50 Best Southern Restaurants near Jersey City

“I've been looking forward to trying this restaurants menu items. yesterday was only the 1st, for sure. I had a shrimp po boy, perfect, packed with shrimp, just the right sauces, really good. I took home a container of their vegan lentil soup which is better than my lentil soup. that's not a small thing. beautifully balanced flavor, really delicious. I can't wait to go back and try everything else.“

“Chicken was delicious and facility clean“

“We came here to watch the Knick’s game. We sat in the outdoor area and watched the screens on the Asbury. The atmosphere was more chill and the service was really good. The food was decent (I really liked the fried pickles and fries), but the fried chicken sandwich was a miss. There was a chicken with the bone on the sandwich, which made it impossible to eat. Chicken itself was good. They had a lot of good drinks to pick from at reasonable prices.“

“Went 1st time today for my Birthday - it was GREAT!💙👍“

“What can I say about this amazing restaurant, Bird Dog. Not only was the food absolutely amazing, tasty and presented perfectly, the staff was kind, attentive and extremely friendly. Bird Dog gives very New York vibes with a soft Southern hospitality touch. I’m not only saying this because I’ve known the owner/operator for over 15 years but because the food and experience was great! Recommend to any/all foodies local and visitors to the area.“

“you think your grandma is in the kitchen. you really won't believe hiw good all the food is.“

“Melba's has been on my bucket list for quite a while and I finally got to mark it off! It was all that I thought it would be and more! Our server, Brian, was phenomenal! The experience and food were priceless!“

“Good little spot ❤️ Enjoyed ourselves“

“Good food, nice people. We were there today ( may 5) en met a couple with two children with them. She was an art teacher. We had a lovely conversation. When we wanted to pay she had already done it! We were very surprised and it was a lovely gesture. When the staff of pies & thighs see here, give my name so i can thank them myselves!!“

“The food was absolutely delicious, highly recommend“

“The food and the presentations are wonderful. The atmosphere is beautiful not only with the waiters, but the patrons as well, took someone there today and they are coming back. And they are bringing back a family member“

“Caleb, Caleb, Caleb — the best man I’ve ever had the pleasure of being served by. He made us feel so welcomed and even joined in on the fun that pursued. He made our night many times better. The service was absolutely incredible, and the food to match.“

“I was there for takeout for the first time last week ~ All I can say is Yum and will order from them again Even spoke with the man who makes the food himself! Thank you!“

“Shrimp Po Boy was great-best I had in years. The baked beans and biscuit also great. Had them delivered-came fast and warm.“

“Someone who’s from Texas and been here for work it’s really hard to find some true southern flare and this place answers the calling when it comes to that and glad that I’d gotten to make the trip over here to try it out. Also will most definitely will be back again.“

“Kawana and Natorie provided outstanding service and was very welcoming when entering the restaurant. Kawana made sure that my food was fresh. I would come here again.“

“First day we came we had dinner which was 10/10 all around from appetizers to desserts which had us convinced to come visit the next day for brunch and It did not disappoint everything from the drinks, oysters and every team on the menu hit the spot and I must mention the service was exceptional Miles and Sasha make you feel right at home and are super attentive highly recommended!!!“

“After the compulsory ID check with the doorman we snagged the last two seats at the bar. The place was humming with energy. It was a Friday night & all the patrons were gearing up for the weekend. The decibel level is fairly high. The DJ was actually spinning some of our favourite tunes.

We ordered a couple beers & surveyed the menu. We selected the shrimp po boy (very tasty), fish tacos (nicely spiced) & the wedge salad (maybe a touch over dressed with blue cheese dressing). Heck it was Friday night: we enjoyed our fairly basic selections.

The bartenders took good care of us. Always making sure we had enough beverages, replenishing napkins (it was a messy meal) & refilling our water.

If you find yourself in the East Village craving some tiki inspired drinks & simple cooking this place will satisfy.“

“Deliciousness! I’m going to stop there as soon as I arrive into nyc on my next visit 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾“

“The popcorn soft serve is actually so good. I thought at first it was going to taste like pure butter, they’re is actually a nice balance of butter, salt, and a flavor that can only be described as butterscotch I suppose. They also stack this ice cream super high, so for the price you really get your money’s worth. I also got the bag of biscuits. They were buttery and tasted really homemade. I honestly ate the whole bag in a day because they were so good. The butter they came with was also really good. I can’t wait to come back here so I can try more!“

“💕 great, great, great!!!“

“I recently visited Jacob’s Pickles and really enjoyed my meal. Their pickles were absolutely amazing, crisp, flavorful, and definitely lived up to the restaurant’s name. I also ordered the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich with mac & cheese, and it was delicious. The sandwich had the perfect amount of heat, and the creamy mac & cheese made for a great combination.“

“Excellent, friendly restaurant in the heart of NYC West Village. Thank you for a PERFECT graduation dinner experience for our family.“

“The food and service was amazing!“

“Eu curto de mais do pagode a comida e muito boa e esse programa de domingo aqui e muito bom“

“Dishes are not consistent. My meatloaf was burned so badly they put a lot of BBQ sauce on it to cover it up. This was done despite the fact that I requested no sauce. Next time I requested one blackened whiting dish and was given fried whiting.“

“The spicy chicken biscuit omg toooooo die for so my husband and I saw many people entering this spot plus it was our first time. We heard mac and cheese, greens, and fried chicken. So we got a bucket of mixed chicken, two sides of Mac and cheese, and some collard greens (they make them with black eyed peas and tomatoes; totally different from any kind of greens I ever had and I definitely was left craving more. Nice little spot and such friendly people. Heading back very soon“

“Food is amaziing!!! Service is great and friendly. Try it out you will not be disappointed!!👍“

“Lets talk about it!!
I've been to all Peaches locations and today I've discovered something new about the Prime location. Service as usual is always amazing. Nahuel was our bartender and definitely serving with an amazing attitude although busy. Ilia was on tables and still stopped to speak to those in need.

Con: I ordered new items on the menu. Short ribs were clearly reheated and didnt taste fresh which was a disappointment. Cooking method matters with reheated food. So instead get the steak and eggs. Never steers you wrong.

Pro: Drink service will always be amazing as the drinks are consistent across all locations. Salmon cake is good. Depending on if you're a southerners or not.“

“Was in Printers Alley this weekend with my parents for the first time staying in a hotel nearby and found this place really nice and chill with good food, loads of TVs for games with a big NFL game on while we were in - We sat at the bar as a lot of the tables were reserved but Thomas was so nice and took great care of us while checking in regularly with us to make sure we were okay while also giving my parents a laugh and recommendations on what to do around the city. Can't fault this bar at all and will definitely be back next time in NYC!“

“I'm a regular at Amy Ruth's restaurant in Harlem and I'm always down to grab some Soul Food on my days off with my friends when I have the time. Quite recently, I found out that Amy Ruth's had a second location closer to where I work downtown. It was almost perfect because now I can pick up some food either on the way to work, or order some during my lunch break.

One of my friends and I decided to check this location out on Saturday and I have to say, it was really beyond our expectations. We were greeted by Jayda who took our orders and also informed us that Tim would be our Chef for the day.

To start, my friend ordered a half and half lemonade / iced tea and I ordered a regular lemonade. My lemonade tasted like it was freshly squeezed and made me feel like a kid again. Wait time for our food was no longer than a few minutes since we were the first ones in the store. We both ordered three fried chicken wings on a waffle, homemade macaroni and cheese, collard greens, and candied yams. My friend and I devoured our meals and even saved some for later. The last thing we ordered was their signature red velvet cake and creamy banana pudding. Absolute perfection.

If I'm being honest, I've eaten at a few other Soul Food restaurants in the city, and in my opinion, Amy Ruth's is number one on my list. Amy Ruth's Downtown is definitely worth checking out whether you're in the area for a quick bite, or just have a craving for some authentic southern cuisine.“

“First time visiting Amy Ruth’s here in Harlem. The server, Tasha was wonderful and had a very welcoming energy. We got the chicken and waffles (smothered) & the hot chicken sandwich. Food came out extremely fast and was flavorful & delicious. Will definitely be back again. Thank you for the experience!“

“We have come here every week for years and it never disappoints—always a five-star experience. As someone from Texas, I can confidently say this is the best Tex-Mex I’ve had outside of Texas. The food is consistently excellent, the staff is warm and welcoming, and the atmosphere is inviting every time. I’ve loved everything I’ve tried, but the white queso and shrimp tacos are absolute standouts.“

“omg the food is excellent and most of all fresh will be back ♡“

“The atmosphere was amazing , staff was polite an courtesy, The hot wings are AMAZING!!Perfect Date night atmosphere! Management was polite an on point with every customer! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️I’ll be back !“

“Food was great. I'd definitely eat that chili chicken sandwich again. The fries are a huge portion and good for sharing (between my partner and I, we didn't even finish them, there were that many!) Ordering the sandwich + prices came out to be $26.

Their fried chickens have a great marinades, which make it messy to eat. I wish they had some wipes or something other than the paper towel/napkin option. This is ideal for dining-in; I don't recommend eating on the go. There's very limited seating, but somehow we snagged a seat. The party who ate before us didn't clean up after themselves... which wasn't very considerate. I ended up throwing up their trash. The staff seemed very busy behind the counter, and never came around to clean the tables. this is very much a takeout-forward place.“

“Was in the area and decided to try Bobwhite Counter at the Jacx&Co food hall. It was a good experience with server Meagan A. I went for the Truffle Aioli Chicken Burger, and the hand-cut fries with the choice of the black truffle aioli dip, and a sweet tea. Very tasty and crispy. The fries were perfect and tasted good as it is fried with tallow. Gourmet quality food in a food hall in LIC. Thank you. Will visit again

Updated Edit for second visit on April 19th:
Hi Bobwhite Corner (Owner) thank you for your response, appreciate it.

Yes, I will definitely go back

Which I did on April 19th around 11.15am (lunch), my first visit for this review was on April 17th around 6.45pm (dinner)

My first visit was great as mentioned in this review.

However, my second visit wasn't that good. Not sure if the restaurant just opened for the day at 10.30am, and the food in my opinion didn't seem like it was made fresh, maybe heated up from the previous evening's batch.

The chicken in the burger didn't seem hot enough and crispy like my first visit. And the fries were soft, not tight and crispy like my first visit.

The second visit, I had the #2 Burger with the Chimichurri Aioli, and had the fries on the side with the same flavor dip of Chimichurri Aioli.

I was kinda hungry, so I ate the burger and the fries without getting a re-do. I did however give this feedback to the server Meagan A.

I would give this second visit a 3-star based on the quality of the food, which was way different from my first experience. I think maybe the kitchen cooks up a fresh batch from 3-4pm for the afternoon/night, as I saw the kitchen crew cooking around that time.

The service crew still deserves a 5-star.

I hope the management can look into this, so that I will not be disappointed in my next visit, whether for lunch or dinner.

Otherwise, I may then choose to go around dinner time as opposed to the brunch/lunch hours.

Thank you for your time and attention to this feedback.

Please see the second pic for the second visit on April 19th, you can see the Chimichurri Aioli on the side 😊“

“I love the chicken and fries. I wish they delivered to Belleville. I would order more if they did.“

“Grew up with one of the owners. He’s been passionate about cooking good food since his teen years. Fantastic food, fantastic restaurant staff, fantastic atmosphere. Proposed to my now wife at Peaches!“

“Great place, mini diner, fantastic breakfast.
Atmosphere? Lol, Google doesn't understand how humans value space, it has the Atmosphere of a traditional lunch counter, which is fantastic for a lunch counter. Come here for food, it's great!“

“A very special evening with my 93 yr old Godmother. Food was excellent. Pasta was cooked perfectly. Service was impeccable Special honor to have Chef Sal stop at our table Our favorite place in the city“

“This spot has rightly captured the attention of food lovers. We ordered lots of food for everybody to share. Restaurant team members transform this place to five-star status. You'll enjoy impressive meals in this compact setting. My time here was truly satisfying.“

“Ate here last night and was most impressed by the manager Jiggy. Who corrected my drink and provided me with a drink he concocted which was A1 ! Also he has a great attitude which puts you in a good mood. Lastly food was also awesome especially the biscuit!!!!“

“I found this restaurant on Tik Tok and I’m sooo glad I did! I had the best oxtail I’ve probably ever had!!! Thoroughly satisfied with my experience and will be sure to go again whenever I’m in the area!! 🤌🏾“

“The food is AMAZING!!! I love the tortilla soup ❤️“

“I placed an order at Katie O just before closing and honestly wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of quality. I couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised the food was simply outstanding. As someone who is very particular about soul food, I can confidently say this was some of the best I’ve ever had.
I ordered the turkey wings platter for myself and the catfish platter for my father, who is equally as selective about his food. Both dishes exceeded our expectations. Thank you so much for delivering such an incredible meal it truly made our night!“

“The weekend spot is our go-to place for catering! If you’re planning a meeting or family get-together, you absolutely have to check out The weekend spot! Chef Mo is fantastic, and her team is always quick and precise with our setups.

We’ve had turkey wings, garlic string beans, chicken, sweetish meatballs, baked beans, salmon. The Chocolate crunch cake was so good. Ask about their vegan options. Thanks so much to the Weekend Staff!

Yeye Kim“

“The hospitality is always on point when I dine there. The food is delicious. A nice small intimate setting. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to others.“

“This is one of our favorite places to PLAY MUSIC in the city, and we love it so much... we go there on our off nights, too, just to hang out. There's always a friendly scene and the food, drink, and atmosphere are unbeatable. Top 1 place in NYC.“