Lunch in Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room is like a typical family meal in households across the South. Community tables of 10 are filled with family, friends and strangers, and close to two dozen shareable platters and bowls filled with rotating Southern staples like fried chicken (sinful and, thankfully, available every day), beef stew, meat loaf, cornbread dressing, candied yams, black-eyed peas, okra and tomatoes, butter beans, mashed potatoes, pickled beets, collard greens — you get the idea. The menu also changes daily, so regulars never get bored with their meal. To make it feel even more like home, it's first-come-first-served. Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. sharp, you clear your own dishes and they only take cash (but there is an ATM on site).

Editor’s note: This guide was originally published in January 2019 and has been updated with the latest information on these restaurants.