Let’s be real. One of the best part about living in Atlanta is the FOOD! And some of the best cuisine comes from black-owned restaurants. Dining at these locally-owned, minority-owned businesses year-round is a great (and delicious) way to support Atlanta’s fabric. Here are some of the best Black-owned restaurants in Atlanta, listed below in no particular order, thanks to Atlanta Eats:
1. Popbar
These aren’t just popsicles! Enjoy handcrafted gelato, yogurt, and sorbet served on a stick. This Alpharetta spot is family-owned and operated by Jamaal and Charel Palmer. Indulge your sweet tooth with their creamy, signature hot chocolates, mouthwatering waffle pops, and decadent gelato shakes!
Gocha Hawkin’s is serving up lots of vegan friendly dishes. Expect affordably priced Southern favorites like shrimp ‘n grits and biscuits that are “better than yo momma’s.” Find this joint on Cascade Rd!
Right outside Mercedes Benz Stadium in a small, colorful shack is a helluva meal. Get some real delicious Jamaican cuisine right at this spot–amazing jerk chicken with a homemade jerk sauce you’ll want to drizzle straight into your mouth. Gotta pair it with some perfectly sweet plantains. Try the jerk chicken cheese fries!
This College Park joint is a great family spot with an amazing brisket sandwich, perfectly smoked wings, and jaw-dropping giant dino beef ribs! It’s all cooked low and slow, Texas-style with a bit of Louisiana influence make this a black-owned restaurant in Atlanta not to be missed.
This Buford Highway spot has all the good stuff. Collard greens, mac and cheese, oxtails, catfish, and grits. It’s soul food right on Buford Highway!
6. Pit Boss BBQ
We just discovered Black-owned Pit Boss BBQ, a total dive, hole-in-the-wall, line-out-the-door gem in Hapeville, but airport area folks have known for years that this is the place you want to go if you want phenomenal barbecue. Their smoked wings are truly some of the best we’ve tasted!
For a break from the hustle and bustle of the Beltline, step into the peaceful, quiet, and cute-as-a-button Just Add Honey tea shop, owned by Brandi and Jermail Shelton. They have the coziest of seating and an ample selection of teas that make this place a wonderful spot to catch up with a friend or get some reading done.
You’d be hard-pressed to find an Atlanta restaurant with more of a cult following than Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks. Derrick Hayes used to drive all the way to Philadelphia just for that authentic cheesesteak taste, and he has perfected the sandwich and is now slinging some of Atlanta’s, if not the world’s, best. Wear stretchy pants, and try the cheesesteak egg rolls!
How does chef/owner Tassili Ma’at make raw vegan so delicious? We have no idea, but her giant kale wraps (we love the Punany Wrap especially!), curried plantains, and Carob Climax Brownies have all the flavor you could ever want. Find this woman-owned, Black-owned restaurant in the historic West End.
10. GAS Food Truck
GAS Food Truck is serving up creative and BLAZIN’ cannabis-themed eats all over town. Started by vegan couple Kelli Marshall and Jef Flemming who wanted to bring some more tasty and delicious vegan options to Atlanta, GAS Food Truck serves up a “How High” New York-style chopped cheese that we literally dream about. You can find GAS Food Truck at vegan festivals all around town and posted up in Decatur.
11. Busy Bee Cafe
A true Atlanta institution! Busy Bee was founded in 1947 at the height of the segregation era by self-taught cook, Lucy Jackson and is still Black-owned today by restaurateur Tracy Gates. Find this gem on Memorial Drive, just a short drive from Mercedes-Benz stadium. Order up some candied yams and finish your meal with their “ol’ fashioned banana puddin’.”
12. Ann’s Snack Bar
Support Black-owned businesses in the most delicious of ways with Ms. Ann Price’s famous ghetto burger, a perfectly delicious and saucy mess that’s sure to leave you in the best kind of post-gluttony haze. It’s been named the best burger in America by the Wall Street Journal. Ms. Ann Price passed away a few years ago, but her legacy lives on through her sister Josephine Culver who has taken over operations.
Chef Rob is the sauce king! Take a trip to North Buckhead/Sandy Springs area to try his fall-off-the-bone oxtails and show-stopping grilled shrimp skewers. It’s the ultimate comfort food. Or catch his food truck roaming around town!
14. Slutty Vegan ATL
Everyone all over Atlanta and beyond has heard about Black-owned Slutty Vegan. And the hype is real! This isn’t your bland kale salad, carrot juice type of vegan spot—it’s cheat day, cheesy, tasty, craveworthy vegan food you’ll dream about all week long. Pinky Cole was serving impossible burgers way before they were cool, and just one taste of her creation and you’ll see why the lines are so long and pretty much every ATL celeb has been spotted here.
15. K & K Soul Food
Pull up to the counter to order up some deliciousness on a plate. This no frills spot is serving up delicious soul food at breakfast, lunch, and dinner–and has been for over 40 years. Try the cheese grits, gorge on fried chicken, and dig into some cornbread at K&K Soul Food.
We love any excuse to indulge in a warm, ooey gooey cookie! Ashley Carlton has been the owner of this truck for 5 years, serving up gourmet cookie shakes, cookie skillets, ice cream cookie sandwiches, and more. And everything is made using the secret recipes that his father came up with 40 years ago. No preservatives to be found anywhere, and only real butter, fine chocolates, and premium sugar are used in this truck’s gourmet treats. You can find this food truck at their brick and mortar location at 1080 Windy Hill Rd SE, #300 in Smyrna, GA!
Head to College Park for a brunch you’ll always remember. You’ll love the over-the-top presentation and heaping portions with Southern delights like a southern fried lobster and grits and smothered chicken and biscuits. Best part? Brunch is served on weekdays and weekend evenings too, because they understand it’s all too hard to make it out of bed before 3pm on the weekends.
18. Le Petit Marche
Le Petit Marche is a Kirkwood staple! You know it’s good because lines are almost always out the door. Their griddle cakes are something to be remembered, but if you want real decadence, order up their French Toast sandwich, stuffed with scrambled eggs and bacon. Yummm.
19. Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours
Seafood macaroni and cheese, Jack Daniels honey pecan wings, and a fried apple pie are just some of the menu highlights at this excellent Blandtown/Westside spot from Chef Deborah VanTrece. It’s soul food and Southern food, but more upscale and very creative. Get twisted with their house-infused moonshine flight!
You don’t have to eat unhealthy to eat well. Local Green Atlanta is serving food that’s as healthy as it is delicious. And for owner Zak Wallace, it’s part of a mission to bring food that’s both nutrient-rich and affordable to food deserts in Atlanta. You can enjoy their mostly plant-based menu in Vine City at 19 Joseph E. Lowery Blvd NW.