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

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Highest-rated Southern restaurants in Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles 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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#28. My Fish Stop Mississippi Soul Fish

- Rating: 3.0/5 (49 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 11046 Magnolia Blvd. Los Angeles, California
- Categories: southern, soul food, fish & chips
- Read more on Yelp

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#27. Dulan's Soul Food Kitchen

- Rating: 3.1/5 (331 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1714 West Century Blvd. Los Angeles, California
- Categories: southern, soul food, comfort food
- Read more on Yelp

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#26. Delicious Southern Cuisine

- Rating: 3.2/5 (280 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4371 Crenshaw Blvd. Unit D Los Angeles, California
- Categories: cajun/creole, soul food, southern
- Read more on Yelp

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#25. Louisiana Famous Fried Chicken

- Rating: 3.2/5 (11 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1030 West Martin Luther King Blvd. Los Angeles, California
- Categories: chicken wings, southern, fish & chips
- Read more on Yelp

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#24. Chef Marilyn's

- Rating: 3.5/5 (262 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2638 Crenshaw Blvd. Los Angeles, California
- Categories: southern, cajun/creole, soul food
- Read more on Yelp

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#23. Harold & Belle's

- Rating: 3.5/5 (1308 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2920 West Jefferson Blvd. Los Angeles, California
- Categories: cajun/creole, southern, bars
- Read more on Yelp

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#22. Post & Beam

- Rating: 3.8/5 (1223 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3767 Santa Rosalia Drive Los Angeles, California
- Categories: southern, new american, breakfast & brunch
- Read more on Yelp

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#21. Granny's Kitchen

- Rating: 3.8/5 (445 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 5440 South Central Ave. Los Angeles, California
- Categories: soul food, southern
- Read more on Yelp

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#20. Delicious at The Dunbar

- Rating: 3.9/5 (201 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4229 South Central Ave. Los Angeles, California
- Categories: soul food, southern, salad
- Read more on Yelp

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#19. Jim Dandy Fried Chicken

- Rating: 4.0/5 (319 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 11328 South Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, California
- Categories: southern, chicken shop
- Read more on Yelp

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#18. Willie Mae's Restaurant - Venice

- Rating: 4.0/5 (352 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 324 Lincoln Blvd. Los Angeles, California
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp

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#17. CookieRose Seafood and Southern

- Rating: 4.0/5 (11 reviews)
- Address: 11212 1/2 South Central Ave. Los Angeles, California
- Categories: seafood, southern
- Read more on Yelp

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#16. Mom's Haus Hollywood

- Rating: 4.0/5 (897 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 7065 West Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, California
- Categories: southern
- Read more on Yelp

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#15. Gumbo Boys

- Rating: 4.0/5 (72 reviews)
- Address: 646 South Main St. Los Angeles, California
- Categories: cajun/creole, sandwiches, southern
- Read more on Yelp

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#14. Mel's Bakery & Cafe

- Rating: 4.1/5 (50 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1977 West 48th St. Los Angeles, California
- Categories: new american, southern, breakfast & brunch
- Read more on Yelp

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#13. Al's Hot Chicken

- Rating: 4.2/5 (1070 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 10821 Venice Blvd. Los Angeles, California
- Categories: chicken shop, chicken wings, southern
- Read more on Yelp

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#12. Dona Ana's Kitchen

- Rating: 4.2/5 (18 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 11313 South Avalon Blvd. Los Angeles, California
- Categories: southern, mexican, salvadoran
- Read more on Yelp

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#11. Annie's Soul Delicious

- Rating: 4.2/5 (792 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 615 North western Ave. Los Angeles, California
- Categories: soul food, southern
- Read more on Yelp

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#10. The Rising Sun

- Rating: 4.3/5 (142 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1356 Palmetto St. Ste 200 Los Angeles, California
- Categories: southern, breakfast & brunch, cocktail bars
- Read more on Yelp

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#9. Crawford's

- Rating: 4.3/5 (368 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2616 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, California
- Categories: southern, beer bar, dive bars
- Read more on Yelp

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#8. Joyce

- Rating: 4.4/5 (309 reviews)
- Address: 770 South Grand Ave. Ste A Los Angeles, California
- Categories: southern, new american, seafood
- Read more on Yelp

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#7. Gritz N Wafflez

- Rating: 4.4/5 (384 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1243 South Alvarado St. Ste B1 Los Angeles, California
- Categories: breakfast & brunch, southern, cajun/creole
- Read more on Yelp

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#6. Southern Soul LA

- Rating: 4.5/5 (15 reviews)
- Address: 358 West 38th St. K7 Los Angeles, California
- Categories: soul food, southern
- Read more on Yelp

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#5. My Two Cents

- Rating: 4.5/5 (949 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 5583 West Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, California
- Categories: southern, seafood, soul food
- Read more on Yelp

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#4. Le Coupe

- Rating: 4.6/5 (250 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 709 North Western Ave. Los Angeles, California
- Categories: southern, chicken shop, salad
- Read more on Yelp

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#3. Angry Chickz

- Rating: 4.7/5 (1170 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 5065 Hollywood Blvd. Ste 102 Los Angeles, California
- Categories: southern, comfort food, chicken shop
- Read more on Yelp

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#2. Howlin' Ray's

- Rating: 4.7/5 (7706 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 727 North Broadway Ste 128 Los Angeles, California
- Categories: southern, chicken shop, american
- Read more on Yelp

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#1. Humble Bird

- Rating: 4.9/5 (334 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 10719 Burbank Blvd. Los Angeles, California
- Categories: southern, chicken shop
- 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.