From barbecue joints to Caribbean cuisine and bakeries to Southern-style eats, the Queen City is full of delicious Black-owned eateries to explore. 

Just Q’in 975 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills Owned by Matt Cuff, Walnut Hills barbecue joint Just Q’in is “committed to the mission of Faith, Love and BBQ,” and offers their smoked brisket, ribs, chicken and more coupled with classic barbecue sides. Photo: Lindsay McCarty Photo: Lindsay McCarty
BlaCk Coffee Lounge 824 Elm St., Downtown This coffee shop is from the owners of BlaCk OWned. Their popular house “Wakanda” blend is a mix of Ethiopian, Rwandan and Brazilian beans. They also offer tons of espresso drinks like cappuccinos, lattes, macchiatos which can all be made with non-dairy milk alternatives. If you’re hungry, the also have a small menu of pastries and other eats. Photo: Elizabeth Davis
Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey 9039 US-42, Union, Kentucky This restaurant is inspired by the trappings of the American frontier and California’s 19th-century gold rush. At Boomtown, the true delight comes plated. The signature biscuit isn’t a run-of-the-mill thousand-layer flaked baked good. It’s a buttery, soft disc with a close crumb and a browned, lightly bubbled top that no breakfast chain can compete with. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Ollie’s Trolley 1607 Central Ave., Over-the-Rhine/West End Located in a bright yellow and red trolley car, Ollie’s Trolley is a soul food staple in the Cincinnati area. The eatery serves a variety of smoked pork, including ribs, rib tips and pulled pork, plus plenty of sides, like collard greens, buttered corn and potato salad. Get a pulled pork sandwich, side and a slice of pie for under $9. Photo via Facebook.com/OlliesTrolleyCincinnati Photo: Facebook.com/OlliesTrolleyCincinnati
ESSEN 1 Findlay St., Over-the-Rhine ESSEN is no ordinary take-away. Sure, the kitchen serves up soups, salads and sandwiches like any other respectable establishment. But there aren’t any chicken Caesars or ham and Swiss sammies to be found here. In fact, ESSEN doesn’t stock any meat, dairy or eggs at all: The entire menu is plant-based. Chef Yasel Lopez, a graduate of the University of Havana with a degree in food science and a resume that lists stints in restaurants from Cuba to Lexington, got creative and crafted a menu to appeal to not only vegans but also vegetarians and omnivores alike. Photo: facebook.com/essenkitchen
Maize OTR 1438 Race St., Over-the-Rhine Maize specializes in a unique fusion menu that honors traditional recipes from across Latin America, with an emphasis on Venezuelan cuisine. The restaurant takes its name from maize, a corn flour dating back some 10,000 years and first utilized by indigenous Mexicans. The flour serves as the basis for the arepas, cachapas and empanadas served at Maize. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Esoteric Brewing Co. 900 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills Esoteric Brewing, Cincinnati’s first minority-owned brewery, is slated to open in Walnut Hills this May. The brewery will be located in the 1930s Art Deco Paramount Building, part of the Paramount Square development at Peebles Corner. The 6,000-square-foot public space will have a speakeasy vibe, with lounge chairs, cocktail tables and a waitstaff. Because the brewing equipment will be housed in the basement, a viewing space will be carved out so customers can look down into the brew hub. As for food, they’ve partnered with grilled cheese truck C’est Cheese, which will serve food from a window inside the taproom. Photo: Hailey Bollinger Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Katch the Kitchen Restaurant & Bar 4172 Hamilton Ave., Northside After operating as a food truck for some time, Katch opened a brick-and-mortar in Northside in March of 2021. Their menu consists of everything from French toast to lamb chops and for just $6 you can grab a bacon-stuffed loaded breakfast burrito. Photo: Facebook.com/KatchTheKitchenRestaurantAndBar
King’s Way Cafe 3550 Montgomery Road, Evanston King’s Way Cafe is a breakfast and lunch spot in Evanston that serves tasty dishes like the Royal King, French toast or biscuits with bacon, sausage, eggs and potatoes with a side of fruit. They even have a Vegan King made with vegetables and topped with avocado and fried carrot strips. Photo:
Conscious Kitchen (Temporarily Closed) 2912 Short Vine St., Corryville Located on Short Vine near the University of Cincinnati campus, this health-conscious eatery offers a chef-crafted menu of items like the portabella mushroom burger; “aquatic” egg rolls with salmon spinach and feta; hearty salads; and even carrot fries. Photo: Facebook.com/ConsciousKitchen513
Herban Vegans 1809 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine/Findlay Market Herban Vegans is helmed by Danielle Delaine, who began this specific culinary journey in 2017. Her goal is to show diners how tasty and healthy a vegan diet can be — specifically vegan seafood — with a lot of herbs, spices and ingredients. “A personal health scare over 20 years ago, and watching a world succumb to disease and unhealthy choices, became a fire in her belly to help do her part,” says a release from Findlay Market about Delaine and her vegan menu. Photo: facebook.com/herbanvegans
Alabama Que 2733 Short Vine St., Corryville Alabama Que proudly boasts on their website that they are the “home of the turkey tips.” This restaurant was founded by Dwan Ward in 2008, a veteran of the U.S. Navy. An Alabama native, Ward’s restaurant oozes Southern charm and a food truck was added to the business to keep up with growing demand. Some meat options include smoked chicken, beef ribs, smoked salmon and, of course, the famous turkey tips. Photo via Facebook.com/AlabamaQueFanPage Photo:facebook.com/Alabama Que
Pata Roja Taqueria Moving to a brick-and-mortar location; check their social media for pop-ups Pata Roja Taqueria serves cheap, Mexico City-style street food like spit-roasted pork and pineapple tacos or chips and tangy salsa especial. Owner Derrick Braziel operated the taqueria out of The Takeaway’s carry-out window for a stint, but now has a permanent location behind Bar Saeso in Pendleton. Photo: Provided by Pata Roja
Drip Coffee Lounge 2927 Colerain Ave., Camp Washington Sporting a multicultural African-fusion menu with a modern spin, Drip Coffee Lounge features a full coffee bar with locally roasted specialties. But coffee isn’t the only thing on the menu. The shop also has teas, wine and cocktails in addition to quick bites such as wraps, sambusa and suya-spiced chicken wraps. Photo: DripCoffeeLounge.com
Davis Cookie Collection 4926 Reading Road, Bond Hill This local sweet shop specializes in gourmet desserts, offering over a huge varieties of cookies, in addition to selling raw dough and cookie cakes. Varieties range from chocolate chip to strawberry lemonade, and they also offer vegan and gluten-free options. Photo: Facebook.com/DavisCookieCollection
Nostalgia Wine & Jazz Lounge 1432 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine Owned by Tammi Scott, Over-the-Rhine’s Nostalgia Wine & Jazz Lounge features bottles from women and minority winemakers, as well as wines on tap, live music, a limited selection of spirits and beer, and light bites. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Habesha Restaurant and Cafe 5070 Crookshank Road, Covedale Habesha is a great hidden-gem restaurant offering Ethiopian dishes and an Ethiopian-style coffee ceremony. While it looks like a hole-in-the-wall from the outside, the cuisine is on par with Ethiopian eateries in Washington, D.C. — which is saying a lot. Photo: Liz Davis Photo: Liz Davis
Goodies BBQ 7440 Hamilton Ave., Mount Healthy Goodies knows their pork butt — pit-smoked slowly ’til the fat has completely dissolved and a crunchy, caramelized crust has formed on the outside. Lip-smackin’ rib tips and Buffalo wings are complemented by standard Southern sides of collard greens, red beans and rice or mac and cheese. For those not tempted by the sauce, there’s the fish sandwich or fried okra. Peach cobbler and sweet potato and chess pies are available. Photo via Facebook.com/Goodiesbarbeque Photo: facebook.com/Goodies
Island Frydays 2826 Short Vine St., Corryville Island Frydays is the definitive restaurant to break out of culinary monotony featuring authentic Caribbean cuisine made by Jamaica native and former University of Cincinnati football captain Leo Morgan. Though the restaurant has a petite and unassuming interior, they pack a whole lot of flavor. Guy Fieri visited Island Frydays in Sept. 2014 with Diners, Drive-ins & Dives, and you can try the same meal he had: The jerk chicken dinner. Photo: Facebook.com/islandfrydays
Cream & Sugar Coffeehouse 3546 Montgomery Road, Evanston Serving up locally sourced organic coffee and tea, Cream & Sugar also offers breakfast and lunch with a focus on local and plant-based ingredients. Owned by longtime friends Taren Kinebrew and Crystal Grace, the coffee shop is designed to evoke a calming vibe, with shades of blue and teal, and window seating as well as lounge space for larger groups. Photo: Facebook.com/CreamAndSugarCoffeeHouse
Triple J’s Bar-B-Que Triple J’s Bar-B-Que dishes out soul food specialties from their food truck all around Cincinnati. The menu offers a variety of smoked meats from ribs and smoked wings to fish, burgers and a classic barbecue sides. Photo: facebook.com/Triple J's Bar B Que
Burnett’s Soul Food 1012 E. McMillan Ave., Walnut Hills If you love soul food, hearty sides and delicious desserts, you can find it all at Burnett’s. Between breakfast platters, double decker sandwiches and fish dinner specials, Burnett’s has something for everyone. Photo: Facebook.com/Burnetts-Soul-Food
Sugar 6 W.14th St., Over-the-Rhine Andrea Sutton Lee, Ph.D. turned her baking hobby into a business by opening Sugar in January of 2016. In 2020, Lee opened a storefront in OTR. Sugar has specialty cupcakes and cookies available in packs of a dozen or half-dozen. Photo: Facebook.com/Sugar513
K&J Seafood Co. 2516 Clifton Ave., Clifton/University Heights This local restaurant, started by best friends Keyona and Joy, offers fresh, Louisiana-style seafood with a large menu that satisfies non-fish eaters as well. They have chicken and sausage gumbo, shrimp po boys and seafood fries, Cajun seasoned fries topped with lump crab meat and a shrimp, homemade cheese sauce–among other things. Photo via Facebook.com/KJSeafoodCo Photo: Facebook.com/KJSeafoodCo
9. Teranga Restaurant 8438 Vine St., Hartwell ”Wanted to check out a new place during Black Restaurant Week and this did not disappoint. It’s tucked away in a plaza, but pretty easy to find. Delicious authentic African food right in Cincy, who knew?!? The dibi was cooked to perfection and the red snapper is enough for a family and perfectly grilled. The jerk chicken was so flavorful and spicy! The only miss were the beignets for dessert, but I think it’s because I had high expectations based on my previous experiences in New Orleans. Please check this place out, it’s a great meal!” — Leah S. Photo via Teranga Restaurant’s Facebook Photo: facebook.com/Teranga
Jazzy Sweeties 1006 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills Jazzy Sweeties on McMillan offers custom orders like strawberry crunch cake, pecan caramel cheesecake and/or a dozen cupcakes of your choice. Photo: facebook.com/JazzySweetiesBakery/
Express Wings 7617 Reading Road, Roselawn Express Wings doesn’t just do wings well. Enjoy their chicken sandwich that rivals some of its corporate competitors, or their famous chicken and waffles. Grab a shrimp basket or a fish and wing combo and grab a cake or pie for desert. Photo: Facebook.com/ExpressWings513/
Darou Salam 4163 Hamilton Ave., Northside The place serves up some seriously delicious authentic African food. Darou Salam offers Senegalese cuisine from Lamb Dibi (grilled lamb paired with an onion-mustard sauce) to Firir, fried whole tilapia with the head on, but don’t be scared; it’s tasty. They also have Bissap Sorrel, a famous Hibiscus juice and Senegalese favorite. Photo: Contributed by Owner to Google Photos
Copa Lounge 1133 Sycamore St., Over-the-Rhine Copa Lounge is a nightclub and eatery located in Over-the-Rhine. On Sundays, they offer a brunch buffet with bottomless mimosas. Photo: Facebook.com/COPAOTR
Sweet Petit Desserts 3546 Montgomery Road, Evanston Army veteran Taren Kinebrew comes from a family of bakers. She used the family pastry knowledge passed down for generations to open Sweet Petit Desserts in August of 2009. Her petite treats are small in size, but pack a huge flavor punch and are designed to enjoy, but not over indulge. Located inside of Cream & Sugar Coffeehouse, this spot is the perfect place to get your caffeine and sugar cravings fulfilled. Photo: Facebook.com/sweetpetitetk
Divine Appetite Cafe 8982 Cincinnati Columbus Road, West Chester There are not many places in Cincinnati where you can go and get authentic African cuisine. Divine Appetite Cafe has exactly that, featuring traditional dishes like Waakeye, African stewed tomato sauce, chicken, fish and a hard-boiled egg; and Banku, cornmeal dumplings served with okra sauce which includes fish, blue crab and beef. Photo: Facebook.com/DrivneAppetite
Wing Champ The King of Wings 2343 E. Sharon Road, Sharonville Wing Champ offers hickory-smoked Swank Wings with 14 different types of sauces and 16 dry rubs. Some of their sauces include HotLanta peach, plum loco, Thai chili and spicy maple. If mouthwatering wings are not for you, they also offer salads, soups, sandwiches and more. Photo: Facebook.com/originalwingchamp
Saturday Morning Vibes Cereal Bar 3539 Reading Road, Avondale Started in 2020, this cereal bar has brought Saturday morning vibes to Cincinnati with its inventive cereal-based creations via pop-ups. Their permanent Avondale storefront opened in the fall of 2022. If you’re not in the mood for a sugary cereal treat, they also offer other breakfast options and coffee. Photo: Facebook.com/saturdaymvcafe