13 Ohio Soul Food Restaurants That Locals Swear Are The Real Deal
Ohio doesn’t always get the credit it deserves when people talk about soul food, but locals know better.
Across the state, kitchens are turning out plates piled high with fried chicken, collard greens, mac and cheese, and cornbread that tastes like someone’s grandmother has been working magic behind the scenes.
These aren’t chain restaurants trying to mimic the South. They’re family-run spots where recipes have been passed down, tweaked, and perfected over decades.
Walking into one of these places feels less like dining out and more like being invited to Sunday dinner at a house where everyone knows your name.
The kind of spots where the line out the door isn’t a warning but a promise. The food hits different when it’s made with care, seasoning, and a whole lot of love.
So if you’re hungry for the real thing, Ohio has plenty of places ready to prove that soul food isn’t just about geography.
It’s about heart, and these restaurants have it in spades.
1. La Glory’s Soul Food Cafe – Columbus
Tucked on the east side of Columbus, La Glory’s is the kind of place you almost miss until the smell of fried chicken makes you tap the brakes.
You’ll find it at 3350 Allegheny Ave, Columbus, OH 43209.
Inside, the dining room feels like a no-nonsense family spot: booths, warm walls, and plates that come out heavy with fried chicken, smothered pork chops, or homemade meatloaf. Collard greens, mac and cheese, and fried green tomatoes crowd the edges of the plate like old friends competing for your attention.
Regulars talk about flavor that isn’t sodium-driven, which is a fancy way of saying the seasoning comes from someone who actually knows what they’re doing, not from a salt shaker.
Come hungry; you’ll leave plotting your next excuse to be in the neighborhood.
2. Soul 2 Go Café – Downtown Columbus
Downtown Columbus has plenty of grab-and-go spots, but Soul 2 Go feels like it’s feeding the whole city’s mood as much as its appetite.
The downtown café sits at 72 E Lynn St, Columbus, OH 43215.
Founded by a family team, Soul 2 Go builds its menu around Southern comfort with a modern twist: soul bowls layered with fried chicken or turkey, greens, creamy mac and cheese, and cornbread, plus wings and daily specials that keep office workers sneaking back on their lunch break.
Order at the counter, then watch as people drift in from nearby offices, dressed in business casual but eating like it’s Sunday at grandma’s house.
Whether you’re eating in or carrying out, it’s the kind of spot that makes just one more side feel like a reasonable life decision.
3. Peggy’s Soul Food Kitchen – Reynoldsburg (Columbus Metro)
On the east side of the metro, Peggy’s feels like a neighborhood secret that isn’t really a secret anymore.
Locals from Reynoldsburg and Columbus slide into the lot at 2435 Brice Rd, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068, often lured in by talk of wings and whiting.
Inside, plates come out old-school: fried whiting or chicken, greens that taste like they’ve been simmering all day, mac and cheese with a bronzed top, and cornbread that looks like it belongs at a church supper.
Regulars rave about Wing Wednesday, when baskets of crisp, sauced wings hit the tables and social feeds at the same time.
It’s the kind of place where newcomers are treated like distant cousins and where just getting takeout somehow turns into a sit-down meal and a long conversation.
4. Zanzibar Soul Fusion – Downtown Cleveland
Just a short walk from Playhouse Square, Zanzibar Soul Fusion feels made for pre-show dinners and long, slow evenings.
The downtown location is at 627 Prospect Ave E, Cleveland, OH 44115.
The menu leans into elevated soul: honey-glazed chicken and waffles, catfish fingers, turkey chops smothered in gravy, and soul food egg rolls that pack greens and meat into crispy little parcels.
Big platters land on tables, and suddenly the room feels like a celebration even on a random Tuesday.
What makes locals swear by Zanzibar is the balance: enough polish to feel special, enough comfort to feel like home.
It’s where you take out-of-town friends when you want them to understand Cleveland’s version of soul food in one sitting.
5. Mama Joyce’s Soul Food – Cleveland Heights
On Lee Road in Cleveland Heights, Mama Joyce’s sits in the kind of strip where you might drive past three times before you realize you’ve been missing something important.
Plug in 2238 Lee Rd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118 and you’ll land in front of a spot locals can’t stop recommending to each other.
Opened in its current Lee Road home in 2024, the restaurant leans hard into classic soul-food plates: crispy fried chicken, rib-sticking sides, and daily specials that sell out early when word gets around online.
Inside, the vibe is pure neighborhood – families at tables, solo diners hunched happily over loaded styrofoam trays, and staff who seem to know half the room by name.
It feels less like going out to eat and more like dropping into a relative’s kitchen at dinnertime.
6. V’s Gourmet Chicken – Cleveland (Collinwood)
V’s Gourmet Chicken proves you don’t need a big dining room to become a legend.
This tiny takeout counter at 15418 Lakeshore Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44110 has people willing to wait in line for fried chicken that crackles when you bite it.
Orders are cooked fresh, so the wait feels like part of the ritual.
The chicken comes in various breadings and cuts, often joined by fish dinners and a classic chicken sandwich stacked on a kaiser roll from a local bakery.
Most people don’t even make it home before digging into the box in the car, flicking crumbs off their lap and plotting which sides they’ll try next time.
Around Cleveland, if you say you’re going to V’s, no one needs you to explain further.
7. Alabama Fish Bar – Cincinnati (Over-the-Rhine)
In Over-the-Rhine, Alabama Fish Bar is less a restaurant and more a ritual. It’s strictly takeout – just a counter and a small waiting area at 1601 Race St, Cincinnati, OH 45202 – but the line out the door tells you everything you need to know.
The menu is simple: fried whiting, cod, or perch, dropped into hot oil and handed over in paper-lined trays with fries, bread, and peppers.
Customers talk about generous portions and fish that somehow stays crisp all the way home, even if home is a picnic table near Findlay Market.
You stand shoulder-to-shoulder with regulars, swapping tips about which fish to order while watching the fryers work nonstop.
When locals say it’s worth the trip, they’re not exaggerating – they’re just already thinking about their next one.
8. Rasheedah’s Café – Cincinnati (College Hill)
Rasheedah’s has been feeding Cincinnati since the early 90s, which means several generations have grown up on its plates.
You’ll find it in College Hill at 5922 Hamilton Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45224.
The draw here is soulful comfort with halal options – a rarity that makes Rasheedah’s especially beloved.
Expect salmon croquettes, fried or smothered chicken, and mac and cheese that disappears from the pan in suspiciously short order.
The dining room is cozy, the service unhurried in the best possible way.
Folks linger over breakfast plates and late lunches, trading neighborhood news while the kitchen keeps sending out food that tastes like someone’s aunt has been quietly running things in the back for decades.
9. Soul Secrets – Cincinnati (OTR)
Down in Over-the-Rhine, Soul Secrets takes the Sunday-supper idea and turns it into a downtown dining experience.
The restaurant and catering hub sits at 1434 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH 45202.
Inside, the atmosphere feels celebratory, with big platters built around traditional Southern mains – fried or smothered meats, slow-cooked dishes – and supporting sides like greens, mashed potatoes, and other comfort staples.
A dedicated desserts section makes it dangerously easy to tack on something sweet at the end.
Locals praise Soul Secrets for highlighting heritage and ancestry right alongside the food, turning every meal into a little reminder of where these recipes came from.
It’s the kind of place you book for birthdays, brunches, and just because we made it through the week.
10. Mz Jade’s Soul Food – Sharonville (Cincinnati Metro)
North of Cincinnati proper, Mz Jade’s Soul Food in Sharonville blends family story and serious cooking.
Head to 11119 Reading Rd, Sharonville, OH 45241 to find the brick-and-mortar spot.
What started as plates sold on a street corner has grown into multiple locations and a full menu of Southern soul favorites: golden fried chicken, collard greens, mac and cheese, fried green tomatoes, hush puppies, and that strawberry banana pudding you see all over their social media.
Staff talk about love as the secret ingredient, and it shows – people line up like they’re clocking in for comfort.
Whether you’re grabbing a to-go plate or sitting down with family, the whole experience feels like a celebration of how far a home recipe notebook can really go.
11. Side Piece Soul Cafe – Dayton
In downtown Dayton, Side Piece Soul Cafe has quietly become one of the city’s most talked-about newcomers.
It’s a pickup-and-to-go focused spot at 32 S Ludlow St, Dayton, OH 45402.
Here, classic soul food meets a Caribbean twist: jerk chicken, catfish, pork chops, and wings share menu space with mac and cheese and other familiar sides.
All-day breakfast means shrimp and grits might show up on your table even when the clock says lunch.
Their social feeds read like a love letter from customers – people talk about bold seasoning, big value, and plates so loaded it’s hard to see the tray.
It’s the kind of place you recommend with a grin and a warning: Don’t come here thinking you’ll just snack.
12. Dana’s Soul Food Kitchen – Dayton
Downtown Dayton has a new anchor in Dana’s Soul Food Kitchen.
After moving, the restaurant is now firmly planted inside Club Evolution at 130 N Patterson Blvd, Dayton, OH 45402, just a short hop from the heart of downtown.
Dana’s leans into homestyle plates that look like they were carried straight out of a family dining room: fried or smothered meats, hearty sides, and daily specials that regulars track through social posts and word-of-mouth.
The room feels lived-in – in a good way. You’ll see office workers, neighbors, and first-timers all sharing the same head-nodding reaction after that first bite.
It has the energy of a place that’s still building its legend, one full plate at a time.
13. Josephine’s Kitchen – Toledo
In Toledo’s historic Lagrange area, Josephine’s Kitchen has become a full-blown local landmark.
Set your GPS to 902 Lagrange St, Toledo, OH 43604 and look for the cozy corner building with a steady stream of customers.
Inside, it’s pure soul: smothered pork chops tender enough to cut with a fork, yams glossy with butter and sugar, and mac and cheese that shows up in more than a few best of Toledo conversations.
Family runs the operation, and it shows in the way staff greet regulars and tease newcomers into trying just one more side.
Reviews describe Josephine’s as the epitome of soul food and even bucket-list material for the city – exactly the kind of place people are proud to recommend when someone asks, where’s the real deal around here.