Magnolia Room at the Chalfonte Hotel

Where Is It? In the magnificent Chalfonte Hotel on Howard Street.

Why Should I Go? When Helen Dickerson was running the Magnolia Room kitchen, which she did for more than 70 years, she expected good, old-fashioned Southern manners from her crew. Her daughters, Dot Burton and Lucille Thompson, seamlessly continued the tradition, running the kitchen together for 50-odd years, until Dot’s passing in 2015 at the age of 88. Craig LaBan of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, “Any time you get a chance to have an 80-plus-year-old Southern chef cook for you, do it. Make that two 80-plus-year-old chefs with a century-old chicken-frying pan, and it’s worth changing your plans.”

Esteemed Cape May chef John Siuta lovingly continues the Magnolia Room’s legacy. As for that Southernfried chicken, it’s prepared in huge cast-iron skillets. The secret is in the thickly sliced onions. It’s a trick that must work, because the dish was named one of the 10 best in the country by USA Today. The restaurant regularly receives national acclaim, with features on Discovery Channel’s Home Matters and Food Network’s Tyler’s Ultimate.

Insider Tip: Eat inside the Magnolia Room or on the veranda — there’s nothing more Southern than spending the evening in a rocking chair. Either way, stop by the King Edward bar, a classic watering hole, to kick off your evening. And look out for regular live entertainment on the alluring porch at this famous old hotel.

Website: chalfonte.com

Phone: 609-884-8409

Address: 301 Howard Street, Cape May