Highest-rated Southern Restaurants in Denver by Diners

Mohamed-Kareem Mohamed // Shutterstock

Highest-rated Southern restaurants in Denver 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 hushpuppies 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, compiled a list of the highest-rated Southern restaurants in the Denver area using data from as of May 2, 2025. 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 20 reviews tagged as "southern" on Yelp within a 10-kilometer radius of Denver were included. As a result, some restaurants featured may serve other food items.

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

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#14. Bubba Gump Shrimp

- Rating: 2.7/5 (439 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1437 California St. Denver, Colorado
- Categories: Seafood, Southern, Desserts
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#13. Brothers BBQ

- Rating: 3.3/5 (138 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 105 Wadsworth Blvd. Lakewood, Colorado
- Categories: Barbecue, Southern
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#12. Swirk Soul Food

- Rating: 3.5/5 (91 reviews)
- Address: 2205 South Peoria St. Aurora, Colorado
- Categories: Southern, Seafood, Sandwiches
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#11. Brothers BBQ

- Rating: 3.5/5 (198 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 568 North Washington St. Denver, Colorado
- Categories: Barbecue, Southern
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#10. The Juicy Seafood

- Rating: 3.8/5 (395 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 2727 South Parker Road Aurora, Colorado
- Categories: Cajun/Creole, Seafood, Southern
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#9. Mississippi Boy Catfish & Ribs

- Rating: 4.0/5 (94 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 5544 East 33rd Ave. Denver, Colorado
- Categories: Southern, Soul Food, Barbecue
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#8. Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar

- Rating: 4.1/5 (1501 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1650 Wewatta St. Ste 104 Denver, Colorado
- Categories: Southern, Breakfast & Brunch, American
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#7. Nola Jane Restaurant & Bar

- Rating: 4.1/5 (226 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1435 Market St. Denver, Colorado
- Categories: Cajun/Creole, Sandwiches, Southern
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#6. Welton Street Café

- Rating: 4.2/5 (416 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2883 Welton St. Denver, Colorado
- Categories: Soul Food, Caribbean, Southern
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#5. Yardbird

- Rating: 4.2/5 (185 reviews)
- Address: 2743 Blake St. Denver, Colorado
- Categories: Whiskey Bars, Breakfast & Brunch, Southern
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#4. Four Friends Kitchen

- Rating: 4.3/5 (2065 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2893 Roslyn St. Denver, Colorado
- Categories: Southern, Breakfast & Brunch
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#3. GQue BBQ - Lakewood

- Rating: 4.5/5 (119 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 7085 Alaska Drive Lakewood, Colorado
- Categories: Southern, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Barbecue
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