30 Must-Try Black-Owned Restaurants In America, According To Local Food Lovers
Show your solidarity and eat well by supporting these black-owned eateries.
In the wake of George Floyd's murder, there are lots of ways to be an activist, an ally, and get involved in fighting racial injustice. In addition to donating to various groups and peacefully protesting, you can support black-owned restaurants. And there are tons of these amazing eateries all across the country.
So we asked the BuzzFeed community to tell us about their favorite black-owned restaurants across the country. Here are some of their responses.
1. Shirley Mae's Cafe (Louisville, Kentucky)
"When visiting Kentucky, my family and I were searching for authentic Kentucky fried chicken and we found Shirley Mae's Cafe in Louisville. The people were beyond nice and the food was fantastic." —Rachel O
802 S Clay St., Louisville, Kentucky; shirleymaescafe.com
2. Grandpa's Southern BBQ (Idaho Falls, Idaho)
"I don't live in Idaho Falls, but I grew up not so far away and I would beg to eat at Grandpa's Southern BBQ every time my family passed through town. This was my first experience eating southern food, and I still think of this place often. It's just that good." —4ada6546c
1540 W Broadway St.; Idaho Falls, Idaho; grandpassouthernbbq.com
3. A Peace of Soul Vegan Kitchen (Columbia, South Carolina)
"This place is vegan, black-owned, and a must-try for delicious soul food." —jordap27
2338 Main St,; Columbia, South Carolina; apeaceofsoul.com
4. Savannah Blue (Detroit, Michigan)
"There are so many amazing black-owned restaurants in Detroit. If you find yourself downtown, go to Savannah Blue for upscale soul food. Other favorites are Folk In Corktown, Yum Village in New Center, and Kuzzo's Chicken & Waffles." —kayladdddddd
1431 Times Square; Detroit, Michigan; savannahbluedetroit.com
5. G's Jamaican Quisine (Kansas City, Missouri)
"This is a great spot for authentic Jamaican food. Other than a few restaurants in Jamaica, I've never found a restaurant that compares to it. The jerk chicken with cabbage and red beans and rice is my favorite." —sendtoiletpaperagain
7940 Troost Ave.; Kansas City, Missouri
6. Lo-Lo's Chicken and Waffles (Multiple Locations)
"Lo-Lo's is sooo good! I can never leave without getting a Lo-Lo's punch made with red berry vodka, red Kool-Aid, and pineapple juice."—risabby
Multiple locations; loloschickenandwaffles.com
7. Nexus Brewery and Smokehouse (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
"This place serves soul food with a New Mexican twist. You must try the NM Hot Chicken." —omegarose
1511 Broadway Blvd SE; Albuquerque, New Mexico; nexusbrewery.com
8. The Slutty Vegan (Atlanta, Georgia)
"It's a great fast casual vegan restaurant with amazing fries and Impossible burgers. The atmosphere is very cool as well." —everythingelseistaken
1542 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd SW; Atlanta, Georgia; sluttyveganatl.com
9. Kibrom's Ethiopian & Eritrean Food (Boise, Idaho)
"They have some of the best food in Boise, and they offer a ton of options for people with dietary restrictions. There are gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan dishes on the menu." —maurar3
3506 W State St.; Boise, Idaho; kibromsfood.com
10. Prince’s Hot Chicken (Nashville, Tennessee)
"They invented Nashville hot chicken here, and it is soooooo good!" —jondam
5814 Nolensville Pike, Nashville, Tennessee; princeshotchicken.com
11. Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles (multiple locations in California)
"I go to the Inglewood location, but there are Roscoe's in Pasadena and the city of LA. They make some of the best mac and cheese I’ve ever had. Make sure you try one of the drinks like the eclipse, made with orange juice, fruit punch, and lemonade." —kobeslegacy_824
Multiple locations; roscoeschickenandwaffles.com
12. Ezell's Famous Chicken (Seattle, Washington)
"I don't usually enjoy fried chicken, but this version was great. Even Oprah is rumored to like it." —ellaraeraerae
Multiple locations; Ezell'schicken.com
13. Red Rooster (New York, New York)
"Owned by chef Marcus Samuelsson, there's also an off-shoot of this Harlem eatery in London. The food is amazing as is the music and overall atmosphere." —Starlitmoon
310 Malcolm X Blvd.; New York, New York; redroosterharlem.com
14. The Cozzy Corner (Appleton, Wisconsin)
"This eatery has been featured on a few local and national platforms, but they deserve so much more attention. Literally everything on the menu is amazing, but my personal favorite is the chicken." —alyshar4be3cc42f
111 N Walnut St.; Appleton, Wisconsin; thecozzycorner1.com
15. KitchenCray Cafe (Lanham, Maryland)
"The brunch here is amazing! Recently since the coronavirus outbreak, they've offered a special rotating meal of the day. I’m personally a fan of the lobster mac n’ cheese and the chicken and French toast. Just thinking about it makes me hungry." —bigbabypuddinsnatcher
4601 Presidents Dr.; Lanham, Maryland; kitchencray.com
16. South (Sacramento, California)
"South restaurant has the best barbecue in all of Sacramento. They serve southern BBQ with a twist. Make sure to order biscuits and fries with your meat."—isaaaaaaaa636
2005 11th St.; Sacramento, California; weheartfriedchicken.com
17. Poppy + Rose (Los Angeles, California)
"I had the best pancakes of my entire life at this place in Downtown LA." —sheenaf4265800e1
765 Wall St,; Los Angeles, California; poppyandrose.com
18. Zemeta Ethiopian Restaurant (Rochester, New York)
"If you've never had Ethiopian food, you should try it ASAP. I've been to many different Ethiopian restaurants in much larger cities than Rochester, but this place just blows them all away. It's a small spot, run by a very nice Ethiopian family and the food is out of this world. —frontrow333
1009 S Clinton Ave.; Rochester, New York
19. The Busy Bee Cafe (Atlanta, Georgia)
"This place is absolutely wonderful. The staff is friendly, and the food is amazing, just like how grandma makes it." —evelyn barros
810 M.L.K. Jr Dr SW; Atlanta, Georgia; thebusybeecafe.com
20. Maxine's Chicken and Waffles (Indianapolis, Indiana)
"Maxine's a local staple. She has the best breakfast in the whole city and you can't beat the prices." —orangetango86
132 N East St.; Indianapolis, Indiana; maxineschicken.com
21. Bludso’s Bar and Que (Los Angeles, California)
"This spot on La Brea is ridiculously good. The brisket, in particular, is a must-try." —PeowwPeoww
609 N La Brea Ave.; Los Angeles, California; barandque.com
22. Eugene's Hot Chicken (Birmingham, Alabama)
"This place is the best. I highly recommend my order: the chicken tender sandwich with blue cheese dressing or honey mustard for dipping and a side of loaded baked potato salad and kickin' collard greens." —mreidsbooks
2268 9th Ave N.; Birmingham, Alabama; eugeneshotchicken.com
23. Island Soul Rum Bar & Soul Shack (Seattle, Washington)
"Island Soul serves some of the best food in Seattle. The coconut muffins are so good, I’m drooling just thinking about them." —alexellis023
4869 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, Washington; islandsoulrestaurant.com
24. Pimento Jamaican Kitchen (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
"My partner and I had our first date here. The food is incredible, the hot sauce is on point, and if you go on the right night you can catch live music." —cosmonautpuglifeo
2524 Nicollet Ave S.; Minneapolis, Minnesota; pimentokitchen.com
25. Wendy's House of Soul (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
"Wendy puts her own twist on soul food with dishes like 'Soul Rolls,' egg roll wrappers filled with anything like mac 'n' cheese, taco filling, or polish sausage. She also makes the best fries and tots that I've ever had." —daisydoo182
1021 W Broadway Ave.; Near North, Minnesotta
26. Lucille’s (Houston, Texas)
"Lucille's serves modern takes on classic Southern dishes alongside beautifully mixed drinks. It’s practically a sin to have a meal here and not order Lucille’s famous chili biscuits." —johnsonmeghanr
5512 La Branch St.; Houston, Texas; loucilleshouston.com
27. Chef Paul’s Cafe (Fresno, California)
"This place makes the best shrimp and grits I have ever had. All of the sides are amazing, and you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu." —joshuad42986d01b
952 F St.; Fresno, California
28. Drop Squad Kitchen (Wilmington, Delaware)
"Drop Squad Kitchen is known for incredible vegan food and their 'soul food Sundays,' and they make all their meat substitutes from scratch," —samanthar42a22da62
928 Justison St.; Wilmington, Delaware; dropsquadkitchen.com
29. Barry's Cheese Steaks & More (Louisville, Kentucky)
"This place is home to the best cheese steaks I've ever had, and the owner, Barry, is a wonderful man." —Lyss93
1161 S 2nd St; Louisville, Kentucky; barryscheesesteaks.com
30. And Hoover’s Cooking (Austin, Texas)
"They have the most stick-to-your-ribs, delicious home cooking, from the fried okra to the banana pudding cheesecake." —michelled476b222a3
2002 Manor Rd.; Austin, Texas; hooverscooking.com