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16 rated soul food restaurants

Best Soul food Restaurants in Manhattan, NYC

The best soul food restaurants across 6 Manhattan neighborhoods, ranked by star rating and how many reviews back it.

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Moodap lists 16 rated soul food restaurants in Manhattan, spread over 6 neighborhoods. Charles Pan-Fried Chicken in Harlem leads the list with a 4.8-star rating, and Harlem has the most to choose from (10).

Prices run from $ to $$$. Common vibes include cozy, social. A perfect score from a handful of reviews doesn’t outrank hundreds of strong ones, so the places at the top are ones many people rate highly.

Top 10 Soul food Restaurants in Manhattan

  1. Rank 1Charles Pan-Fried Chicken

    Harlem
    4.8 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $$

    A mid-priced soul food restaurant in Harlem. Reviewers mention friendly service and come for the food, though some mention slow or uneven service.

  2. Rank 2Rabbit’s Chicken & Waffles

    Harlem
    5.0 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $$

    A mid-priced soul food restaurant in Harlem, open Thursday to Saturday from 6 PM. Reviewers come for the food, describe it as a local find, and call it tucked away.

  3. Rank 3Charles Pan-Fried Chicken

    Upper West Side
    4.6 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $$

    A mid-priced soul food restaurant on the Upper West Side. Known for its Pan-Fried Chicken.

  4. Rank 4Charles Pan-Fried Chicken

    Harlem
    4.6 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $$

    A mid-priced soul food restaurant in Harlem. Known for its Pan-Fried Chicken.

  5. Rank 5Greedy Pot

    Harlem
    4.5 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $

    A budget-friendly soul food restaurant in Harlem. Insider tip: Expect mostly takeout, with only a few counter seats, so plan to eat there or grab a bag to go. Known for its Smoked Jerk Chicken.

  6. Rank 6Jacob Soul Food Restaurant

    Harlem
    4.4 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $$

    A mid-priced soul food restaurant in Harlem. Reviewers mention afternoon visits, call it reliably good, and suggest it for a date.

  7. Rank 7Manna's Restaurant

    Harlem
    4.4 out of 5 on Google

    A mid-priced soul food restaurant in Harlem. Insider tip: Come to Manna's for the buffet, which lets you choose from a large variety of dishes.

  8. Rank 8Spaha Soul

    East Harlem
    4.4 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $$$

    An upscale soul food restaurant in East Harlem. Known for its Bone Broth.

  9. Rank 9Melba's Restaurant

    Harlem
    4.3 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $$

    A mid-priced soul food restaurant in Harlem. Insider tip: Order the fried chicken and waffle dinner.

  10. Rank 10Jacob Restaurant

    Harlem
    4.3 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $$

    A mid-priced soul food restaurant in Harlem. Reviewers put the food first, mention afternoon visits, and like being outdoors here.

Harlem

10 spots

Harlem guide

  4. Rank 4Greedy Pot

    Indoor/Outdoor
    4.5 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $
    • Cozy
    • Social

  7. Rank 7Melba's Restaurant

    Indoor/Outdoor
    4.3 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $$
    • Cozy
    • Social

  8. Rank 8Jacob Restaurant

    Indoor/Outdoor
    4.3 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $$
    • Cozy
    • Social

  9. Rank 9BLVD Bistro NY

    Indoor/Outdoor
    4.2 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $$
    • Cozy
    • Social

  10. Rank 10Londel's

    Indoor/Outdoor
    4.1 out of 5 on Google
    • Cozy
    • Social

Upper West Side

2 spots

Upper West Side guide

East Harlem

1 spots

East Harlem guide

  1. Rank 1Spaha Soul

    Indoor/Outdoor
    4.4 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $$$
    • Cozy
    • Social

Alphabet City

1 spots

Alphabet City guide

  1. Rank 1Commodore II

    Indoor/Outdoor
    4.3 out of 5 on GooglePrice level $$
    • Cozy
    • Social

Hamilton Heights

1 spots

Hamilton Heights guide

  1. Rank 1Harlem Soul 2 Soul

    Indoor/Outdoor
    2.8 out of 5, 4 Google reviews
    • Cozy
    • Social

Midtown

1 spots

Midtown guide

Explore Soul food Restaurants by neighborhood

Frequently asked questions

What are the best soul food restaurants in Manhattan?
Ranked by rating and number of reviews, the top soul food restaurants on Moodap are Charles Pan-Fried Chicken in Harlem (4.8 stars), Rabbit’s Chicken & Waffles in Harlem (5.0 stars) and Charles Pan-Fried Chicken in Upper West Side (4.6 stars). The full top 10 is at the top of this page.
Which Manhattan neighborhood has the most soul food restaurants?
Harlem has the most, with 10, followed by Upper West Side (2) and Midtown (1).
Where can I find affordable soul food restaurants in Manhattan?
1 of the 16 soul food restaurants listed here are budget-friendly ($). The best-ranked of them is Greedy Pot in Harlem.
How does Moodap rank soul food restaurants?
By star rating, weighted by how many reviews back it: a place with hundreds of strong reviews ranks above a perfect score from a handful. Places with few or no reviews come after well-reviewed ones. Not sure which fits your plans? Find Your Vibe™ picks one for your mood in about 25 seconds.

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