lake Ste 150 Las Vegas, Nevada
- Categories: soul food, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#3. Rollin Smoke Barbeque
- Rating: 4.4/5 (4529 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3185 South Highland Drive Ste 2 Las Vegas, Nevada
- Categories: barbeque, southern, sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Fish King Grill
- Rating: 4.5/5 (644 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 500 East Windmill Lane Ste 145 Las Vegas, Nevada
- Categories: seafood, cajun/creole, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Mama Bird
- Rating: 4.6/5 (3701 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 10550 Southern Highlands Pkwy Ste 140 Las Vegas, Nevada
- Categories: southern, breakfast & brunch, smokehouse
- 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.
