Read below for how you can support Black-Owned Restaurants in Chicago!

Why?

America is finally waking up to racial injustice perpetuated against Black individuals after the killing of George Floyd. As a response to this growing consciousness, individuals want to support the Black community but are not sure how.

While supporting Black-businesses is not the only solution to racial injustice, it can certainly help. Systemic racism impacts people’s lives in every sector and in a capitalist society, the places we give our money to makes a difference.

I also want to note that it’s not “racist” to make these lists supporting Black-owned businesses. I have seen people comment about how it’s “racist” to “only” support Black businesses. This doesn’t mean that everyone is going to stop eating at non-black owned businesses, this just means that people are trying to finally give Black-businesses the support and visibility they deserve given the systemic injustices they face.

This also doesn’t mean that we are ignoring what non-black people of color deal with, we are just prioritizing black lives, black businesses, etc. It’s important to know when to step back and not make it all about “us” – I am speaking from the perspective of someone who is a multiracial person of color but not Black.

Also, the term “racism” is heavily misused – racism is not just prejudice/discrimination, it’s power plus prejudice/discrimination and we all know that Black people institutionally do not have the power that white individuals have in this country in multiple sectors of their lives.

Lists of Restaurants

I have seen many lists compiled recently on how to support Black-owned restaurants. So instead of recreating a list that has already been made, I wanted to compile these lists together since they have unique perspective and features. I also wanted to highlight vegan/veg-friendly Black-owned restaurants as well given that I am a vegetarian blogger.

1. VegOut Chicago’s list on Black-owned vegan restaurants is a gem. They also made a list on Black-owned vegan food brands to support. And if you’re not in the Chicagoland area, here are some spots to check out that are Black-owned and veg-friendly all over the country.
2. Seasoned & Blessed put this awesome list together at the beginning of the pandemic for Black and Brown-owned restaurants that are doing take-out/delivery during the pandemic. It also includes coffee shops and bakeries which are more vegetarian-friendly.
3. Black Food & Beverage features Black chefs, sommeliers, bartenders, and servers in Chicago. It is a way to feature Black-industry workers who have been “overlooked and undervalued”.
4. I also found this website call Black Chicago Eats that is a great resource for supporting Black-owned businesses in Chicago. It’s very comprehensive and features Black voices.
5. One of the founders of Logan Square Restaurants To-Go Facebook group posted this in our group, which I found to be helpful as well. The original source for this is not known though.

5. And this app, EatOkra features locally-owned Black restaurants in your city!

I know Eater and Infatuation put similar lists together but I like to feature more grassroots level websites and blogs since people already feature these more well-known publications.

Hungry for more? Check out these veg-friendly restaurants in Chicago available for take-out/delivery.