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

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Highest-rated Southern restaurants in Pensacola 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 Pensacola 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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#10. PoFolks

- Rating: 3.2/5 (99 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 6895 North 9th Ave. Pensacola, Florida
- Categories: southern, soul food
- Read more on Yelp

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#9. The Fish House

- Rating: 4.0/5 (1264 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 600 South Barracks St. Pensacola, Florida
- Categories: seafood, wine bars, southern
- Read more on Yelp

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#8. Jacksons

- Rating: 4.1/5 (345 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 400 South Palafox St. Pensacola, Florida
- Categories: steakhouses, southern
- Read more on Yelp

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#7. Five Sisters Blues Cafe

- Rating: 4.1/5 (855 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 421 West Belmont St. Pensacola, Florida
- Categories: southern, soul food
- Read more on Yelp

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#6. Karen's Cafe & Catering

- Rating: 4.2/5 (23 reviews)
- Address: 3700 North Pace Blvd. Pensacola, Florida
- Categories: southern, breakfast & brunch, cafes
- Read more on Yelp

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#5. Grover's Fingers & Wings

- Rating: 4.2/5 (164 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 9418 North Davis Hwy Pensacola, Florida
- Categories: southern, hot dogs, breakfast & brunch
- Read more on Yelp

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#4. Aragon Cafe

- Rating: 4.4/5 (97 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 47 North 9th Ave. Pensacola, Florida
- Categories: southern, breakfast & brunch, barbeque
- Read more on Yelp

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#3. Restaurant IRON

- Rating: 4.5/5 (408 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 22 North Palafox St. Pensacola, Florida
- Categories: southern, bars, cajun/creole
- Read more on Yelp

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#2. Carmen's Lunch Bar & Tapas

- Rating: 4.6/5 (198 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 407 South Palafox St. Ste B Pensacola, Florida
- Categories: tapas bars, american, southern
- Read more on Yelp

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#1. Hot Spot Barbecue

- Rating: 4.6/5 (455 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 901 East La Rua St. Pensacola, Florida
- Categories: barbeque, bars, 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.

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