Black-owned restaurants and food businesses have long shaped the culinary scene of Memphis.

They are a key ingredient in the recipe (or melting pot) that has made Memphis one of the most innovative food scenes in the South, if not the country. Talented cooks and entrepreneurs are cooking up food with devotion, love and ingenuity.

Black chefs, restaurateurs and food artisans have touched every area of Memphis’ exploding culinary scene. Most are small family-owned businesses creating unforgettable dishes made with an ingredient that can’t be bought — love.

In honor of Black History Month 2024, here are 24 Black-owned restaurants you need to try. Trust us — you’ll be glad you did.

Southern soul food classics

Alcenia’s

317 N. Main St.; (901) 523-0200; alcenias.com

Crispy Fried Chicken, Smothered Pork Chops, Black-Eyed Peas, Yams and Hot Water Cornbread are just a handful of the Southern dishes you will find at Alcenia's. Owner BJ Chester-Tamayo runs her soul food restaurant with lots of love, and it shows in both her hospitality and food. She’ll be the first to tell you, “You may walk in a stranger, but you leave as family.” Chester-Tamayo makes everything from scratch, so come knowing that you may have to sit a spell depending on your order and how busy the place is. But the wait is worth it.

The Four Way

998 Mississippi Blvd.; (901) 507-1519; fourwaymemphis.com

Good food has a way of bringing people together. As one of the oldest restaurants in Memphis, The Four Way is a soul food institution. Through the years, regular patrons have included civil rights leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and music icons such as Al Green and Isaac Hayes. Fried chicken (with your choice of light or dark meat), fried catfish, turkey and dressing, neck bones, fried green tomatoes, yams, turnip greens and macaroni and cheese are a few of the soul food dishes that have brought in devoted customers for more than 70 years.

Southern Hands Home Style Cooking

Five locations: 6025 Winchester Road; 1811 Kirby Parkway; 3624 Austin Peay; 5175 Millbranch; and 7119 Hacks Cross Road, Olive Branch; southernhandshomestylecooking.com

Smothered pork chops, fried chicken, blackened catfish and creamy mac-and-cheese are just some of the dishes you will find at Southern Hands Home Style Cooking restaurants. Southern Hands is the Memphis-based restaurant chain Betty Baskin founded with her five children. Baskin died in May 2018, but the restaurant has thrived and expanded as her children have carried on her legacy. The five restaurants serve Southern soul food made from scratch following Baskin’s tried and true recipes. The food reminds you of Sunday supper at your grandmother’s house.

Famed Memphis barbecue joints

A&R Bar-B-Que

Two locations: 3721 Hickory Hill Road and 1802 Elvis Presley Blvd.; (901) 774-7444; aandrbbq.com

Back in 1983, Andrew and Rose Pollard opened the doors of A&R Bar-B-Que. This family-run restaurant has received national accolades for its pulled pork sandwiches, tender ribs and sweet tangy sauce. This barbecue institution is well known by locals as the place in town for rib tips. In fact, this spot even serves a rib tips sandwich. Rib tips are slathered with barbecue sauce, topped with slaw and served on white bread. It’s a very messy — and tasty! — sandwich.

Cozy Corner

35 North Parkway; (901) 527-9158; cozycornerbbq.com

Cozy Corner has been a Memphis favorite since Raymond and Desiree Robinson opened the doors in 1977. There’s a reason for that. The Robinson family has mastered the technique of barbecue. (The restaurant’s matriarch Desiree Robinson was even voted into the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame in 2020.) Today the restaurant is run by three generations of the family.

Payne’s Bar-B-Q

1762 Lamar Ave.; (901) 272-1523

Payne's Bar-B-Q is a family operation that has been in business since 1972. This place is the real-deal, and one of the few truly old-school barbecue joints in town. The menu is as bare bones as the dining room, focusing only on the barbecue essentials. Pork shoulders are cooked low and slow over coals in a pit that is adjacent to the service counter. The house-made barbecue sauce, perfectly balanced with sweetness and a vinegary tang, simmers on a vintage stovetop. The proprietor, Flora Payne, chops the shoulder for each sandwich — something she has been doing for almost 50 years. The sound of her cleaver on the cutting board is one of the ways you know you are at Payne’s.

The Bar-B-Q Shop

1782 Madison Ave.; (901) 272-1277; thebar-b-qshop.com

The Bar-B-Q Shop has been a Midtown neighborhood favorite for more than 30 years. Back in 1987, Frank Vernon bought a restaurant called Brady and Lil’s and turned it into The Bar-B-Q Shop. Today, his son Eric Vernon runs the day-to-day operations of this bustling restaurant. The reason this barbecue restaurant makes this list is because we love everything — from the ribs to the pulled pork to the world-famous barbecue spaghetti (which was invented here).

International fare from Africa to the Caribbean

Bala’s Bistro

4571 Elvis Presley Blvd.; (901) 509-3024; balasbistro.com

Originally from Mali, Bali Tounkara is known for the authentic West African dishes he serves at his restaurant, Bala’s Bistro. Dishes like Jerked Chicken, Lamb Dibi and Beef Oxtail offer Memphians a taste of Tounkara’s homeland. Bala’s Bistro also offers many vegan dishes, as well as some American items like burgers and gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches.

Curry N Jerk

150 Monroe Ave.; (901) 480-8381; currynjerk.com

Since Arturo Azcarate opened Curry N Jerk in 2018, the restaurant has become a destination for authentic Caribbean dishes from Panama and Jamaica. Specialties like Oxtails, Jerk Chicken and Curry Goat are popular items. The restaurant is located in the historic Bon Ton Café building in Downtown Memphis and also has a lounge in the basement.

StickEm

1788 Madison Ave.; (901) 474-7214; stickemfood.com

Owner Ermyias Shiberou launched StickEm as a food truck in 2012. His brick-and-mortar location of StickEm opened in 2020 when he turned his Blue Nile Ethiopian restaurant into an outpost for the concept that originally got him started in the food business. Marinated chicken kabobs, steak kabobs, shrimp kabobs and tofu kabobs are the heart of the menu. The skewers are well seasoned using an interesting blend of spices that have their roots in Ethiopian and Asian cuisines.

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Creative and casual eats

Biscuits & Jams

5806 Stage Road, Bartlett; (901) 672-7905; biscuitsandjams.com

It’s all about brunch and fun at Biscuits & Jams. “You can jam to music while you eat biscuits and jam,” restaurateur Monique Williams said of the inspiration behind the name of the eatery that serves breakfast, brunch and lunch. On the menu at this restaurant that opened in 2021 are buttery Southern-style biscuits, frittatas, eggs benedict, French toast and — of course — an assortment of both sweet and savory jams. Tunes are playing every day, with live music on the weekend. A second location is set to open Downtown this spring.

Park + Cherry

Dixon Gallery & Gardens, 4339 Park Ave.; dixon.org

Chef Phillip Dewayne is the chef of Park + Cherry, the 36-seat café inside the Dixon Gallery & Gardens. The café is open for lunch, as well as morning and afternoon snacks. The menu offers a variety of soups, salads and sandwiches that are perfect for a light lunch. Each dish has healthy ingredients, but still offers vibrant flavors. There is no fee to enter the café, and Dixon members receive a 10% discount at Park + Cherry. Dwayne is the exclusive caterer for Dixon events and also offers a healthy meal prep service called Recover Meals.

Dos Hermanos

Cossitt Library, 33 S. Front St.; doshermanos-kitchen.com

Lunch in a library? Cossitt Library now has a café as one of its amenities. Dos Hermanos is the latest venture for Chef Eli Townsend, formerly the chef at Sage. The café opened in 2023. Townsend describes his offerings as “soulful and healthy dishes.” Expect items like a Falafel Waffle topped with Mushroom Jam and a Tzatziki Aioli and a Mediterranean Chicken Salad. Dos Hermanos also offers daily specials, many with themes like Meatless Mondays, Taco Tuesdays and Flatbread Fridays.

Feast & Graze

Brooks Museum, 1934 Poplar Ave.; feastandgraze.com

Cristina McCarter (who also runs City Tasting Box and the Craft Food & Wine Festival) launched Feast & Graze as a charcuterie and cheese board delivery service in fall 2019. The concept now operates out of the Memphis Brooks Museum café. On the menu are gourmet sandwiches, salads and charcuterie boards. Feast & Graze also provides catering for museum special events. Later this spring, Feast & Graze is set to open a 1,300-square-foot shop and café on Highland that will include a “made-to-order” charcuterie bar.

Smackers

Four locations: 569 S. Highland St.; 681 Walnut St.; 780 U.S. 64, Suite 101, Bartlett; 200 Goodman Road East, Suite 103, Southaven; smackersmemphis.com

Kevin Jamerson launched Smacker’s as a food truck and has grown his business into one with four locations in the Memphis area. The takeout concept offers casual fare like burgers, sandwiches, quesadillas and wings. But it’s the Grilled Salmon Club that has put this restaurant on Memphis’ culinary map. For this sandwich, fresh salmon is served on grilled white toast dressed with remoulade, lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, Swiss cheese and cheddar cheese.

Trap Fusion

Two locations: 4637 Boeingshire Drive and 670 N. Germantown Parkway, Cordova; trapfusion901.com

Trap Fusion is known for its from-scratch and one-of-a-kind spins on soul food and Southern cuisine. Influences of Cajun and Caribbean fare are evident in many of the items made daily from fresh ingredients. Smoked wings, blackened salmon and stuffed turkey burgers are just a few of the dishes on the eclectic menu at Trap Fusion.

Uncle Lou's Fried Chicken

3633 Millbranch Road; (901) 332-2367; unclelousfriedchicken.com

Deep Fried Sweet Spicy Love. With a name like that, you know the chicken has to be good. Lou Martin, the “Uncle Lou” behind Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken, slathers his crispy fried chicken in a sweet and spicy sauce that was invented by his great-grandmother. Martin won’t share all his great-grandmother’s secrets, but he did say that some of the ingredients behind his sweet and spicy sauce are honey, hot sauce, red wine vinegar and their signature “corruption” seasoning. His chicken — available in mild or hot — is crispy, spicy and sweet all at the same time.

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Hot & spicy chicken wings

Ching’s Hot Wings

1264 Getwell Road; (901) 743-5545

There is a reason this wing spot has been a Memphis favorite since it opened in 2003. It's a family-run business that focusses on one thing — chicken wings. The wings are fried to perfection, and then tossed in what we consider the perfect amount of sauce. Ching’s makes all its sauces and seasonings from scratch, and you can tell the difference. The flavors are traditional, with only nine to choose from.

Mike’s Hot Wings & Such

Two locations: 7730 Wolf River Blvd., Germantown; and 6825 Winchester Road; germantown.mikeshotwingstogo.com

Mike’s Hot Wings & Such owner Mike Davis cooks his party wings until nice and crispy, with tender and juicy meat. He then tosses them in your choice of his signature sauces or dry seasoning blends. His lemon-pepper seasoning has just the right amount of tangy citrus with a mild peppery kick. He opened his first wings restaurant 11 years ago on Winchester. Then opened a second Germantown location four years ago. He said what makes his wings so good is “lots of love.”

Riko’s Kickin’ Chicken

1329 Madison Ave.; (901) 726-5347

Riko and Tiffany Wiley, who own Riko’s Kickin’ Chicken, had their first date at a hot wings shop in North Memphis. Seems the couple’s love for each other and hot wings was the perfect recipe for their own hot wings restaurant. One of the things we love most about this hot wings shop is that at the holidays, they fry up turkeys in your favorite hot wing flavor. Choose from Seasoned, Cajun, Lemon Pepper, Honey Gold or Honey Garlic.

The Wing Guru

Multiple locations; thewingguru.com

The Wing Guru is owned and operated by former Memphis Tigers basketball player Billy Richmond. So it’s no surprise that one of the hot wing chain’s most popular flavors has a basketball tie. “The Triple J” is a Honey Gold-based flavor he developed in partnership with Memphis Grizzlies power forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr. — hence the name, Triple J.

Sweet treats to enjoy

Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies

Two locations: 2370 Airways Blvd. and 301 Jefferson Ave.; makedascookies.com

Makeda’s is known for its old-fashioned butter cookies. These beloved cookies are sold at Makeda’s two bakery locations — the original bakery on Airways and the new one located Downtown — as well as in more than 50 grocery stores. Stop by one of the two bakeries for a tasty selection of cookies and pies.

Sift Bakery

5788 Stage Road, Suite 1, Bartlett; thesiftbakerytn.com

Sift Bakery is known for its tasty French macaron cookies that come in creative flavors like Birthday Cake, Banana Pudding, Strawberry Cheesecake, Vanilla Bean and Churro. Owner Lonisa Bowen offers more than 30 flavors from which customers can choose for special orders. At her Bartlett retail shop, she offers a limited number of flavors each day. The flavors in the display case rotate often. You can also find freshly baked pastries including her signature "Mackies" (macaron stuffed cookies) and spiral croissants in flavors like Raspberry Pistachio and Nutella.

The Pie Folks

1028 N. Germantown Parkway, Cordova; (901) 752-5454; thepiefolks.com

Just like the name says, the chocolate cream pie at The Pie Folks is so good you will want to "Slap Yo Mama." This decadent and creamy chocolate pie has won numerous awards at the National Pie Championships. Like all their pies, it is available by the slice as well as a half or whole pie. And here’s a tip for you Banana Pudding lovers, The Pie Folks owner Audrey Anderson sells a mix to make her popular version of this Southern dessert.

Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer. 

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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Black-owned restaurants in Memphis: 24 spots you should check out