Highest-rated Southern restaurants in Norfolk by diners
Highest-rated Southern restaurants in Norfolk 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 Norfolk 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 Norfolk 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.
#15. Canvas Social Cuisine
- Rating: 3.0/5 (97 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 411 Granby St. Norfolk, Virginia
- Categories: Southern, Soul Food, Caribbean
- Read more on Yelp
#14. Pollard's Chicken & Catering
- Rating: 3.1/5 (38 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 8370 Tidewater Drive norfolk, Virginia
- Categories: Southern, Caterers
- Read more on Yelp
#13. Pollard's Chicken
- Rating: 3.2/5 (93 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 8370 Tidewater Drive Norfolk, Virginia
- Categories: New American, Southern
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Mack's Barge
- Rating: 3.3/5 (167 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4300 Colley Ave. Norfolk, Virginia
- Categories: Seafood, New American, Southern
- Read more on Yelp
#11. The Fishin' Pig
- Rating: 3.8/5 (467 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 119 West 25th St. Norfolk, Virginia
- Categories: Barbecue, Seafood, Southern
- Read more on Yelp
#10. Boss Queens Soul Cafe
- Rating: 3.8/5 (279 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 5802 East Virginia Beach Blvd. Ste 140 Norfolk, Virginia
- Categories: Soul Food, Southern, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp
#9. Terrie's Breakfast & Lunch
- Rating: 3.8/5 (44 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3320 North Military Hwy Norfolk, Virginia
- Categories: American, Breakfast & Brunch, Southern
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Yoolks On Us Southern Bistro
- Rating: 3.8/5 (351 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 515 Washington St. Portsmouth, Virginia
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Southern
- Read more on Yelp
#7. Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar
- Rating: 4.0/5 (1514 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4501 Main St. Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Categories: Southern, Breakfast & Brunch, New American
- Read more on Yelp
#6. Ellens Homestyle & BBQ Express, llc
- Rating: 4.1/5 (53 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 5660 Indian River Road Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Categories: Southern, Soul Food
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Coopers Restaurant and Lounge
- Rating: 4.1/5 (34 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3112 High St. Portsmouth, Virginia
- Categories: Soul Food, Southern, American
- Read more on Yelp
#4. Ibis Cuisine
- Rating: 4.1/5 (29 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 928 Diamond Springs Road Ste 135 Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Categories: Caribbean, Southern
- Read more on Yelp
#3. Tendermacs
- Rating: 4.2/5 (27 reviews)
- Address: 1108 Sparrow Road Chesapeake, Virginia
- Categories: Soul Food, Chicken Shop, Southern
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Bar-Q
- Rating: 4.4/5 (76 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1901 East Ocean View Ave. Norfolk, Virginia
- Categories: Southern, Barbecue, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#1. 350 Grace
- Rating: 4.5/5 (133 reviews)
- Address: 350 West 22nd St. Bldg 114 - 115 Norfolk, Virginia
- Categories: Southern, Seafood, Gluten-Free
- Read more on Yelp
