The #1 Southern restaurant in Cleveland right now, according to diners—plus, see the runners-up

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Highest-rated Southern restaurants in Cleveland by diners

When you travel below the Mason-Dixon Line, you'll find some of the most mouthwatering, comforting cuisine in the U.S.: Southern food.

Southern dishes are a vital part of American cuisine, from hush puppies to ham hocks and beignets to barbecue. It's impossible to define a classic Southern meal, but a solid one starts with the sharp savory flavor of pimento cheese dip, followed by the delicious crunchiness of fried chicken or a spicy Louisiana étouffée, culminating with a sugary slice of chess pie that's best washed down with a tall glass of sweet tea.

What's unique about Southern fare is that multiple ethnic and cultural groups have influenced it. Spanish staples, such as potatoes and cocoa, are in many Southern dishes; the Acadians, who traveled to Louisiana from Nova Scotia and later became Louisiana Creoles, contributed their seafood to many Southern meals; African ingredients—okra, sorghum (an ancient grain), and black-eyed peas—became a part of the cuisine through the forced labor of enslaved people; French cooking methods, like braising and sautéing, are used for many Southern recipes; and Native Americans introduced corn to Southern recipes, yielding dishes like succotash and grits.

The Southern culinary scene is an explosion of cultures. To find out where you can sample some Southern offerings, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated Southern restaurants in Cleveland using data from Yelp . Data is as of June 11, 2024. Businesses were selected using Yelp's ranking system, which calculates an adjusted rating value that takes into account the number of ratings as well as the rating score itself. Only restaurants with at least 10 reviews were considered. In an effort to highlight independent restaurants and local chains, restaurants with more than five locations nationally, based on the Yelp data, were not included.

Read on to find the perfect spot to get a taste of the South near you.

Note: The photos in this article are stock images and do not necessarily depict the specific restaurants listed or the dishes they serve.

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#7. Anejo Tequila Joint

- Rating: 3.2/5 (10 reviews)
- Address: 1051 West 10th St. Flats East Bank Cleveland, Ohio
- Categories: southern, tacos, cocktail bars
- Read more on Yelp

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#6. Zanzibar Soul Fusion

- Rating: 3.4/5 (304 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 13225 Shaker Square Cleveland, Ohio
- Categories: southern, soul food
- Read more on Yelp

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#5. Zanzibar Soul Fusion

- Rating: 3.7/5 (438 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 627 Prospect Ave. East Cleveland, Ohio
- Categories: soul food, southern, seafood
- Read more on Yelp

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#4. V's Gourmet

- Rating: 4.2/5 (78 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 15418 Lake Shore Blvd. Cleveland, Ohio
- Categories: soul food, chicken wings, southern
- Read more on Yelp

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#3. Southern Cafe

- Rating: 4.4/5 (227 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 13905 Kinsman Ave. Cleveland, Ohio
- Categories: southern, soul food, breakfast & brunch
- Read more on Yelp

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#2. Soho Chicken + Whiskey

- Rating: 4.5/5 (628 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1889 West 25th St. Cleveland, Ohio
- Categories: southern, bars, breakfast & brunch
- Read more on Yelp

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#1. Hatfield's Goode Grub

- Rating: 4.5/5 (202 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 16700 Lorain Ave. Cleveland, Ohio
- Categories: food trucks, southern
- Read more on Yelp

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Rasha Aly, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 143 metros.