Oakland’s Black-owned restaurants are a healthy mix of the old and new. In addition to good food, they are serving a story of resiliency, as some of the restaurants have been community mainstays since the 1970s. These restaurants have also inspired the next generation of Black restaurant owners. From comfort food and oyster bars to Ethiopian cuisine and barbecue joints, Oakland’s incredible Black-owned business scene celebrates cuisines from all over the world.
Here are the best Black-owned eateries to support in Oakland, Calfornia.
alaMar Kitchen
Bravo TV’s Top Chef Nelson German from Season 18 is the proud owner of alaMar Ktichn. The restaurant pays homage to his Dominican lineage and offers authentic food that pays tribute to his roots and his upbringing in New York City. alaMar is an NYC-style Dominican restaurant in Uptown. Each bite celebrates Chef German’s upbringing in Washington Heights, Manhattan, and the foods he ate with his family at home or the local street fare in the neighborhood. German brings.
- Location: Uptown
- Owner: Chef Nelson German
- Type of Cuisine: Dominican, Caribbean, Fusion
- Menu Spotlight: Platos Banderas. This popular Dominican rice bowl features yellow rice, habichuelas rojas, pickled cabbage, and your choice of protein and plantains.
- Before you go: The restaurant is closed on Monday and Tuesday.
Brown Sugar Kitchen Counter
Executive Chef Tanya Holland created the award-winning Brown Sugar Kitchen Counter. The restaurant continues to be a “Best of the Bay” spot for a reason. Chef Holland is bringing her exceptional culinary skills, creativity, and love of hosting and feeding people to the forefront with this restaurant.
Chef Holland received her formal French training from La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine in Burgundy, France. Her menu items are masterpieces, only made better by the fact that her soul food staples are everything unforgettable brunches are made of.
- Location: No brick-and-mortar at this time, but Chef Holland hosts pop-up events.
- Owner: Chef Tanya Holland
- Type of Cuisine: Southern, Fusion
- Menu Spotlight: Shrimp and grits, fried chicken sandwich, chicken and waffles, homemade biscuits
- Before you go: Chef Holland also has a cookbook—California Soul—that people can explore until she opens a new location.
Chef Smelly’s Creole
If there’s one place where people are lining up that’s worth the wait, it’s Chef Smelly’s Creole. Located in the Waverly neighborhood of Oakland, the restaurant is known for its seafood dishes with a Creole twist. The menu features mouth-watering items such as Creole garlic bread, chargrilled oysters with crab meat, a variety of PoBoy sandwiches, seafood combos, and more.
No one should leave, however, without tasting the unique selection of “loaded” Crack N’ Cheese dishes, incorporating ingredients like steak, lobster, and Dungeness crab.
- Location: Uptown (Inside Au Lounge)
- Owner: Chef Smelly
- Type of Cuisine: Creole, Southern
- Menu Spotlight: Chargrilled oysters, surf and turf, oxtails, blackened catfish
- Before you go: Hours vary between weekdays and the weekends. Closed on Monday and Tuesday. Reservations for a table can be made online.
The Cook And Her Farmer
The name of Steven Day and Romney Steele’s Oyster and Wine Bar is quite literal. Steele is a writer and a cook, and Day is a farmer, educator, and philanthropist. The two spent a year in Marshall, California working on a community oyster farm. They learned the ins and outs of oyster farming, from seeding to cultivation. While there, it was the beginning of a collaboration that led them to work together with Oakland youth and later open their restaurant at the historic Swan Market in Old Oakland.
- Location: Old Oakland
- Owners: Steven Day and Romney Steele
- Type of Cuisine: Oyster Bar
- Menu Spotlight: Raw oysters, fried oysters, oyster Po’ Boy, Swift ‘Honey Crisp” Cider
- Before you go: The restaurant is closed on Sundays. It hosts various events throughout the year, including the Summer Jazz Brunch Series.
Enssaro
It doesn’t get much more authentic than eating at this beloved Ethiopian restaurant in The Bay. Located in the historic Adams Point District in Oakland next to Lake Merritt, Enssarro Ethiopian Restaurant welcomes people with open arms and a warm embrace as they venture to Ethiopia through food. It’s truly a one-of-a-kind experience because many ingredients and spices are brought directly from the town of Enssaro in Ethiopia. Guests are literally getting an adventurous dinner with unique flavors not experienced anywhere else in Northern California.
- Location: Historic Adams Point District
- Owner: Family-owned
- Type of Cuisine: Ethiopian
- Menu Spotlight: Ye Beg Wot (lamb), Beef Shiro, Ye Messer Wot (Red lentils cooked slowly with organic Ethiopian spices.)
- Before you go: Closed on Tuesdays. Vegetarian and vegan options are available.
Everett And Jones BBQ
Dorothy Everett tended to a smoke pit as a part-time job to support her eight children after she and her husband split. Soon after, she decided to go into business for herself after borrowing $700 from a friend. Named after her eighth daughter and only son-in-law at the time, Everett and Jones BBQ opened in 1973 with a second location debuting in 1975. There are now three locations across The Bay to indulge in its award-winning barbecue.
- Locations: Broadway, Macarthur, Antioch
- Owners: Shamar Cotton (The late owner’s son) and her daughters
- Type of Cuisine: Barbecue
- Menu Spotlight: Beef brisket, chicken, ribs
- Before you go: Vegetarian options are available.
Oeste Bar And Kitchen
One of Oakland’s best rooftop bars is owned by three Black women. Oeste opened in Old Oakland at the end of 2017 after the women purchased an abandoned storefront that was originally built in 1921. Since its opening, it has become a favorite destination among locals and visitors to Oakland.
- Location: Old Oakland
- Owners: Sandra Davis, Lea Redmond, and Anna Villalobos
- Type of Cuisine: Southern, Latin American Fusion
- Menu Spotlight: Fried plantains, fried Brussels sprouts, ceviche, fried red snapper, highly-rated mango habanero margarita
- Before you go: The restaurant is closed on Mondays.
Souley Vegan
Who said soul food can’t be healthy? Souley Vegan is proving that the distinctive flavors of Louisiana’s iconic Creole can be made with a vegan twist. Chef Tamearra Dyson opened Souley Vegan in 2009 which has since become a melting pot from around the world.
- Location: Martinez
- Owner: Chef Tamearra Dyson
- Type of Cuisine: Vegan Louisiana Creole
- Menu Spotlight: Creole nachos, Jazzn’ Jambalaya, Ain’t Gator Po’ Boy
- Before you go: Martinez is located about 30 minutes north of Oakland.
Black-owned restaurants in Oakland are among the best in town, receiving some of the most prestigious awards and recognition for their excellent cuisine. Oakland is where culture and flavors meet, displaying that Black cuisine is not a monolith. People can explore flavors from all over the world, including Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and America’s South.
