13 Black-owned restaurants in downtown New Orleans
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The curried goat and sweet potato gnocchi is a favorite at Compére Lapin. Photo courtesy of Compére Lapin
New Orleans is well-known for its bars and restaurants, and for good reason. But it's important to remember that culinary history has been shaped by Black chefs, bartenders and cooks since its very beginning.
Why it matters: That history has not always been kind, but in today's New Orleans, you can find Black-owned restaurants, bars and coffee shops across every neighborhood.
Zoom in: In this guide, we're focusing our list on Black-owned restaurants In downtown New Orleans.
- We love our neighborhoods, but for the purposes of this guide, we defined "downtown" as between Esplanade Avenue and Calliope Street, and between the river and I-10.
- That means it includes the Warehouse District, French Quarter and CBD.
Black-owned New Orleans restaurants:
- Chapter IV: Breakfast, brunch and lunch from the family that brought you Dooky Chase's.
- Compére Lapin: Caribbean food with a touch of New Orleans from celebrity chef Nina Compton.
- Li'l Dizzy's: Creole classics in a family-owned neighborhood joint. We love the gumbo.
- Fritai: A previous James Beard Award nominee, this spot is known for Haitian street food from chef Charly Pierre, who recently competed on Bravo's "Top Chef."
- Jewel of the South: Home to renowned bartender Chris Hannah and his classic and creative cocktails. Plus, this spot just won a James Beard Award.
- Vyoone's: French flavors in the Warehouse District from a family with deep New Orleans history.
- Morrow Steak and Sun Chong: Both are owned by restaurant empire-builder Larry Morrow. Try the gumbo dumplings at Sun Chong.
- Backatown Coffee Parlour: Coffee, pastries and sandwiches on the edge of the Quarter.
- Bennachin: Tuck into dishes with roots in Gambia and Cameroon.
- Headquarters by NGN: The brunch favorite Nice Guys has a new Poydras Street outpost. Look for regular events like jazz bands during happy hour and karaoke.
- I-tal Garden: Everything here is plant-based vegan comfort food, like veggie burgers, vegan mac and cheese, and gumbo.
- Willie Mae's NOLA: Legendary fried chicken in the middle of downtown.
Yes, but: There are so many more not on this list. Here are a few favorite sources if you're interested in looking wider.
- Content creator Lynn Wesley Coleman has a list on Instagram.
- The Where Black NOLA Eats group on Facebook is a great ongoing resource. There's also an Instagram page.
- New Orleans' own food journalist Megan Braden-Perry also talked with Cuisine Noir about her top 25 Black-owned restaurants.
Go deeper: 5 African and Caribbean restaurants to try in New Orleans.