Where to eat for Black Restaurant Week in Chicago

Black-owned restaurants in and around Chicago are getting an extra spotlight through Sept. 24 as part of national Black Restaurant Week.

Why it matters: Minority-owned eateries were hit especially hard during the height of the pandemic, and they weren't getting the same financial support as their white counterparts, Eater reported in 2020.

• Black Restaurant Week highlights participating restaurants to help provide marketing support that some Black-owned restaurants don't have.

Details: The list of places participating stretches from Rogers Park to Ashburn. Our recommendations:

Carrie's pick: Can't Believe It's Not Meat has vegan, vegetarian and what they call "flexitarian" choices. They offer salads and smoothies, but also those tasty, greasy foods we vegetarians miss by not eating meat. Theirs are just, well, meatless.

• Go for the Italian Not Beef ($14.95) with mild giardiniera, and the new Greektown Gyro ($15.95). Their super-tasty fries are seasoned just right.

Monica's pick: Luella's Southern Kitchen, where chef Darnell Reed's shrimp and grits ($23) using Three Sisters Farm cornmeal is always breathtaking.

• Plus, the beignets ($7) do double duty of supporting youth cooking programs through Kitchen Possible's Empowering Menus this month.
• And there's always room in my stomach for a small "bomb bag" ($14.88) of perfectly fried crustaceans from Haire's Gulf Shrimp.

Of note: Chicago Black Restaurant Week happens in February.