Austin’s rich culture of food has seen a lot of changes in the last decade, but if you look closer there’s a rich history of restaurants and eateries helmed by African American chefs and cooks, producing some of the most delicious and authentic offerings in the city.
From home cooking, Ethiopian, BBQ and Cajun-style cuisine, these black-owned eateries share menus that combine a mix of their own family’s recipes, along with a style of their own. See our guide to some of Austin’s black-owned restaurants and eateries.
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EAST AUSTIN
J. LEONARDI’S
1124 E 11th St | J. Leonardi’s Barbeque is helmed by owner and pitmaster Jerome Faulkner. They offer authentic, old school, East Austin BBQ for outdoor dining at their food truck, as well as catering services.
BIRD BIRD BISCUIT
2701 Manor Rd | Helmed by co-owners, Ryan McElroy and chef Brian Batch, Bird Bird Biscuit is dedicated to serving the best possible biscuits and biscuit sandwiches to the people of Austin.
HOOVER’S COOKING
2002 Manor Rd | Hoover’s Cooking is honest-to-goodness good Texas home cooking and soul food, for 15 years running in the heart of east Austin.
SAM’S BARBECUE
2000 E 12th St | Established in 1957 by founder Sam Campbell, Sam’s Barbecue is an East Austin Institution, offering classic East Austin-style BBQ. The business was purchased by the Mays family in 1976 and remains a beacon the rich heritage of Austin’s African American community.
KRAB KINGZ
E. 6th Street & I-35 (ATX) & 202 Farm to Market 685 A1 (Pflugerville)
Offering Cajun seafood platters, crab legs, lobster and shrimp plates, steamed and loaded with potatoes, corn on the cob and sausage, drenched in a special sauce of your selection.
TONY’S JAMAICAN FOOD TRUCK
1200 E 11th St | A ‘low-key food truck eatery featuring a menu of traditional Jamaican dishes with outdoor seating
MR. CATFISH
1144 Airport Blvd Ste 220 | Mr. Catfish is a down-home, easygoing Southern cafe serving Gulf coast catfish, seafood plates as well as a terrific lunch buffet.
BIG EASY BAR & GRILL
Authentic Cajun food with a traditional crawfish boil, crawfish cakes, etouffee and gulf seafood platters. Also enjoy other cajun favorites like gumbo or red beans and rice with sausage.
1806 E 12th St
COUNTRY BOYZ FIXINS
4140 E 12th St | This little cafe is family-owned and operated by Thera Dolphus Williams, featuring daily scratch-made, soul food with daily house specials.
ROLAND’S SOUL FOOD & FISH
1311 Chestnut Ave. | An east Austin soul food eatery, known in the community for serving classics like brisket, oxtail & chitterlings.
SASSY’S VEGETARIAN SOUL FOOD
1403 E 7th St. | Serving down-home cooking soul food, without the meat featuring fried cabbage, black-eyed peas, hot water cornbread, and a medley of collard, kale, and mustard greens. Photo credit – Sassy’s Facebook
North Austin
EMOJI’S GRILLED CHEESE
A rolling food truck serving classic toasty, melty, buttery grilled cheese sandwiches a seductive menu of delicious options. Add your choice of cheeses, veggies, and meats, all made to order, fresh on the spot. Photo Credit – Emjoi’s Facebook
SLAB BBQ
Located on Burnet Road and 183, Slab BBQ offers barbecue sandwiches, ribs by-the-pound and specialty nachos that is nothing short of epic.
HABESHA ETHOPIAN
Habesha prides itself on its authenticity,high quality ingredients,cleanness and more importantly its great service.
This authentic Ethiopian restaurant has been a great addition to the diverse culture of Austin Tx.
6019 N Interstate Hwy 35 North
THE ROLLING ROOSTER
Serving delicious fried chicken & waffles and southern style offerings in a casual atmosphere with a restaurant in Wells Branch and a food truck in east Austin.
NEW AWLINS CAFE
8650 Spicewood Springs Rd #111 | The New Awlins Cafe is a bright and casual eatery, with folk art murals and a menu featuring the flavors of New Orleans by Chef Aaron. The cafe is best know for its New Orleans style pies, cajun Po-boys and seafood basket platters..
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- Photo credit: Uber Eats
DA SLICE PIZZA
A catering service offering specialty gourmet pizza, chicken wings, famous for their Chicken and Waffle Pizza
CAJUN SKILLET CATERING
Authentic Cajun catering services offering crawfish, shrimp, and andouille sausage as stapled meats used in a variety of dishes.
DOWN SOUTH TEXAS BBQ
1716 West Howard Lane | Family owned and operated, featuring south Texas BBQ favorites like brisket, ribs, pulled pork and hot links all, along side with their famous smoked mac and cheese, collard greens, and Mom’s homemade potato salad.
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- Credit: just like mama’s facebook page
JUST LIKE MAMA’S SOULFOOD
1609 Butter Cup Rd., Pflugerville | Offering soul food at its finest with all the classic fixings you can think of as far as food for the soul.
Central & Downtown Austin
ASTER’S ETHIOPIAN
2804 N Interstate 35 | A cozy, long-standing cafe featuring classic Ethiopian dishes with a terrific lunch buffet, sitting on centrally located on I-35.
NINJA PIG
The Ninja Pig od truck offers delicious smoked BBQ sandwiches, pastor tacos, and breakfast tacos and can usually be seen at several events and farmer’s markets. Preorder by calling 512-980-0072.
TLV
111 Congress Ave | Located inside of Fareground, offering authentic Israeli street food featuring traditional hummus plates, iconic street sandwiches like falafel and sabich, roasted cauliflower, sufganiyot (Israeli donuts), borekas/burek, homemade pickles, homemade spice blends, the highest quality imported tahini, and real Israeli pita from Angel Bakery.
EMMER & RYE
110 Rainy St. | Award-winning, fine dining restaurant located in the heart of Rainey St. helmed by Executive Chef Kevin Fink and partner Tavel Bristol-Joseph.
HESTIA
607 W. 3rd St | Hestia, named after the “Greek goddess of the hearth,” is a live-fire, modern-day grill house integrating a chef-focused service to provide a more intimate look into the food. The restaurant lead by Executive Chef Kevin Fink and partner Chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph. This modern grill house will integrate chef-focused service to provide a more intimate look into the food.
KALIMOTXO
607 W. 3rd St, Suite 105 | Kalimotxo is an elevated bar concept from the team behind Emmer & Rye and Hestia, featuring a menu of snacks, small shared plates, and cocktails, as well as sips from the famous Spanish Porron wine pitchers.
HENBIT
Located in the Fareground food hall | Henbit is a concept from the team behind Emmer & Rye, featuring an upscale menu with a fast-casual vibe, created by Chef Kevin Fink and partners Tavel Bristol-Joseph and Rand Egbert highlighting local sourcing, seasonality, and working closely with farmers – offering an approachable everyday menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Fareground food hall is located at 111 Congress Avenue Austin, TX 78701
South Austin
TASTE OF ETHIOPIA
3801 S Congress Ave #107 | Authentically prepared Ethiopian cuisine with Beef, lamb chicken, Goat and multiple vegetarian dishes. Photo – Taste of Ethiopia Facebook
CRIMSON CREEK BBQ
Oklahoma style BBQ making a strong statement in Austin since 2015.
MY GRANNY’S KITCHEN
A food truck offering healthy alternatives to fast food with southern style affordable and delicious meals. Granny’s is presently only available for food truck lunch catering and corporate catering delivery.