This always-crowded soul food joint, a civil-rights landmark open since 1947, serves delicious fried chicken, smothered pork chops, oxtails, and more. Oxtail meat has found favor in higher-end restaurants—as a subtle soup enhancer, as stuffing for a fusion empanada, as a fleshy marmalade to top grass-fed beef burgers. But none of that fanciness compares to the pleasure of eating Busy Bee's earthy oxtails, half the meat already off the bone and mingling with the gravy and rice underneath. Some classic sides, including turnip greens, are only available select days of the week, but the fresh creamed corn and the mac and cheese are always served.

Photo by Gregory Miller