Five best authentic Southern food restaurants in Atlanta

Christina V./Yelp

Greetings, Atlantans! We all love Southern food. We crave it all the time. When we're away from it, we miss it. Its simple and direct seasoning is what makes us love it, especially the to-die-for pulled pork and cornbread. So here, we have made a list of the five best Southern food restaurants in Atlanta just for you!

1. Southern Kitchen & Grill

Melinda W./Yelp

"We are a black-owned family business working together to cook soul food, delicious homemade desserts, gourmet popcorn, and caramel apples," their Instagram account says, and boy, are they delicious!

Their specials differ daily, so make sure you know what day it is! On Wednesday, they serve 4 Whole Wings, 1 Side, Cornbread Muffin, and Drink for $10. Pit Master (1⁄4 lb Pulled pork, 1⁄4 lb Brisket, and 2 Rib bones), 2 Sides, Cornbread Muffin, and a drink for $20 on Thursday. More special dishes and prices are even greater for the rest of the week.

A local named Tanra C. reviewed this restaurant with so many praises, she said: "The customer service is outstanding from ALL of the staff. They were so welcoming... The place is very clean! All the staff had on masks, gloves, and hairnets. We got drinks a meal and dessert. The food was good. The dessert was delicious! We had the pineapple lemonade, it was good. All the food was fresh!"

Location: 3781 Presidential Parkway Suite 306 Atlanta, GA 30340

2. South City Kitchen Midtown

Filip M./Yelp

Ask anyone in Atlanta and they'll likely agree that this one is an exceptional restaurant. From pork belly to she-crab soup, nothing on their menu is not delicious.

It even has a returning customer named Chadran S. who reviewed on Yelp, saying, "The food was amazing, I definitely recommend their signature chicken, if you don't like sweet collard greens you can sub out for another side. Some of the drinks are strong (the machine.) The service was great and there is hand sanitizer located in every nook and cranny of the restaurant. Would definitely come back!"

Location: 1144 Crescent Ave NE Atlanta, GA 30309 Midtown

3. Mary Mac's Tea Room

Joyce W./Yelp

Marry Mac's Tea Room is a popular place in Atlanta. If you don't want to wait for 45 minutes or more, it's better to make a reservation. Yes! They are THAT popular and almost always full. Their chicken-fried chicken and whole fried catfish are what many crave and are coming back for.

"My life will never be the same. I was looking for a basic soul food spot to get me over while I was in town and came across this place that will now be labeled the best soul food I have ever had... I saw that the wait times are pretty long so I decided to place an order to go and I love to see that my order was ready for me on time and the staff was super friendly in checking me out," Kamonie D. said on Yelp.

Location: 224 Ponce De Leon Ave NE Atlanta, GA 30308 Midtown, Old Fourth Ward

4. Hattie B's Hot Chicken

Joseph P./Yelp

As the name implies, they serve mainly chicken. However, they ARE the best in doing so. This restaurant is something a true Southern fried chicken lover should never miss.

A true Southerner, Schon C., left a positive review on Yelp: "Hattie B's serves up the absolute best-fried chicken with levels of Southern to spicy. Talk about " slap yo mama and call it a Sunday" good. (that's the shut the cluck up!!!! Hot). They have sides galore too pimento Mac n cheese, coleslaw, baked beans, and only on Sunday's bacon n cheese grits. From small servings or large, all of Hattie B's menu options are exceptional."

Location: 299 Moreland Ave NE Atlanta, GA 30307 Little Five Points

5. The Busy Bee Cafe

Shawn W./Yelp

The Busy Bee Cafe is the true embodiment of the Southern culinary culture. They were voted as the Best Soul Food by Thrillist, Yahoo, City Search, and Creative Loafing.

Atlanta Magazine featured them in its Best of Atlanta segment for their delicious fried chicken in 2015. Southern Living also listed them as "The South's Best Soul Food" for Georgia if that's not enough for you.

If you're looking for anything Southern, whether it is tender fried chicken, mac n' cheese, or pork chop, you can get it here, and you'll get one of the best. Bria J. on Yelp written "Their food is always on point. It's kinda expensive, but it's worth it, you get what you pay for."

Location: 810 Martin Luther King Jr Dr. SW Atlanta, GA 30314

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