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 Restaurants 2017

The South's Best Restaurants 2017

Hannah Hayes
By Hannah Hayes
Skip gallery slides
FB
Louisiana: Commander’s Palace
Credit: Courtesy of Commander's Palace
At first glance, our best restaurants list might lead you to believe that the Southern Living audience prefers the classics. True, Southerners aren't as quick to forget their favorites like some cities where the revolving door of new and old spins faster. We feel a loyalty to the places, newcomers, and old standards, that continue to elevate and celebrate Southern food not just for us but for visitors from all over.RELATED: The Best Restaurants in Every Southern StateThese restaurants have been–and are still proving–what we've known is so special and unique about Southern food, from Frank Stitt's game changing stone-ground grits he introduced back in 1982 to rising star Chef Mashama Bailey who has taken Lowcountry cuisine to new heights. And while this list may appear to be an homage to the familiar, not one of the expected names on this list has let their menu stagnate. And the newer additions, they show what the old pros know too: the South is changing. It always has been, but what people (especially our neighbors to the North) expect to be Southern cuisine is transforming as our region becomes home to even more newcomers who bring their own food customs with them.RELATED: The Best BBQ Joints in Every Southern StateSoutherners are changing too. We are learning and expanding our knowledge of other culture's food and reexamining what we love about our own traditions. From Atlanta's Cooks & Soldiers, a take on a traditional pintxo tapas bar in Spain's Basque region to Chef Vivian Howard's Chef & the Farmer, which was one of the first to take a deeper look at the ingredients and methods behind Appalachian cooking, Southern restaurants have never been more exciting, vibrant, and inclusive.Perhaps none illustrates it better than our winner Commander's Palace, which has been bending and transforming what New Orleans and the country knows to be Creole and Cajun cuisine since 1974. These top 10 tie the two sides of the South together beautifully.
Start Slideshow

1 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

1. Commander’s Palace

Louisiana: Commander’s Palace
Credit: Courtesy of Commander's Palace

New Orleans, Louisiana

1 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

2. The Grey

Georgia: The Grey
Credit: Robbie Caponetto

Savannah, Georgia

2 of 10

3 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

3. Husk

Husk Restaurant
Credit: Courtesy of Neighborhood Dining Group

Charleston, South Carolina

3 of 10

Advertisement

4 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

4. Highlands Bar and Grill

Highlands Bar and Grill
Credit: Robbie Caponetto

Birmingham, Alabama

4 of 10

5 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

5. Fisher’s at Orange Beach Marina

Fisher’s Upstairs Restaurant
Credit: Robbie Caponetto

Orange Beach, Alabama

5 of 10

6 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

6. Hominy Grill

Hominy Grill
Credit: Courtesy Squire Fox/Hominy Grill

Charleston, South Carolina

6 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

7. Cooks & Soldiers

Cooks & Soldiers
Credit: Heidi Geldhauser

Atlanta, Georgia

7 of 10

8 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

8. Chef & The Farmer

Chef & the Farmer
Credit: Courtesy of Chef & the Farmer

Kinston, North Carolina

8 of 10

9 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

9. Brennan’s

Brennan’s Restaurant
Credit: Courtesy of Brennan's Restaurant

New Orleans, Louisiana

9 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message Print

10. FIG

FIG
Credit: Gately Williams

Charleston, South Carolina

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. Commander’s Palace
    2 of 10 2. The Grey
    3 of 10 3. Husk
    4 of 10 4. Highlands Bar and Grill
    5 of 10 5. Fisher’s at Orange Beach Marina
    6 of 10 6. Hominy Grill
    7 of 10 7. Cooks & Soldiers
    8 of 10 8. Chef & The Farmer
    9 of 10 9. Brennan’s
    10 of 10 10. FIG

    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 Restaurants 2017
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.