Highest-rated Southern restaurants in San Antonio 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 hushpuppies 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 the San Antonio area using data from Yelp as of May 2, 2025. 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 20 reviews tagged as "southern" on Yelp within a 10-kilometer radius of San Antonio were included. As a result, some restaurants featured may serve other food items.

Read on to find the perfect spot to get a taste of the South near you.

1 / 19

#19. Bubba Gump Shrimp

- Rating: 3.1/5 (342 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 406 Navarro St. San Antonio, Texas
- Categories: Southern, Seafood, Cocktail Bars
- Read more on Yelp

2 / 19

#18. The County Line

- Rating: 3.7/5 (475 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4334 Hyatt Place Drive San Antonio, Texas
- Categories: Barbecue, Southern, Caterers
- Read more on Yelp

3 / 19

#17. Bobbie's Southern Kitchen

- Rating: 4.0/5 (369 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 606 Embassy Oaks Ste 100 San Antonio, Texas
- Categories: American, Southern, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

4 / 19

#16. The Smoke Shack

- Rating: 4.0/5 (1661 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3714 Broadway San Antonio, Texas
- Categories: Southern, Barbecue, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

5 / 19

#15. Southerleigh Haute South

- Rating: 4.1/5 (532 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 5822 Worth Pkwy Ste 112 San Antonio, Texas
- Categories: Southern, Beer Bar, Cocktail Bars
- Read more on Yelp

6 / 19

#14. Faust Tavern

- Rating: 4.1/5 (84 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 517 East Woodlawn San Antonio, Texas
- Categories: Dive Bars, Cocktail Bars, Southern
- Read more on Yelp

7 / 19

#13. Tryst Kitchen + Cocktails

- Rating: 4.1/5 (94 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1915 Broadway Ste 111 San Antonio, Texas
- Categories: Cajun/Creole, Southern, Cocktail Bars
- Read more on Yelp

8 / 19

#12. The Pigpen

- Rating: 4.2/5 (321 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 106 Pershing Ave. San Antonio, Texas
- Categories: Bars, Southern, Barbecue
- Read more on Yelp

9 / 19

#11. Momma Luv's Soul & Carribean Food

- Rating: 4.2/5 (155 reviews)
- Address: 2427 Austin Hwy San Antonio, Texas
- Categories: Caribbean, Soul Food, Southern
- Read more on Yelp

10 / 19

#10. Meadow Neighborhood Eatery + Bar

- Rating: 4.3/5 (301 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 555 West Bitters Road Ste 110 San Antonio, Texas
- Categories: Southern, Breakfast & Brunch, Cocktail Bars
- Read more on Yelp

11 / 19

#9. Clementine San Antonio

- Rating: 4.3/5 (336 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 2195 Northwest Military Hwy Castle Hills, Texas
- Categories: Southern, New American, Wine Bars
- Read more on Yelp

12 / 19

#8. Four Brothers

- Rating: 4.3/5 (181 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 112 College St. San Antonio, Texas
- Categories: Southern, Breakfast & Brunch, Cocktail Bars
- Read more on Yelp

13 / 19

#7. Ida Claire

- Rating: 4.3/5 (1537 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 7300 Jones Maltsberger Road San Antonio, Texas
- Categories: Southern
- Read more on Yelp

14 / 19

#6. Jazz TX

- Rating: 4.4/5 (291 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 312 Pearl Pkwy Bldg 6, Ste 6001 San Antonio, Texas
- Categories: Southern, Jazz & Blues, Cocktail Bars
- Read more on Yelp

15 / 19

#5. Bayseas Catfish House

- Rating: 4.5/5 (416 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 13954 Nacogdoches Road San Antonio, Texas
- Categories: Southern, Seafood, Soul Food
- Read more on Yelp

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16 / 19

#4. South BBQ & Kitchen

- Rating: 4.5/5 (185 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2011 Mission Road San Antonio, Texas
- Categories: Barbecue, Southern
- Read more on Yelp

17 / 19

#3. Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken - San Antonio

- Rating: 4.5/5 (592 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 812 South Alamo St. Suite 111 San Antonio, Texas
- Categories: Chicken Shop, Comfort Food, Southern
- Read more on Yelp

18 / 19

#2. Snow Island Soul Food & Daqs

- Rating: 4.6/5 (49 reviews)
- Address: 102 Springfield Road San Antonio, Texas
- Categories: Southern, Seafood, Steakhouses
- Read more on Yelp

19 / 19

#1. Nelson's BBQ

- Rating: 5.0/5 (73 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 7327 North Loop 1604 West San Antonio, Texas
- Categories: Barbecue, Food Trucks, Southern
- Read more on Yelp