Philadelphia Black-Owned Restaurants You Can Order From Right Now
Support Philly's black-owned businesses — restaurants included.
Soul food at Aunt Berta’s Kitchen. Photograph by Ian Shiver
Publicly showing your support for Black Lives Matter is an important first step in supporting black lives. The black squares many people posted onto Instagram yesterday were a well-intentioned (though ultimately problematic) effort, and movements like #blackouttuesday are helpful in spreading awareness when awareness needs to be spread.
But non-black people need to move past just awareness now. We should all be well aware of the social injustices black Americans face at this point, and we should’ve long before this moment. Now is the time for concrete action. It’s time for us to put our money where our mouths are. That could mean donating to Black Lives Matter, or the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund. That could mean buying books from Philly’s black-owned bookstores. That could mean ordering tonight’s takeout from a black-owned restaurant.
White people: whatever outrage and sadness you are feeling – pouring it all out on social to your Black friends won’t make them feel connected to you, it just places the burden of your feelings on top of their own.
Send money, send a meal, buy from Black businesses. BE USEFUL.
— Ijeoma Oluo (@IjeomaOluo) May 30, 2020
Last year, Kris Rhim, a former Philly Mag/PABJ fellow, put together an excellent guide to Philly’s West African restaurant scene. Another former fellow, Khanya Brann, built an extensive guide to Caribbean food in Philly. Today, we’re going to shout out a few more black-owned restaurants you can order tonight’s takeout from — some of them Best of Philly winners, others just places we’ve grown to love over the years. It’s by no means a comprehensive list of black-owned restaurants in Philly. It’s just one to get you started. Hopefully, you use it now, and hopefully, you use it a month from now, a year from now and well beyond then.
And if you’re ordering delivery, we suggest that you use Black and Mobile, a mobile delivery app that partners exclusively with black-owned businesses. It launched in Philly last year.
For more comprehensive lists of black-owned restaurants in Philly, please check out these two Google docs here and here.
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Vegan-ish, West Philly
You don’t have to be vegan to eat at Vegan-ish. You don’t even have to eat vegan while you’re there. The menu is full of plant-based options, but owner Lamarr Ingram also serves pescatarian options like his spicy Creole shrimp burger. Call 215-477-1153 to place your order. Use Black and Mobile for delivery.
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Food For Your Soul, Pennsport
Chef and owner Shahidah Kendall moved her restaurant from Oregon Avenue to Snyder Avenue last year. Of course, she moved her smoker with it — the same smoker that gave us one of the best bone-in lamb chop platters in the city. Call 215-372-7340 for pickup and delivery.
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Orchard Smoothie Cafe, Point Breeze
You can come here for smoothies, sure. But if you’re not leaving Orchard Smoothie and Cafe with a fried lobster burger, you’re missing out on something really, really special happening in South Philly. Call 267-606-6579 for pickup and delivery.
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Turp’s Kitchen, Whitman
If nothing else, eating at Turp’s Kitchen (new on 3rd and Snyder Avenue) is a master class in generosity. It’s a place that excels in gut-busting portions — styrofoam clamshells so heavy with delicious fried and fresh seafood, they stretch out the handles of the plastic bag you’re carrying them in. Call 215-477-1153 to place your order. Use GrubHub for delivery.
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DeBreaux’s, Overbrook
When you eat your fried chicken at DeBreaux’s, make sure you position your plate so that you’re eating it over the mac and cheese (that you should absolutely order). DeBreaux’s mac and cheese, studded with pieces of DeBreaux’s crispy battered chicken skin, would be its own menu item if it weren’t so fun making it yourself at the table. Call 215-877-4559 for pickup.
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Aunt Berta’s, Oaklyn and Lindenwold
An order of Cajun turkey wings, maybe some crusty fried whiting, definitely some ribs slathered in a house-made BBQ sauce (that you can buy by the bottle), and some real Southern iced tea to boot. That’s enough to get you started. Call 856-858-7009 for pickup. Delivery available on Doordash.
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Frannie Nick’s, Bella Vista
Frannie Nick’s serves some of the best collard greens in the city, in addition to familiar comfort foods fried chicken and meatloaf. Owner Ilisha Sampson also serves several family recipes, like her special potato chip cookies and wings with her “honey crack” sauce. Call 215-923-3495 for pickup. Delivery available on Caviar.
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South, Fairmount
One of few jazz clubs in Philadelphia, South is known for it’s live shows as much as for its broad selection of whiskey and low country-style southern cooking. That means po’boys, cornbread, and more, plus plenty of cocktails to go with your live music. Call 215-600-0220 for pickup. Delivery available on UberEats.
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Honeysuckle, Italian Market
Omar Tate’s acclaimed Honeysuckle Pop-up was originally based in New York, but coronavirus brought him back to Philly for the long term. Follow him on Instagram for a weekly rotating menu of foods inspired by his interrogation of black foodways. Order through DM here. Pickup only.
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Booker’s Restaurant, West Philly
We like Booker’s for the friendly service and comforting food, and their takeout is just as excellent right now. Especially exciting: You can get brunch delivered on the weekends. Which means Booker’s pancakes of the day, on your living room couch. Call 215-883-0960 for pickup and delivery.
