Houston’s culinary scene has always been an eclectic mix of cultural cuisines. Black-owned restaurants in the city are bringing it, from old-school soul food to creative upscale menus and from vegan to Caribbean and West African.
“When I grew up here in the 60s, there were Black-owned soul food and BBQ shacks and people would also sell dinners out of their homes and at churches for fundraisers,” says Houston First’s Director of Media Relations Carolyn Campbell.
“However, I didn’t see Jamaican or African restaurants back then, but we have those today. And Houston’s Black-owned restaurants are as competitive as any of Houston’s best restaurants, where it’s not just about good food, but about providing a unique experience,” she adds.
So before you head to the Bayou City, check out our curated list of 10 of the best Black-owned restaurants in Houston.
This Is It Soul Food, 2712 Blodgett Street | Website
We’ll start with the most seasoned restaurant, This Is It Soul Food in Houston’s Third Ward, which has been feeding the community for almost seven decades and paved the way for many of the newer Black-owned restaurants in Houston.
Owner and CEO Craig Joseph, a former Houston firefighter, took over the restaurant from his grandparents, who originally started it in Houston’s Historic Fourth Ward in 1959.
“The area was originally called Freedman’s Town, which was founded by Blacks who were formerly enslaved,” notes Joseph. He adds, “It was our enslaved ancestors who learned how to make what was considered waste taste great. And it’s that style of cooking that carried over into what we call soul food today.”
Joseph has locals, tourists and even customers from his grandparents’ era who still come for his down-home fried chicken, fried fish, award-winning macaroni and cheese, smothered pork chops, chitlins and oxtails.
“If we don’t have oxtails, the customers leave,” Joseph laughs. “And we sell about 5,000 pounds of chitlins on New Year’s Day alone,” he exclaims.
Campbell adds, “Joseph’s daughter, Jessica, has carried on the tea cake recipe from her grandmother and they will make you slap your mama,” she laughs. “And she’s now in talks to have them sold at a grocery chain.”
The restaurant is so popular that it’s part of Houston’s “Signature Experiences.” It was also featured in the 1994 film, “Jason’s Lyric” with Jada Pinkett Smith and Allen Payne. In fact, there’s a poster of the movie on one of the walls, along with a TV monitor that runs a slideshow of the VIPs who patronize the establishment, including Beyonce, Kelly Rowland, The O’Jays, the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and First Lady Jill Biden.
By Kalin Thomas
