Highest-rated Southern Restaurants in Raleigh by Diners

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Highest-rated Southern restaurants in Raleigh 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 Raleigh 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 Raleigh 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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#25. Bojangles

- Rating: 2.9/5 (41 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 10610 Durant Road Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: Southern, fast food
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#24. Braise Contemporary Southern

- Rating: 3.0/5 (21 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4500 Marriott Drive Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: American, Southern, Bars
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#23. Bojangles

- Rating: 3.1/5 (67 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 8680 Glenwood Ave. Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: Southern, fast food
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#22. Bojangles

- Rating: 3.1/5 (34 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 4405 Falls Of The Neuse Road Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: Southern, fast food
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#21. Bojangles

- Rating: 3.2/5 (26 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3920 Jones Sausage Road Garner, North Carolina
- Categories: Southern, fast food
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#20. Lee's Kitchen

- Rating: 3.2/5 (184 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4638 Capital Blvd. Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: Caribbean, Southern
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#19. Rye Bar and Southern Kitchen

- Rating: 3.3/5 (290 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 500 Fayetteville St. Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: Southern, New American, Seafood
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#18. Shane's Rib Shack

- Rating: 3.4/5 (122 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 5811 Poyner Village Parkway Ste 101 Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: Southern, Barbecue, Chicken Wings
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#17. Flavor Hills

- Rating: 3.5/5 (139 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 319 Fayetteville St. Ste 105 Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: Southern, Breakfast & Brunch, Cocktail Bars
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#16. The Big Easy Oven & Tap

- Rating: 3.6/5 (228 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 231 Grande Heights Drive Cary, North Carolina
- Categories: Bars, Southern
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#15. Danny's Bar-B-Que

- Rating: 3.8/5 (264 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 311 Ashville Ave. Ste G Cary, North Carolina
- Categories: Barbecue, Southern, Sandwiches
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#14. Big Ed's North Restaurant

- Rating: 3.9/5 (309 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 5009 Falls Of Neuse Road Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: Southern, Breakfast & Brunch, Sandwiches
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#13. State Farmers Market Restaurant

- Rating: 3.9/5 (478 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1240 Farmers Market Drive Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: Southern, Breakfast & Brunch, Sandwiches
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#12. Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar

- Rating: 3.9/5 (1569 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 425 Oberlin Road Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Southern, New American
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#11. The Flying Biscuit Cafe

- Rating: 3.9/5 (1071 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2016 Clark Ave. Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Southern, New American
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#10. Whiskey Kitchen

- Rating: 4.0/5 (727 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 201 West Martin St. Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: Southern, Cocktail Bars, Whiskey Bars
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#9. Mandolin

- Rating: 4.0/5 (465 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 2519 Fairview Road Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: Southern, New American, Breakfast & Brunch
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#8. Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen

- Rating: 4.1/5 (1004 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 7307 Tryon Road Cary, North Carolina
- Categories: New American, Southern
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#7. Longleaf Swine BBQ

- Rating: 4.1/5 (106 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 300 East Edenton St. Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: Southern
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#6. Relish Craft Kitchen & Bourbon Bar

- Rating: 4.1/5 (944 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 5625 Creedmoor Road Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: Southern, Cafes, Burgers
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#5. Jack's Seafood & Soul Food Restaurant

- Rating: 4.2/5 (173 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1516 New Bern Ave. Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: Seafood, Southern, Soul Food
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#4. Pam's Farm House

- Rating: 4.2/5 (232 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 5111 Western Blvd. Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: Southern, American, Breakfast & Brunch
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