From soulful eateries serving up traditional favorites to innovative chefs crafting unique flavors, these establishments are not just places to eat but vibrant hubs of culture and community. Here are just a few of our favorite black-owned restaurants and businesses in Tucson, each telling a story of passion and creativity.
Alafia serves the authentic, unadulterated cuisine of Benin. You won’t find any dainty garnishes here; just wholesome, well-spiced food. Try a glass of the potent ginger juice.
“There’s something empowering about dining at Cafe Desta. I don’t know if it’s the encouragement to eat with my hands or the nourishing qualities of the food, but I just can’t get enough.”
Just south of downtown, Cafe Desta serves Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine. While they also offer meat, they are one of our favorite places to eat vegan.
Chef Brian Hill recently moved to Tucson from Florida and opened up Chef Brian’s Comfort Kitchen, which is a takeout, delivery, and catering company. He was on the first season of Top Chef, appeared on other reality TV shows like Master Chef and Beat Bobby Flay, and was once the private chef for celebrities Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, and Eddie Murphy.
While the various fried chicken options star, don’t sleep on the Chesapeake Bay Shallow Fried Salmon Squares and Pork Chops & Friends with fried apples and sweet yellow onions.
“Chez Peachy’s cakes are consistently whimsical and beautifully crafted. I appreciate her readiness to make vegan cakes upon request!”
The local bento cake shop created by Christa Lebron is all-things tasty, bright, and creative. You can catch up with the local bakery as a pop-up at markets or if there’s something specific you’re looking for, send Chez Peachy a direct message on Instagram (which is also where you can keep up with the latest).
Hidden among apartment complexes inside of a drab shopping center awaits D’s Island Grill JA (JA for Jamaica), a secret island getaway. The menu features a hodgepodge of chicken, shrimp, pork, and fish prepared as curries, sandwiches, and more. Duwayne’s entrées are all gluten-free and include rice and peas and a choice of crunchy vinegar-based coleslaw or steamed vegetables.
“Don’t be fooled by the seemingly lackluster facade — the nondescript entrance is meant to throw off the scent. The lounge is cozy!”
HUSH isn’t a typical speakeasy lounge, however — it has a minimal drink menu. Guests can sit at the bar top, scarlet red couches, or chic booths. R&B music plays in the background.
“My favorite Jerk Chicken in Tucson!”
Daily dishes include Jerk Chicken, Fried Catfish, and Fried Chicken but the restaurant is also serving daily specials every week. Therefore, there’s always something new to try at Janet & Ray’s! For instance, if you show up on Fridays, there’s a chance they’ll have Lobster Mac n’ Cheese or Whole Snapper on the menu.
Formerly CeeDee’s Jamaican Kitchen, you’re instantly surrounded by the smells of traditional island spices when you step inside. Jerk chicken, oxtail, fry bread, goat, and many more classic Jamaican meals are what you’ll find on their menu.
This South Park Avenue spot is a long-time Tucson barbecue staple — owner Ray Kendrick has been delighting patrons with his no-frills approach to barbecue since 1997. Popular items on the small menu include beef ribs, along with the more typical pork. Our favorites include the hot links and brisket, but go for the Three Meat Combo and you can decide for yourself.
Somali brothers Ismail, Mohamed, and Abdul Osman opened Nur Market & Restaurant in 2008 to support the local refugee community. The market specializes in East African, Middle Eastern, and East European foods. The restaurant specialize in Somali food with dishes such as goat curry and rice pilaf.
Off the Hook’s fried fish is some of the best seafood in Tucson. They’re a food truck so they don’t have a physical address but you can keep up with where they’re parked by following them on Facebook. Warning: You’ll likely be “hooked” after you try chef Matt Kearney’s cuisine.
If you are planning a party and Southern food is on the menu, look no further, this is the spot for you. You can also find them doing pop-up dinner events all over Tucson like at Prep & Pastry. So, they don’t have a phsyical address in Tucson but to keep up with where they’re popping up, follow them on Instagram.
Back in 2018, Eritrea native Welday Gezehen opened Queen Sheba Eritrean Restaurant, sharing the cuisine of his homeland. Then in 2021, they announced the closing of its 5553 E. Grant Rd. location (where Amelia’s Mexican Kitchen currently operates) and relocated to 6470 E. 22nd. St. Gezehan and his family left the northeast African country Eritrea as refugees in 2006 and lived in the neighboring country Ethiopia for three years before moving to the U.S.
Walking into The Red Light Lounge at the Downtown Clifton Hotel is similar to entering a cozy room lit only by wicked firelight — where one isn’t too sure if this is a bar or a bistro. You’ll be happy to discover that it is indeed both. It’s angular, it’s dark, it welcomes whispers and singing alike and, best of all, the food is exquisite and the drinks are definitely on your side.
This no-frills spot on First Avenue produces some of the best barbecue in town. Takeaway is a good choice when it’s too hot to sit out on the back patio or in the small dining area near the kitchen, but if you want to keep inhaling those great meat aromas, you might want to stick around. The friendly chef/owner, who describes his barbecue as Kansas City style, is almost always on-site to greet customers if he’s not tending the grill. Along with such standards as brisket and pork ribs, the pastrami and burgers are standouts.
Local baker, Sydney Adams’ inspiration and love for baking derives from her grandmother and the recipes nestled inside of a cookbook, which carries recipes dating back to the 1940s. Seeing the joy that her grandmother received from baking is something she shares, too.
Urban Fresh is known as a “Vegucational Experience” due to its fresh, natural ingredients and health and wellness education. This plant-based restaurant offers quick and easy lunch options such as smoothies, hearty salads, and daily specials. With its intimate café feel and sidewalk patio, Urban Fresh offers a unique and healthy downtown dining experience.
In 1993, Amanuel Gebremariam opened Tucson’s first Ethiopian restaurant with the original Zemam’s in a house with five tables. The restaurant has since expanded to accommodate 200, along with an international bar next door at Zerai’s.
Go for a mixed plate for multiple options, such as the gomen wat collard greens with garlic, coriander, and cayenne and yebeg wat spiced simmered lamb strips.
