Highest-rated Southern restaurants in Seattle 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 Seattle 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.
#18. Ezell's Famous Chicken
- Rating: 3.0/5 (119 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 4436 Rainier Ave. South Seattle, Washington
- Categories: southern, comfort food, chicken shop
- Read more on Yelp
#17. Ezell's Famous Chicken
- Rating: 3.2/5 (250 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2300 North 45th St. Ste 6906 Seattle, Washington
- Categories: southern, comfort food, chicken shop
- Read more on Yelp
#16. Heaven Sent Fried Chicken
- Rating: 3.3/5 (291 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 14330 Lake City Way Northeast Seattle, Washington
- Categories: southern, soul food, fast food
- Read more on Yelp
#15. Shingletown Saloon
- Rating: 3.3/5 (102 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2016 Northwest Market St. Seattle, Washington
- Categories: pubs, new american, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#14. Honest Biscuits
- Rating: 3.4/5 (455 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1901 Western Ave. Ste East Seattle, Washington
- Categories: bakeries, southern, breakfast & brunch
- Read more on Yelp
#13. Ezell's Famous Chicken
- Rating: 3.5/5 (889 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 501 23rd Ave. Seattle, Washington
- Categories: southern, chicken shop, comfort food
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Ezell's Famous Chicken
- Rating: 3.5/5 (46 reviews)
- Address: 4205 Southwest Morgan St. Seattle, Washington
- Categories: southern, chicken shop, comfort food
- Read more on Yelp
#11. Parish Northwest
- Rating: 3.8/5 (166 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 5327 Ballard Ave. Northwest Ste A Seattle, Washington
- Categories: southern, cajun/creole, pop-up restaurants
- Read more on Yelp
#10. Jack's Chicken Shack
- Rating: 4.1/5 (45 reviews)
- Address: 228 9th Ave. North Seattle, Washington
- Categories: southern, chicken shop
- Read more on Yelp
#9. Biscuit Bitch
- Rating: 4.2/5 (4785 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1909 1st Ave. Seattle, Washington
- Categories: breakfast & brunch, coffee & tea, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#8. SODO Chicken
- Rating: 4.2/5 (80 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 6538 4th Ave. South Seattle, Washington
- Categories: chicken wings, southern, waffles
- Read more on Yelp
#7. Simply Soulful
- Rating: 4.2/5 (426 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2321 South Jackson St. Seattle, Washington
- Categories: desserts, soul food, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#6. Seattle Biscuit Company
- Rating: 4.3/5 (232 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4001 Leary Way Northwest Seattle, Washington
- Categories: food trucks, southern, soul food
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Fat's Fried Chicken & Waffles
- Rating: 4.3/5 (825 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2726 East Cherry St. Seattle, Washington
- Categories: southern, soul food, waffles
- Read more on Yelp
#4. Biscuit Bitch
- Rating: 4.3/5 (1733 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2303 3rd Ave. Seattle, Washington
- Categories: breakfast & brunch, southern, coffee & tea
- Read more on Yelp
#3. Triangle Spirits
- Rating: 4.4/5 (114 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3507 Fremont Place North Seattle, Washington
- Categories: southern, whiskey bars
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Emma's BBQ
- Rating: 4.4/5 (204 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 5303 Rainier Ave. South Seattle, Washington
- Categories: southern, barbeque
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Drae's Lake Route
- Rating: 4.5/5 (197 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 9261 57th Ave. South Seattle, Washington
- Categories: chicken wings, breakfast & brunch, southern
- 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.
