There’s nothing like hearty cooking to remind you of home, those dishes complete with all the right seasonings, sugars, and spices that are sure to give you “the itis”—they call it soul food. We can trace soul food’s roots back to the South, where recipes were passed down from generation to generation.
Soul food is nothing new to New York, it's been here for years. In fact there are soul food restaurants in New York that actually—wait for it—serve their food with cloth napkins! Cloth napkins! OK, we got nothing against cloth napkins, but what we're trying to say is that soul food in NYC has gotten a little fancy, and we'd like to take it back to the realness. Here are 10 Soul Food Spots In NYC That You Should Know.
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There’s nothing like hearty cooking to remind you of home, those dishes complete with all the right seasonings, sugars, and spices that are sure to give you “the itis”—they call it soul food. We can trace soul food’s roots back to the South, where recipes were passed down from generation to generation.
Soul food is nothing new to New York, it's been here for years. In fact there are soul food restaurants in New York that actually—wait for it—serve their food with cloth napkins! Cloth napkins! OK, we got nothing against cloth napkins, but what we're trying to say is that soul food in NYC has gotten a little fancy, and we'd like to take it back to the realness. Here are 10 Soul Food Spots In NYC That You Should Know.
Mitchell’s Restaurant
ADDRESS: 617 Vanderbilt Ave.
NEIGHBORHOOD: Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Located on a rapidly gentrifying block not far from where the new Nets stadium is being built in BK, Mitchell's has 40 years on some of its newer neighbors, and with good reason—the prices are great and the food is even better. The fried chicken has been voted best in New York before, and their sandwiches and fish/chicken & chips are a steal at $5. They've got all the typical soul food sides, but the tomatoes and okra are the tangy scene-stealer. And then there are the wings (not Buffalo, what do you think this is?!?). They've got a seasoning that's unfuckwitable and unreplicatable at home, and can (and should) be bought in serious bulk. It's the kind of food people cross state lines to get.
Georgia’s Eastside BBQ
ADDRESS: 192 Orchard St.
NEIGHBORHOOD: Lower East Side
WEBSITE: georgiaseastsidebbq.com
Georgia’s Eastside BBQ is a cozy spot that packs quickly depending on when you go. It doesn’t get more Southern than sweet tea with corn bread, cole slaw, squash, baked beans, or potato salad—and that’s just talking sides. You have your choice of ribs, pulled pork, and barbecued or fried chicken, each with two sides. If you can’t decide what to get, try the BBQ sampler, which comes with a solid helping of sausages, chicken wings, and ribs. The sandwiches are affordable and come with chips or fries and cole slaw. It won’t cost a grip to eat there, but be sure to bring cash with you.
Bed-Stuy Fish Fry
Rub's BBQ
ADDRESS: 208 W 23rd St # 2
NEIGHBORHOOD: Chelsea
WEBSITE: rubbbq.net
If you’re just leaving church on Sunday, Righteous Urban Barbeque is the place to be for your afternoon brunch. Their barbecue is some of the city's finest, serving ribs (St. Louis and baby back), barbecued beef brisket, barbecued chicken, and various barbecue sandwiches. They also have potato salad, cole slaw, greens, hush puppies and cornbread as sides for that full soul food experience. Go ahead, get your g-RUB on.
Jacob’s Restaurant
ADDRESS: 373 Malcolm X Blvd.
NEIGHBORHOOD: Harlem
WEBSITE: jacobrestaurant.com
Traditional restaurants have to seat you, take your drink order, take your appetizer order, take your entree order, make you wait for the check, etc. But forget all that, alright? At Jacob’s, you get down to business right away. You see what you want, pay for it, then dig in. They have different types of chicken, turkey, ribs, ham, pork chops, and all the sides you can imagine. But if you have a dollar in your pocket, don't let your eyes get big.
Halsey Street Grill
ADDRESS: 260 Halsey St.
NEIGHBORHOOD: Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
WEBSITE: halseystreetgrill.com
This is not the place if you're looking to dine-in, though they do have seating for you while you wait for your order. If you live in Brooklyn and order more than $10 worth of food (pretty easy to do at a spot this nice), they’ll deliver it to you. They serve turkey legs, BBQ chicken, pork chops, grilled Texas steak, and Southern-fried chicken dinners that all come with a two side combo. Hook it up with macaroni and cheese, candied yams, steamed cabbage, greens, potato salad, string beans, or cole slaw. With real cajun seafood and Southern-fried chicken that’s legit, they’re definitely styling on Popeye’s.
Ruthie’s Restaurant
ADDRESS: 560 Myrtle Ave.
NEIGHBORHOOD: Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
You can always count on friendly service at this family owned restaurant. It might take a while for your food to arrive, but it’s definitely worth it. You can get fish and waffles instead of the standard chicken and waffles, which sets this soul food spot apart from the rest. They might charge a bit more than some of the competition, but digging into their ribs, fish, pork chop, or BBQ chicken sandwich, you won't even care. Their dessert menu features apple pie, sweet potato pie, german chocolate cake, red velvet cake, and pineapple coconut cake. Be sure and get a half and half with your meal—you’re welcome.
Amy Ruth’s
ADDRESS: 113 W 116th St.
NEIGHBORHOOD: Harlem
WEBSITE: amyruthsharlem.com
Coming from Alabama with 10 children and 12 grandchildren to her name, Amy Ruth had to be a cook for her family, and a damn good one at that. This Harlem staple carries on her legacy with every dish. At Amy Ruth’s, they name their soul food, soups, salads and desserts after honorable African-Americans. We like the Rev. Al Sharpton (Chicken and Waffles) best. They have daily specials like country chicken and herb roasted turkey with fruit & nut stuffing. They pretty much cover everything when it comes to sides, and they also serve Kool-Aid—no, it’s not fried.
Peaches HotHouse
ADDRESS: 415 Tompkins Ave.
NEIGHBORHOOD: Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
WEBSITE: peacheshothouse.com
Just as Bed-Stuy is on the come up, the restaurant game there has improved greatly. Peaches is perfect for a date, conversational dining, or even treating your mom. Dim lighting and drinks at the bar give the spot an intimate feel. The Nashville fried chicken advertised in the front window is just one of the menu's stand-out dishes. The fact that they have dishes named after places and grandmothers gives it that authenticity. We don’t know who Grandma Eda is, but her meatloaf is worth it. You don’t have to take a trip to the dirty to get jambalaya, grits, ribs, catfish or any other famous Southern dishes; Peaches has got you covered. They also make one of the most decadent burgers ever; it comes topped with chicken skin. Where do you go after that?
And don't forget—they serve one of the best brunches in all of BK. Order a Bloody Mary and kiss that hangover goodbye.
Manna's
ADDRESS: 486 Malcolm X Blvd.
NEIGHBORHOOD: Harlem
WEBSITE: soulfood.com
This soul food spot is so good that they have the domain name soulfood.com. Yeah, they’re cocky with it. Manna’s first came on the scene in 1984, and have since expanded with seven more locations. Their quality, buffet-style food keeps the people flocking in. Every type of chicken is on the menu, along with ribs, turkey, fish, pork chops, stuffing, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, yams, cabbage, and gumbo. The salad bar also is always an option, and they don't skimp on the desserts either. Manna’s definitely has Soul Food Sundays looking like Big Mama’s, mang!