Highest-rated Southern restaurants in Memphis 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 Memphis 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.
#25. Southern Hands Home Style Cooking
- Rating: 3.8/5 (22 reviews)
- Address: 1811 Kirby Pkwy Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
#24. King & Union Bar Grocery
- Rating: 3.8/5 (74 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 185 Union Ave. Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: american, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#23. Southern Hands Homestyle Cooking
- Rating: 3.8/5 (150 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 6025 Winchester Road Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
#22. Soul Fish Cafe
- Rating: 3.9/5 (103 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 8413 US-64 Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: seafood, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#21. Flying Fish
- Rating: 3.9/5 (568 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 105 South 2nd St. Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: seafood, cajun/creole, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#20. Barksdale Restaurant
- Rating: 3.9/5 (177 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 237 South Cooper St. Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: southern, breakfast & brunch, diners
- Read more on Yelp
#19. Central BBQ
- Rating: 4.0/5 (2424 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 147 East Butler Ave. Downtown Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: barbeque, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#18. Blues City Cafe
- Rating: 4.0/5 (1800 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 138 Beale St. Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: southern, barbeque
- Read more on Yelp
#17. Sage Restaurant
- Rating: 4.0/5 (250 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 94 South Main St. Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: american, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#16. The Green Beetle
- Rating: 4.0/5 (209 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 325 South Main St. Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: american, southern, sports bars
- Read more on Yelp
#15. Dino's Grill
- Rating: 4.0/5 (118 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 645 North Mclean Blvd. Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: italian, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#14. ACRE
- Rating: 4.1/5 (138 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 690 South Perkins Road Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: new american, southern, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#13. Hog & Hominy
- Rating: 4.1/5 (691 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 707 West Brookhaven Cir Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: italian, southern, pizza
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Soul Fish Cafe
- Rating: 4.1/5 (291 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4720 Poplar Ave. Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: seafood, soul food, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#11. Gracie's Kitchen
- Rating: 4.2/5 (65 reviews)
- Address: 7185 Stage Road Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: southern, soul food
- Read more on Yelp
#10. Willie Mae's Southern Soul Cooking
- Rating: 4.2/5 (10 reviews)
- Address: 630 North Highland Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
#9. Peggy's Heavenly Home Cooking
- Rating: 4.3/5 (83 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 326 South Cleveland St. Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: southern, soul food
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Soul Fish Cafe
- Rating: 4.3/5 (515 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 862 South Cooper St. Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: southern, seafood, soul food
- Read more on Yelp
#7. Trap Fusion
- Rating: 4.3/5 (49 reviews)
- Address: 4637 Boeingshire Drive Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: southern, caribbean, seafood
- Read more on Yelp
#6. Phoenix Southern Grill
- Rating: 4.3/5 (16 reviews)
- Address: 1661 Semmes St. Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: southern, salad, sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp
#5. McEwen's Memphis
- Rating: 4.4/5 (571 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 120 Monroe Ave. Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: southern, new american
- Read more on Yelp
#4. Itta Bena
- Rating: 4.4/5 (462 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 145 Beale St. Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: southern, venues & event spaces, bars
- Read more on Yelp
#3. The Woman's Exchange of Memphis - Tea Room
- Rating: 4.5/5 (14 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 88 Racine St. Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: tea rooms, southern, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#2. KC's Southern Style Rice
- Rating: 4.5/5 (49 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 4405 Third St. Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: southern, burgers
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Center For Southern Folklore
- Rating: 4.6/5 (19 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 119 South Main St. Memphis, Tennessee
- Categories: southern, music venues, cafes
- 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.
