St. Louis, MOSouthern

Jodie Ferguson named this breakfast and lunch kitchen for her grandmother. It moved from a food truck into a shared Belleville space with LongStory Coffee. Order shrimp and grits with green pepper and seasonal okra, or a biscuit sandwich with egg, apricot and red onion jam, and a protein. Smoked brisket and breakfast tacos reflect Ferguson's years in Texas.

Co-owner and executive chef Ana Hall serves Southern soul food with a tapas-style twist just east of the Delmar Loop. Dishes include skillet cornbread with candied pecans, chicken-bacon mac and cheese, fried catfish tacos, shrimp and grits, pimento-cheese hummus, chicken and waffles, and Delta Dragon sticky ribs. A multi-level patio with fire pits sits behind the 85-seat room.

Trecie Wilson and Steven Perkins run this Granite City counter. Its 51-seat dining room has a checkerboard floor, red walls, blue stools and a wall of vintage records. Breakfast includes shrimp and grits or chicken wings; lunch brings Mississippi catfish nuggets and fried tripe burgers. Sugar Shack Baskets offer pulled pork, riblets and fried frog legs. Save room for peach cobbler.

The Crestwood kitchen carries on the Southern-inspired cooking of Grace Meat + Three. Its menu centers on fried chicken, beer-battered cod and cornmeal-crusted catfish, with green chile hushpuppies alongside them. Order the catfish with hushpuppies and leave room for a moon pie. The sister restaurant in the Grove closed in September, while this location remains open.

The Ferguson restaurant draws on the Southern and Cajun dishes Cathy Jenkins brought home from her travels. Shrimp and grits come with cheddar cheese and spiced sausage gravy, while the creamy Cajun chicken pasta can also be made with seafood. Order the shrimp and grits, or the fried chicken, shrimp and catfish combination that became popular enough to move beyond its Friday special slot.