New Orleans, Louisiana is an iconic food destination known worldwide. Just one mention of “The Big Easy” and people will debate where to find the best gumbo, po-boy, soul food, and even who has the best beignets in town.
One thing people can agree on no matter what: no other city in the South can rival the cuisine in New Orleans. The famous destination single-handedly separates itself from the rest of the region thanks to its melting pot of cultures throughout the century. New Orleans has the most distinctively recognized regional cuisine in the United States, deeply rooted in Caribbean and African influences.
During your visit to New Orleans, taste this uniqueness at one of these 10 Black-owned restaurants.
Addis Nola
Addis NOLA is bringing a taste of the Motherland to the Bayou. Guests will experience authentic Ethiopian cuisine along with history. The restaurant is located on the Historic Bayou Road, New Orleans’ oldest road known as a cultural hub of Black-owned businesses.
Not only is it family-owned and Black-owned, but the owners say it’s one of only two Ethiopian Restaurants in the entire state of Louisiana. The name “Addis” comes from the capital city of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, and translates to “New Flower.”
- Location: Esplanade Ridge
- Owners: Jaime Lobo, Dr. Biruk Alemayehu, and Prince Lobo (family-owned)
- Type of Cuisine: Ethiopian
- Menu Spotlight: Ethio Jollof, Ribeye Steak Tibs, Fish Wot.
- Before you go: Addis Nola hosts a brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. The restaurant accepts reservations, which are highly recommended. Vegetarian options are available.
Buttermilk Drop
Beignets get a lot of love in New Orleans, but there’s another sweet concoction that true New Orleanians love and say is better than beignets: Buttermilk Drops. While buttermilk drops mimic donut holes, in true New Orleans form, something about them is addictive. Visitors can be the judge of what’s better. For a hearty breakfast and what people call “elevated donut holes,” Buttermilk is a no-frills bakery serving a Southern comfort-style breakfast and sweet treats.
- Location: Tremé
- Owner: Dwight Henry
- Type of Cuisine: Southern, Breakfast, Bakery
- Menu Spotlight: Buttermilk Donut Holes, Chicken and Waffles.
- Before you go: There’s no sitting space on the inside. Takeout only.
Chubbies
Across the Mississippi River, on the city’s West Bank, is one of the best restaurants for fried chicken and po’boys. It’s hard to miss the bright yellow and red sign after crossing the Crescent City Connection. Chubbie’s is a community staple people visit for the most divine biscuits. The biscuits are soft, warm, buttery, and melt in your mouth. The chicken is loaded with flavor and then fried to a perfect crisp.
Chubbie’s is under new management, but it still has its family charm and mimics a family-style diner.
- Location: Algiers
- Owner: Ursula Newell-Davis
- Type of Cuisine: American, Fast Food
- Menu Spotlight: Biscuit and chicken breast, seafood platters, red beans, and chicken tenders.
- Before you go: Chubbies often has a menu full of daily and weekly specials.
Compère Lapin
Chef Nina Compton named the restaurant after Caribbean folktales featuring a mischievous rabbit named Compère Lapin – a folktale she’s been learning about since childhood in St. Lucia.
These stories shared a common theme: exploration. Chef Compton mixes that concept into an incredible dinner and cocktail menu. Guests will journey through the indigenous ingredients and rich culinary heritage of New Orleans and Compton’s Caribbean roots. Beyond her incredible flavors, Chef Compton also taps into her classical French culinary training and experience with Italian cuisine. All of this creates an unforgettable dining experience.
- Location: Warehouse District
- Owner: Chef Nina Compton
- Type of Cuisine: Caribbean, Creole, European-accented
- Menu Spotlight: Tuna ceviche, fried chicken, jerk honey butter coconut grits, curried goat.
- Before you go: Vegan dishes are available. Chef Compton has another location, Nina Compton’s Bywater Bistro.
Dooky Chase Restaurant
Dooky Chase Restaurant is a community staple and is often revered as a historical marker for the city. Chef Leah Chase inspired Princess Tiana from Disney’s The Princess and the Frog. Chef Chase married the son of the original owners, Emily and Edgar Dooky Chase, Sr.
With the help of Chef Chase, who is known as the “Queen of Creole Cuisine,” the once-sandwich shop grew into one of the first Black-owned fine-dining restaurants in the country, where Thurgood Marshall, James Baldwin, and others entered its doors. Dining inside Dooky Chase means getting the chance to be in a space with Civil Rights and culinary history.
- Location: Tremé
- Owners: The Chase Family
- Type of Cuisine: Creole
- Menu Spotlight: Oysters Norman, Creole Gumbo, Mamere’s Crab Soup, Louisiana Redfish, Ribeye (Big Dooky), fried chicken
- Before you go: You must make a reservation beforehand to guarantee a seat inside. The restaurant fills up quickly.
Jamaican Jerk House
Located in one of New Orleans’s most vibrant and colorful neighborhoods is a restaurant that offers some of the best authentic Jamaican food in the city. Inside what appears to look like a bright yellow and green home is Jamaican Jerk House. This is a great way to switch things up when you want a break from gumbo and red beans and rice.
Jamaican Jerk House stands out because it’s easy to tell each item is made with intention and care as the flavors burst onto your taste buds.
- Location: Bywater
- Owners: Richard Rose and Jackie Diaz
- Type of Cuisine: Jamaican
- Menu Spotlight: Vegan jerk burger with plantains. Oxtails. Caribbean mac and cheese, salmon, jerk chicken.
- Before you go: Closed on Mondays. Street parking only. Vegetarian and vegan options are available.
Li’l Dizzy’s Café
Li’l Dizzy’s Café is Southern food and hospitality at its finest where guests are immediately greeted at the front door. Guests feel right at home at Li’l Dizzy’s Café. It’s a third-generation Black-owned restaurant located in one of the oldest African American neighborhoods in New Orleans, Tremé. This relaxed neighborhood restaurant is known for the town’s best gumbo, fried chicken, and po’boys.
Li’l Dizzy’s fried chicken has a reputation that reaches beyond New Orleans. Living up to its reputation, the chicken is freshly fried, crispy, and golden.
- Location: Tremé
- Owners: Wayne Baquet, Jr and his wife Arkesha
- Type of Cuisine: Southern, Creole
- Menu Spotlight: Gumbo, hot sausage, fried chicken, southern greens, mac and cheese, and dirty rice.
- Before you go: Doesn’t accept reservations. Fills up quickly.
Morrows
Morrow’s is the perfect option when you’re looking for a fun atmosphere to dine in. It combines Creole cuisine with Korean dishes in New Orleans’ historic Faubourg-Marigny neighborhood.
Founded in 2018 by mother-son duo Chef Lenora Chong and Larry Morrow, the cuisine pays homage to a part of Morrow’s background, as his mother identifies as Korean. For a more chill time, go on a weekday, and for a livelier atmosphere, weekend brunch is perfect.
- Location: Historic Faubourg-Marigny neighborhood
- Owners: Chef Lenora Chong and Larry Morrow
- Type of Cuisine: Creole and Asian Fusion
- Menu Spotlight: Gumbo ramen, lamb chops, and grits are on the brunch menu. Morrow’s fried chicken is on the regular menu.
- Before you go: Reserving a table is the best way to guarantee you will get in and seated. A 20% Gratuity will be added to all bar services and parties of 4 or more. Brunch is only on Sundays.
Queen Trini Lisa
Restaurant owner Queen Trini Lisa is serving what she calls “Trinbagonian Island Soul Food” to the Northernmost Caribbean city. The restaurant is a small, intimate establishment tucked away behind a residential neighborhood in Mid-City.
Queen Trini officially launched in 2022 and has quickly become a sought-after restaurant for locals and visitors alike. Few restaurants in the city have active owners, but Queen Trini makes it her mission to greet everyone who comes in.
- Location: Mid-City
- Owner: Queen Trini Lisa
- Type of Cuisine: Trinidadian and Tobago, Caribbean, Island Soul Food
- Menu Spotlight: Doubles Box, Curry Chicken
- Before you go: Street parking only.
Up&Adam Eatz
Venture off and escape downtown by eating at Up & Adam Eatz. Up & Adam Eats is the new kid on the block in New Orleans’ Mid-City neighborhood. The restaurant and cafe sit on the corner in a cozy-looking blush home where the vibe on the outside matches the energy and comfort food on the inside. Breakfast and lunch dishes are served here. Coffee lovers will appreciate the emphasis on coffee at Up & Adam Eatz – home to some of the best specialty coffee in New Orleans.
- Location: Mid-City
- Owners: Christopher and Adam Ford
- Type of Cuisine: Creole, Breakfast
- Menu Spotlight: Hollygrove chicken biscuit, seafood biscuit, fire crab bites, French market sandwich.
- Before you go: The restaurant is open from Tuesday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
No other city accurately highlights the African diaspora’s diversity through food than New Orleans, which makes dining in New Orleans truly unique. Every Black-owned restaurant has a story to tell, and in Southern hospitality form, Black restaurant owners invite you to slow down and hear these stories through other patrons and your taste buds.
