How to Celebrate Black Restaurant Week in LA

From coffee shops to Caribbean cuisine, soul food, plant-based options, and more.

Returning for its sixth iteration, Black Restaurant Week arrives in Los Angeles on Friday, August 6, and will run through Sunday, August 15. Founded by Warren Luckett, Falayn Ferrell, and Derek Robinson in Houston, Texas in 2016, Black Restaurant Week has since expanded to 15 regions across the U.S. and supported over 670 restaurants since their launch. The nine-day event seeks to shine a spotlight on pan-African cuisines as well as confront some of the systemic barriers that Black restaurateurs face, such as disproportionate access to business loans.

The pandemic has been especially challenging for restaurants and their workers, and many are still attempting to recover. In years past, Black Restaurant Week was celebrated with outdoor festivals, live panels, and other events that brought communities together around food, but since last year the organization has pivoted to expand its online database and provide locals with easier access to Black-owned restaurants, cafes, food trucks, and catering businesses across their cities. Takeout and delivery options continue to be the focus, and corporate sponsorships from Pepsi and SoCalGas have enabled Black Restaurant Week to waive the financial participation fee for restaurants for the second year in a row.

As if you needed another reason to support these worthwhile restaurants and food businesses, August is also National Black Business Month, a time to recognize and support Black entrepreneurs around the country. So with all of that in mind, follow your fork to these 10 Black-owned food spots that are participating in LA’s Black Restaurant Week:

Grilled Fraiche
Grilled Fraiche

Hyde Park, South Central and Long Beach
This healthy Caribbean spot is a great option for a quick lunch, with plenty of wraps, bowls, and salads on the menu, and all dishes easily customized to a vegan diet. You’ll also find tacos and garlic herb noodles, and quesadillas that come on flour, spinach, or jalapeno tortillas and are stuffed with cheese, bean soup, and your choice of protein and grain, veggies, and sauce. Stop by on the weekend to enjoy a breakfast menu that includes shrimp and grits and The Libertine, an herbaceous chicken sausage patty, scrambled eggs, country-style potatoes, and a waffle drizzled with their house-made special sauce (pro-tip: go big and top your waffle with peaches).
How to order: Walk-ins welcome, call your location ahead of time for pickup, or delivery via Grubhub, Postmates, and UberEats.

Black Bottom Kitchen
Black Bottom Kitchen

North Hollywood
For some stick-to-your-ribs Southern food made with locally sourced produce and meats, you won’t regret making the trek out to the valley to Black Bottom Southern Kitchen. Their menu spans the entire South with St. Louis-style ribs, Charleston-style shrimp and grits, and fried shrimp doused in a tangy Mississippi comeback sauce, plus craveable sides like mac and cheese, red beans and rice, and jalapeno cornbread. Finish it off with a glass of Sorrel, sweet tea, or their Front Porch lemonade (all of which can be optionally purchased by the gallon) and don’t forget to save some room for a homemade banana pudding or peach cobbler dessert. Head over on a Friday and take advantage of their weekly Fish Fry, when they serve Cajun-fried catfish and shrimp alongside their Not Yo Mama’s coleslaw, fries, and hush puppies.
How to order: Call 818-856-8532 or visit their website for pickup, delivery via Postmates, UberEats, and DoorDash.

HOT and COOL CAFE
HOT and COOL CAFE

Leimert Park and Canoga Park
This vegan social enterprise intentionally chose to settle in Leimert Park in 2018 to provide more vegan and healthy food options to the neighborhood’s predominantly Black residents, and now they’ve brought their community-minded coffee shop to a new location in Canoga Park. The cafe proudly serves coffee that’s hand-selected and roasted by co-owners Tony Jolly and Tina Amin, and their food menu includes hits like cauliflower wings with a house-made vegan ranch sauce, and vegan nachos supreme with fresh spinach chips covered in house-made vegan nacho cheese, salsa, avocado, double bean chili, and microgreens, with walnut meat or Beyond Meat.
How to order: Walk-ins welcome and pickup and delivery via their Square site.

Blaqhausnoho
Blaqhausnoho

North Hollywood
Launched in 2019, this upscale Southern restaurant quickly established itself as one of the top brunch destinations in the valley—no small feat considering we’ve been in a pandemic almost the entire time they’ve been open. If you prefer a more lowkey meal, head over during the week or for dinner when they’re less busy. For brunch, you’ll want to make sure that someone at your table orders The Crab Benediction, which subs English muffins for a sweet cornbread that’s then topped with a crispy crab cake, perfectly poached egg, and a tomato Creole cream sauce. Other standouts include the Nipsey Blue Burger with brown sugar bacon jam spread, bleu cheese crumbles, arugula, bacon, and marinated ground beef inside a toasted bun, and a vegan short rib grilled cheese sandwich with slow-cooked Southern-flavored Beyond Meat, melted vegan cheddar, and a spicy vegan aioli sauce that’s spread over two slices of grilled Texas toast.
How to order: Walk-ins welcome if space is available or make reservations via Tock. Call 818-332-0500 for pickup.

Sky's Gourmet Tacos
Sky's Gourmet Tacos

Mid-city and Marina del Rey
An LA institution for almost 30 years, Sky’s offers tacos and other traditional Mexican dishes “with a splash of soul.” In addition to tacos, burritos, tortas, quesadillas, tostadas, and nachos that come with meat proteins like carnitas, crawfish, and lobster, and vegetarian-friendly proteins like potatoes and cheese and shiitake mushrooms, Sky’s also serves Texas-style baby back ribs, plus burgers, bowls, and salads. They also boast a sizable dessert selection, including a cheesecake that’s been deemed the best in LA two years in a row. Head to their Marina del Rey marketplace for a bounty of grab-and-go options. Another location is forthcoming at the SoFi Stadium.
How to order: Walk-ins welcome for dine-in. Call 833-759-8226 for curbside pickup and delivery. Delivery is available via Allset, UberEats, Postmates, Grubhub, and Caviar for the Pico location. Delivery is available via Postmates, Allset, and Doordash for the Marina del Rey location.

Orleans & York
Photo courtesy of Orleans & York

Multiple locations
For a deli that combines the classic NY deli experience with a downhome New Orleans hospitality and flavors, look no further than Sami Othman’s Orleans & York, which has five locations that span from Downtown LA to Inglewood and Carson. You’ll find po’ boy sandwiches stuffed with fried shrimp, oysters, catfish, and salmon, plus over-the-top options like a Dirty po’boy with chicken sausage, beef sausage, beef sirloin, bell peppers, onions, provolone and American cheese, and pickles. You can also order from a large list of NY heroes, including a NYC Club with honey turkey, Genoa salami, provolone cheese, avocado, tomato, lettuce, and mayo, and a hot Bronx BBQ sando with roast beef, New York cheddar, tomato, pickles, BBQ sauce, mayo, and butter. As if you needed more options, they also serve muffalettas, a popular sandwich that’s served on round Sicilian sesame bread that Italian immigrants first introduced in New Orleans.
How to order: Walk-ins welcome. Pickup is available via ChowNow.

Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen
Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen

View Park, Inglewood and Glassell Park
This coffee shop is run by two LA locals who wanted to create a space where the community could make connections and support one another, or as they put it, “Find your hilltop.” They’ve got an impressive cafe menu that includes a Spanish-style chorizo- and cheddar-filled croissant; a sizeable Soul Bowl with creamy grits, braised collard greens, charred corn, and a poached egg; plus a menu of decked out toasts that they refer to as “Droptops” (the smoked salmon droptop is a must-order), churros, beignets, and waffles. On the drink side, they’ve got your standard coffee choices, as well as signature options like an almond turmeric latte with house-made almond milk, turmeric, ginger, black pepper, cinnamon, and honey, and a Matcha Chata, with matcha tea, cinnamon, honey, and vanilla, served over an iced oat milk latte.
How to order: Walk-ins welcome, or order pickup from your preferred location.

@theofficialswiftcafe

View Park
Swift stands for sustainable, wholesome, inspired food to-go, and is another eatery that intentionally launched in a predominantly Black neighborhood to provide residents with easy to access healthy food options. Their menu was developed with the help of a nutritionist, but you wouldn’t know that from flavor-rich items like a crustless veggie quiche with thyme and olive oil; a jerk chicken plate that comes with a generous helping of coconut rice and black beans, sweet and spicy green beans, and plantains; and a grilled bison burger. They’ve also got a full menu of delectable smoothies that will satisfy any dessert craving; try the tiramisu smoothie with oat or coconut milk, maca root, coffee, cinnamon spice mix, agave, cacao, and avocado.
How to order: Walk-ins welcome or call 323-815-4418 for pickup.

Compton Vegan

Various locations
Founded by self-taught chef Lemel Durrah who seeks to provide healthy and affordable food options in inner cities, Compton Vegan is prepared to satisfy all of your soul food cravings without the guilt—or the meat. Check their Instagram for their food truck’s latest locations and menus, but fan favorites include a chef’s special with ribs, hot links, shrimp, baked beans, corn on the cob, and collard greens, and mac and cheese bowls that come with toppings like buffalo chik’n, jackfruit ribz, or spicy shrimp. If you’re a fan of the concept, donate to their GoFundMe that’s helping them raise money for an eventual brick-and-mortar.
How to order: Visit their food truck or text 310-356-9579.

Harriet's Cheesecakes
Courtesy of Harriet's Cheesecakes

Inglewood
Founded in 1983, Harriet’s Cheesecakes have grown a global following over the last almost 40 years, and has expanded its menu to include 65 flavors of cheesecakes (with new additions being added to the menu regularly). All of the cheesecakes are still made by hand daily with reduced sugar content to ensure that diabetic and other sugar-sensitive customers can still enjoy them from time to time. Popular signature flavors include french vanilla and sweet potato, but step out of your comfort zone with innovative options like white chocolate cranberry, peaches and cream, and piña colada. Due to popular demand, a vegan cheesecake recipe is also in the works.
How to order: Call 310-419-2259 to place your order. Whole cake orders must be placed 24 hours in advance and one week in advance during the holiday season.

Click here to browse the full database of Black-owned restaurants participating in LA’s Black Restaurant Week.

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Danielle Dorsey is the Los Angeles Editor at Thrillist.