Sylvia's Restaurant • 1962

The Queen of Soul Food reigns from a Harlem corner where Sylvia Woods first served her fried chicken and collard greens in 1962, building a temple to Southern comfort that has drawn everyone from neighborhood regulars to presidents. Her legacy lives on through recipes that haven't changed in over six decades, with Sunday gospel brunch packing the dining room just as it did when Sylvia herself worked the floor. The fried chicken still crackles with the same perfection that made this the most famous soul food kitchen in America.