The Valley is lucky to have a wide variety of Black-owned restaurants and food businesses offering incredible food. Here are 32 spots to try soon.
Ace of Wingz
8052 N. 19th Ave.
The Phoenix eatery Ace of Wingz is known for its unconventional flavors, such as pizza wings topped with tomato sauce, parmesan, pepperoni and mozzarella; elote wings with lime, tajin and cotija; and wings tossed in hot cherry sauce. Initially launched by Abion Acoy as a food truck, Ace of Wingz's outside-the-box recipes have garnered lots of attention in-person and online, including a review from TikTok food influencer Keith Lee during his Phoenix food tour this spring.
ATL Wings
Multiple Locations For some seriously good wings, go to ATL Wings. If you love a good dry rub, ATL Style should be your order. Each piece, drum, or wing is hefty and evenly coated with that heavy, oily blend of herbs and spices. There are also plenty of options for sauce-doused wings with multiple varieties of Buffalo and other spicy sauces. It’s no surprise ATL won a Best of Phoenix award in 2018.
Stewed chicken, house-made cheese, cabbage and greens on injera from Authentic Ethio African Spices.
Chris Malloy
Authentic EthioAfrican
1740 E. McDowell RoadShining bright with the colors of the Ethiopian flag at 18th Street and McDowell Road, Authentic EthioAfrican is one of the Valley’s outstanding African restaurants. Injera is easily accessible, as are ginger-spiked chicken stew, fresh cheeses and vegetarian options. In 2022, the restaurant got a total overhaul. Ethiopian immigrants Anduale Hassan and his wife Elsabet Tiruneh first opened the restaurant more than a decade ago and mostly focused on takeout. But following a six-month closure and a trip home to Ethiopia to gather furniture and art, the couple reopened their dining room, described on their website as "an African-inspired afro-beat and jazz-bar atmosphere" complete with a traditional coffee service.
Bearded Barbecue
Multiple locations Pop-up and catering company Bearded Barbecue calls itself “your favorite street food vendor’s favorite street food vendor.” You’ll find the rolling barbecue spot collaborating with fellow chefs, including sharing its smoked pastrami with Bagel Daddies, or popping up at Trevor’s, Kitsune Brewing Co. and events around the Valley. Bearded Barbecue infuses Arizona flavor by using mesquite and olive wood to smoke its meats and local beer in its sauces. The company shares its pop-up schedule on social media, often teasing a rotation of brisket, ribs, tacos and sandwiches.
Big Marble Organics
Served around the ValleyBig Marble Organics was created thanks to the since-closed Breadfruit & Rum Bar's usual ginger beer provider going dark. Searches for a good replacement weren’t going well, and the Rum Bar stopped making Dark and Stormy cocktails. So, proprietor Dwayne Allen made his own. The company has now expanded into producing multiple soda flavors. And Big Marble is getting notice for its craft bubbly drinks. Its ginger beer was awarded a platinum medal from the L.A. Spirits contest in April, as well as a gold medal from the New Orleans Spirits Competition in July 2023.
The Boom Boom Room
1544 E. McDowell Road It’s easy to spot The Boom Boom Room from McDowell Road. Just look for the larger-than-life mural of Beyonce and Jay-Z decorating the side of the small bar. Inside, owner Rasheda Worthy and her team mix craft cocktails while customers enjoy RNB tunes throughout the week. Chandelier lights reflect the glow of neon signs in the space decorated with murals and giant canvases celebrating musical greats. Grab a seat in one of the plush leather lounge chairs or reserve a VIP table for a night of cocktails at this central Phoenix spot.
Café Lalibela
849 W. University Drive, TempeMetro Phoenix has several standout African restaurants and coffee shops. But one is a cut above, and we've deemed it one of the Valley's top restaurants. Located in Tempe, the husband-and-wife-run Café Lalibela is a cozy Ethiopian restaurant that has occupied a strip mall suite for decades. The eatery specializes in vegetarian dishes, though several meat items are on the menu like the key sega wat, cubes of spicy, stewed beef. Injera, or a crepe-like sourdough bread made with teff, is served with most meals.
CC's on Central
2800 N. Central Ave.Tucked into the ground floor of an office building in midtown Phoenix, CC's on Central is slinging some of the best Southern food in town. The menu comes courtesy of a California family with Southern roots, who are serving a combination of Southern and soul food dishes. Mom and son duo Sharon and Devan Cunningham launched the concept in late 2022. Devan cooks hearty plates of pancakes but also puts an interesting spin on things like his French toast that gets a savory hit from fennel and cardamom. Don't miss the debris and grits, the shrimp etouffee or the dry-rubbed wings. Check out our 2023 review for more tasty tips.Charlie Mae’s Southern Bistro
2319 E. Indian School RoadNamed for the grandmother of restaurant co-founder Marcus Moody, Charlie Mae's Southern Bistro has served classic, comforting meals since 2019, first in Laveen and currently in Phoenix. Moody, who previously ran Smoothie Run in Laveen, wanted to share Southern cuisine and memorialize his late grandmother. Some of those dishes include fried catfish, smothered pork chops, rib tips and slices of red velvet cake.
Brown stew fish, deftly fried and smothered with a vibrant sauce, is one of the menu highlights at Cool Vybz.
Dominic Armato
Cool Vybz Jamaican Restaurant
2340 W. Northern Ave.If you have a craving for exceptional Jamaican cuisine, head to Cool Vybz in north Phoenix. There, Chef Nakia Raymond has got you covered. He learned his craft working in kitchens in Spanish Town, Jamaica before moving to Arizona. Now, he serves specialties including stewed goat, oxtails and curry chicken. Make sure to ask about the seafood specials, as they rotate often and aren't always listed on the menu. Read more in our 2023 review of Cool Vybz.
Early Bird Vegan
2152 E. Broadway Road, TempeChef and owner Krystal Harris cooked for NBA stars before launching her own plant-based spots, starting with the Trash Panda Vegan food truck in 2020 and brick-and-mortar Early Bird Vegan the following year in south Phoenix. Diners can now find Harris’ sandwiches, bowls and cold-pressed juices in Tempe on the Sonoran University of Health Sciences campus. Among Early Bird Vegan’s offerings is the Famous Dr. J Sandwich, an English muffin topped with “cheez” sauce, a tofu egg, plant-based sausage patty, avocado, arugula, tomato and a Southwestern aioli, as well as barbecue jackfruit rib tips that can be piled atop a brioche bun or a bowl of Mac N Cheez.Gojo Restaurant
3015 E. Thomas Road, #101Gojo Restaurant is named after the Amharic word for hut, and the place is indeed cozy and homelike. Like most quality Ethiopian restaurants, Gojo serves a variety of flavorful stews, like doro wot (chicken), key wot (beef) and alitcha wot (lamb). It also serves Ethiopian beer, coffee and honey wine to accompany your meal.
Hanas AZ
Multiple locations Alan Bell relocated his food truck from Portland, Oregon, to the Valley in September. Hanas AZ serves snowballs – a New Orleans rendition of shave ice – with an expansive list of flavors, including Georgia peach, pink Champagne and strawberry cheesecake. The food truck also slings wings, hot dogs and Yaxx Bags, a riff on the walking taco where a bag of chips is topped with ground beef, shredded cheese, sour cream and more. Bell had only been in Scottsdale about six months when his truck was among the spots that TikTok food influencer Keith Lee tasted during his Arizona visit. Bell regularly posts the schedule for Hanas AZ on its social media.Harlem Coffee Co.
Multiple locations This roving coffee bar has been popping up at Sauvage Wine Bar and Shop and spots around the Valley since October 2023. Harlem Coffee Co. – whose name is an homage to the Harlem Renaissance – serves espresso from Denmark coffee company La Cabra plus matcha and tea, among other drinks. In the summer, we’re partial to Harlem Coffee Co.’s mango espresso tonic, a tropical upgrade to the refreshing classic.
Honey Bear’s BBQ
5012 E. Van Buren St.Many restaurant owners have stories, but not all can recall a time they catered for the crew of "Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure." It's true. Honey Bear’s BBQ owner Mark Smith remembers the first time this group of highly energetic and friendly young people walked into his barbecue restaurant in 1987, one year after opening. The next three months would be filled with some excellent adventures. The restaurant specializes in Tennessee-style barbecue and the sauce here is good enough to drink.
Hot Pot Caribbean Cuisine
2081 N. Arizona Ave., #132, ChandlerAround for roughly 15 years, Hot Pot Caribbean Cuisine is a small restaurant inside a featureless strip mall in Chandler. But the dishes here are multiple times more eye-catching than the eatery’s exterior. Hot Pot serves a mean Brown stew chicken, plus goat curry, oxtails and deep-fried Escovitch fish.
JL Smokehouse
2010 E. Broadway Road2650 E. University Drive, Mesa
Smoke master James Lewis once told our former food critic "I got the best pulled pork in the country." Lewis' barbecue joint, JL Smokehouse uses oak and mesquite in service of exceptional menu items like smoked sausage, brisket, pulled pork, rib tips, and sides like coleslaw, potato salad, mac and cheese made with smoked gouda and beans that taste halfway between barbecue and Cajun. JL Smokehouse also has a second restaurant on University Drive in Mesa.
Kingpin BBQ
Multiple locations Chef Jimmy Cole can be found slinging barbecue from his eye-catching food truck at locations around the Valley. Kingpin BBQ specializes in tri-tip, stuffed and smoked turkey legs, ribs, chicken and pulled pork. But you won’t find these ribs slathered in sauce. The truck’s motto is “No sauce for the boss” and Cole makes the argument that well-seasoned meat should stand on its own. Welcome accompaniments, however, are sides such as macaroni and cheese, collard greens with smoked turkey and sweet potato casserole. Cincinnati chili cheese fries and meat and mac-loaded waffle fries are also on the menu. Check Kingpin’s social media for updates on where the truck will park next.Lasgidi Cafe
Multiple locations Patience Ogunbanjo, or as most people know her, Chef Patty, is the driving force behind Lasgidi Cafe, a Nigerian-American food truck that pops up around the Valley. The business started with catering in 2016, expanded to include cooking classes, private chef services and food and community-focused events, and now has four wheels rolling as a food truck. Highlights on the menu include Puff Puffs, a Nigerian fried doughnut, Suya beef or chicken grilled and coated in a peanut-based spice blend, zesty Jollof rice and Egusi stew made with spinach and melon seeds along with assorted meats. Through her catering, classes and now her truck, Ogunbanjo aims to share Nigerian culture and cuisine with her customers.
Evelia Davis says the majority of wine and spirits brands at Latha are Black-owned or created.
Geri Koeppel
Latha
628 E. Adams St. A restaurant and market dedicated to celebrating Africa and the African diaspora opened last year in downtown Phoenix. Latha, which is a reference to the Swahili word for flavor, found its home in the historic Silva House in Heritage Square across from Pizzeria Bianco. The menu draws influences from Africa, Brazil, the Caribbean and the South. Chef Digby Stridiron moved from his home in St. Croix to craft a menu at owner and CEO Evelia Davis’ concept. Enjoy a plate of Dayboat Moqueca or berbere steak before browsing the soko, or market, filled with products made by Black artisans and producers.Maya’s Cajun Kitchen
Multiple locations Maya’s Cajun Kitchen fits inside a mobile food truck that owner and chef Maya Bartlett drives all around the Valley. She serves Cajun and Creole recipes she learned growing up in Louisiana, however, there’s a twist. This Cajun Kitchen is entirely vegan. Plant-based offerings include Jambalaya, H.O.P.’n Creole Cakes made with hearts of palm, Smokin Jackfruit Po Boys and Maya’s Etouffee. Check social media for updates on where to find the truck. It currently pops up weekly at the downtown Phoenix farmers market on Saturdays. 
Monroe's Hot Chicken
45 W. Jefferson St. Suite K430 N. Scottsdale Road, #108, Tempe
Remember when hot chicken was all anyone could talk about around here? One place has done it extra well — but not extra well done. The sandwiches are juicy and hot at Monroe's Hot Chicken, which we discovered in a very early visit. But we had such a good time on follow-up visits we gave the restaurant, owned by Larry White (also the man behind Lo-Lo’s Chicken & Waffles), a 2019 Best of Phoenix award for best downtown lunch. What's more, there's now a Tempe location.
Mrs. White’s Golden Rule Cafe
808 E. Jefferson St.Mrs. White's Golden Rule Cafe is an icon in the Phoenix restaurant scene. Named for founder Elizabeth White, it serves utterly timeless food. The literal writing on the wall informs you this decades-old restaurant is where you’ll find one of Phoenix’s most famous Southern dishes: the golden-brown Southern fried chicken (with suggested sides of cabbage and black eyed peas). Mrs. White has spinoffs everywhere, including her grandson, Larry “Lo-Lo” White’s spot, Lo-Lo's Chicken & Waffles.
Ocean Blue Caribbean Restaurant and Bar
6140 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler Get a taste of Jamaica in Chandler at Ocean Blue Caribbean Restaurant and Bar. The large menu includes island classics such as jerk shrimp and chicken, curry goat, brown stew chicken and saltfish. The menu also incorporates burgers, salads and wraps along with seafood plates of whole red snapper and stuffed salmon. Finish on a sweet note with a Jamaican sweet potato pie or rum cake. Find the restaurant in west Chandler on the northwest corner of Kyrene Road and Chandler Boulevard.
Ocho Rios Jerk Spot
4220 W. Northern Ave. #10413291 W. McDowell Road, E-7, GoodyearOcho Rios Jerk Spot has been bringing a taste of Jamaica to Phoenix since it opened in 2017. The modern yet welcoming restaurant located on the northeast corner of Northern and 43rd avenues is decorated with murals in the colors of the Jamaican flag and customers can grab a table or pull up a stool at the bar. A second restaurant has also opened on McDowell Road in Goodyear. At both locations, the menu includes traditional Jamaican patties filled with beef or chicken, sweet fried plantains and coco bread. Of course, as the name suggests, there are many dishes that include fiery jerk seasoning, including chicken wings, shrimp and pork. Curry goat, oxtails, and Ackee and Saltfish are also on the menu. Baked desserts, Jamaican ice cream and fresh juices round out the offerings.
The Original Pancake House
6840 E. Camelback Road, ScottsdaleSome restaurant recommendations hardly need to be stated. If you want pancakes, The Original Pancake House in downtown Scottsdale is where you go. The breakfast chain has been around since 1953, and the Scottsdale location has been open since 1988, when the griddle was first overseen by owner Ron “The Pancake Man” Horton. The Midcentury vibe, coupled with house specialties like the French Crepes, Dutch Baby, and Combo Hash with pastrami and corned beef, make this place a real first-meal gem. Read our 2022 feature on the history and the people that make this spot so special.
The Pairing Room
200 W. Portland St., #101The Pairing Room took over the former downtown space of The Larder & The Delta, opening in April. The restaurant is a project of Doajo and Roxanne Hicks, which highlights sips from their other projects, Throne Brewing and Coronado Vineyards. After announcing a temporary closure at the end of May, The Pairing Room has reopened with a revamped menu that includes charcuterie boards, steamed mussels, Eggplant Canaloni Parmigiana and more.Sapiens Paleo Kitchen
10411 E. McDowell Mountain Ranch Road, ScottsdaleAt Sapiens Paleo Kitchen in Scottsdale, French cuisine is offered via a paleo and gluten-free menu. Helpfully named menu items include the Keto Burger and the Paleo Dip, while other entrees include French rabbit stew, Sapiens Duck and free-range chicken. Plus, every entree has a keto-friendly substitute option that will swap out any vegetable high in sugars such as potatoes, carrots and sweet potatoes. Non-dairy desserts are also available.
Stacy's Off Da Hook BBQ and Soul Food
1804 W. Glendale Ave.Stacy's Off Da Hook BBQ and Soul Food serves barbecue, fried chicken, catfish, chicken gizzards and smothered pork chops. That crispy fried chicken is some of the best in town; it comes from a secret recipe concocted by owner Stacy Phipps himself — who will likely be in the restaurant when you visit. We also gave it a Best of Phoenix award in 2019 for its food in general.
SugarJam Southern Kitchen
15111 N. Hayden Road, #170 ScottsdaleIn 2021, SugarJam Bake Shop & Bistro became SugarJam The Southern Kitchen. And with the rebrand came a location change. Owner Dana Dumas moved her bakery, bar and breakfast spot, but she definitely brought her deep fryer. For fans of crispy chicken, this is exciting news. Brunch items include Kickin' Fried Chicken with buttermilk biscuits and the best French toast in town.
