The Most Delectable Soul Food in Charlotte

Nana Morrison's Soul Food

★★★★☆ 4 (858) • $$

"Loved the smothered pork chops and smothered chicken. Curry chicken Rice was awesome. Ribs fell off the bone. Peach cobbler...so delicious!"

The Eagle Charlotte

★★★★☆ 4.4 (358) • $$

"I sometimes come to Charlotte to meet with my clients and found the Eagle last spring. The food is very good. -Fried chicken. What they are known for. Really good.-Spoon bread. Amazing. I got an extra order to bring back home to Los Angeles for my kids. -Burnt ends- very good.-Shrimp and grits- very good.-collared greens- very good.One area they could work on is table service. Our table was a booth behind the bar where we were told the bartender would be our server- except the bar tender seemed busy and didnt stop by often. Maybe they had a server out sick that night?"

Soul Central

★★★★☆ 3.9 (248) • $

"I'm so thankful a coworker brought me here for lunch. A true hidden gem located along central on the outskirts of plaza midwood this place may not look like much on the outside but don't let appearances fool you they serve up some excellent soul food. I got the fried chicken while my coworkers got the smothered pork chops and the meatloaf. All served with very generous portions and the chicken is fried to order so you get it fresh. For sides I got mashed potatoes and Mac and cheese both I enjoyed tremendously. There is no seating inside so you will need to take it to go, but if you are in the mood for some good old fashioned no frills southern food then come on in and pick up a to go plate. Also I meant to get a picture of my food but it smelled so good I had to dive in before I remembered to snap one."

Freshwaters

★★★★☆ 3.9 (197) • $$

"Old soul...Freshwaters is the definition of tradition, from the "Mrs. Freshwater will come greet you" to the lack of substitution/creativity you can have with the menu (because the chef doesn't make it "like that"). These are not slights to the restaurant, just observations of what feels like a much older establishment. Let's start with the ambiance, which feels like classic after church dinner, but also we just took over this Chinese buffet dining room. The only thing missing is a dragon sculpture and water fountain. While the interior can be a bit confusing considering they are serving traditional cajun mixed with soul food fare. It doesn't hinder what the owners are trying to deliver, which is southern hospitality and homemade simple dishes. Some of those simple dishes include, catfish, fried chicken, ribs, and a lot of delicious sides. So many in fact I had a plate of just sides that included collard greens, yams, mac and cheese, and cabbage. The cabbage was a stand out and paired perfectly with my fried fish. While you are trying to settle on a particular dish, there are cornbread muffins with a side of butter delivered promptly to your table. Overall I thought the Swai was very meaty and "unfishy" which may seem strange but thats the only fish I'll eat. Some of your other options are rainbow trout and catfish.Freshwaters is in a great location near the music factory by Graham street. The parking lot is large and you don't have to pay to park, that's a relief consider it's still so close to uptown. With such a great location, wonderful food and customer service...that makes it a bit of a Charlotte sleeper when it comes to people's favorites in the Queen City.Customer service was superb! Our host Devin was not only knowledgeable, but was very open and honest about her favorites menu items. She was personable and friendly, I felt very confident with my food choices and they turned out incredible. If you go, ask for Devin if she's not busy being awesome somewhere else.Pro Tip: Tell them it's your first time! Mrs. Freshwater herself will greet you and give you something of a secret menu (chef specials and such). I personally think thats a great touch, but also what Freshwaters is...good people and great good."

Sunset Soul Food

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (254) • $$

"2nd time eating here and I enjoyed it a lot both times! Today I had the feast for two, very yummy! Got it delivered UberEats and order was correct, hot, fresh. Pound cake is sweet and yummy and has a lemon undertone! very moist but it was more like a lemon pound cake, so if you don't like lemon don't get it."

Queen's Soul Food

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (192) • $

"I love this place, the food is so good, fried chicken and pork chops are so delicious. I will come back here again."

Ty's Wings & Tings

★★★★☆ 4 (121) • $$

"Ok so let's start with the shop owner. It's a Wednesday morning and this man is JAMMING to killing me softly while in the back cooking up something the smelled heavenly!I'm a Mac and cheese person, and not a wing person at all, but when thing smell that good you have to give them a shot. I got the veggie platter with 3 macs, I know I'm extra but mac is mac; as well as the 10 piece which you can split the flavors in.The Henny Barbecue-Must try (Smokey herbal and not overwhelmingly sweet )The lemon pepper- on par with chex ( bold punch of lemon for brightness and the pepper rounds it up so nicely)The food tastes like love.You can taste the passion the owner has and did I mention they also have fresh lemonade and pound cake.Give it a shot-before the blow up!Wish I could give y'all pictures but this time, the camera did not eat first."

Nana Morrison’s Soul Food

★★★★☆ 3.9 (86) • $$

"Lived in Charlotte 4 years and just found Nana Morrison's!!! So good. Brought me right back to our roots. Great soul food. Had Fried pork chop, cabbage and collards. Only thing better was the banana pudding. Do yourself a favor and go try it."

Vell's Soul Food with a Twist

★★★★☆ 3.7 (95) • $

"1st time visiting but not last when in the area. Good, hot, well seasoned, made to order variety soul food. Friendly staff. Very clean facility but dated. We ate in but noticed most people were ordering to go or through delivery services. My husband was dying for some banana pudding. They had run out on Saturday but were making some. I mentioned it was his birthday and that's what he wanted and since we were eating in, they gave him some when it was ready. He said it was absolutely delicious and worth the wait. We got to go a child's chicken finger plate. DD was very pleased and happy. It must of been good because she ate it before I could snap a pic."

EJ's Soul Food and Vegan Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.8 (53)

"My jeep club and I had the pleasure of dining here after a hike at Crowders this weekend! Ms. Dara the owner is super sweet! We met, sat and ate with her mom too!Hospitality was beautiful and the food was SOOO good!! This will be our spot after hikes for sure :)The place is very spacious and clean! There's also an outside patio! Looking forward to visiting again!Thanks, Ms. Dara!! We enjoyed everything!"

Cuzzo’s Cuisine

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (57)

"I've ordered from here for lunch and dinner so many times. Weekends usually require about a 45 minute wait but lunch isn't bad. So they are my go to for: fish and also waffles. Consider it a fast food spot but they do have seating in the restaurant. I eat a lot of seafood so typical fast food spots for lunch don't work for me but the fish at Cuzzo's??? MAN! Sooooo good. My husband loves the bbq fish which I haven't had. But check this out. They have a peach waffle. Yep I said it. Peaches are cooked right into the waffle and drizzled with cream cheese frosting. So the fish and waffles don't come together but I often order them both just cause I love them and I do t eat chicken. Please oh please cuzzos consider making it a combo...Btw my family has ordered pretty much everything off of the menu. Yep. Delicious. Try the cauliflower mambo wings!"

Jive Turkey Hut

★★★★☆ 4.3 (32)

"This place is an automatic must try! The food is excellent! Everything is well seasoned! Very impressive! If you want comfort food this is the place! They were very welcoming inside and made us feel comfortable! The food came out so fast! I recommend the soul food Turkey leg omg it is everything! The inside is really nice with a bar! Will be back here for sure!"

Soul Central

★★★☆☆ 2.9 (51)

"I placed a large order over the phone with two weeks notice. We ordered the Baked Chicken, Meatloaf, and our sides were collard greens, Mac and cheese, and bread option was corn bread. The general consensus of the food from our team was "it was alright". Speaking from a customer service perspective, it felt disorganized. The food arrived 30 minutes early, which was an issue due to not being set up, not having our truck drivers available for food, as we scheduled runs around the delivery time window... and it was an $80 delivery charge. I would hope for next time we would get better communication. We asked for cornbread and got half dinner rolls and half cornbread. Not many people were happy with the rest of the bread being dinner rolls, as we have plates reserved for people, and I wish the menu mentioned it was "bone in" baked chicken. That is an important aspect as, this was a work place luncheon, we really care about the ease of eating while we work. Collard greens could use some work, Mac and cheese everyone had mixed reviews. Meatloaf everyone seemed to like more than the baked chicken."

Smith’s Soulfood Bistro

★★★☆☆ 3 (43) • $$

"My husband and I went here for the 1st time today and it was absolutely delicious!! A little bit of a wait for the food, but that just shows how fresh it's made. Worth the wait and will be coming back to try the macaroni and cheese! (They didn't have any today)"

Wayside Family Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4 (22) • $

"We love to eat Chicken Salad from Wayside. My Son has grown up asking to go here for it. They have a great selection of food that has always been good to eat. Daily specials for main dish and dessert. Friendly staff. Good for the family."

Cuzzo's Cuisine University

★★★★☆ 3.5 (25) • $$

"With their expansion to the University area, Cuzzo's, a New Orleans-inspired cuisine, teases your taste buds like a proper bowl of shrimp and grits on Fat Tuesday. For my weekday visit, I ordered the Fish and 1/2 Lobster mac-n-cheese platter for lunch. While not exactly a bargain at $13 (plus about a 15-minute wait for it to be prepared) it was, nevertheless, worth it. Really, worth it. The fish is lightly breaded, and with a nice array of spices, allows the flounder to shine without piling on the heat. I like that. The lobster mac-n-cheese is flavorful and creamy, with the pasta cooked a perfect el dente. Although one can never have enough lobster, it was plentiful and tasty, too. So tasty, in fact, that on my next visit I will pre-order a vat of it and make it a Spa Day. Just heat it up and I'll jump in. Yeah, that good. Mmmm.Cuzzo's has other things I'm interested in, too. Wings, chicken, shrimp and grits, and more lobster mac-n-cheese, please. Others have noted they are working out the kinks of a new location. Let's hope they do 'cause they got my "Give 'em a whirl" meter just a humming. Looking for something a little more southern than Charlotte? Go here."

Town House II

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (22) • $

"Townhouse II is an old school hangout that sports a line out the door at peak times. The locals have been coming here for generations to get their fill of southern, country grub. Expect inexpensive, gut busting fare delivered speedily with a few "sugars" and "honeys" thrown in for good measure.I was introduced here 25 years ago by a local who knew where to go. Over the years, it's always the same. Daily blue plates like stew beef-n-gravy over rice, with beans, a bread and sweet tea suggests its focus. If you want gourmet coffee, table clothes, gluten-free or vegan-based choices, well . . . you're SOL. Gravy, eggs, liver mush, hash browns, basic burgers, fried whatever, plus a 10+daily side of vegetables? Townhouse delivers. The owners at Townhouse have answered two critical questions for success in the restaurant business: who butters our bread and what rings the register? I say look for places with a full parking lot, and a long line at the counter. "Give 'em a whirl," and save some pennies, too. Credit cards accepted."

M and M Eatery

★★★★☆ 4.3 (12)

"So i doordashed some food today which I'm doing way too much these days. But today i was very pleased. First off the prices cannot be beat. I'm a pescatarian so often times i just get sides if no seafood is available. Veggie plates are usually as much as an entree most places. Here it was $5 for 4 sides . Secondly, i ordered a shrimp dinner which was $6 for 8 shrimp fried or grilled with 1 side . I know, i know..... but here's the kicker. I don't know how much shrimp i got i stopped counting after 19 . I'm almost scared to eat it why the hell would they be so generous to give triple the amount of shrimp i paid for lmaoooo. Anyway, I'm impressed. Food was good, i really enjoyed the greens very flavorful. Try it out. You may be pleasantly surprised like me."

Soul Kitchen

★★★★☆ 3.7 (15)

"When I tell you...each and every time I go, I always have some for later! This amazing spot is where everyone needs to come to when they craving soul food! I was STARVING and wanted something hearty and we stopped by here! The service is always amazing and I was the only one there!I wanted the meatloaf, Mac and cheese and green beans and my hubby wanted fried chicken wings, okra, and mac and cheese! EVERYTHING WAS BEYOND AMAZING!!! The chicken wings were cooked to order and it was soooooo good, I'm surprised he shared a wing with me! Even the cornbread tastes like cake! The ambiance was fine, music from the 2000s were playing so I happily waited! Every time we come, it's great comfort food and honestly the best around! I would recommend everyone to go check them out!!!"

Brewton’s Cafe

★★★★★ 4.6 (9)

"I've never in my life had no Birria tacos and noodles that taste like the ones Chef makes! I literally have the biggest attitude when he doesn't have those on the menu. Must try!!!!!"

Catch 21 Boiling Seafood & Fried Chicken

★★★☆☆ 2.8 (13)

"The service was great! I was greeted as soon as I walked in. The prices were great. It was about $16 for fried shrimp, fries,coleslaw, and roll and a canned soda. The food was honestly okay. It was not the best seafood that I've had but it filled the hunger spot. If you want something hot and quick, it will be good for you."

31 Flavors Soul Food Kitchen

★★★☆☆ 2.7 (3)

"Food is amazing! Best soul food spot in Charlotte and I've tried MANY!!! I wanted to try everything on the menu!"

Mert's Heart And Soul

★★★★☆ 3.6 • $$

"Yup! Mert's was it!!! Food came out in like 3 minutes smoking! It was Restaurant definitely fits the food.Service was quick and efficient!"