Skip to content

Top Navigation

Southern Living Southern Living
  • Food and Recipes
  • Culture and Lifestyle
  • Style
  • Holidays & Occasions
  • Home
  • Gardening Ideas
  • News
  • Video

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living Books this link opens in a new tab
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Southern Living

Southern Living Southern Living
  • Explore

    Explore

    • The Best New Haircuts to Try in 2022

      The Best New Haircuts to Try in 2022

      Here are the haircuts you'll be seeing everywhere this year. Read More
    • How To Season A Cast-Iron Skillet

      How To Season A Cast-Iron Skillet

      Learn how to season this Southern kitchen staple in five easy steps. Read More
    • 50 Thoughtful Messages for a Meaningful Thank You Note

      50 Thoughtful Messages for a Meaningful Thank You Note

      Not sure what to write in a thank you card? Here's how to show your gratitude with a handwritten note. Read More
  • Food and Recipes

    Food and Recipes

    See All Food and Recipes
    4 Easy Ways to Tell if an Egg Has Gone Bad

    4 Easy Ways to Tell if an Egg Has Gone Bad

    It’s not all in the senses, but they sure can help.
    • Recipes
    • Quick and Easy Dinner
    • Kitchen Assistant
    • Casserole
    • Holiday and Occasion Food
    • Slow Cooker Recipes
    • Desserts
    • Healthy and Light
    • Side Dishes
    • Party Food and Drink
    • Appetizers
    • Meat
    • Breakfast
    • BBQ
    • Drinks
    • What's Cooking
  • Culture and Lifestyle

    Culture and Lifestyle

    See All Culture and Lifestyle
    70 Cute and Funny Nicknames For Your Best Friends

    70 Cute and Funny Nicknames For Your Best Friends

    Let your besties know how much they mean to you with these unique nicknames.
    • Quotes and Sayings
    • Biscuits and Jam Podcast
    • Travel
    • Pets
    • Healthy Living
    • Coastal Living
  • Style

    Style

    See All Style
    The Coziest Winter Nail Colors for January 2022

    The Coziest Winter Nail Colors for January 2022

    The beginning of a new year often has us all feeling like starting off fresh by taking on better habits, getting rid of old ones, and—most commonly—changing up our look. While others are hitting the squats and going into the salon for a pixie cut, why not start slow and steady with a cozy winter manicure in a color that feels new to you? It takes only a little courage to step outside your usual OPI Lincoln Park After Dark or Essie Bordeaux, which is all you need to kick 2022 off on a fanciful foot.  From new wintry takes on classic dark nail colors to unique pops of color that'll have you feeling the opposite of boring, these are the best nail colors to try this January and tick off all the way into spring. 
    • Beauty
    • Hair
    • Fashion
    • Short Hairstyles
    • Nails
    • Medium Hairstyles
    • Skincare
    • Long Hairstyles
  • Holidays & Occasions

    Holidays & Occasions

    See All Holidays & Occasions
    • Thanksgiving
    • Gifts
    • Christmas
    • Mother's Day
    • Hanukkah
    • New Year's
    • Easter
    • Mardi Gras
    • 4th of July
    • Weddings
  • Home

    Home

    See All Home
    16 Kitchen Design Trends Southern Designers Predict Will Be Everywhere in 2022

    16 Kitchen Design Trends Southern Designers Predict Will Be Everywhere in 2022

    There's no denying how the pandemic fundamentally changed the world—including how we live (and work) inside our homes. An overall trend toward celebrating the history and originality of our homes is displacing ultramodern aesthetics and sharp lines as we all look to create cozier, colorful, more personalized spaces that better suit our lifestyles. We're turning away from big-box stores and toward vintage items—first, out of necessity due to supply-chain issues, and now, for design reasons—to add charm and character to every room in the house, including the kitchen. Here, interior designers from around the South share their predictions for what's trending in kitchen design for 2022 and beyond.
    • Home Decor Ideas
    • Idea Houses
    • Kitchen Design
    • Before & After Photos
    • Bathroom Design
    • Curb Appeal
    • Bedroom Design
    • DIY Home Decor
    • Color Palettes & Paint
    • House Plans & Builders
    • Inspired Communities
  • Gardening Ideas

    Gardening Ideas

    See All Gardening Ideas
    If You Keep Finding Ladybugs in Your House, Here's What You Need to Know

    If You Keep Finding Ladybugs in Your House, Here's What You Need to Know

    Plus a few strategies for keeping them out-of-doors
    • Container Gardening
    • Gardening Flowers
    • Fruit, Vegetable & Herb Gardens
    • Garden Pests
    • Plant Guides A-Z
    • Indoor Plants
    • Fall Plants
    • Landscaping Ideas
    • The Grumpy Gardener
  • News

    News

    See All News
    • Celebrities
    • Local News
  • Video

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living Books this link opens in a new tab
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Southern Living
  2. The South's Best 2022
  3. The South's Best Food Towns 2019

The South's Best Food Towns 2019

Hannah Hayes
By Hannah Hayes
Skip gallery slides
FB
Porch at Preserved Restaurant in St. Augustine, FL
Credit: Robbie Caponetto
Our readers are fiercely proud of our region's small towns, and when it comes to the South's Best survey, it is one of our most contested categories. This year, many of our previous food town winners made return appearances, but we were also pleasantly surprised to see some new tiny tastemaking towns make it into our top ten. St. Augustine, Florida, worked its way from the bottom to be our overall champion with their ever-burgeoning food scene anchored by restaurants like Preserved, which shows off the wealth of local ingredients in a modern way in the country's oldest city. Last year's winner, Oxford, Mississippi, dropped into second place, but not by much, a testament to its nationally acclaimed food community. And tiny towns like Kinston and Davidson demonstrate that it's not how many restaurants make a dining scene, but how great they are at serving a community and a purpose. See which towns made the list, and which spot might take first place next year. Travel and Culture Editor Hannah Hayes tells you where to explore in each one.
Start Slideshow

1 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

1. St. Augustine, Florida

Porch at Preserved Restaurant in St. Augustine, FL
Credit: Robbie Caponetto

Where to go: Preserved, The Ice Plant, The Hyppo, The Floridian

1 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

2. Oxford, Mississippi

Oxford, Mississippi
Credit: Robbie Caponetto

Where to go: St. Leo, Snackbar, Oxford Canteen, City Grocery

2 of 10

3 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

3. Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina

Grace and Grit in Mt. Pleasant, SC
Credit: Courtesy Grace and Grit

Where to go: Graze, Grace and Grit, Bon Banh Mi

3 of 10

Advertisement

4 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

4. Charlottesville, Virginia

MarieBette Charlottesville
Credit: Courtesy MarieBette Cafe and Bakery

Where to go: MarieBette, Lampo, The AlleyLight

4 of 10

5 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

5. Kinston, North Carolina

The Chef & The Farmer
Credit: Baxter Miller

Where to go: The Chef and the Farmer, Benny’s Big Time, Boiler Room Oyster Bar

5 of 10

6 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

6. Fredericksburg, Texas

Fredericksburg, TX: Pontotoc Vineyard Weingarten
Credit: Courtesy Pontotoc Vineyard Weingarten

Where to go: Pontotoc Vineyard Weingarten, Otto’s, Emma + Ollie

6 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

7. Breaux Bridge, Louisiana

Maison Madeleine: Chef Manny Augello
Credit: Cedric Angeles

Where to go: Cajun Claws, Maison Madeleine, Joie de Vivre Café

7 of 10

8 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

8. Winter Park, Florida

4 Rivers Smokehouse in Winter Park, FL
Credit: Courtesy of 4 Rivers Smokehouse

Where to go: 4 Rivers Smokehouse, Prato, Luma on Park

8 of 10

9 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

9. Brunswick, Georgia

Brunswick, Georgia: Southern Soul Barbeque
Credit: Andrew Thomas Lee

Where to go: Indigo Coastal Shanty, Southern Soul Barbeque, Jerk Shack

9 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

10. Davidson, North Carolina

Davidson, North Carolin: Kindred
Credit: Southern Living

Where to go: Kindred, Hello Sailor, The Pickled Peach

10 of 10

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Hannah Hayes

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 10 1. St. Augustine, Florida
    2 of 10 2. Oxford, Mississippi
    3 of 10 3. Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina
    4 of 10 4. Charlottesville, Virginia
    5 of 10 5. Kinston, North Carolina
    6 of 10 6. Fredericksburg, Texas
    7 of 10 7. Breaux Bridge, Louisiana
    8 of 10 8. Winter Park, Florida
    9 of 10 9. Brunswick, Georgia
    10 of 10 10. Davidson, North Carolina

    Share & More

    Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print
    Southern Living

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • About Us
    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Books from Southern Living
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Follow Us
    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    MeredithSouthern Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporation. Southern Living is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporationthis link opens in a new tab All Rights Reserved. Southern Living may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Southern Living. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.southernliving.com

    Sign in

    View image

    The South's Best Food Towns 2019
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.