Despite being the southernmost state in the continental United States with over 11 million acres of wetlands, the second-largest alligator population next to Louisiana, and top-tier college football teams, Florida isn’t widely considered a part of the “true South.” Unlike other Southern states like Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, and the Carolinas, Florida is more of a cultural melting pot that is influenced by both the North and the South, as well as the Caribbean and Latin America. But there is much Southern flavor to be found here if you know where to look. Here’s where to soak up some serious Southern comfort.
Taste of the South
Florida may be more known for fresh seafood than hearty soul food, but there are still plenty of places to indulge in tasty barbecue, Southern fried chicken, or a slice of silky sweet potato pie.
Honeybelle, Palm Beach Gardens
It’s customary for Southern moms and grandmoms to pass on their time-honored recipes—just ask acclaimed Chef Lindsay Autry of Honeybelle. A North Carolina native, Autry serves delicious comfort food at her restaurant at PGA National Resort, pulling from her grandmother’s recipes that she savored during childhood. Some Southern standouts at Honeybelle include Autry’s fried chicken served with hot honey and corn bread, sweet corn soup with butter-poached crawfish, and tasty breakfast honey buns with tangerine marmalade and mascarpone glaze. For a slice of citrus heaven, try the Honeybelle Pie, made with lemon and tangerine juice and Honeybell oranges and layered on a sea salt and saltine cracker crust with a dollop of whipped cream.
Crawdaddy’s N’awlins Grill & Raw Bar, Jensen Beach
Crawdaddy’s is a mudbug lover’s dream. Once you get past the appearance of a crawfish and give it a try, you’ll no doubt understand why Southerners are so smitten with these delicious crustaceans, which taste sort of like a mix of shrimp and crab. Crawdaddy’s proprietors Mark Kren and his late brother John, who grew up in Baton Rouge, launched the long-established Cajun-Creole restaurant 26 years ago with flavorful dishes they enjoyed at their family table growing up. Try a bowl of crawfish with spicy garlic sauce crafted from a recipe of fresh garlic, Old Bay, and Crystal hot sauce (shown on page 69), or traditional jambalaya made to order. Savor an après-dinner drink at the alfresco bar where local bands play genres like classic Delta blues and zydeco daily.
Voodoo Bayou, Palm Beach Gardens
Teleport your taste buds to New Orleans at Voodoo Bayou Southern Cajun Kitchen, where you can savor classic Cajun and Creole dishes like fried green tomatoes, wood-fired oysters, gator tail, and shrimp and crawfish étouffée. The restaurant in Downtown at the Gardens also serves Crescent City spirits and cocktails, including the iconic Sazerac made with rye whiskey, absinthe, sugar, and bitters and garnished with a lemon peel. The restaurant hosts local bands including the 2nd Line Brass Trio, which plays every Sunday during brunch.
Sacred Grounds Corner Café, Fort Pierce
When Georgia natives Telisa and Rick Womack moved to Fort Pierce and opened Sacred Grounds Corner Café in 2022, their plan was to serve top-notch breakfast foods and coffee. As the café’s popularity grew, so did the menu that now offers hearty lunch and dinner fare like deep-fried Reuben sandwiches, country-fried steak, and Telisa’s grandmother’s meatloaf, a 2024 Golden Fork Award winner. Stop by and grab a colorful tin of Jittery Joe’s Coffee from Athens, Georgia or one of the restaurant’s cute “Our Grits Are Kissed with Love” T-shirts.
NEVS Barbecue, Palm Beach Gardens
Chef and restaurateur Tommy Nevill found his passion for Texas-style barbecue after touring more than 200 smokehouses in the Lone Star State. At his Palm Beach Gardens restaurant, NEVS Barbecue, he prepares grilled delicacies including baby back ribs, pulled pork, and fork-tender USDA Prime brisket. On Fridays, he serves up creative specials like NEVS McRib and the Brisket Hot Pocket made with homemade puff pastry stuffed with brisket burnt ends, red peppers, onions, and homemade barbecue sauce. Save room for a slice of mixed berry cobbler or crème anglaise bread pudding topped with salted caramel—you won’t regret it!
Nana Morrison’s Soul Food, Port St. Lucie
The Morrison family started their soul food empire in Charlotte, North Carolina, serving up staples like fried fish, smothered pork chops, collard greens, and black-eyed peas. Now they have brought the concept to Florida, with a Port St. Lucie location that’s run by 20-year-old Hank Morrison. Rotating specials throughout the week include bourbon chicken, meatloaf, and jerk chicken wings, while house-made desserts like banana pudding, sweet potato pie, and peach cobbler are simply irresistible. To wash it all down, there’s sweet tea, of course, and even Kool-Aid. (Read more about Nana Morrison’s and Hank on page 42.)
Southern Belle Cakery, North Palm Beach
For dessert lovers, there’s no sweeter spot than Southern Belle Cakery. The bakery, nestled discreetly along U.S. Highway 1 in North Palm Beach, is the brainchild of Jamie Fago, a self-taught baker who prepares everything on-site. The shop stocks various cakes, cupcakes, and cookies, plus popular special treats like the Sissy Cake, a vanilla-almond Bundt cake topped with powdered sugar named after Fago’s late, Mississippi-born great-grandmother. This month, she will add Mardi Gras King Cakes to the menu, which can be ordered with or without a plastic baby tucked inside.
Southern Style
Country cowgirl or Southern belle? Here’s how to pull off whichever vibe suits you best.
Southern Belle
MC Callahan-Young spent 11 years in Nashville, where she hosted the hugely popular SiriusXM radio program The Storme Warren Show. Her style at that time, she says, was more Southern rock than Southern belle. But before Nashville, there was Alabama, where she grew up in the rural town of Fairhope—“the cutest little Hallmark town on the Mobile Bay,” as she describes it. Today, Callahan-Young lives in Jupiter with her hubby, country singer Ricky Young, and their two young children, 2-year-old Millie and 6-month-old Callahan. But back in the day, this Southern beauty says she had the belle style down! We asked her to help us sort through all the ruffles and pleasantries and learn just what makes a belle a belle.
What three words would you use to describe Southern belle style?
Feminine, flirty, never dull—that’s one extra word because Southern belles are naturally a little extra!
Name one fashion item or accessory that every Southern belle should own.
The perfect white sundress. Whether it’s eyelet, linen, lace, embroidered, or a simple nap dress, a white sundress with a pair of oversized sunglasses makes for a classic yet chic Southern look.
Is there a celebrity you would say epitomizes the style?
Reese Witherspoon. She even started Draper James, a clothing store in Nashville, where she was raised. I’d say it’s the go-to spot for all things Southern charm.
Any advice for Floridians trying to pull off the look?
Coastal Southern belle is easy to achieve! A dress with a puff sleeve is very feminine and Southern, while a palm print or beachy floral will add a bit of coastal flare. Farm Rio is my favorite brand for this vibe.
Are there any local boutiques you love that sell looks that fit the aesthetic?
SAND by Lola Dré has so many options with really feminine styles and details. It may be unintentional, but there is a lot of Southern charm throughout the boutique.
What’s one thing a true Southern belle never leaves home without?
A smile. You can’t say “bless your heart” without following it with a big ole Southern belle smile. —Michelle Lee Ribeiro
Urban Cowgirl
Cowboy/girl fashion is having a yeehaw moment thanks to television dramas like Yellowstone and country music dominating the charts. If that’s your fashion vibe, head over to J.C. Western Wear. Florida’s oldest Western store with locations in Jupiter and West Palm Beach. J.C. Western is filled with rancher-inspired gear like brimmed hats, embroidered shirts, denim, bolo ties, cowboy boots, and even chaps.
In downtown Stuart, multi-brand retailer April Daze carries an assortment of rodeo-inspired styles and accessories including boots, belt buckles, trucker hats, and purses designed by Magnolia Pearl, ARiderGirl, Johnny Was, and others. Shop owner April Hope is a Southern girl at heart who lived in Charleston before opening her boutique in 1999.
Country Fun
From live music to line dancing to rodeos, there’s plenty of country fun to be had in South Florida
Steppin’ Out
Every decent Southerner at least knows how to two-step. And if you don’t, no worries—you can master it at Fred Astaire Dance Studios (in Jupiter, Stuart, or Port Saint Lucie). Once you’ve got the basics down, head over to Renegades Country Bar & Grill in West Palm Beach and show off your moves. Every night except Sunday, the bar hosts line dancing classes from 7 to 9 p.m. Or boot-scoot a little farther west to Loxahatchee Groves on Thursday nights for line dancing fun at Boonies Sports Bar & Grill’s “Wild West Saloon,” where lessons start at 7 p.m.
Local Rodeo
Few things compare to the thrill of watching a rodeo in real time. Born from traditional cattle-herding practices, these tests of skill, speed, and dexterity are closely associated with the cowboys of the American West. And next month, you can experience it for yourself at the Okeechobee Cattlemen’s Annual Cowtown Rodeo! The two-day event takes place March 8-9 at the Cattlemen’s Grandstand Arena in Okeechobee, featuring professional bull riding, steer wrestling, barrel racing, team roping, and saddle bronc riding—plus mutton bustin’ and calf scrambles for the kids.
Sweet Music
South Florida may not be the country music capital that Nashville is, but it’s quickly becoming a hotbed for musicians playing genres like bluegrass, rhythm and blues, Southern rock, and folk/Americana. Mega country star Jason Aldean lives in Martin County, Nashville singer Ricky Young moved to Jupiter a few years ago (and plays at Tiki 52 every Thursday and Sunday), and dozens of amazing musicians hit our local stages nightly at spots like Guanabanas, Blue Pointe Bar and Grill, Square Grouper, Harry and the Natives, and Terra Fermata. Be on the lookout for performances by Americana-folk duos The Leafy Greens Band and The Nouveaux Honkies, country singer/songwriter Tori Lee, country-rock band 56 Ace, bluegrass jam band The Grass Is Dead, and more.
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