Sylvia's Restaurant

Sylvia's Restaurant, at 328 Malcolm X Boulevard (Lenox Avenue) in Harlem, has been a cultural institution and community anchor since Sylvia Woods opened it in 1962. Woods, who grew up in Hemingway, South Carolina, brought the cooking of the rural American South to Harlem and built a restaurant that transcended its neighborhood to become a symbol of African-American culture and hospitality at its most generous. The menu is a comprehensive survey of Southern and Soul Food traditions: fried chicken with a crispy, well-seasoned crust that has no equal in New York; smothered pork chops buried in onion gravy; collard greens slow-cooked with pot liquor; black-eyed peas; candied yams; cornbread baked to order; and a sweetened iced tea that serves as the appropriate beverage for the whole experience. The Sunday gospel brunch is the most celebrated event on the calendar: a live gospel choir performs in the dining room while guests eat their way through a buffet of Sylvia's most iconic dishes, creating a communal atmosphere of music, food, and celebration that has drawn visitors from around the world. The dining room is large, warmly decorated with the history of the restaurant on its walls, and operates with an energy that reflects decades of community events, political gatherings, and milestone meals. Sylvia Woods died in 2012, but the restaurant continues under her family's operation, preserving the recipes and spirit she established over half a century. Harlem is easily reached by subway on the 2, 3, B, or C trains.