These Restaurant Chains Serve The Best Southern-Style Food

Okay, listen, we know that there's nothing quite like a home-cooked Southern-style meal. Southern food is known as much for its comforting nature and rustic, homespun charm as it is for the amalgamation of flavors and influences that make up its culinary culture, and the setting it's served in is as important as the skill of whoever's cooking it. However, it's easier to get good Southern-style food than you probably think. While they may never compare to dishes made in your very own kitchen, there are a bunch of restaurant chains out there that have carved out a reputation for being very, very good at serving up Southern-style meals, and some of them may well be found near you.

As you might expect, several of these chains work with Southern-style dishes that have broad appeal and a fast-food feel. Restaurants like Popeyes, Bojangles, and Zaxby's all bring Southern-style fried chicken to the masses, and they do a pretty good job of it. However, others keep things a little more home-inspired, and places like Fred's Market Restaurant give diners options like breakfast hash, collard greens, and fried catfish, all in a buffet setting. If you're ready to find your new favorite Southern-style restaurant chain, we've got the best of the best right here.

Bojangles is killing it right now. This Southern-style chain has been bringing its fried chicken and biscuits to market since 1977, but the last few years have seen the restaurant open dozens of new locations and enter markets it previously hadn't accessed. As a result, you may well have a Bojangles near you, and if you do, you'll likely be pretty impressed with its food. Customers have long loved the chain for its quality and for what you get for the price, and it remains a real favorite in the Southern-style fast food world.

If you're heading to Bojangles for the first time, there are a few menu items you should definitely try. The first is its famous biscuits, which have a moistness to them that's sure to get your taste buds going. They come in both savory and sweet versions, and both kinds are pretty darn good. Its chicken is also a winner, and whether you're getting it in a sandwich, or in regular or boneless form, it's got a spicy breading and an excellent crunch. Oh, and you can wash it all down with a big old jug of iced tea. Honestly, what's not to like?

Are you sick of fast food prices going through the roof, particularly for dishes that should, by their very nature, be affordable? If so, we think you'll love Cook Out. This Southern-style chain keeps things thoroughly down to earth, with a generous but unfussy menu full of all-time classics like fried chicken, BBQ plates, and hushpuppies. It's also got a great selection of char-grilled burgers, a massive range of milkshakes, and you can even grab yourself a Cheerwine float. You'll have to be in the Southeast to try its food, but we're pretty sure you'll like it.

If you don't believe us, you might just listen to its customers. People rave about this restaurant's food, with its pulled pork and the aforementioned hushpuppies being standout dishes. Its portions are generous, and you won't put a huge dent in your finances, unlike when you eat at other chains. "Chick-fil-A and In-N-Out get all the credit. Meanwhile, Cook Out moves their line just as fast and charges half the price," said one happy customer on Reddit. "Nothing they serve is bad and it's dirt cheap." Honestly, we don't need to hear much more than that.

One of the most iconic Southern-style foods is the humble but always delicious biscuit. So it's probably no surprise that when Southern-style chains plan their menus, biscuits usually feature pretty heavily. Biscuitville takes it to the next level. This chain makes biscuits the star of the show, and its flagship offer is a range of biscuit sandwiches stuffed with fillings like bacon, egg, and cheese, sausage, fried chicken, and country ham. Alongside that, it serves up biscuit platters, hashbrowns, country fries, and cheese grits. Get us there right now.

Biscuitville's been serving happy customers since 1966, and it's remained a relatively local operation, primarily based in its home state of North Carolina. However, those in the know absolutely adore this restaurant. In 2025, Biscuitville won second place in USA Today's Reader's Choice rankings of the best regional fast food restaurants and was awarded the lofty distinction of having the best fast food breakfast in the same survey. It was also the runner-up for serving the best fast food coffee. If those accolades aren't enough to get you to make the pilgrimage to North Carolina, Virginia, or South Carolina to try this place, we don't know what will.

One of the drawbacks of getting Southern-style food in a chain restaurant is that the grub can often feel a bit anonymous and lacking in the homespun charm that these dishes need. Fred's Market Restaurant manages to avoid this, which is all the more impressive considering that it's a buffet chain. The restaurant offers a range of homestyle dishes in an all-you-can-eat format, and is open from breakfast to dinner, so you can sit in all that comfort at whatever time of day you like. Prefer to eat your food at home? No problem: It also has a takeout menu and a range of family packs, so you can enjoy its pulled pork, fried chicken, mac and cheese, and dinner rolls at your very own table.

Fred's Market Restaurant may only have three locations at the moment, but judging by how well it seems to be nailing its concept, we wouldn't be surprised if more pop up pretty soon. Customers praise this chain's down-home dishes and the friendly ambience of its dining rooms. Its food is fresh and authentic, and some people say that it reminds them of the dishes their grandparents cooked. When it comes to Southern-style cooking, it's hard to get a better review than that.

In the ultra-saturated world of fast-food fried chicken chains, you have to do something bold to stand out. Zaxby's does just that. Where other fried chicken restaurants serve up hulking thighs and legs, Zaxby's specializes in chicken fingers, which come with crunchy, thick pieces of Texas toast. It accompanies these fingers with an impressive range of sauces (you have 12 to choose from, although you'll probably want to go for its Zax sauce). If chicken fingers aren't your thing, you can also opt for its wings.

So, how does its food fare? Pretty well, guys, pretty well. The combo of chicken fingers and Texas toast is a winner, and provides a flavor and texture contrast that's totally moreish. Its lemon pepper wings are also a hit, managing both to keep their crunch and stay moist, and with a zesty note that works wonders. The crinkle fries give the flavorful chicken a nice counterbalance, and the Zax sauce, in all its tangy, vinegary glory, adds a boost of flavor. If you want something just a little bit different from your fried chicken, this chain is the place to go.

There's Jack in the Box, and then there's Jack's — and today, we're recommending the latter. Jack's was born in Homewood, Alabama, in 1960, and it's since spread to Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi. It prides itself on both its Southern-style cuisine and its neighborly feel, and it's the kind of place where you can get pretty much everything you want. Burgers? You got it. Fried chicken? Jack's has it. Freshly-scooped ice cream? It's all under one roof, making Jack's perfect for families or friends who can't agree on where to eat.

The food at Jack's isn't just varied, either: It's also good. "Our local Jacks are really good," said one person on Reddit. "I mainly hit them up in the mornings to get breakfast for my coworkers. I never had a bad experience." Others agree that its breakfast items really hit the spot, while different diners mention that its fried chicken is pretty extraordinary (and it's decently priced, too). If you're not in any of the four states where Jack's operates, you might be out of luck — but if you're ever in the Southeast, make sure you give it a try.

Finding good BBQ at a chain restaurant can be nearly impossible. Barbecue takes time and patience, after all, and chain kitchens generally aren't set up for these two things. That's why 4 Rivers Smokehouse is such a find. This restaurant chain specializes in Southern BBQ and serves up slow-smoked brisket, pork, ribs, and chicken daily. It accompanies its meats with homestyle sides like fried okra, collard greens, cornbread, cheese grits, and Southern coleslaw. Anyone else hungry? We sure are.

4 Rivers Smokehouse doesn't just talk the talk — it also walks the walk. The chain has been consistently praised by customers for the quality of its food, and was named "The South's Best BBQ" by Southern Living Magazine for three years running between 2020 and 2022. As of 2025, it's still winning plaudits, with customers highlighting its ribs and mac and cheese as dishes to try. We don't think you can go wrong when ordering from this place, though, as it really has something for everyone. Well, unless you don't like BBQ, that is. If that's the case, you'd probably be better off elsewhere.

Putting the word "famous" in your restaurant name is a big flex, and if you do that, you need to be able to back it up. Well, thankfully, Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken does. This chain specializes in its titular chicken, with its multi-piece meals coming with sides like biscuits, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and green beans. If that's not your thing, you can always go for a chicken sandwich instead, or a chicken pot pie.

Where Lee's really excels is when it's compared to other fried chicken chains. Unlike places like Popeyes, which customers have noticed has declined in quality, the flavor and freshness of Lee's chicken remains top-tier. Its sides are also seriously impressive, with its green beans managing to avoid any limpness or grayish tones. Instead, they're a vibrant green and pack a punch in the flavor department, with a lovely smokiness. Lee's nails it with its biscuits and its dips, and its spicy chicken hits the spot with customers. It's no wonder that it's developed such a fan base.

The food at Church's Texas Chicken is squarely rooted in Southern-style tradition, and the restaurant has a long history of serving up great meals. The chain has been operating since 1952, and while it's now spread all over the country, its food remains authentic to the state it was founded in. Alongside its wide selection of chicken options, which include sandwiches, wraps, and wings, you can also grab an order of honey-butter biscuits, fried okra, or baked mac and cheese. Don't forget to top your chicken with jalapeño peppers, either — the combo of sourness and heat is to die for.

Customers particularly love Church's Texas Chicken for its freshness. While other fast food chains have soggy chicken that feels as though it's been sitting under a heat lamp for hours, Church's Texas Chicken's food is always crunchy and juicy. The sheer variety of sides is also a huge bonus: You don't have to just put up with fries here, people. Ditch your KFCs and your Chick-fil-A's, and head to Church's.

When Golden Chick opened its first restaurant in San Marcos, Texas, in 1967, few could have known that it would still be alive and kicking almost six decades later. However, the chain's still going strong, and more and more customers are falling in love with its Southern-style fried chicken. Its chicken pieces, wings, and tenders are obviously the stars of the show here, but Golden Chick also serves up a few other dishes that feel authentically Southern, like fried catfish, dirty rice, and fried okra. If you're lucky, you may also find its limited-edition mini funnel cakes when you visit.

Golden Chick's chicken keeps things juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside, and the breading is pleasingly thick without being overwhelming. Make sure you try its yeast rolls, too: These little bites are pillowy and slightly sweet, and they're a real hit with Golden Chick customers. When the two are paired with fries and served with the white gravy, it makes a combo plate that you probably won't forget in a hurry. At present, Golden Chick is only located in six states, primarily across the South and Midwest, with a strong foothold in Texas. Clearly, though, sticking close to its home state is working wonders for the brand.