Black-Owned Restaurants in New Orleans

There’s not one city in America, I would say the world, but there’s no place other than New Orleans that dishes up some of the best food. My city is a big ole flavorful pot of gumbo infused by different cultures such as African American, Native American, Caribbean, French, Spaniard, and Italian. But in my eyes, Everything began with a group of American Indians who welcomed the French shortly after 1700; American Indians contributed corn and local shellfish, while Spaniards brought larger fish and the first European food preservation and preparation methods. Then, in 1767, Spaniards added their cuisine, influenced by the Moors’ incursions to Spain during the Crusades.

Spaniards brought Islenos Africans from the Canary Islands who settled in St Bernard District. Other enslaved Africans arrived from the Caribbean and further developed okra, kale, rice, sugar, and peanut growing methods on nearby plantations. Some became slave cooks or earned their freedom as independent caterers. This activity led to Gumbo and Jambalaya, among others. The French returned to control the land by 1800 before selling it in the 1803 Louisiana Purchase to the United States. If only briefly, the French reasserted their preference for the aristocratic presentation of excellent food and a taste for desserts. Those delightful pralines taste like an African cook’s response to a French sweet tooth.

Many free African cooks lived in the backyards of French Quarter homeowners, while enslaved cooks and independent caterers tended to many Garden District aristocrats of the 1800s and early 1900s. Finally, Italians arrived in the 1890s, bringing their gastronomic culture and imported sausage, fruit & vegetables to the mix. The tasty Muffaletta cold-cut sandwich of lettuce, tomato, sausage, and spices is a welcome result.

As the African American presence grew in the 1900s, their influence played a more significant role in Creole cuisine and the emerging hybrid known today as Creole-Soul Food. And today, I’m showcasing some New Orleans Restaurants owned by African Americans; New Orleans Natives own some, and some are not.

I have had the list updated since my last posting in 2020. Sadly, numerous New Orleans bars, restaurants, bakeries, and cafes have closed their doors permanently due to pandemic-related circumstances.

I have had the list updated since my last posting in 2020. Sadly, numerou New Orleans bars, restaurants, bakeries, and cafes have closed their doors permanently due to pandemic-related circumstances.

14 Parishes (JAMAICAN)

Addis xNOLA:(Ethiopian/Vegetarian)

Adrian’s Bakery: (Baked Goods)

Afrodisiac: (Jamaican/Creole-Soul)

AJ’s Jazzy Grill (Creole Soul)

Baby’s Snack Box: (Creole Soul/Sweets)

Baldwin & Co.: (Coffee Shop)

Backatown Coffee Parlour (Coffee, Deli) Best Sweet Potato Pie

Barrow’s Catfish: (Creole-Soul) *Temporarily Closed

Baru Restaurant: (Latin-Caribbean)

BARONESS ON BARONNE: (Cocktails/Creole Soul/Tapas)

Bennachin: (African-Gambia & Cameroon)

Boswell’s Jamaican Grill (Jamaican)

Bayou Soul Food and Spirits (Creole-Soul, Comfort Catering)

Beaucoup Eats (Creole-Soul, Veteran-Owned)

Bertha’s Place Bar & Grill (Creole-Soul)
B Sweet Cakes and Bistro: (CBertha’sul/Bakery)

Best Life Pharmacy & Restaurant (Weight Loss Meals)

Black Swan Food Experience: ( Cajun and Creole Catering)
Buttermilk Drop Bakery :(Bakery/Breakfast)

Bywater American Bistro: (American)

Café Carmo (Vegan, Caribbean)

Café Dauphine (Creole-Soul/Comfort) Temporarily closed

Café Porche: (Creole-Soul)

Café Reconcile: (Creole Soul)

Café Sbisa: (French/Creole-Soul)

Café Abyssinia (Ethiopian)

Catty Car Corner: (Creole-Soul)/American

Chef D’z Café (Creole-Soul)

Chicken’s Kitchen: (Creole Soul/BBQ)

Chicken & Watermelon: (Creole Soul)

Coco Hut (Caribbean)

Cocoa & Cream Mobile Foods and Catering Service, LLC: (Creole/Soul)

COFFEE BLISS: (Coffeeshop)

Compere Lapin: ( Caribbean & European with New Orleans inspiration )

Creole Lunch Box: (Creole Soul)

Cupcake Fairies: (Bakery)

Da Grill Mobile Catering: (BBQ and Creole Soul)
Dakar NOLA: (African/Senegambia/Creole Soul)

Don Villavaso on the Bayou: (Creole-Soul, Oyster & Cigar Bar)

Dooky Chase’s Restaurant (Creole-Soul): Baby’s Chase’shase, New Orleans’ matriarch of Creole cuisine, fed civil rights leaders, musicians, and presidents in a career spanning seven decades, passed away last night. She was 96. Rest In Peace, Mrs. Leah Chase.