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Highest-rated Southern restaurants in Charlottesville 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 Charlottesville 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.
#11. Fig
- Rating: 3.4/5 (174 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1331 West Main St. Charlottesville, Virginia
- Categories: southern, pancakes, venues & event spaces
- Read more on Yelp
#10. The Ridley
- Rating: 3.6/5 (134 reviews)
- Address: 1106 West Main St. Charlottesville, Virginia
- Categories: southern, seafood, breakfast & brunch
- Read more on Yelp
#9. The Whiskey Jar
- Rating: 3.7/5 (613 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 227 West Main St. Charlottesville, Virginia
- Categories: southern, music venues, pubs
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Farm Bell Kitchen
- Rating: 4.0/5 (435 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1209 West Main St. Charlottesville, Virginia
- Categories: southern, breakfast & brunch, coffee & tea
- Read more on Yelp
#7. Red Hub Food Co
- Rating: 4.1/5 (104 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 202 10th St. Northwest Charlottesville, Virginia
- Categories: southern, barbeque, sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp
#6. Maya
- Rating: 4.1/5 (373 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 633 West Main St. Charlottesville, Virginia
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Mockingbird
- Rating: 4.2/5 (70 reviews)
- Address: 421 Monticello Road Charlottesville, Virginia
- Categories: southern, cocktail bars
- Read more on Yelp
#4. Wayside Takeout & Catering
- Rating: 4.2/5 (114 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2203 Jefferson Park Ave. Charlottesville, Virginia
- Categories: southern, comfort food, chicken wings
- Read more on Yelp
#3. Mission BBQ
- Rating: 4.3/5 (237 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3912 Lenox Ave. Charlottesville, Virginia
- Categories: southern, sandwiches, barbeque
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Vision BBQ
- Rating: 4.4/5 (64 reviews)
- Address: 249 Ridge McIntire Road Charlottesville, Virginia
- Categories: southern, barbeque, sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Doodles Diner
- Rating: 4.5/5 (30 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1305 Long St. Charlottesville, Virginia
- Categories: southern, diners, breakfast & brunch
- 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.