Best of Harlem
The ten Harlem restaurants that matter in 2026, from Sylvia's gospel brunch to Charles Gabriel's cast-iron fried chicken, every one verified still open.
- 1Harlem · 328 Malcolm X Blvd (Lenox Ave at 126th-127th St)
The soul food institution, founded in 1962 by Sylvia Woods, the Queen of Soul Food, serving fried chicken, ribs, peach cobbler, and the famous Sunday gospel brunch.
Because Sylvia Woods opened this room in 1962 and her family still runs it more than sixty years later, with a stretch of Lenox Avenue co-named in her honor and a Sunday gospel brunch that has outlasted every dining trend since.
Order Fried chicken with peach cobbler to finish
Sunday gospel brunch draws the longest lines of the week, so book ahead or come on a weekday afternoon when you can walk straight into the dining room.
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