The experience: Soul foodAmerican soul food was born out of the cuisine cooked by Black migrants who left the South from the early 1900s to the 1970s for other regions of the country. And when it comes to enjoying this fare in NYC, Sylvia’s is the place to go. Founded in 1962 by Sylvia Woods, a North Carolina native who moved to NYC as a teenger, her eponymous restaurant has remained an uptown epicenter for soul food and Black culture and social life—cementing her status as the legendary “Queen of Soul Food.” The marquee at Sylvia’s has remained lit for 58, remaining a beacon for Harlem and the community, and the restaurant is one of the city’s most iconic food destinations.

Sylvia’s opened in the 1960s, and it’s been New York’s most beloved soul food restaurant ever since. It’s evolved and expanded over the years—it now takes up the entire block between 126th and 127th on Malcolm X Blvd.—and the number of people waiting outside for a table make it feel like an impromptu block party. You’ll find a mix of world travelers and neighborhood regulars inside, and the walls are covered with photographs of the many famous people who’ve dined on fried catfish, chicken and waffles, and mac ‘n cheese within them.

A Harlem mainstay since 1962, Sylvia's is one of NYC's most iconic uptown restaurants. The dining room here is packed with a mix of Harlemites, New Yorkers from other neighborhoods, and tourists from around the globe who come for the Sunday Gospel brunch. Expect soul food favorites such as chicken and waffles and grilled catfish paired with sides like baked macaroni and cheese and collard greens.

This cherished Harlem mainstay has been serving some of the city’s best soul food for more than 60 years. Classic dishes like the chitterlings, fried catfish and smothered chicken and waffles are truly memorable. Each side dish (there are nearly a dozen options) is worth trying, but the candied yams and collards are especially divine.

As Aretha Franklin was the Queen of Soul, so Sylvia Woods was the Queen of Soul Food — a sobriquet advertised on the logo of the restaurant she founded in 1962 way before Lenox Avenue was co-named Malcolm X Boulevard. This family-owned restaurant was once the largest minority employer in Harlem and remains an essential stop for every New York mayor, as well as presidents Clinton and Obama. The menu is a reflection of the home-style cooking Woods, who died in 2012, grew up with in her hometown of Hemingway, South Carolina: fried chicken encased in spicy batter (with or without waffles and syrup); macaroni cheese you can stand a spoon up in; creamy banana pudding.

New York City’s Sylvia’s Restaurant is a female-run business that offers a creative spin on traditional Mediterranean cuisine. This popular restaurant on Malcolm X Boulevard, 328, is recognized for its wine selection, tapas menu, and weekend live music. Sylvia’s Restaurant provides tasty, nutritious food at a reasonable price.

More than 50 years after it opened, this Harlem institution is hallowed ground. Sure, there are gospel singers and crowds that make getting a table for (post-church) Sunday brunch a challenge, but the most intensely religious experience is the soul food itself. Good things come to those who wait.

So many of the greats are only known by one name: Madonna, Cher, Bruce. And then there’s Sylvia. Founded in 1962, Sylvia Woods’ self-named Harlem mainstay for home-cooked fried chicken, collard greens, mac and cheese and other stick-to-your-ribs classics really does put the soul in soul food.

This temple of soul food has drawn locals and tourists alike for decades, and Sylvia herself still presides over this gem of Central Harlem. Owned by the Woods family which consists of Herbert and Sylvia Woods, their four children - Van, Bedelia, Kenneth, Crizette and a third gen...

Harlem staple Sylvia's happens to be a renowned name all across the city. Celebrities such as Diana Ross and Barack Obama have stopped by to try out the iconic dishes the family restaurant has run since 1962. Be sure to check out their BBQ ribs as well!

The ghosts of history waft through this long, rectangular Harlem jazz shrine with pristine sound…word in the jazz community is that this is by far the best incarnation of the club since the original shut down in the 60s.

You cannot mention soul food and Harlem in the same sentence without mentioning the legendary Sylvia’s. Since 1962, Sylvia’s has been a meeting place for many celebrities, presidents, and iconic public figures.

I know eating super amazing soul food probably isn’t the first thing that you think of when dining in NYC.