Soul Good: The 3 Best Soul Food Restaurants In Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (HOODLINE) -- Looking for a tasty soul food meal near you?

Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top restaurants serving soul food in Pittsburgh, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of the best spots to satisfy your cravings.

1. Legume

Topping the list is Legume. Located at 214 N. Craig St. in North Oakland, it is the highest-rated soul food restaurant in Pittsburgh, boasting 4.5 stars out of 369 reviews on Yelp.

The upscale bistro offers a seasonal menu that changes a little every day, but you'll find dishes like the pork sirloin with rice grits, green beans, grilled pears and brandied cherries; the Chicken Under a Skillet with crushed potatoes, green beans, garlic confit and brown sauce; and the lamb leg steak with crushed potatoes, green beans and rhubarb chutney.

Yelper Sylvia R. wrote, "The food here is truly outstanding. I had the 'false' short rib and oxtail ragout over pappardelle, which I had never had anywhere before, and I can't stop thinking about it and longing for it."

2. Carmi Soul Food

Next up is South Side's Carmi Soul Food, situated at 1825 E. Carson St. With four stars out of 214 reviews on Yelp, the soul food spot has proven to be a local favorite.

On the menu, offerings include the signature fried chicken smothered in gravy, turkey ribs with barbecue sauce and the liver and onions basted in gravy. All meals are served with two sides, cornbread and either a soup or salad.

Harley M., who reviewed it on June 29, said, "Everything here is delicious. They have the best mac and cheese I've ever had. Everything is fresh and the portion sizes are great for the cost of the plates. I ate the chicken dumpling soup, fried chicken, yams and mac and cheese, with pulled barbecue sliders as an appetizer. It was so good, I ate until I had to roll myself out of the restaurant!"

3. The Dream BBQ

Then there's The Dream BBQ, located at 7600 N. Braddock Ave. in Homewood South. Yelpers give the popular soul food restaurant, which offers barbecue and chicken wings, 4.5 stars out of 28 reviews.

Stop by for barbecue ribs, chicken and other meats served alongside sides like yams, mac and cheese, beans, potato salad and greens. Try your meat with the restaurant's specialty mustard sauce.

Yelp reviewer Patrick V. said, "This is exactly what you expect when you think neighborhood barbecue, from the big oil drum grills cooking out on the sidewalk to the plain white sandwich bread served with the meals. The menu is basic, but you're not coming here if you're looking for a million selections. They do a few things, and they do them well."