We searched for the best Black-owned eateries in town and compiled the list below. But something unexpected occurred. Instead of focusing solely on that one area, we ended up generating a list that also included a recap of several of our favorite sites. These are restaurants owned or operated by chefs who are able to communicate their personal stories through the cuisine they serve.
These are tried-and-true neighborhoods that have been through gentrification, urbanization, and a thousand other changes. These are black-run establishments that also happen to be excellent. Add them to your must-visit restaurant list, whether you want to support black-owned businesses or simply like eating delicious food.
The Katherine
Chef Timon Balloo opted to tell the tale of his heritage at The Katherine, after closing his downtown Miami restaurant and opening a new one just off Las Olas. It’s present in his recipes, infused with sauces and spices that are both familiar and unique. There are heirloom tomatoes in a coconut vinaigrette with Thai basil. There’s mom’s Trini oxtail with Haitian pikliz, coconut rice, and peas. Most of it is unlike anything you’ve ever had, since, like Balloo, it’s unique.
Ocean Social, Chef Tristen Epps
Tourists would have paid good money to eat almost anything provided at this restaurant just to enjoy the ocean views from the eastern side of the Eden Roc. Instead, the hotel engaged Tristen Epps, the former chef of Red Rooster. Epps produced a coastal meal featuring whole fish grilled in banana leaves with maduros, lobster roasted with butter and turnips, and a dry-aged swordfish t-bone, which won him a James Beard Award nomination this year.
Rosie’s
Have you ever enjoyed a dinner so memorable that you can’t wait to have it again? It happened the day we sampled Rosie’s wild mushroom polenta for the first time, and we’ve been anticipating it ever since.
What started as a pop-up moved to an outdoor-only facility before settling into its permanent (hopefully!) position in Little River (162 NW 73rd St.), where brunch is served 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Chef Akino West’s Southern-inspired meals feature traces of Italian tastes and techniques.
Red Rooster Overtown
The notion that Chef Marcus Samuelsson collaborated with Grove Bay Hospitality to develop this Overtown restaurant seemed appealing enough to make it a reality. Then they hired chef de cuisine Tristen Epps, one of Miami’s most inventive kitchen professionals. The menu is constantly changing because it focuses on what’s fresh, but start with the curry buttered cornbread before going on to meals with influences from the Deep South, Italy, and West Africa.
Awash Ethiopian Restaurant
Awash, Miami’s only Ethiopian restaurant, takes first-timers and fans on a tour through the country’s well-seasoned food, with meat and veggie platters as large as the modestly ornamented tables. For the uninitiated, the wonderful small mounds lay atop injera, a spongy bread produced from teff grain that is used to scoop up the stews instead of cutlery.
World-famous House of Mac
Sometimes all that’s required to brighten a day is something gooey and cheesy, and as the name suggests, that’s exactly what’s on the menu here. Derrick “Chef Teach” Turton, former Pitbull manager, transformed this food truck concept into a Wynwood restaurant by spiking his mac with pizza toppings and lump crab and throwing balls of it into a fryer, resulting in a crispy and golden cure for a bad day.
Conclusion
Explore a diverse culinary journey through Miami’s black-owned eateries, each chef infusing their heritage into delectable dishes. From The Katherine’s fusion of flavors by Chef Timon Balloo to Chef Tristen Epps’ coastal creations at Ocean Social, these restaurants offer unforgettable experiences that blend tradition with innovation, all while supporting black entrepreneurship.