Happy Juneteenth! This holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, the day news of emancipation finally reached the last enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas. Currently in the US, there are efforts to dismantle civil rights protections, suppress Black history, erase Black military contributions, suppress Black voters, and sanitize public records across national institutions.
While individual actions can’t replace policy change, redirecting spending toward Black-owned businesses builds the economic foundation that sustains independent businesses, which makes communities more resilient regardless of what is happening politically.
Here are some outstanding Black-owned restaurants where you can intentionally direct your capital for Juneteenth and throughout the year.
Flavor 91 Bistro – Columbus, OH
The Flavor 91 Bistro has been feeding Columbus since 2016 with a concept that’s genuinely hard to categorize, which is the point. This restaurant, catering, and food truck operation built its menu around what they call “American Fare With Ethiopian Flair” like grass-fed burgers and sandwiches layered with Ethiopian seasonings and family recipes that don’t exist anywhere else in the city.
Every ingredient is non-GMO, hormone-free, and sourced from Ohio farms. Insider, BuzzFeed, and Eat This Not That have all recognized them for having the best burgers and wings in Ohio, and the Ethiopian dry rub wings alone make a strong case.
Flavor 91 also operates at serious scale beyond the dining room: their catering roster includes Intel, Ohio State University, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Discover Card, with a food truck team that can serve over 1,000 people at a single event with wait times under seven minutes. For a restaurant rooted in community health and local farming, the Flavor 91 Bistro managed to grow without losing the plot.
Dukunoo Jamaican Kitchen – Miami, FL
Rodrick Leighton and Dr. Shrusan Gray, both of Jamaican descent, opened Dukunoo in 2019 with a specific vision: bring the soul of Jamaica to Wynwood without diluting it for a Miami crowd. The result is Miami’s first upscale Caribbean restaurant, named after the traditional Jamaican sweet tamale made from grated sweet potato, coconut, and island spices steamed in banana leaves.
The menu holds up to the atmosphere. Jerk chicken sliders make a strong opening, and the DJK whole snapper, prepared in the Jamaican Escovitch style with specialty herbs, vegetables, and spices, is a favorite.
The Wild Side rum punch rounds things out and keeps the energy going, which at night means DJs, a lush outdoor patio, hookah, and a room that tilts decisively toward party.
Dukunoo also handles private events and catering, and the staff has a reputation for managing large groups without missing a beat. If you’re in Wynwood and want food that reflects the Caribbean rather than approximating it, this is the stop.
Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen – Los Angeles, CA+
Founders Yonnie Hagos and Ajay Relan grew up in Los Angeles, and when they started thinking seriously about the kinds of spaces their communities were missing, they landed on the coffee shop as a place where things actually happen. “A lot of things that kind of advance humanity often start inside a coffee shop,” Relan has theorized.
The Hilltop name comes from a literal hill outside the Inglewood location, but it stuck because it meant something bigger: goals, obstacles, and the climb. That ethos is visible in how their locations are run, and it’s why the regulars treat them like their own.
They opened the first Hilltop in 2018 in View Park, a South LA neighborhood that had nothing like it at the time. Inglewood followed in 2019, then Eagle Rock, downtown LA, and eventually a shared spot at LAX Terminal 7.
Issa Rae, the actress and entrepreneur behind Insecure and a string of successful production and business ventures, came on as a partner and co-owner because the mission aligned with her own. She grew up in Inglewood and has been vocal about investing in the communities that shaped her. Her involvement with Hilltop is an extension of work she was already doing, now with caffeine.
Hilltop runs on a full menu and holds a liquor license, which already sets it apart from most coffee concepts. The spaces are designed for lingering, and the whole operation is built around the idea that everyone is working toward something and to encourage us to keep climbing!
Slim + Husky’s Pizza, Nashville, TN+
Clint Gray, Derrick Moore, and E.J. Reed are Tennessee State University grads who built a moving company from a $3,000 collective investment, grew it to 45 employees, sold it for seven figures, and then opened a pizza shop in a North Nashville food desert. That origin story matters because it explains how Slim + Husky’s operates: a mission to empower communities while using pizza as their vehicle to engage.
Their mantra, PREAM, riffs on Wu-Tang’s C.R.E.A.M.: Pizza Rules Everything Around Me. Their pizza ingredients are locally sourced, and cleverly named after hip-hop references such as the “Nothin’ But A ‘V’ Thang” for vegans and the “Cee No Green” for meat lovers.
Each Slim & Husky’s location doubles as a cultural space, with murals, rotating art from local Black artists through their NKA Gallery, and a music program that has hosted live series at the National Museum of African American Music. They offer PREAM scholarships to graduating senior employees and speak regularly at schools about bootstrapped entrepreneurship. Since their first location opened on 10th Avenue North, several Black-owned businesses have opened nearby.
A 2023 James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurateur, Slim + Husky’s has grown to 11 brick-and-mortar locations across three states, with more cities on the way. Check out their locations page for shops in Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi.
Park 54, Boston, MA
Tasha Hull, a Trinidad-born Boston resident, special education teacher, real estate agent, and property manager, opened Park 54 in Hyde Park with a name that carries real historical weight. The “54” refers to the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, one of the first Black regiments to fight in the Civil War. It was formed in 1863, just months after Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Black men traveled from across the country and beyond to enlist, many responding to recruitment efforts by Frederick Douglass. They joined knowing they would be denied commissioned officer positions. They joined knowing the government had already broken its promise of equal pay, offering $10 a month instead of the $13 white soldiers received. Rather than accept lesser compensation for equal sacrifice, the men of the 54th refused their paychecks entirely and went without pay for 18 months. They fought for their freedom, their families, and for a country that had not yet decided to fully claim them.
Their courage helped inspire the enlistment of more than 180,000 Black soldiers, a contribution Lincoln credited as essential to the Union’s victory. Sergeant William Carney became the first Black man awarded the Medal of Honor. The regiment trained and was established in what is now Hyde Park, and Hull wanted that history acknowledged.
The food is soul-driven. Meals start with Southern Corn Muffins, light and cake-like, served with honey apple cinnamon butter. From there, favorites include the Hyde Park Street Corn, six styles of wings, the Catfish dinner, Shrimp Lobster and Crab Grits, a spicy Rasta Pasta with Jamaican jerk alfredo, and the Benny White Burger, named for the founder of the Massachusetts 54th Infantry. When in doubt, try the all-day Chicken & Waffles, made with fresh berries marinated in a sweet sauce.
Jebena Joy Café, Los Angeles, CA
Menal Kidane grew up in Asmara, Eritrea, where the coffee ceremony was part of daily life. Her mother would roast fresh beans over an open flame, with the scent alone welcoming neighbors to come in. People would gather for hours, talking and sharing stories over multiple rounds of coffee.
When Kidane fled Eritrea, that tradition was one of the things she held onto. Kidane’s authentic ceremony begins with roasting green coffee beans over an open flame, cooling them with a woven straw fan, then grinding them by hand with a wooden mortar and pestle. The coffee brews in a traditional clay jebena and is served in three rounds.
The first round of the coffee ceremony is Awel, the strongest. Then comes Kalaay, a milder second pass on the same grounds. Lastly, the Bereka round signals closure and peace. Each round is served in small, handle-less finjal cups alongside popcorn, himbasha, a lightly sweet cardamom bread, and other traditional Eritrean and Ethiopian snacks. The whole experience is designed to do what the ceremony has always done: slow people down and give them a reason to talk to each other. Jebena Joy ceremonies are available for private gatherings, corporate events, and large-scale events of up to 500 guests.
Huncho House, Hyattsville, MD
Huncho House is a fine dining experience by executive chef and owner Tobias Dorzon. The establishment has become a popular destination for both local diners and culinary travelers, often requiring advance booking due to its limited seating capacity.
Chef Dorzon brings an unconventional background to the kitchen, having transitioned to the culinary arts after a professional football career in the NFL and CFL. His approach to cooking is heavily shaped by his upbringing under his Liberian immigrant father, alongside classical Italian training and an interest in East Asian techniques.
When it came time to open Huncho House, he chose his hometown of Hyattsville over more prominent food cities, knowing full well that Michelin and James Beard don’t typically make their way out there. “I want to be one of those reasons why they take a look,” he has said.
Opened in late 2022, the innovative menu at Huncho House has earned widespread critical acclaim and guest loyalty, culminating in Chef Dorzon being named the 2024 Chef of the Year by the Restaurant Association of Maryland. Favorites include starters like deviled eggs with bacon jam and mains like slow-braised oxtail or a massive teriyaki tomahawk ribeye finished with miso butter. We’re also happy to report that Huncho House goes against the fine-dining grain by serving generous portion sizes.
Now, It’s Your Turn
Have a restaurant recommendation? Tell us all about it in the comment section!
