12 Black-Owned Vegan Restaurants That Are Too Delicious to Miss
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There is seemingly no end to the number of great Black-owned vegan restaurants and other businesses popping up around the country. This exciting abundance makes showing your support for Black business owners (and getting some mouthwatering new vegan dishes) easier than ever.
Here are a few of the many Black-owned vegan restaurants we absolutely love.
Plant Based Papi
Jewan Manuel decided to open his brick-and-mortar restaurant, Plant Based Papi, after a series of wildly successful pop-ups. Located in Portland, Oregon, the restaurant joins a growing number of vegan businesses owned by people of color in the city.
Plant Based Papi is known for its delicious comfort food, including jackfruit nachos, truffle mac and cheese, and spicy fried “chicken.” His rotating menu also boasts impressive vegan seafood, such as breaded “lobster” and seared “scallops.”
Compton Vegan
Compton Vegan owner Lemel Durrah started his company to bring affordable, healthy plant-based comfort food—like jackfruit ribs and vegan chicken tacos—to Compton and other inner cities in need. Durrah dreams of one day making Compton Vegan as common as McDonald’s.
Jackfruit Cafe
Jackfruit Cafe was started by actress, chef, and entrepreneur Angela Means. With a focus on wellness, Angela transformed her popular food truck into a thriving restaurant in Santa Monica, California. Jackfruit Cafe’s delicious offerings include a jackfruit burrito, a pulled barbecue sandwich meal, and smothered fries.
Urban Vegan Kitchen
Manhattan’s Urban Vegan Kitchen offers organic plant-based comfort food in an intimate West Village setting. Customers can choose from delicious options like Chick-un & Waffles, mac and cheese, chili, and Korean barbecue wings. Many of the foods are made in-house, including salad dressings, sauces, and cheese.
Urban Vegan Kitchen is also participating in Support + Feed, which donates plant-based meals to hospitals, senior centers, the homeless, and organizations in need during the COVID-19 crisis.
Green Seed Vegan
Married couple Matti Merrell and Rodney Perry dreamed of bringing delicious, healthy vegan food to their community in Houston, Texas. Both Houston natives, Matti and Rodney began with a food truck before opening their restaurant, Green Seed Vegan. The couple is passionate about avoiding processed foods, creating meals from scratch, and working with local bakers and farmers. Some of their popular dishes are the Dirty Burque and the Big Tex burger. And they offer a myriad of desserts and smoothies.
Stuff I Eat
Stuff I Eat is located in downtown Inglewood, California, and co-owned by Chef Babette Davis. As one of the only plant-based restaurants in the area, Stuff I Eat has changed how many people in the community see vegan food. With a menu ranging from soul food and burgers to mouthwatering desserts, Stuff I Eat can satisfy any appetite.
DaJen Eats
DaJen Eats founder Jenn Ross originally opened her Jamaican-inspired restaurant inside a Citgo gas station in Orlando, Florida. With delicious favorites like the Crispy Chick’n Biscuit Sammich and Buffalo Po’Boy, the restaurant was named best Caribbean restaurant in a competition hosted by Orlando Weekly.
DaJen Eats has left the gas station and is now a full-service restaurant in the historically Black neighborhood of Eatonville, Florida.
The Land of Kush
Gregory Brown and Naijha Wright Brown opened the plant-based soul food restaurant The Land of Kush in Baltimore, Maryland, to “bring people into the world of veganism.” The Browns’ tasty plant-based options include Southern favorites like collard greens, baked mac and cheese, ribs, and crab cakes. According to Naijha, their restaurant is “the ultimate vegan experience.”
The Southern V
Located in Nashville, Tennessee, The Southern V serves plant-based Southern favorites, like the Chick’n and Waffle, Snausage Biscuit, and BBQ Jackfruit Sammich. Tiffany Hancock is the self-taught “force” behind the restaurant, preparing the dishes and desserts herself, while her husband, Clifton, manages the business side.
Plum Bistro
Plant-based chef Makini Howell opened Plum Bistro in Seattle, Washington, in 2009. A lifelong vegan, Chef Makini is passionate about creating stunning dishes from organic, seasonal fruits and vegetables. Some of Plum Bistro’s most beloved dishes are the Sweet and Spicy General Tso’s Cauliflower, Mama Africa Salad, and Peaches and Cream French Toast.
Sol Sips
Francesca Chaney opened Sol Sips in Bushwick, Brooklyn, when she was just 22 years old. The restaurant has grown from a pop-up to a successful business focused on bringing healthy food to a community that may not have access to it. To keep the delicious plant-based offerings accessible to all, Francesca implemented a sliding-scale brunch, allowing customers to pay what they can. The restaurant also offers free cooking classes.
Detroit Vegan Soul
Detroit Vegan Soul is co-owned by General Manager Kirsten Ussery and Executive Chef Erika Boyd. The two are passionate about bringing healthy plant-based foods to everyone and breaking the “cycle of diet related diseases in our families and community.”
Detroit Vegan Soul partners with local farmers to bring seasonal organic food to their customers. They also provide their partners with food waste for composting and fertilizing farms.
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