These Are the 50 Best Southern Restaurants in America, According to OpenTable

Did your fave make the list? 
By Caitlin Petreycik Updated July 31, 2018
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Credit: Courtesy of Yardbird Los Angeles

OpenTable just released its annual list of the 50 best Southern restaurants in the country. Notice that they specified "the country" and not "the South"—that's because a handful of the spots are actually in the Northeast (New York City's The Boil Waverly and Buffalo's Toutant), the Midwest (Maple Tree Inn in Blue Island, Illinois), and the West Coast (Yardbird Southern Table & Bar, which has outposts in L.A. and Vegas), proving that perfectly-fried catfish knows no geographical bounds.

That's not to say the South isn't heavily represented! 44 of the 50 dining spots are below the Mason-Dixon line. Unsurprisingly, New Orleans scored the most nods with eight restaurants on the list (including James Beard finalist Kelly Fields' Willa Jean, and Restaurant R'evolution, known for its drumstick-size, crab-stuffed frog legs), while Nashville and Birmingham tied for second place with three picks each.

The folks at OpenTable chose the restaurants by combing through reviews of 27,000 spots in the "Southern" cuisine category from all 50 states, collected between June 1, 2017 and May 31, 2018. From there, they analyzed each restaurant's overall food rating. Take a look at all 50, below, to see if your favorite spot made the cut (or just find some new places to add to your "must try" list).

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