Nirvana Soul owners and sisters Be’Anka Ashaolu, left, and Jeronica Macey operate the coffeehouse at San Jose's Martin Luther King Jr. Library, background, in addition to their original locations on downtown San Jose's South First Street and in Cupertino. (Photo courtesy of Nirvana Soul)
The Bay Area is home to a rich tapestry of restaurants and other food-based enterprises owned by Black chefs and entrepreneurs. During Black History Month, we present a list of Black-owned food businesses in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, sorted by geographic area. Know of others? Let us know via the comment field at the end of the article and we’ll add them to the list.
EAST BAY
51 & Tel Cocktail Bar: 5018 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, instagram.com/51andtel
alaMar Dominican Kitchen: 100 Grand Ave., Oakland, alamaroakland.com
Asmara: 5020 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, asmararestaurantoakland.com
Barcote Ethiopian Restaurant: 6430 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, barcote.com
Blackberry Bistro: 4240 Park Blvd., Oakland, 510-336-1088
Blue Crown Bar & Bistro: 1061 B St., Hayward, bluecrownbistro.com
Blue Nile Ethiopian: 160 14th St., Oakland, bluenilefood.com
Burdell: 4640 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, burdelloakland.com
Carmen & Family Bar-B-Q: 692 West A St., Hayward, 510-887-1979
Chef Smelly’s Creole: 2430 Broadway, Oakland, yelp.com/biz/chef-smellys-oakland-3
Cherie’s Southern Kitchen: 4920 Dublin Blvd., Dublin; cheriesouthernkitchen.com
Clementine’s: 18070 San Ramon Valley Blvd., San Ramon, clementinesca.com
Cocobreeze Caribbean Restaurant and Vegan Bakery: 2370 High St., Oakland, cocobreezeco.myshopify.com
Concord Tap House: 3513 Clayton Road, Concord, concordtaphouse.com
Crumble & Whisk Bakery and Cafe: 4104 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, crumbleandwhisk.com
Everett & Jones BBQ: 126 Broadway and 4245 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland; 1955 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley; eandjbbq.com
Family House of Fish and Poultry: Takeout orders from 25140 Mission Blvd., Hayward, 510-886-4112
Golden Safari Restaurant and Bakery: 22431 Foothill Blvd., Hayward, goldensafari.net
Gregory’s Gourmet Desserts: 285 23rd St., Oakland, gregorysgourmetdesserts.com
Home of Chicken and Waffles: 247 Fourth St., #111, Oakland, homeofchickenandwaffles.com
Horn Barbecue: 464 Eighth St., Oakland; and 3422 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, hornbarbecue.com
JTM in the Kitchen: Online spice sales from restaurateur/sommelier Jeremy Troupe-Masi; jtminthekitchen.com
Kendejah Restaurant: Takeout from 197 Pelton Center Way, San Leandro, kendejahrestaurant.com
Kinfolx Coffee, Wine and Culture: 1951 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, kinfolxoak.com
Lois the Pie Queen: 851 60th St., Oakland, loisthepiequeen.com
Longevity Wines: 2271 S. Vasco Road, Livermore, longevitywines.com
Mela Bistro: 35 Grand Ave., Oakland, melabistro.com
The New Snapper’s Seafood Restaurant: 1501 Ohio Ave., Richmond, thenewsnappersseafoodrestaurantrichmond.mybistro.online
Oeste Bar & Cafe: 722 Clay St., Oakland, oesteoakland.com
Oyo Restaurant: 680 Main St., Pleasanton, oyopleasanton.com
Pop’s Deli & Grill: 30982 Huntwood Ave., Hayward, popsdeliandgrill.com
The Pour Up Wine Bar: One I Street, Antioch, thepourupwine.com
Reuschelle’s Cheesecakes: Hayward pickups for online orders, plus sales at farmers markets (Castro Valley, Palo Alto, San Ramon, Old Oakland, West Oakland), reuschelles.com
Red Bay Coffee: 3098 E. 10th St. and 3206 Grand Ave., Oakland; 1741 Alcatraz Ave., Berkeley; plus a coffee van and SF locations. redbaycoffee.com
Reve Bistro: 960 Moraga Road, Lafayette, revebistro.com
Rob Ben’s Restaurant & Lounge: 3627 San Pablo Ave., Emeryville; robbensrestaurant.com
Rush Bowls: 350 17th St., Oakland, rushbowls.com/oakland
Ruth’s Buka: 5250 Foothill Blvd., Oakland; ruthsbuka.com
Sacred Pig BBQ: Event catering, 2637 East Ave., Hayward, sacredpigbarbecue.com
Sobre Mesa: 1618 Franklin St., Oakland, sobremesaoak.com
Souley Vegan: 101 Broadway, Jack London Square, Oakland, souleyvegan.com
Sweet Fingers Jamaican Restaurant: 5859 Foothill Blvd., Oakland, sweetfingersrestaurant.com
Tease Southern Kitchen: 211 G St., Antioch, and 5616 Bay St., Emeryville; teasesouthernkitchen.square.site
Teni East Kitchen: 4015 Broadway, Oakland, tenieastkitchen.com
Touch of Soul: 3900 Adeline St., Emeryville; yelp.com/biz/touch-of-soul-emeryville
Town Fare at OMCA: 1000 Oak St., Oakland; townfarecafe.com
Willows & Pine: 3525 Fruitvale Ave., Oakland, willowsandpine-restaurant.com
SOUTH BAY/PENINSULA
Back A Yard Caribbean Grill: 1189 Willow Road, Menlo Park; 457 E. San Carlos St., San Jose; 1011 E. Capitol Expressway, San Jose; 1740 S. Winchester Blvd., Campbell; and 638 N. 13th St., San Jose, backayard.net
Claire’s Crunch Cake: 233 N. Grant St., San Mateo, clairescrunchcake.wixsite.com/cakes
Clifford’s Chicken & Fish: 699 Calderon Ave., Mountain View; cliffordschickenandfish.com
Coconuts Caribbean Restaurant: 642 Ramona St., Palo Alto, coconutspaloalto.com
DeeLee Cakes: Based in San Jose, 408-391-5307; deeleecakes.com
Gojo Ethiopian: 1261 W. San Carlos St., San Jose, gojoethiopianrestaurant.com
Island Taste Caribbean Grill: 225 E. Santa Clara St., San Jose, islandtastegrill.com
Jackie’s Place: 840 N. First St. and 321 S. First St., San Jose, jackiesplacesj.com
Jon Jon’s BBQ & Catering: 1305 Oakland Road, San Jose, facebook.com/JonJonsBBQ
JTM in the Kitchen: Online spice sales from restaurateur/sommelier Jeremy Troupe-Masi; jtminthekitchen.com
Jubba Somali Restaurant: 5330 Terner Way, San Jose, 408-440-1504
Kategna Ethiopian Restaurant: 1663 W. San Carlos St., San Jose, kategna.com
LeYou Ethiopian: 1100 N. First St., San Jose, leyouethiopian.com
LillieMae’s Soul Food and BBQ: Catering and food truck pop-ups. lilliemaesbbq.com
Lunch Box: 1876 W. San Carlos St., San Jose, 408-287-3511
Luv’s Brownies: San Jose-based dessert truck at farmers market, parties, events; luvsbrownies.com
Mudai Ethiopian Restaurant: 503 W. San Carlos St., San Jose, 408-292-2282
Nirvana Soul Coffee: 315 S. First St. and 150 E. San Fernando St., San Jose; and 19700 Vallco Parkway, Cupertino; nirvanasoulcoffee.com
Nita Bee’s Specialty Bakery: Pickup, delivery and shipping from South Bay bakery. 408-246-4570; nitabees.com
Sandi’s Cobbler Cup Catering: Based in the South Bay; sandiscatering.com
Shark Boy Fish and Chips: 1100 N. First St., San Jose; sharkboyfishandchips.com
Walia Ethiopian Cuisine: 2208 Business Circle, San Jose, waliaethiopian.com
Zeni Ethiopian Restaurant: 1320 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, zeniethiopianrestaurant.com
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[contact-form] Originally published at Linda Zavoral