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 Boston 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.
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#10. Tasty BBQ
– Rating: 3.3/5 (38 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 417 Washington St. Boston, Massachusetts
– Categories: southern, barbeque- Read more on Yelp
#9. The Smoke Shop BBQ
– Rating: 3.3/5 (10 reviews)
– Address: 80 Causeway St. Hub Hall Boston, Massachusetts
– Categories: barbeque, whiskey bars, southern- Read more on Yelp
#8. Loretta’s Last Call
– Rating: 3.5/5 (363 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 1 Lansdowne St. Boston, Massachusetts
– Categories: southern, music venues, beer bar- Read more on Yelp
#7. Park 54 Restaurant & Lounge
– Rating: 3.5/5 (152 reviews)
– Address: 81 Fairmount Ave. Boston, Massachusetts
– Categories: lounges, southern, new american- Read more on Yelp
#6. Sweet Cheeks Q
– Rating: 3.6/5 (1736 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 1381 Boylston St. Boston, Massachusetts
– Categories: southern, bars, barbeque- Read more on Yelp
#5. Grace By Nia
– Rating: 3.7/5 (176 reviews)
– Address: 60 Seaport Blvd. Floor 3 Boston, Massachusetts
– Categories: jazz & blues, southern, cocktail bars- Read more on Yelp
#4. Bacco
– Rating: 3.8/5 (411 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 107 Salem St. Boston, Massachusetts
– Categories: Italian, wine bars, southern- Read more on Yelp
#3. Hunter’s Kitchen & Bar
– Rating: 3.9/5 (100 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 110 Dorchester St. Boston, Massachusetts
– Categories: bars, southern, comfort food- Read more on Yelp
#2. The Smoke Shop BBQ – Seaport
– Rating: 3.9/5 (432 reviews)
– Price level: $$
– Address: 343 Congress St. Boston, Massachusetts
– Categories: southern, barbeque, whiskey bars- Read more on Yelp
#1. Buttermilk & Bourbon
– Rating: 4.0/5 (1114 reviews)
– Price level: $$$
– Address: 160 Commonwealth Ave. Boston, Massachusetts
– Categories: southern, bars, tapas bars- 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.
