Best Soul Food Restaurants in Miami

Soul food has been an African American culinary specialty for centuries. It’s savory comfort food served with heartfelt hospitality that nourishes the body and the soul – hence the name. Check out these Greater Miami and Miami Beach restaurants serving the best soul food and Southern cooking around. There’s no doubt they will become among your favorite food spots in the destination for crispy fried chicken, mac and cheese, smoked barbecue, spicy jerk shrimp and so much more.

Red Rooster Overtown

Experience African American history as you dine on award-winning food at Red Rooster Overtown. Legendary artists like Sam Cooke and Ella Fitzgerald performed in Miami’s Historic Overtown neighborhood and socialized in the space where today’s restaurant stands. Celebrity chef-owner Marcus Samuelsson runs the show at Red Rooster, where you can enjoy cornbread with spiced rum butter, barbecued ribs with house-made sauce, the signature fried chicken with greens or succulent smoked oxtails with coconut rice.

Don’t leave without stopping for a scoop from The Creamery, Red Rooster’s small-batch ice cream and sweets shop that pops up on Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, head up the narrow staircase to The Pool Hall to take in art, sip cocktails and dance from 10 p.m. until late.

Yardbird Southern Table & Bar

The owner’s grandmother’s fried chicken recipe has helped make Yardbird Southern Table & Bar a mainstay on trendy Lenox Avenue in South Beach. This modern Southern restaurant delivers on both classics and reimagined dishes in a rustic-chic setting that’s always a good time. Come for the comfort food and Southern hospitality, and stay for the extensive bourbon collection and tantalizing cocktails.

Don’t miss the Smoke House Southern Skewers, in which tender filet mignon, blackened Cajun shrimp or barbecue chicken is served between flaky biscuits. Enjoy with a side of dirty rice – a Creole dish of rice cooked with meat and vegetables – and tangy scallion remoulade. Finish with mouthwatering desserts like deep-fried Oreos served with ice cream.

Lil Greenhouse Grill

Lil Greenhouse Grill energizes Historic Overtown with bold neo-soul cuisine and laid-back vibes. Offering a healthier take on traditional soul food, this local favorite blends nostalgic dishes with a warm, community feel. Smooth jazz, R&B and Motown tunes set the mood.

The smoked chicken wings served with enough tasty sauces to cover each weekday is a crowd favorite, closely followed by the Dreamfire Shrimp tossed in the chef’s sweet and spicy sauce. The savory seafood cakes will keep you coming back, along with the Bahamian-inspired conch fritters and savory sides like collards and mac.

Jackson Soul Food

When you think of soul food restaurants in Miami, Jackson Soul Food has to be near the top of the list. With culinary roots dating back to 1946 in Historic Overtown, the Jackson family has grown the reputation of being the heart and soul of Miami, with well-seasoned food and an at-home atmosphere.

Yellowtail snapper, shrimp or boiled fish with grits and smothered fried chicken are local favorites. Jackson Soul Food has locations in Historic Overtown, Opa-lock and Miami International Airport.

We Shuckin Southern Eatery

We Shuckin Southern Eatery, located in Opa-locka, serves up African American culture and Southern-style soul food. Diners can enjoy fresh, homemade meals set to groovy tunes from the 1960s and ’70s. Locals can’t get enough of the Jivin’ Chicken Wings with sweet and spicy sauce, signature mac and cheese or candy yams.

We Shuckin is also known for its regional soul food specialties, like Carolina Lowcountry shrimp and grits, Georgia peach cobbler and Florida fish and conch. This is one of the best places in Miami to get your Southern soul food fix.

World Famous House of Mac

If heart and soul are the key ingredients in soul food, then Chef Derek “Teach” Turton has mastered the recipe at World Famous House of Mac, located between Historic Overtown and Allapattah. In 2013, Turton transitioned from the music industry, where he managed Pitbull, to what he loved most: food.

Visit the House of Mac for Turton’s famous five-cheese mac and cheese with a host of toppings like jerk and Buffalo chicken, shrimp and lobster. The restaurant has a celebrity following and stands out for its jaw-tingling sweet and zesty sauces on chicken wings and buttermilk fried chicken and waffles. A plant-based menu is also available and a customer rewards program offers returning customers treats and goodies.

The Licking

The Licking keeps expanding and has now grown into one of the most-popular restaurants in the destination. From Miami Gardens, Opa-locka and North Miami down to South Beach and South Miami, The Licking serves classic soul food dishes like fried chicken and red velvet waffles and fried turkey wings with sides like smoked turkey collard greens and candied yams.

Pair your meal with one of the sweet and refreshing Famous Mystery Drinks. A VIP membership affords guests exclusive offers and rewards. Fun fact: Miami’s own DJ Khaled is a co-owner, and music industry executive Elric Prince is a cofounder of the restaurant, so be on the lookout for celebrity diners.

Sunday’s Eatery

Nothing brings to mind scrumptious soul food quite like Sunday dinner. Famed rapper Trick Daddy taps into the Sunday dinner energy with his restaurant Sunday’s Eatery in Miami Gardens. Fried pork chops top the list as the most liked menu item, but fried ribs or tender baked turkey wings are among the favorites, too.

Of course, no Sunday’s meal would be complete without a few sides: try the tasty yellow rice, candied yams or crunchy sweet yellow corn. The chance of grabbing Trick’s autograph adds to the appeal of this popular restaurant.

Eloise & Earnestine Soul Food

Named after the late local matriarchs Eloise Etheridge and Earnestine Jackson, Eloise & Earnestine Soul Food is a popular Liberty City spot for old-fashioned soul food. At E&E, run by Eloise’s family, you can expect a warm welcome for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Delight in what makes this restaurant a local favorite: fried pork chops, barbecued ribs and baked turkey wings that fall off the bone. A side of collard greens (raved about on The Hungry Black Man blog) is topped only by one of the made-from-scratch desserts, like banana pudding or peach cobbler.

MLK Restaurant

At MLK Restaurant – which stands for My Little Kitchen and is an ode to Martin Luther King Jr. – the long lines of diners waiting to get into this intimate Liberty City spot is a testament to its popularity.

Bring a big appetite for the large portions for both breakfast and brunch. You’ll want to have room for their specials, like smothered chicken and grits or, as regulars will attest, “the best boiled fish and grits in town.”

Conch It Up Soul Food Restaurant

The sign over the takeout window at Conch It Up Soul Food Restaurant reads “The Best Conch in Town,” and that boast rings true at this local favorite in Liberty City. Expect warm service and generous portions at this casual hidden gem.

It’s known for its fresh seafood, especially the briny, delicious conch served stewed, fried, tossed in a salad or smothered in sweet and sour sauce. Anticipate a heaping portion of rice or succulent collard greens with your entree. Don’t forget a slice of decadent sweet potato pie.

Whisk Gourmet Food & Catering

Southern comfort food is the hallmark of Whisk Gourmet Food & Catering in South Miami. The intimate restaurant is casual with an upscale feel and offers soul food classics like buttermilk fried chicken and waffles for Sunday brunch, or the savory Fried Green Tomato Stack.

Shrimp and grits, complete with bacon and mushrooms, are available for lunch or dinner. Its daily specials reflect Miami’s diversity, so look for Latin or Caribbean dishes that highlight the chef’s Creole training in New Orleans.