Atlanta takes the top spot in the U.S. in terms of the number of Black-owned businesses. According to a LendingTree survey, a little more than eight percent of businesses in Atlanta are Black-owned compared to the nearly three percent considered Black-owned nationwide.
While Atlanta ranks high among metros in the country with a significant Black population, the number of Black-owned restaurants throughout the city only accounts for five percent of Black-owned businesses. What’s great about Atlanta is that the Black population is not a monolith; this diversity is highlighted in its food scene. Atlanta has something for everyone, so you won’t go hungry in Atlanta. From breakfast, brunch, soul food, dinner options, and places exclusively for vegetarians. There are upscale venues, restaurants with live music, and so much more to choose from.
Travel Noire compiled a list of the 13 Best Black-owned restaurants to visit in Atlanta for 2024.
Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks
People looking to taste West Philly will find it inside Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks. Philadelphia native Derrick Hayes, Sr., introduced Atlanta to his hometown’s iconic dish after realizing Atlanta’s cheesesteak scene was lacking.
This is not a restaurant to worry about the calories. In fact, more is better, as each cheesesteak combo is seasoned to perfect with its signature three cheeses on top. A trip to Big Dave’s is made for indulging.
Big Dave’s pays homage to his home and Hayes’s late father, whom the restaurant chain is named after.
- Locations: Downtown Atlanta, Doraville, Forest Park, Georgia, Lawrenceville, Georgia, and multiple outposts inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
- Owner: Derrick Hayes, Sr.
- Type of Cuisine: Northeastern American
- Menu Spotlight: DW LIL’s Daves Beef Combo features seasoned ribeye, onions, sweet peppers, banana peppers, mushrooms, and three cheeses. There are also chicken and fish versions. The egg rolls are fan favorites, made with beef, chicken, or salmon, onions, and three cheeses. They are served with sweet chili sauce.
- Before you go: There is also a veggie option for vegetarians.
Blaxican Food Truck
Will Turner named his food truck Blaxican after he recalled the time a friend called him that while in Los Angeles. According to Turner, Blaxican is a slang word for bi-racial people of Mexican and African American descent. He turned the word into his own cuisine style, which he describes as “La Comida for the Soul.”
Blaxican Food Truck’s menu features “Mexy Mac and Cheese,” “Mexy Rice with Blackeyed Peas,” and Collard Greens smoked in Turkey Broth – just to name a few.
- Locations: Various locations vary based on the food truck schedule.
- Owner: Will Turner
- Type of Cuisine: Mexican Soul Food
- Menu Spotlight: Blaxican Food is home to the only Collard Green Quesadilla.
- Before you go: Food truck locations vary. Locations are listed on the website’s calendar here.
Bomb Biscuit
If you’re craving a biscuit in Atlanta, then head to Bomb Biscuit to get the best of the best. The restaurant was founded by Erika Council, the granddaughter of the legendary Mildred Cotton Council, an American restaurateur and cookbook author known as “Mama Dip.”
Erika is following in her grandmother’s footsteps with Bomb Biscuit Company. She also has a cookbook called “Still We Rise,” which gives readers more than 70 recipes for biscuits, spreads, and sandwiches.
- Location: Inman Park
- Owner: Erika Council
- Type of Cuisine: Southern, Soul Food
- Menu Spotlight: Honey Hot Chicken Biscuit, made with crispy buttermilk-fried chicken thigh tossed in its house-made hot honey sauce. Another favorite is the Glori-Fried Chicken Biscuit, which is made with buttermilk-fried chicken thigh and honey butter on a biscuit.
- Before you go: Open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Desta Ethiopian Kitchen
Husband-and-wife duo Ash Nega and Titi Demissie opened Desta on July 1, 2006. At the time, the restaurant served eight people—four seated and four at a standing counter.
Now, the couple can serve more than 250 guests authentic Ethiopian food, including the signature tibs – a fragrant dish filled with spicy sauces and meat served with Ethiopian flatbread called Injera.
- Locations: Briarcliff/Toco Hills; Westside
- Owners: Ash Nega, Titi Demissie
- Type of Cuisine: Ethiopian
- Menu Spotlight: The restaurant’s signature Tips features tender cubed meat of your choice sauteed in Desta’s secret blend of spices, onions, tomatoes, peppers, and spiced olive oil.
- Before you go: Reservations are only accepted for parties of eight or more.
Fellaship.ATL
Founded by former NFL Quarterback Cam Newton and his brother Cecil Newton Jr. The brothers say fellowship was a significant principle in their upbringing, so they brought it to the forefront with a restaurant and cigar bar in their hometown.
Fallaship is where guests will find culture, cigars, and quality cuisine all under one roof. The brothers offer brunch and dinner inspired by classic Southern dishes, cocktails, and cigars.
- Location: Castleberry Point
- Chef or Owner: Cam Newton, Cecil Newton Jr.
- Type of Cuisine: American, Southern, Soul Food
- Menu Spotlight: The brunch menu features fried chicken and its signature blueberry lemon waffles. Pair the dish with one of its signature mimosas. A popular item on the dinner menu is the lamb chops served with bourbon and rosemary gastrique, sauteed broccoli, and garlic mashed potatoes.
- Before you go: The dress code is strictly enforced. Guests should be in business casual attire. Shorts, flip-flops, tank tops, ball caps, basketball sneakers, and athletic wear are prohibited. On Sundays, sports jerseys are accepted.
Fin & Feathers
Owner Damon A. Johnson, Sr. is from Los Angeles and brings the sunshine and flavors from SoCal to Atlanta with Fin & Feathers. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Johnson spent decades in the hospitality industry, working his way up from bartender and server to general manager and director of operations. His experience over the years has allowed him to transform Fin & Feathers into a casual dining space where each plate bursts with flavors with market-fresh ingredients.
- Locations: Edgewood, Douglasville, Midtown, Riverdale,
- Owner: Damon A. Johnson, Sr.
- Type of Cuisine: Southern
- Menu Spotlight: The menu has various seafood and grits options, including catfish and grits, shrimp and grits, salmon and grits, and lobster and grits.
- Before you go: Reservations are only accepted through text message to the location you want to visit. Only guests at least 21 years old will be permitted.
Go Vegan Grill
Vegans looking for a place to enjoy Southern favorites and flexitarians looking for a change in their diets can enjoy all the flavors from grandma’s kitchen without ingredients derived from animals.
Go Vegan proves that vegan dishes don’t have to be boring and bursting with flavors. You will be surprised by what’s on the menu, which includes a vegan version of seafood, oxtails, wings, and more.
- Location: Decatur
- Owners: Chef Dawid and Chef Renay
- Type of Cuisine: Southern Vegan
- Menu Spotlight: Vegan Oxtail with Gravy.
- Before you go: Closed on Saturday.
Not As Famous Cookie
Ashley Carlton re-launched Not As Famous Cookie Company as a bakery on wheels in 2015. Known as the first cookie food trucking in Atlanta, Not As Famous Cookie has rolled throughout metro Atlanta, serving its handcrafted cookies, artisan cookie sandwiches, and hand-spun shakes. Carlton expanded into a brick-and-mortar, opening a gourmet cookie shop opened in January 2021.
- Location: Smyrna, Various locations with cookie truck
- Owner: Ashley Carlton
- Type of Cuisine: Dessert
- Menu Spotlight: The cookies are known for being crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside. Red Velvet and Cookie Butter are fan favorites.
- Before you go: Not As Famous Cookie is closed on Monday and Tuesday.
Nouveau Bar & Grill
When you walk into Nouveau Bar & Grill, you’re walking into a vibrant and inviting restaurant with serene elegance. What’s amazing about Nouveau Bar & Grill is that the dining matches the energy, whether you choose lunch, brunch, or dinner. Owner Ebony Austin created her own brand of grits known as Nouveau Grits, so choose anything on the menu that comes with her specialty.
- Locations: College Park, Jonesboro
- Owner: Ebony Austin
- Type of Cuisine: American, Southern
- Menu Spotlight: Ultimate Cajun Seafood & Grits, Windy City Crab Cakes, and the Hennessy Pound Cake.
- Before you go: Check the events calendar. The restaurant hosts karaoke nights, brunches with live DJs, and more.
Phew’s Pies
Phew’s Pies takes the tradition of Italy’s iconic Neopolitan pizza and puts an Atlanta twist on each pie. Located at various pop-up sites on Atlanta’s westside, patrons can indulge in traditional gourmet pizza, including its iconic Lemon Pepper Wet Pizza.
- Location: Westside
- Owner: Matthew “Phew” Foster
- Type of Cuisine: Italian
- Menu Spotlight: Hot Lemon Pepper Wet Pizza and the Pesto Pizza
- Before you go: It’s a pizza pop-up, so check the website for updates and locations.
Roc South Cuisine & Cocktails
Chef Virgil Harper created an elevated dining experience in Brookhaven with Roc South Cuisine & Cocktails. He describes it as a chef-driven Southern concept that proudly serves Southern classics scratch-made food from locally sourced ingredients.
- Location: Brookhaven
- Owner: Chef Virgil Harper
- Type of Cuisine: Southern
- Menu Spotlight: One of few places in Atlanta where guests rave about the sides.
- Before you go: We are closed on Monday and Tuesday. Sundays are dine-in only. The dress code is comfortable and casually polished. Revealing clothing is not permitted. Due to limited seating, table time is limited to 90 minutes. An 18% service charge/gratuity is added to all checks.
Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours
Located in W. Midtown Atlanta, Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours is an award-winning restaurant from award-winning chef cookbook author Deborah VanTrece.
Chef VanTrece has created what she calls “modern global soul food,” influenced by her travels as an American Airlines flight attendant.
Executive chef Robert Butts carefully created the brunch and dinner menus with input from Chef VanTrece and Atlanta Native, Kursten Berry, is over the cocktail menu of Twisted Soul.
- Location: Midtown (located in the W. Midtown)
- Owner: Chef Deborah VanTrece
- Type of Cuisine: Modern Global Soul Food
- Menu Spotlight: Oxtail with Ginger Jasmine Rice, Dirty South Fried Chicken Omelet, Chicken & Grit Dumplings, and Tarragon Mostaza Wings.
- Before you go: Reservations are highly encouraged. There are options for vegetarians.
Vigil’s Gullah Kitchen & Bar
The Gullah Geechee people are the direct descendants of West and Central Africans who were enslaved and brought to Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen & Bar is a love letter to the Gullah Geechee culture. Co-owners Juan and Gee Smalls are sharing this beautiful culture and cuisine with the Atlanta metro. There are three locations throughout the metro where people can find stews, rice dishes, smothered meat, and more.
- Locations: College Park, Conyers West Midtown,
- Owners: Juan and Gee Smalls
- Type of Cuisine: Gullah Geechee
- Menu Spotlight: Smotha’d Chicken, Motha’s Stew, Land & Watuh Eggrolls.
- Before you go: There are vegan options available.
Atlanta is filled with fantastic restaurant options that highlight Black culture worldwide. Whether you want a taste of the Caribbean, East and West Africa, traditional southern cuisine, or a selection from Atlanta transplants from up north, there is plenty to explore in the Black capital of the South.
