50 Best Southern Restaurants in America: OpenTable Releases Its Latest List

Today OpenTable released its “50 Best Southern Restaurants” list.

And as someone who appreciates putting a little South in her mouth, OpenTable’s newest restaurant list really spoke to my okra-loving heart. The new list obviously includes many restaurants in the South, but it also includes Northeast and Midwest states (such New York, Pennsylvania, and Illinois)—proving that Southern hospitality extends above the Mason-Dixon line.

New Orleans dominated the list with eight honorees—including Muriel’s (pictured above), Willa Jean, and Restaurant Rebirth, among others.

Geographically speaking, the list spans from New Orleans, Louisiana to New York City—and covers everything from crawfish étouffée to buttermilk fried chicken to quality soft shell crabs and beyond.

It’s unsurprising that New Orleans, Louisiana leads the roster with eight honorees—including Restaurant R’evolution, Willa Jean, and Mr. B’s Bistro. It is, after all, very difficult to find a bad meal in The Big Easy. You’d actually have to work hard to do that. (And yes, all of the Louisiana restaurants on this list are in New Orleans.) Texas and North Carolina both come in second (each with six restaurants). While Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia are all in third place, with four recognitions apiece.

Among the non-Southern states, New York emerged at the top with three restaurants: The Boil on Waverly Place and Root & Bone (both in New York City)—plus Toutant in Buffalo.

New York City’s Root & Bone is one of three restaurants in New York State to have been recognized in this list.

Typically, OpenTable publishes 100-strong lists throughout the year. “The 100 Best Restaurants in America,” “The 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America,” “The 100 Most Scenic Restaurants in America,” and more are announced every few months. But this one, in particular, is a fun one for me—considering my weakness for southern fare.

Highlands Bar and Grill in Alabama prides itself on its classical French techniques using local ingredients and its seasonal menu—one that changes daily.

Beyond that, it’s no secret that I’ve always admired the “democracy” behind the OpenTable methodology. The lists really are for regular people who just enjoy a good meal—in settings that don’t have to be over-the-top plush and extravagant. It’s also a plus that there are no food critics in stealth mode involved. There’s not a panel of so-called tastemakers. There are no official titles, special awards, or rankings. And very few menus will set you back two paychecks. Even the way the lists are formatted is devoid of pretension: They’re all arranged alphabetically.

Yardbird, a much-beloved Southern restaurant, has multiple locations in the country.

As always, the platform’s roster is 100 percent user generated, and this one is culled from data collected between June 1, 2017 and May 31, 2018: the “50 Best Southern Restaurants” list comes from more than 12 million OpenTable-verified diner reviews that include 27,000 establishments across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

To view the full OpenTable list, scroll down or click here.

Toutant in Buffalo, New York is a casual spot that serves amazing contemporary country fare while focusing on seasonal ingredients.

50 Best Southern Restaurants in America for 2018
Abel Brown (Augusta, Georgia)
Acadiana (Washington, D.C.)
Acre (Auburn, Alabama)
Alligator Soul (Savannah, Georgia)
Anson (Charleston, South Carolina)
Antebellum (Flowery Branch, Georgia)
Atchafalaya Restaurant (New Orleans, Louisiana)
The Boil, Waverly (New York, New York)
Boucherie (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Brennan’s of Houston (Houston, Texas)
Cafe Dupont (Birmingham, Alabama)
Carrollton Market (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Circa 1886 (Charleston, South Carolina)
Cured (San Antonio, Texas)
Cypress Restaurant (Tallahassee, Florida)
Distilled at The Sire Hotel (Lexington, Kentucky)
Dogwood Southern Table & Bar (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Fixe (Austin, Texas)
High Street Caffe & Vudu Lounge (West Chester, Pennsylvania)
Highball & Harvest (Orlando, Florida)
Highlands Bar & Grill (Birmingham, Alabama)
Hot and Hot Fish Club (Birmingham, Alabama)
Ida Claire (Addison, Texas)
Kitchen Notes at the Omni Nashville (Nashville, Tennessee)
The King’s Kitchen (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Langdon’s Restaurant (Mount Pleasant, South Carolina)
Madison’s (Highlands, North Carolina)
Mandolin (Raleigh, North Carolina)
Maple Tree Inn (Blue Island, Illinois)
Merrick Inn (Lexington, Kentucky)
Midtown Cafe (Nashville, Tennessee)
Mozelle’s Fresh Southern Bistro (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)
Mr. B’s Bistro (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Muriel’s Jackson Square (New Orleans, Louisiana)
The Olde Pink House Restaurant (Savannah, Georgia)|
Preserved Restaurant (St. Augustine, Florida)
Rapscallion (Dallas, Texas)
Restaurant IRON (Pensacola, Florida)
Restaurant R’evolution (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Restaurant Rebirth (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Root & Bone (New York, New York)
RT’s Restaurant (Alexandria, Virginia)
Rx Restaurant (Wilmington, North Carolina)
South City Kitchen (Multiple locations)
State of Grace (Houston, Texas)
Stella’s Bistro, Simpsonville (Simpsonville, South Carolina)
Toutant (Buffalo, New York)
Urban Grub (Nashville, Tennessee)
Willa Jean (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Yardbird Southern Table & Bar (Multiple locations)