The South’s Best Restaurants in Every State 2018

Since our editors started the South’s Best reader survey, we’ve been endlessly fascinated not just by the winners, but by the state-specific results, especially in regards to restaurants. The competition is just as fierce as you might imagine, and being a big city or having a celebrity chef aren’t necessarily advantages. Just when we think we know where the votes are heading, a completely different winner emerges by the end. But what we love about this list the most is that it shows Southern food beyond stereotypes and expectations. A mix of classics like Commander’s Palace in New Orleans and The Oak Room in Louisville with newer, more modern additions to the Southern food scene like Oxford’s Saint Leo and Atlanta’s Staplehouse, this range of restaurants from fine dining destinations to beloved neighborhood fixtures shows off what we love the most about our region’s restaurants. This is where Southerners are eating now.

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See The Winners

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Alabama: Acre

Melina Hammer

Auburn, Alabama
 

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Arkansas: One Eleven at the Capital

Courtesy of Capital Hotel

Little Rock, Arkansas

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Florida: Leynia

Delano South Beach

Miami, Florida

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Georgia: Staplehouse

Andrew Thomas Lee

Atlanta, Georgia

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Kentucky: The Oakroom

Seelbach Hotel

Louisville, Kentucky

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Louisiana: Commander’s Palace

Courtesy of Commander's Palace

New Orleans, Louisiana

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Maryland: Charleston

The Washington Post/Getty Images

Baltimore, Maryland

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Mississippi: St. Leo

Robbie Caponetto

Oxford, Mississippi

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Missouri: Bluestem

Bonjwing Lee

Kansas City, Missouri

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North Carolina: Kindred

Courtesy of Kindred

Davidson, North Carolina

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Oklahoma: Flint

Courtesy of Flint; Facebook

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

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South Carolina: Husk

Courtesy of Neighborhood Dining Group

Charleston, South Carolina

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Tennessee: The Barn at Blackberry Farm

Beall + Thomas Photography

Walland, Tennessee

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Texas: Signature

Wynn Myers

San Antonio, Texas

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Virginia: L’Opossum

Deborah Jaffe

Richmond, Virginia

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Washington, D.C.: Little Serow

Dakota Fine

Washington, D.C.

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West Virginia: Prime 44 West

Courtesy of The Greenbrier and Prime 44 West

White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia

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