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Start a Top 5 for Soul FoodEditor’s picks
Press picks, until locals rank their own Top 5s. Sourced from the local food press. As seen in Boston Magazine and The Boston Globe. Updated August 2026.
Uptown Social · South End
The Columbus Avenue space that housed Bob the Chef's and later Darryl's Corner Bar reopened in 2026 under owner Nia Grace with executive chef Chelven Randolph. The menu reworks Southern soul food classics, from fish and grits with Anson Mills grits and Creole cream to an 18-ounce bone-in veal with barbecue braised beans and red eye gravy.
The Coast Cafe · Cambridgeport
Open since 1997, this Black-owned Cambridgeport mainstay has worked its way into the neighborhood one crunchy fried chicken thigh at a time. Birds come as BBQ wings, paired with Belgian waffles, or as a fried or grilled sandwich, alongside pork ribs, catfish, smoked-turkey collard greens, and coconut wonder bars.
Down Home Delivery · Dorchester
Despite the catering-forward name, this Four Corners, Dorchester spot has real seating and a full Southern menu. Fried pork chops, sauce-dripping baby back ribs, and baked mac and cheese that counts among the city's most satisfying round out to sweet potato pie sold by the slice.
Slades Bar & Grill · Roxbury
A Black-owned Roxbury Crossing institution since 1928, marked by its landmark keyboard-and-skyline sign on Tremont Street. Fried chicken wings tossed in secret seasonings lead the menu, backed by a full soul food spread, live R&B and jazz, and a history that includes hosting Muhammad Ali and Martin Luther King Jr.