Luckily, Miami is filled with fascinating figures who've created vibrant spaces that continue to shape our city into the cultural fusion hotspot it is today, be it musicians, politicians, artists or chefs.
For the next few weeks, locals and tourists can celebrate national Black business month in the most delicious way possible by visiting one of the Magic City's growing list of Black-owned restaurants. Several spots have been around for decades, offering a taste of Black and American history through menus offering dishes you likely won't find elsewhere.
There are scores of establishments and chefs deserving of the spotlight this month. Below, listed in alphabetical order, is a diverse selection of our favorites.
Awash
19934 NW Second Ave., Miami Gardens305-770-5100
awashmiami.comAwash is a restaurant that honors culinary culture and history, from the communal-style meals served as single heaping platters to the traditional ceremonial coffee service. An authentic experience is what husband-and-wife owners, Fouad and Eka Wassel, hope to impart with each meal at this Miami Gardens spot that takes its name from the Awash River, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Ethiopia. In that sense, their restaurant is able to bring a small taste of the rich cultural history of Africa to Miami — one they left behind in the early '90s to create a new life together in America. Their small slice of "home" conjures Ethiopia physically by way of the open, airy dining room filled with low-slung tables called mesobes, each covered with colorful woven cones and matched with squat leather-topped chairs. You'll also find a thatched lean-to where a small charcoal stove is used to pan-roast hand-ground green beans and slowly brewed over hot coals right before your eyes. Awash will also transport you by way of the food — especially when you order one of the combination platters, a taste of Ethiopia set out in small heaps on a large metal tray covered in injera, the spongy bread that doubles as an eating utensil. The idea here: Slow down, relax, and be present in the moment and with those you're sharing it with.
Chick'N Jones is a passion project that chef Amaris Jones built on her childhood memories.
Photo courtesy of Chick'N Jones
Chick'N Jones
1601 Drexel Ave., Miami Beach (inside South Beach Food Hall)305-335-0538
chicknjones.com
While Chick'N Jones chef/founder Amaris Jones could wear the title of chef, influencer, fashionista, community organizer, and restaurateur, one might just as well describe her as an inspiration. And her inspiration for her wildly popular, fast-casual fried chicken restaurant comes from her childhood: specifically Chicken George, a small Black-owned franchise outside Baltimore where her family often dined in the 1980s. Chick'N Jones pays homage to those memories by building a legacy based on the same premise: offering food that speaks to the soul. It all starts with the chicken, marinated in mustard, herbs, and spices for 24 hours, dredged in a flour-and-spice blend, and allowed to rest another day before being fried to order in non-GMO, expeller-pressed oil. (That spice blend is proprietary — Jones will only say it's her equivalent to KFC's secret breading.) The former personal chef and event manager for celebrities like Rick Ross and Chris and Adrienne Bosh offers guests a choice: her traditional fried chicken served with pickled vegetables or a Nashville-inspired, hot-honey version that comes with bread and pickles. Get both in sandwich form, by the bucket, or served over a kale salad, and be sure to pair it with Jones' grilled green tomatoes for a soul-food splurge that's not such a splurge after all.
Clive's Cafe
5890 NW Second Ave., Miami305-757-6512
facebook.com/clivescafeFor more than 40 years, Clive's Cafe has been dishing out some of the best Jamaican food in Miami. But it wasn't always Jamaican fare, and it wasn't always in Little Haiti. Pearline Murray and her late husband, Clifford, opened the restaurant (named for their son Clive) in the late 1980s. Its original Wynwood location would see decades of change, from blocks of worker-filled factories to empty urban streets and then the bustling, gentrified, arts-and-entertainment district we know today. Along the way, Pearline and business partner/sister Gloria Chin began offering Jamaican fare, a menu swap that would make popular dishes of the restaurant's curry goat, Wednesday special stew peas with pig's tail and spinner dumplings, cow's foot, oxtail, and jerk chicken. Today, the iconic, cash-only Jamaican lunch spot has become a Miami fixture. Transplanted to Little Haiti in 2013, Clive's continues to welcome guests with the same friendly atmosphere and delicious, affordable Jamaican fare.
Dukunoo Jamaican Kitchen offers upscale Caribbean fare in the heart of Wynwood.
Dukunoo Jamaican Kitchen photo
Dukunoo Jamaican Kitchen
316 NW 24 St., Miami786-334-5150
dukunoowynwood.comLocated in the trendy Wynwood Arts District, Dukunoo is all about offering traditional Jamaican — dishes that artfully capture the island's flavors — complete with an outdoor jerk stand aimed at spirit guests to the heart of the Caribbean. It's all thanks to co-owners and husband/wife couple Rodrick Leighton and Shrusan Gray, M.D., both of Jamaican descent, who say they aimed to create a restaurant that not only honors their roots but also delivers an upmarket take on island vibe dining in Wynwood. Established in 2019, Dukunoo — named for the Afro-Caribbean word that translates to "sweet thing" for the banana leaf-wrapped, pudding-like dessert — is beloved for its wide assortment of vegan, vegetarian and pescatarian dishes that range from a jerk-spiced Jamaican Beyond burger and vegan ackee rolls to saltfish fritters and shrimp or chickpea curry. Pro tip: they may not have dukunoo, but don't miss the homemade brown butter or rum cakes.
Jackson Soul Food
950 NW Third Ave., Miami305-374-7661
jacksonsoulfood.comJackson Soul Food was founded more than 60 years ago by Johnny Mae Johnson, who first operated inside St. John's Missionary Baptist Church off NW Second Avenue as Mama's Cafe. His brother, Demas, and his wife, Jessie Jackson, would later take over. (They, in turn, passed the restaurant on to their daughters.) Today, the family-operated Overtown restaurant continues to be a mainstay in the area thanks to its mission to deliver one of the best soul-food experiences in Miami. Over the years — and across generations — the restaurant has seen the ebb and flow of Miami's Black community, serving its made-from-scratch soul food to the likes of Nat King Cole, Trick Daddy, and Dwyane Wade, whose photos line the walls of the dining room. A Jackson Soul Food outpost in Opa-locka offers the same menu, from fried catfish to meatloaf to oxtail to ribs, served with sides like biscuits, corn muffins, fried okra, and candied yams.
Lil Greenhouse is one of Overtown's few full-service restaurants serving up family-style soul food.
Lil Greenhouse Grill photo
Lil Greenhouse Grill
1300 NW Third Ave., Miami786-277-3582
lilgreenhousegrill.comLil Greenhouse is one of Overtown's few full-service, family-run establishments. Known for its modern Miami take on soul food, it has attracted the attention of Oprah Winfrey, who highlighted her meal here in 2020 as part of a promotion with Weight Watchers. Nicole Gates and chef/partner Karim Bryant operate their 30-seat restaurant for any guest the same way they did for Oprah: with welcoming arms that make you feel at home. Bryant oversees the menu, bringing to bear his experience gained from stints at Capital Grille, Prime 112, and BLT Prime in Doral. Gates, who has a background in radio, keeps the clientele happy, be they mega-celebrities or neighborhood regulars. Start with seafood cakes, made fresh daily with local seafood and served with house-made aioli. Try the signature "Dream Fire Shrimp," prepared grilled or fried, then smothered in the chef's sweet-and-spicy glaze. Slow-smoked ribs and applewood-smoked barbecue chicken are highlights, especially when served alongside sides like creamy mashed potatoes, baked beans, collard greens, and baked macaroni & cheese. Save room, and you can close with a helping of homemade banana pudding and leave with the knowledge you've had a meal fit for the queen of daytime talk TV.
Marcus Samuelsson, Derek Fleming, and Michael Simkins delivered Harlem soul food to Miami with Red Rooster Overtown.
Red Rooster Overtown photo
Red Rooster Overtown
920 NW Second Ave., Miami305-640-9880
redroosterovertown.comRed Rooster, the acclaimed Overtown restaurant presented by partners Marcus Samuelsson, Derek Fleming, and Michael Simkins, offers a thoughtful selection of dishes to celebrate Black-inspired cuisine. Situated on the former site of Clyde Killens' pool hall, where Black stars from Aretha Franklin to Sam Cooke to Muhammad Ali used to mingle, the restaurant offers dishes that encompass influences from Africa, the Southern U.S., the Caribbean, and beyond, earning this spot a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2022. Visit every Sunday when the restaurant offers an evening of live jazz paired with several large-format dishes perfect for sharing with family or friends. The Sunday Supper Menu offers five packages for sharing among parties of four to six, like the "Crispy Chicken Craze," the "Pork Perfection Platter," and the "Seaside Soiree Spread."
Rosie's
162 NW 73rd St., Miami305-631-2496
rosiesmia.comOnce located inside Overtown's historic Copper Door Bed & Breakfast as a post-pandemic pop-up, Rosie's has since grown into one of Miami's favorite brick-and-mortar brunch spots. It's all thanks to owners Akino West and Jamila Ross, who continue to offer a growing assortment of feel-good, comfort food fare. Rosie's (which is named after Ross' mother) recently expanded to its forever home off 73rd Street in Little River, a new space where you can find the couple whipping up their best dishes, including fresh-baked pastries, honey- or gravy-slathered biscuits, shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles, or stacks of lemon ricotta pancakes.
World Famous House of Mac founder Derrick Turton turned loss into legacy with his popular mac & cheese-themed restaurant.
World Famous House of Mac photo
World Famous House of Mac
1900 NE Miami Ct., Miami (Wynwood Eatery)305-903-3524
houseofmac.comWhen celebrities like Rick Ross, Fat Joe, and A$AP Mob love your food so much that people in the music industry encourage you to open your restaurant, you do it. That is if you're World Famous House of Mac founder Derrick Turton, known to many simply as "Chef Teach." After years of working in the music business — most notably as Pitbull's manager — Turton found a new calling after his father passed in 2013 and the Brooklyn native got the urge to build a legacy in his father's honor. The brand has grown from its humble beginnings as a food truck to two brick-and-mortar locations and more than 85,0000 Instagram followers, receiving props from the likes of Venus and Serena Williams, Trick Daddy, Luther "Uncle Luke" Campbell, Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union, and Rihanna. The menu offers Turton's unique take on American- and Caribbean-style comfort classics with a focus on — you guessed it — mac & cheese. You'll find more than 15 variations here, from five-cheese truffle to chicken parmigiana to jerk chicken and chicken cordon bleu, Philly cheesesteak, and a version topped with two whole lobster tails.
