24 Best Southern Restaurants in Orlando

“Everyone truly needs to check this place out. The food was absolutely 🔥. We order the Pork Ribs w/ Greens, Mac & Cheese, Baked Beans and Loaded Fries w/ Brisket! Everything was on point! The meat was so juicy & tender and the sauce was amazing. The sides were equally delicious. On a scale 1-10 with no problem Smoky Jay BBQ gets a 10 from us!! 🔥🔥🔥 Best bbq spot in Orlando!! A must check out!! Will be back soon!“

“Tori is the best! Service was fast and friendly. The beer was cold, the band was hot and the whole place rocks. I’ll be back.“

“Tired of cooking? Can't cook? Then give Kookin' with Kim a try. You will be glad that you did! Reasonably priced. Hefty sized portions.“

“Food was absolutely delicious. And everyone was super nice and helpful. I’ll definitely be back.“

“One of the best homemade food you will ever eat I recommend this place to anyone looking for good quality and clean food just give it a shot and thank me later 😎👍🏽“

“Was very impressed. My date and I had the cornbread , oyster rockefeller and the truffle deviled eggs, impressive intricate cajun menu“

“What a perfect gem we came upon! We were in the area for the 4th of July celebration and dropped in just to have a few drinks while it rained. The staff was extremely friendly and welcoming. The owner helped us out at first and then we were waited on by Harlon- I hope that is his name! He was so nice and every drink he recommended was delicious especially eh espresso martini- with tequila. All the staff was just so nice and the food was delicious! Especially the deep fried fish. If we are ever in the area again we will for sure make it another stop.“

“Waited all year for this ! Amazing. Food was perfect for a pretty large order :) Jersey girl very happy now and as someone in the food business top notch service…I watched the register girl stay calm even with a line offering samples to customers. You’ll be seeing me again this week.“

“If you haven't made it to Soco's Sunday Brunch yet, what are you waiting for?! Grab a friend or two and get a sampling of a few plates to share, you won't be disappointed! Today we had the fresh made biscuits with house jams, fried green tomatoes, Pork Belly Sliders, fried chicken & French toast and breakfast tacos. Talk about flavor and the portions were great. The French toast was downright orgasmic, that bourbon maple syrup will bless your soul. Seriously, go see for yourself, best brunch in Orlando or any other meal for that matter.“

“We had such a great experience at The Monroe. This place honestly deserves the hype. The food overall was excellent. Nothing we had was bad, but some dishes definitely stood out more than others. The jalapeño popper deviled eggs were insane and easily my favorite. The General Tso cauliflower was perfectly crispy and flavorful and ended up being my husband’s favorite. The fried chicken is huge and comes with what feels like four sides, so it’s more than enough to share. I’m very picky about mac and cheese and theirs was genuinely impressive. The bread pudding was unreal, it comes out like a crispy brick on the outside and soft and gooey inside. Drinks were great too. The Flamingo drink was really good, and their iced lattes were surprisingly amazing, not just good for a restaurant but actually good. If I had to be picky, the s’mores and the warm potato salad were just okay compared to everything else. Service really made the experience. Our server Sarah was so bubbly and kind, and her recommendations were mostly spot on. We also had a situation where a child tried getting into our car. We mentioned it casually and didn’t expect anything to come of it, but she immediately took it seriously, got the manager, and he went out right away to handle it. That level of awareness made us feel taken care of and able to actually relax and enjoy the rest of our night. The pricing was honestly kind of shocking in a good way. We ordered three appetizers, a large entrée, two alcoholic drinks, two coffees, and dessert and it was right around $100. Overall, great food, great service, great pricing. A couple things I wouldn’t reorder, but the things that were good were really good. We’ll definitely be back.“

“Everything was AMAZING! You will never eat any other Macaroni and Cheese again!! Service was great!“

“So delicious! Excellent service from everyone, especially our server Shaun. He was so thorough and answered all our questions. The Cedar Key clams were to die for! I had the scallops and my husband had the burger for dinner- so freaking amazing ! I can’t say enough about this place! The owner was walking through the dining room checking on everyone, greeting everyone - thank you Carol for an exceptional experience!“

“My wife had the garden salad the mushroom pizza. I had the beets with burrata cheese and the shrimp pizza. Both meals were excellent. Plus, we had a bottle of Pinot Grigio. Our server was Lynwood and he was great. Plz note, if you skip the bottle of wine, it would be $50-$60.
Recommend this place to others and ask for Lynwood as your server.“

“They clearly put effort into this food as it was amazing, especially desert! I recommend getting the Blackened Fish Market Sandwich, fries, and Vanilla Gelato. Unfortunately, it is on the expensive side (~$35 per person).

Their service was another reason why our experience was so good. Our server (Luz) was great and exceptionally kind! She frequently returned to the table and got us everything we needed.

The atmosphere was okay, wasn’t too loud but wasn’t necessarily “good” either.

Another thing to note is that they have a nice bar to order drinks and the schedule on Google is wrong (we went during a time when it was “closed”).“

“Just called Rivers Lakeland to place a pick up order. Man answered the phone. Stated they don't take orders by phone have to do online. Told him I tried that wouldn't work. Said that's how they do take out. I've been going to 4 Rivers for years. Was ordering for six people over $100. Told him I'll find some place else to order from. Won't be back.“

“Always the best! A friendly but serious restaurant. Great everything.“

“I am a regular there. The Hanger steak is awesome“

“Hands down the best seafood I have had in a very long time. I was lucky to try this great food at a food truck Friday. The chicken and shrimp, my wife and 3 year old enjoyed. I went with the shrimp and crab. It was amazing. Fresh cooked to order. It came with potatoes, sausage and an ear of corn all smothered in this amazing homemade butter.I could go on and on about how great this meal was. And normally I don’t write about food, but this deserves 5 stars and more.I hope they are back in my town again next month because I really want to try the lobster.Great customer service and great people all around. Give them a try and you will not be disappointed.“

“Bubba gump orlando is THE best!! literally like an hr ago, they gave us an ice cream sandwich with sprinkles and wished us a happy anniversary!!!!! in the whole city walk, they have THE best gift shop! Just cannot get enough of the place! GO there!“

“Great service, great food“

“Worth visiting! Food, atmosphere and service were all great! Donna is amazing and so welcoming and kind. The best chef! We went back multiple times because of her.“

“¡Una experiencia deliciosa! Este restaurante de BBQ combina lo mejor de las parrilladas tradicionales con sabores auténticos. Las carnes estaban perfectamente ahumadas, jugosas y llenas de sabor. Probé el pernil y el brisket. ¡Increíbles! Los acompañamientos como los plátanos maduros, el arroz con frijoles y la ensalada, el plato a la perfección. El ambiente es acogedor, el personal fue muy amable y conocía bien el menú, lo cual se agradece. Sin duda, un lugar al que volveré. Recomendado para quienes quieran disfrutar de una BBQ con un toque único.“

“Best boiled peanuts ever!“

“An amazing surprise. Who would have thought you'd find excellent food and service in an airport restaurant. There were 4 in our party. We each ordered something different and every plate was outstanding. Miguel was our server. He was excellent! Big thanks to Miguel and the entire team. You really made a long layover 1000x better.
Happy Holidays“