The Seven Best Restaurants in New York City for Southern Food
Craving ribs, fried chicken, mac & cheese, pies and more? New York City is home to some excellent southern and soul food restaurants. So here are the seven best restaurants in New York City for southern food. You can get a good hearty meal in any of these restaurants!
Red Rooster – 310 Lenox Ave
First off, Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster in Harlem is still one of the most exciting restaurants in all of New York City. They have a lot of southern classics like jerk chicken, blackened catfish, shrimp & grits but we absolutely love their fried chicken. It is unbelievably juicy and it will have you coming back for more!
Sylvia’s – 328 Malcolm X Blvd
P.C.: yelp, Adam D.
Nearby there is also Sylvia’s and it is a foodie landmark in Harlem. After all these years, Sylvia’s is still the reigning queen of soul food and it is easy to see why when you tried their chicken, ribs, pork chops, mac & cheese and more. You definitely want to come here with an empty stomach.
Hill Country Chicken – 1123 Broadway
If you are looking for a quick lunch, Hill Country Fried Chicken is one of our go to lunch spots. We always get their chicken and waffles and if you have room for it, we also recommend their pies. If you want BBQ, there is also Hill Country Barbecue Market (30 West 26th St) nearby.
Sweet Chick – 178 Ludlow St & 164 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn
When it comes to chicken and waffles, Sweet Chick is one of the best. It is in fact one of the most popular restaurants on the Lower East Side so it is often hard to get a table during the brunch hours. But if you do get a table, you can savor bites of their amazing fried chicken along with bites of a nice warm waffle. It is the perfect combination!
Sugar Freak – 37-11 30th Ave, Astoria
P.C.: yelp, Ven H.
Sugar Freak specializes in New Orleans food like fried shrimp po boys, seafood jambalayas and crawfish etouffees and they are all full of flavor. There aren’t too many places like Sugar Freak in New York City and it is great if you are looking for something a little different.
Pies ‘n’ Thighs – 166 S 4th St, Brooklyn
We were very sad when the Pies ‘n’ Thighs on the Lower East Side closed but there is still the Pies ‘n’ Thighs in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. As you may have guessed, the fried chicken and the pies are the stars here but Pies ‘n’ Thighs has a menu full of Southern comfort foods and we haven’t had a bad meal here.
Root & Bone – 200 E 3rd St
P.C.: Root & Bone
Finally Root & Bone in the East Village is another one of our go to places for southern food. They have amazing biscuits & gravy and shrimp & grits. Also their fried chicken is top notch (as you can see from this list we love fried chicken). Their dining room also has a nice homey rustic feel to it. Keep an eye for this restaurant during the upcoming NYC Restaurant Week.