Readers will vote for their favorite Southern food town beginning July 6
Charleston, SC (June 1, 2026) — Back for its third year, The Local Palate, a magazine that covers the food culture of the South, is putting out The Best Culinary Towns in the South issue, a special edition, on sale December 15, 2026. The public is encouraged to visit www.thelocalpalate.com to access a Readers’ Poll, open July 6 to July 10, and vote from a list of the Top Fifteen Culinary Towns in the South. From there, the selection will be narrowed to the Top Three towns, which will go head-to-head in a second poll open from July 13 to July 17 to determine the winner. The winner will be revealed on the cover of “The Best Culinary Towns of the South,” issue out in December.
The Top Fifteen towns competing for this year’s title are: Asheville, North Carolina; Bluffton, South Carolina; Charleston, West Virginia; Clayton, Georgia; Covington, Kentucky; Huntsville, Alabama; Hyattsville, Maryland; Johnson City, Tennessee; Lake Charles, Louisiana; Little Rock, Arkansas; Natchez, Mississippi; Norfolk, Virginia; Orlando, Florida; Round Top, Texas; and Staunton, Virginia.
To determine the Top Fifteen, the editors of The Local Palate researched more than 40 small towns across the South—from Maryland down to Florida and over to Texas with populations under 450K—looking at everything from the towns’ restaurant, bar, and café scenes to farmers’ markets, educational classes, coffee shops, kitchen and home goods retailers, wine shops, food trucks, festivals, and more.
The Local Palate’s third annual Readers’ Poll will be widely circulated online and via social media and newsletters. The issue itself will include all 15 Southern Culinary Towns, offering an essential guide to eating and drinking across the region. Inside the issue, readers will find a full snapshot of each town’s culinary magic, whether that’s coming from award-winning restaurants and chefs, or corner markets, food trucks, bars, cafes, coffee shops and farmers markets. The editorial team aims to fully canvas each destination to highlight the very best bites and sips each town has to offer. Previous winners include Lafayette, Louisiana and Jackson, Mississippi.
“Our team of writers and editors is well-versed in what makes for a delicious small town destination. We hungrily research each town to determine which businesses, chefs, vendors, and venues make the town’s culinary scene so unique,” said Erin Byers Murray, Editor in Chief of The Local Palate. “It’s an honor to show off all that these towns have to offer.”
The Best Culinary Town in the South Readers’ Poll will be live on July 6 at www.thelocalpalate.com. Sign up for the magazine’s Savor the South newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for details. The cover winner will be revealed and on newsstands by December 15, 2026.