Black-Owned Restaurants in Houston: 12 Places to Eat Now

In 1915, Independence Heights became the first incorporated Black city in Texas. Today it sits inside Houston's city limits, and you can eat Gulf oysters and fried chicken there at a chef-owned restaurant whose family grew up on those streets. That's the thread running through this guide: Black-owned restaurants in Houston aren't a trend, they're part of how the city learned to eat.

Below are 12 places worth your next meal, from a 1969 po'boy shop near Texas Southern University to a Museum District dining room built on a great-grandmother's recipes. You'll find soul food, Creole, Caribbean, Nigerian, burgers and polished Southern cooking, with Third Ward and the Southside well represented.

The quick list

• The breakfast every visitor should try: The Breakfast Klub in Midtown, for wings and a waffle.
• The Third Ward original: Frenchy's Chicken on Scott Street, serving Creole-seasoned fried chicken since 1969.
• For Caribbean: Reggae Hut Café on Almeda, for jerk chicken and oxtails.
• For a special-occasion dinner: Lucille's in the Museum District.
• For Nigerian and West African flavors: ChòpnBlọk on Westheimer.
• For a burger: Trill Burgers, the smash-burger spot co-founded by Bun B.
• For a soul food plate lunch: Mikki's Soul Food Cafe, Esther's or The Greasy Spoon.
• Worth the drive to Fort Bend: Micheaux's Southern Cuisine in Missouri City.

How we chose

Every pick had to clear two checks. First, it had to be open: each restaurant shows current hours, a menu or an address on its own official website as of October 2026. Second, its ownership had to be documented: the restaurant's own site names its founders or owners (Micheaux's describes itself in so many words as "a proud Black-owned establishment"), and for ChòpnBlọk we relied on its MICHELIN Guide listing, which names its chef-owner.

We left out places we love but couldn't verify, including restaurants whose official sites have gone dark or now show "coming soon." Hours change, so treat every schedule below as "typically" and check the restaurant's own site before you go.

Third Ward and the Southside

Frenchy's Chicken

Third Ward, 3602 Scott St · Creole fried chicken · drive-through open late

Percy "Frenchy" Creuzot, a New Orleans native, opened a po'boy shop on Scott Street with his wife, Sallie, on July 3, 1969, just down the street from Texas Southern University and the University of Houston. The signature-seasoned fried chicken, built on old New Orleans family recipes, took over the menu, and the Creuzot family paired it with Creole sides like dirty rice, collard greens and red beans.

What to order: a chicken dinner with dirty rice and red beans. The tenders come with Frenchy's own Bar-B-Q and Gris Gris sauces.

Insider tip: the Scott Street drive-through typically runs until 11 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, later than the lobby, according to the location page. Frenchy's now has more than a dozen locations, but this is the original street.

Reggae Hut Café

Third Ward, 4814 Almeda Rd · Caribbean · open daily

Reggae Hut is a longstanding Third Ward Caribbean kitchen that Breakfast Klub founder Marcus Davis's company acquired and renovated in 2005. The restaurant says Davis did it to keep a cultural icon alive, inspired by Ujamaa, the Kwanzaa principle of cooperative economics.

What to order: jerk chicken or oxtails, with plantains on the side, and a sorrel or ginger beer to drink. Take home a beef patty.

Insider tip: look at the walls and the logo. The murals tell the story of the African Diaspora, and the little fish in the logo is named Marley, after Bob Marley.

Mikki's Soul Food Cafe

Southwest Houston (10500 W Bellfort), Third Ward (2712 Blodgett St) and Pearland · soul food

Mikki's grew out of a home catering business into a restaurant on West Bellfort, and it's still run by the founder's family. It now has three locations, including one on Blodgett in Third Ward. The restaurant marked 25 years in Houston with a city proclamation of Mikki's Café Day.

What to order: oxtails or smothered chicken with candied yams and collard greens, then peach cobbler or bread pudding.

Good to know: hours differ by location, so check the one you're heading to on Mikki's site.

Midtown, downtown and the Museum District

The Breakfast Klub

Midtown, 3711 Travis St at Alabama · breakfast and lunch · daily until 2 p.m.

Marcus Davis, a native Houstonian and Texas Southern University graduate, opened The Breakfast Klub in September 2001 around two dishes from opposite coasts: catfish and grits from the East, wings and waffles from the West. The line out the door is part of the ritual. As the restaurant puts it: "It's not a line, it's a fellowship!"

What to order: Wings & Waffle, or Katfish & Grits, with a biskit.

Insider tip: ever wondered why everything is spelled with a K? The restaurant's FAQ says it's "just so you'll ask us and remember us." It doesn't take reservations, so arrive early, especially on weekends. Read more in our Breakfast Klub guide.

Lucille's

Museum District, 5512 La Branch St · refined Southern · lunch, dinner and weekend brunch

Brothers Chris and Ben Williams opened Lucille's in 2012 as a tribute to their great-grandmother, Lucille B. Smith, an educator and culinary innovator who founded her own food corporation. Chef Chris Williams, a James Beard Award finalist, still cooks versions of her recipes, and many of the vegetables come from the restaurant's own hyper-local farms.

What to order: start with the chili biscuits, built on great-grandma's famous biscuit, then the braised oxtails or the Yardbird fried chicken.

Good to know: typically closed Mondays. The restaurant offers complimentary valet parking, which matters in the Museum District. Pair it with our Museum District restaurant guide.

Taste Kitchen + Bar

Downtown, 420 Main St (and Sugar Land) · Southern comfort and cocktails · opens 8 a.m.

Houston native Chef Don Bowie, the son of two chefs who specialized in Cajun and Southern cooking, built Taste as a Southern comfort scratch kitchen with a serious cocktail program. It typically opens at 8 a.m. every day, which makes it a rare downtown option for a sit-down breakfast before work or a game.

What to order: comfort classics, then something off the boozy Dessert Bar list, such as the Vodka Peach Cobbler or Bourbon Pecan Pie cocktail.

ChòpnBlọk

Montrose, 507 Westheimer Rd (plus a counter at POST Houston) · Nigerian and West African

Chef-owner Ope Amosu grew up in Houston as the child of Nigerian immigrants, and ChòpnBlọk, which is listed in the MICHELIN Guide, is his modern take on West African cooking. You'll find it as a counter inside POST Houston downtown and as a sit-down restaurant on Westheimer that takes reservations.

What to order: the golden bowl, with smoky jollof jambalaya, motherland curry, yaji vegetables and stewed plantains. Add suya, the beef skewers dusted with peanut-pepper yaji spice. More West African picks are in our African restaurants guide.

Trill Burgers

3607 S Shepherd Dr (plus Spring and Missouri City) · smash burgers · open late on weekends

Houston rap legend Bun B co-founded Trill Burgers with restaurateur Andy Nguyen and Nick Scurfield in 2021, starting with pop-ups. Its first restaurant opened in 2023 on the site of a former James Coney Island, and it served more than 41,000 burgers in 20 days at the 2023 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

What to order: the signature smash burger: two all-beef patties, caramelized onions, pickles and Trill Sauce on a potato roll. Full story in our Trill Burgers guide.

North Houston

Gatlin's Fins & Feathers

Independence Heights, 302 W Crosstimbers St · fried chicken and Gulf seafood · closed Mondays

Chef-owner Greg Gatlin, of Gatlin's BBQ, opened this sibling restaurant in Historic Independence Heights, where his family grew up. The menu runs from chargrilled oysters and New Orleans BBQ shrimp to buckets of fried chicken and catfish.

What to order: fried chicken and chargrilled oysters, with the Not My Momma's Biscuits.

Good to know: happy hour typically runs Tuesday to Friday afternoons. Gatlin's BBQ is nearby on Ella Boulevard if you want brisket for later.

Esther's Cajun Cafe & Soul Food

North Shepherd, 5007 N Shepherd Dr · Cajun and soul food · open daily

Esther Lewis opened her cafe on July 22, 2008, cooking Cajun and soul food recipes that run back through her mother and great-grandmother. The restaurant is family-owned and operated, and its regulars know the house line: "This seat is for you!"

What to order: Louisiana-style gumbo, crawfish étouffée or Cajun fried chicken, with mustard greens on the side.

The Greasy Spoon Soulfood Bistro

North Houston, 636 Cypress Station Dr · elevated soul food · closed Mondays

Founder and chef Max Bozeman grew up working weekends in his family's café, then built other people's restaurant brands before opening his own. The Greasy Spoon has been featured on Food Network.

What to order: the oxtails. Plan on a Thursday if you can: that's the only day the kitchen does its smoked oxtails. Big appetite? "The Boss" seafood stack piles fried catfish, lobster tail, shrimp and crab on dirty rice.

Fort Bend

Micheaux's Southern Cuisine

Missouri City, 6850 Highway 6 · Southern with Caribbean flair · Wednesday to Sunday

Micheaux's calls itself "a proud Black-owned establishment," and its kitchen serves Southern classics with a touch of Caribbean flair. It's typically closed Mondays and Tuesdays. More ideas nearby in our Missouri City restaurant guide.

Save this: a Third Ward and Southside food day

1. Breakfast: The Breakfast Klub in Midtown. Get in line before the weekend rush.
2. Afternoon: walk it off, then pick from our things to do in Third Ward.
3. Late lunch: Reggae Hut Café on Almeda for jerk chicken and a sorrel.
4. Dinner: Lucille's in the Museum District (book ahead; closed Mondays).
5. Late-night: the Frenchy's drive-through on Scott Street.

Before you go: a quick checklist

• Check hours on the restaurant's own site the day you go. Several are closed Mondays, and Micheaux's is also closed Tuesdays.
• The Breakfast Klub stops serving at 2 p.m. and doesn't take reservations.
• Lucille's and ChòpnBlọk's Westheimer location take reservations.
• Want oxtails? Mikki's, Reggae Hut, Lucille's, Esther's and The Greasy Spoon all list them.
• Bring friends to Frenchy's and Gatlin's: fried chicken travels well, but it's best shared hot.

More Houston food guides

Keep eating with our guides to the best soul food in Houston, the best fried chicken, the best Cajun restaurants and the best restaurants in Third Ward.

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the oldest Black-owned restaurant on this list?

Frenchy's Chicken. Percy "Frenchy" Creuzot and his wife, Sallie, opened a po'boy shop on Scott Street in Third Ward on July 3, 1969, near Texas Southern University.

Who owns The Breakfast Klub?

Houston native and Texas Southern University graduate Marcus Davis, who opened it in Midtown in September 2001. His company also owns Reggae Hut Café on Almeda Road.

Where can I find Black-owned Caribbean food in Houston?

Reggae Hut Café at 4814 Almeda Rd in Third Ward serves jerk chicken, oxtails, curry chicken and sorrel. Micheaux's in Missouri City serves Southern classics with a touch of Caribbean flair.

Is there a Black-owned Nigerian restaurant in Houston?

Yes. ChòpnBlọk, from chef-owner Ope Amosu, the Houston-raised child of Nigerian immigrants, serves jollof, suya and West African bowls on Westheimer and at POST Houston. It is listed in the MICHELIN Guide.

Is Trill Burgers Black-owned?

Trill Burgers was co-founded by Houston rapper Bun B (Bernard Freeman), who serves as CEO, with partners Andy Nguyen and Nick Scurfield.

Which Black-owned Houston restaurants take reservations?

Lucille's in the Museum District and ChòpnBlọk on Westheimer take reservations. The Breakfast Klub does not take reservations, though it will accommodate groups if you tell the greeter your party size.