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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 The Infatuation and Time Out New York. Updated August 2026.
Sylvia's Restaurant · Harlem
The biggest name in Harlem soul food since 1962: fried chicken, catfish and ribs, with a Sunday gospel brunch.
Amy Ruth's · Harlem
You come for the fried chicken and waffles: the most famous plate in Harlem, served in a big, casual room.
Melba's Restaurant · Harlem
Neo-soul cooking on Frederick Douglass Blvd: mandatory chicken and waffles, excellent short ribs, and some of the city's best collard greens.
Charles Pan-Fried Chicken · Harlem
Pan-fried chicken that's crunchy, salty and juicier than most: a Harlem standard worth the trip.
Miss Mamie's Spoonbread Too · Morningside Heights
A Morningside Heights favorite for the sampler plate: fried shrimp, chicken and ribs in one go.