Soul food, a type of food that is popular in the American south, is the kind of comfort food that negates bad days, poor weather and bad luck. Able to fix just about any problem, it’s usually loaded with butter, mayonnaise and carbs. Five foodie cities that specialize in soul food should not be missed on any foodie’s journey through dishes with a little more soul.
1. New Orleans
Thanks to its deep Creole and African roots, New Orleans tops the list for the best soul food cities. Specializing in dishes like file gumbo, fried catfish po’boys, crawfish and sautéed greens, New Orleans is usually on the top of any foodie’s list of must-see cities. Visitors can get a variety of high-end and down-home restaurants in the Crescent City. Nola’s own online newspaper named Willie Mae’s Scotch House one of the best places to go for an authentic soulful meal. Serving up southern favorites like fried chicken so tender it falls right off the bone and smothered veal, it’s no wonder visitors keep heading back to this lunch-only hotspot.
2. Charleston
Soul food is a religion in this old money low-country city by the sea. Charleston is known for many foods, but its shrimp and grits is a dish most visitors are dying to feast their eyes on. Pickled okra can be found in dishes from salads to a cold bloody mary. Oysters are as much of a staple here as they are in New Orleans, and restaurants not only serve them up on plates full of ice, they use them as decorations as the Amen Street Raw Fish Bar does with its oyster chandelier. Visitors should also head over to Magnolia for shrimp and grits as well as Hominy for brunch.
3. New York
While soul food is synonymous with the South, New York City has some of the best soul food in the north. In a phenomenon that started around the turn of the century called the Great Migration, African Americans began leaving the South to settle in northern cities, like New York. They ended up in Harlem, still craving the soul food they were raised with in the South. Restaurants like Sylvia’s began popping up, offering fried chicken and waffles (served with syrup or gravy), macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and collard greens. Started by Sylvia Woods in 1962, a former waitress of the previous establishment, Sylvia started a business that would in the future be frequented by Bill Clinton and Grandmaster Flash.
4. Savannah
According to Bon Ton Café, “No trip to the South for a soul food tasting is complete without stopping in Savannah. The home of Paula Dean’s Lady and Sons as well as the Pink House, this city specializes in high-end stick-to-your-ribs grub that keeps you going all day. One of the more delicate dishes to try in Savannah is she-crab soup. Light and velvety, this pink-hued soup is full of cream, sherry and topped with a generous pile of crab and roe. It’s perfect with heavier dishes like fried green tomatoes topped with pimento cheese—a cheese made of mayonnaise, pimento peppers and grated cheese.”
5. Jackson
You can’t walk two feet in the Deep South without running into a soul food establishment, so the ones that stand out need to work hard to do so. Bully’s in Jackson uses collard greens so fresh, the kitchen staff can be seen snagging some from big baskets on tables nearby. They also specialize in pork neck bones, oxtail and creamed corn. Southern Food Ways even featured them recently on their website. Not an easy feat in the land of soul queens and kings.
