A soul food ranking can get personal before the first plate is cleared. One table swears by the fried chicken, somebody else refuses to budge on mac and cheese, and cornbread can start an argument all by itself.
Harlem, New York has soul food restaurants where generations of family cooking make those opinions run especially deep.
That history mattered in our final cut, but tradition alone was not enough. We looked for meals with strong seasoning, sides that could stand on their own, and kitchens that made us understand why people return for years…