Where to eat soul food right now
Experts and locals share their favorite spots.
Hearty smells wafting from the kitchen, platters of colorful food arranged on a table, and that full-belly feeling when the meal is scrapped and gone—it all screams of soul food. Such a rich cuisine comes down to a relatively simple definition: food that’s harvested, cooked, and enjoyed with soul. But deeper than that, soul food has ties to a storied culture and history influenced by the cooking techniques and ingredients of West and Central Africa and Indigenous cuisines. Originating during the era of American slavery, nurtured in the Deep South, and passed on through generations of Black families, soul food is a treasured cuisine that influences palate and brings people together.
But don’t think soul food looks the same everywhere. We spoke to four food experts and elders in some of the best soul-food cities in America about their hidden gems and the spots that deserve all the praise.
From Kayla Stewart, a James Beard Award–winning food and travel journalist and cookbook author:
“Something I really love about Houston is that you have this rich and significant African American community that's spread throughout the city. But you also have Black immigrants from countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal in West Africa and all around the Caribbean. What that means is that you're getting Black food from all over the world. You get this version of soul food that speaks to people's identities.”
Kayla’s Houston soul-food favorites:
“Lucille’s is really important—Chef Christopher Williams is a descendant of Lucille B. Smith, who was an incredibly important woman in Texas [and culinary history]. He’s taken a few of her recipes and recreated them there, highlighting the work that she did as a chef and as an educator, carrying on that legacy through the food.”
“They’ve managed to take this beloved cuisine and bring it into the plant-based space—and the results are very good.”
“Esther’s has the traditional kind of dishes that you get from your grandmother's home. You've got the bread pudding, the mac and cheese, smothered meats, and chitterlings. Everything is buffet-style, and there’s a family ambiance going on.”
“There's always a line, so be prepared, but it moves pretty quickly. The food and experiences are definitely well worth it.”
From Zella Palmer, an educator, food historian, author, and filmmaker; she is also the chair and director of the Dillard University Ray Charles Program in African-American Material Culture:
“We don't call it soul food in New Orleans—we call it Creole cuisine. Yes, people would call it soul food in the sense that it came from Black folks, but Creole cuisine is a cuisine that was born in Africa, creolized in places like Nigeria and Senegal before we even got on the boat.
Creole cuisine is a mixture. It was African first, then, of course, Indigenous because when enslaved Africans came here, they had to use what was Indigenous to the United States. But it was also French and Spanish.”
Zella’s New Orleans Creole favorites:
“It’s owned by Leah Chase's grandson (Leah Chase was behind Dooky Chase). It’s always good to eat at Dooky Chase because of the history behind that [spot]—and she was the real queen of Creole cuisine. But it's also nice to eat at Chapter IV because it's named after the fourth generation of Chases and serves up contemporary Creole cuisine.”
“I'm big on some of the hidden spots that don't get enough attention. Heard Dat Kitchen is all about to-go orders, but it's so good.”
“Frank Brigsten is a longtime native New Orleanian chef who has been holding down Creole cuisine for decades.”
“Dakar Nola is the mother of all of this. It’s a Senegalese restaurant that has been getting a lot of notoriety in the city—and when you eat their jollof, it’s jambalaya.”
From KJ Kearney, who founded the James Beard Award–nominated social media platform Black Food Fridays:
“What Charleston contributes to Black culture is that we are the foundation of Black culture. Our food is the foundation of what you would consider ‘Black food’ or ‘soul food.’
As you spread out, you have access to different things or you don't have access to certain foods. So, [the food you eat is] going to change according to the region or the area that you're in. In Charleston, a whole lot of rice, lots of vegetables, lots of fresh seafood, with some meat sprinkled in is the foundation of what we eat.”
KJ’s Charleston soul-food favorites:
“This is one of the few restaurants in the area that’s open on Sundays—that's very rare. Their food is good, and the cake slices are excellent.”
“Do not go at lunchtime—the lunch crowd is dedicated, and they are [filling every table]. So unless you plan on being there on time, I would wait a little bit. In terms of what you can eat there, everything on their menu is delicious, but I’m partial to their Charleston purloo.”
“I get the same thing every time I go, which is a whole fried flounder. I mean like, the whole flounder—bones in and everything. And then I get their seafood rice, which is basically white rice with the Holy Trinity and crabmeat. Pro tip: add the sautéed shrimp on top of it. Parking can be tough; most people have to park down the street and walk over so just be prepared.”
“The Geechie wings? Crazy. They’re regular breaded chicken wings, but they have their own version of a mambo sauce. And I've been telling them, y’all gotta put that in stores. This sauce is so good.”
From Mozey Allen, a Savannah native of 75 years:
“I remember going to City Market with my mom to get vegetables or buy chicken. I remember neighborhood boys coming back from catching catfish down the river and coming down the street selling them. And I still remember ladies with baskets on their heads walking down Price Street.”
Mozey’s Savannah soul-food favorites:
“My No. 1 spot is Sisters of the New South—my favorite there is fried chicken. I always like to get my okra in a cup because in the mornings, I like to eat my okra soup with grits. A lot of people frown on that but, growing up, everything the next day was always leftovers.”
“I like the yams, cabbage, greens, and—of course—the macaroni and cheese. You always get a corn muffin with it. And she has huge slices of cake for $5 or $6 a slice; it’s worth every penny.”
“I always get the two combinations of ribs and baked chicken. And, of course, red rice, mac and cheese, and potato salad.”
“She has salmon croquettes—and those go really fast.”
