Must-see restaurants in Southern USA

  • Bastion

    Nashville

    Behind a nondescript sliding door hides this choose-your-own-adventure foodie dreamland. Chef Josh Habiger (Catbird Seat, Patterson House) has cultivated…

  • Highlands Bar & Grill

    Birmingham

    Frank Stitt's most acclaimed restaurant, Highlands has been serving up modern Southern cuisine using French cooking techniques since 1982 in this elegant,…

  • Wyld

    Savannah

    Hidden along an estuary of the Savannah marshlands, this laid-back, local favorite features a seasonal, New American menu with a heavy seafood emphasis…

  • Macro Close Up Barbecue BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwhich; Shutterstock ID 545251645

    Saw's Soul Kitchen

    Birmingham

    Saw's offers some of the most mouthwatering smoked meat in the city, served in a family-friendly atmosphere. Stuffed potatoes make a nice addition to your…

  • Galatoire’s

    French Quarter

    Friday lunchtime is the best time to visit this revered institution for its traditional Creole cuisine. That’s when local ladies in big hats and gloves…

  • PinPoint

    Coastal North Carolina

    PinPoint was declared by Southern Living magazine as one of the South's best new restaurants – and they weren't lyin'!

  • Octopus Bar

    Atlanta

    Leave your hang-ups at the hotel – this is punk-rock dining – and get to know what's good at this unsigned indoor-outdoor patio dive nuanced with…

  • Fresh Air

    South Georgia

    Congratulations, you have reached swine nirvana. Fresh Air is a glorious warm and friendly pioneer-style wooden roadside shack with outdoor seating and…

  • Marjie's Grill

    New Orleans

    In one word: brilliant. Marjie's is run by chefs who were inspired by Southeast Asian street food, but rather than coming home and doing pale imitations…

  • Boucherie

    New Orleans

    The thick, glistening cuts of bacon on the BLT can only be the work of the devil – or chef Nathanial Zimet, whose house-cured meats and succulent Southern…

  • Dish Dive

    Atlanta

    Located in a teeny house near some railroad tracks, Dish Dive is cooler than you and it doesn't care. Anyone is welcome here, and the food – fresh,…

  • Catbird Seat

    Nashville

    For the 22 lucky diners perched around an open kitchen, chefs Will Aghajanian and Liz Johnson choreograph an unforgettable 10- to 12-course dining…

  • Gunshow

    Atlanta

    Celebrity chef Kevin Gillespie's innovative and unorthodox Gunshow is an explosively good night out. Guests choose between a dozen or so smallish dishes,…

  • Tan Dinh

    New Orleans

    It may look like a bog standard strip-mall Vietnamese joint when you walk in, but we'd happily contend that Tan Dinh is one of the best restaurants in…

  • Peche Seafood Grill

    New Orleans

    Coastal seafood dishes are prepared simply here, but unexpected flourishes – whether from salt, spices or magic – sear the deliciousness onto your taste…

  • Balter Beerworks

    Knoxville

    From the communal tables on the patio to the standing-room-only bar to the buzzing dining room, this convivial joint – a former gas station – exudes a…

  • Clancy's

    New Orleans

    This white-tablecloth neighborhood restaurant embraces style, the good life and Creole cuisine with a chattering joie de vivre and top-notch service. The…

  • 167 Raw

    Charleston

    There are no reservations at this tiny hole-in-the-wall that unassumingly serves up the city's best seafood. People wait in lines down the block for the…

  • Husk Savannah

    Savannah

    After acclaimed success with Charleston, Nashville and Greenville locations, celebrity-chef Sean Brock brings Husk's hyperlocal, agriculturally driven…

  • B's Cracklin' BBQ

    Savannah

    This is very good barbecue. Pit-master Bryan Furman left his job as a welder to raise his own hogs and source local ingredients for homemade sides. The…

  • Bacchanal

    Faubourg Marigny & Bywater

    From the outside, Bacchanal looks like a leaning Bywater shack; inside are racks of wine and stinky-but-sexy cheese. Musicians play in the garden, while…

  • Gautreau’s

    New Orleans

    There’s no sign outside Gautreau’s, just the number 1728 discreetly marking a nondescript house in a residential neighborhood. Cross the threshold to find…

  • Pepperfire Hot Chicken

    East Nashville

    Since 2010, East Nashville’s Pepperfire has been slinging spicy bird to heat seekers who appreciate a creative twist on classic hot chicken. A thin,…

  • Edmund's Oast

    Charleston

    Occupying a gutted former hardware store in gentrifying NoMo, Charleston's highest-brow brewpub got a fancy new executive chef, Bob Cook, in 2017. The new…

  • Hattie B's

    Nashville

    When it comes to hot chicken supremacy, based on sheer numbers, Hattie B's reigns supreme in Nashville. The ultra-popular fried chicken spot serves up…

  • Wild Cow

    East Nashville

    Looking for a fresh and flavor-packed meal in East Nashville? Then hit up this small but inviting vegetarian eatery, where photos of happy livestock beam…

  • Husk

    Downtown & the Gulch

    Set in a Victorian house overlooking downtown and the river, Husk provides an authentic, farm-to-table Southern food experience. It offers a daily…

  • Waffle House

    Atlanta

    To say Waffle House is an Atlanta institution is an insult to Waffle House – this quintessential greasy-spoon diner is…everything! And while there are a…

  • Smiling Elephant

    Nashville

    Arguably Nashville’s best-known and -respected Thai restaurant, the Smiling Elephant is a treasure not to be missed. This homey little joint welcomes…

  • Staplehouse

    Atlanta

    The hottest table in Atlanta and the darling du jour of Southern foodies, Staplehouse dishes up innovative, seasonal New American cuisine. Small to medium…

  • Optimist

    Atlanta

    In a short space, we could never do this Westside sustainable-seafood mecca justice. In a word, astonishing! Start with crispy calamari with salsa matcha…

  • Cúrate

    Asheville

    Owned by hip Ashevillian chef Katie Button and her Catalan husband Félix, this convivial downtown hangout celebrates the simple charms and sensual flavors…

  • Jacques-Imo’s Café

    New Orleans

    Ask locals for restaurant recommendations in New Orleans, and almost everybody mentions Jacques-Imo's. We understand why: cornbread muffins swimming in…

  • Commander's Palace

    New Orleans

    Commander’s Palace is a dapper host who wows with white-linen dining rooms, decadent dishes and attentive Southern hospitality. The nouveau Creole menu…

  • Mosca's

    Louisiana

    There's old school, and then there's Mosca's. This Italian joint looks like it's about to collapse into the mud, but it soldiers on, serving to-die-for…

  • Seaworthy

    New Orleans

    Many new restaurants in New Orleans have not lived up to the city's intimidating culinary legacy. Seaworthy is not such a place. They serve, simply,…

  • Java Burrito

    Lowcountry

    Like a sustainably tricked-out Chipotle, this family-owned, farm-to-table burrito Eden is impossible not to love, which is why in-the-know islanders are…

  • Carson's Food & Drink

    Lexington

    Prohibition-era cocktails ($8 to $10) and bloody Marys (garnished with bacon, shrimp, celery, olives, pepper jack cheese and pepperoncini) make for great…

  • Coquette

    New Orleans

    Coquette mixes wine-bar ambience with friendly service and a bit of white linen; the result is a candlelit place where you don’t feel bad getting tipsy…

  • Bacchanalia

    Atlanta

    Considered one of the top restaurants in the city, Bacchanalia's menu changes daily, and you may choose from multiple dishes for each of the four courses…