From Gullah Geechee favorites to Caribbean and African fare, these Black-owned restaurants are serving up tasty additions for your itinerary.
Lillie Pearl
Richmond, Virginia
A staple in downtown Richmond, Virginia, Lillie Pearl is a culinary cornerstone in River City whose menu pays homage to owner-chef Michael Lindsey’s Gullah Geechee grandparents. Lindsey grew up picking peas, shucking corn and eating watermelons with his grandparents while listening to them share family stories. His family lived a true farm-to-table lifestyle by growing fresh fruits and vegetables and raising animals like chickens and cattle, a legacy that inspired his restaurant recipes.
Plates at Lillie Pearl use heirloom ingredients from West Africa and mix them with Southern African American cuisine, an ode to Lindsey’s Eastern North Carolina roots, for standout dishes like the lobster plus shrimp and grits made with cheesy grits, sausage, heirloom tomatoes and a lobster cream sauce. For flavors straight from the African continent, order the braised lamb shank cooked in a West African tomato and bell pepper sauce and served with jollof rice.
Tatiana
New York City
There’s a reason getting a seat at New York City’s Tatiana isn’t easy. Renowned chef Kwame Onwuachi opened the Afro-Caribbean restaurant in 2022. The restaurant celebrates Onwuachi’s youth and the flavors that shaped him growing up in the Bronx. The chef’s palette reflects NYC’s culinary diversity, from Caribbean roti shops to Chinese takeout spots.
Menu highlights include crispy okra served with honey, mustard and “peppa” sauce. The black bean hummus is made with berbere (a traditional Ethiopian spice blend) and comes with spiced lamb, sweet pickled sultana and M’semen, a flaky flatbread from Morocco. Large plates like short rib pastrami suya and Mom Duke’s shrimp also steal the show. Wrap up the must-have meal with a New York-inspired dessert called the Bodega Special, which includes a cosmic brownie, powdered sugar donut ice cream and sorrel.
Tatiana partners with the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Restaurant Associates to support the Public Housing Community Fund’s beautification and culinary arts programs.
Dakar NOLA
New Orleans
Dakar NOLA is a new staple in the Crescent City. It was recently awarded the Best New Restaurant at the 2024 James Beard Foundation Awards. In 2025, it ranked sixth on North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Owned by Chef Serigne Mbaye, the Senegalese restaurant is known for its pescatarian tasting menu.
Mbaye was born in Harlem but was partially raised in Senegal. Dakar NOLA’s seasonal 17-course tasting menu highlights the connections between Senegambia and New Orleans through food. While the offerings change, a sample menu begins with welcome tea (likely Ataya, a traditional tea found in Senegal), followed by a bread course, a shrimp course, a salad, a Louisiana rice course, a fish course and a dessert. Mbaye sometimes creatively reimagines Southern dishes like shrimp and grits by using West African ingredients.
