16 Black-Owned Restaurants in Greater Fort Lauderdale

When Stephen Tulloch, a former NFL linebacker and the founder of Circle House Coffee, stepped off the field, he got behind the coffee bar. Visit his Flagler Village coffee shop and order handcrafted coffee, tea, beer, wine, and pastries.

Crowned as one of Eater’s 2022 top new restaurants, The Katherine Restaurant is a labor of love run by husband-and-wife duo Timon and Marissa Balloo. This isn’t the couple’s first culinary venture — in fact, in 2019, The New York Times named Timon Balloo one of the 16 black chefs changing the food in America. Chef Timon has also been recognized as a 2023 James Beard Award semifinalist in the Best Chef: South category. 

At their new restaurant situated on Broward Boulevard, sample shareable dishes, which are inspired by different parts of the world, and sip on one of the restaurant’s eclectic wine offerings.

From globally inspired flavors to plant-based vegan options, you’ll find a scoop to satisfy your sweetest cravings at Localicious Caribbean Ice Cream, a family-owned ice creamery with locations in both Fort Lauderdale and Miramar. 

With more than 10 locations across Greater Fort Lauderdale, Donna's Caribbean serves up authentic Jamaican cuisine — like barbecue jerk chicken and curry goat — with daily lunch specials, happy hours, and weekend brunch.

The next time you visit the Yellow Green Farmers Market in Hollywood, stop by The Trap 954 to feast your eyes on local art while treating your taste buds to savory lobster rolls that come with complimentary Rap Snacks (chips bags with your favorite musicians on the packaging).

At Clevland’s Old Fashion Ice Cream in Miramar, indulge in old-fashioned ice cream scoops in more than 50 different flavors, including a handful of vegan options served in a cup, sundae, or ice cream float. The shop’s founder, Cleveland Smith, has been making ice cream for nearly 40 years!

Craving oxtail stew or shrimp creole? Dine on Haitian, Jamaican, and Caribbean flavors at Alberte's Restaurant in Oakland Park, where you can grab a table on the outdoor patio to catch live DJ sets every Friday and Saturday.

The Krazy Vegan is reinventing fast-casual burger joints with a menu of totally plant-based, gourmet burgers, chic’n sandwiches, wings, and cheesesteaks that come with a signature sauce and a side of fries. To wash it all down, order a refreshing house-made vegan lemonade or smoothie. 

For nearly two decades, La Paix Bakery — which means “peace” in French — has been baking their signature Haitian spices into every loaf of bread and savory pastry served at the family-owned bakery based in Miramar.

Dwight Bernard Witherspoon Jr., chef and owner of Just Spoons in Plantation, loves experimenting with comfort foods, adding his own twist to dishes — take for example the red velvet french toast and fried chicken served with a cream cheese glaze, pralines pecans, and two eggs on the side.

At The Rabbit Hole in Pompano Beach, you can Indulge in comfort cuisines guilt-free. Entirely plant-based dishes include vegan meatloaf, Southern barbecue platter, loaded quesadilla, and classic sides like cornbread and macaroni and cheese. Chef and owner Samuel Woods and his business partner, Emmanuel George, also pair their meatless menu with an atmosphere dedicated to showcasing Black history and artists.

For a decade Tropical Oasis Express has been serving Caribbean-American cuisine all across Greater Fort Lauderdale through the window of their signature green-and-black food truck. Order grab-and-go jerk chicken pasta, macaroni bites, lemon pepper wings, and lobster rolls.

Chef Rose Jamaican Cuisine in Sunrise is known for non-traditional, organic Jamaican fare that can only be ordered to go. Helmed by chef Anthony Rose, the kitchen cooks up vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, and traditional options in a cuisine category that doesn’t typically offer health-conscious options.

One of the newest vendors to join Sistrunk Marketplace after winning the food hall’s Fired Up Food Concept Competition in the spring is Island Made, which will be serving up Bahamian cuisine.

What started out as a food truck has grown into two locations in both Coral Springs and Deerfield Beach. Fat Boyz Barbecue is a destination for smoked meats and Southern sides, crafted using recipes that’ve been passed down through generations. The pulled pork, beef brisket, and smoked pastrami are prepped to perfection by pitmaster Jarael Holston-Jones, a U.S. Army veteran who hails from Pompano and serves as a church pastor.

A couple years after opening the Bang Shack at the Yellow Green Farmers Market in 2017, Jason Hadley had the opportunity to pitch his bang dip on “Shark Tank.” Today, you can visit his stand-alone restaurant in Hollywood to order Hadley’s famed spicy chicken, zucchini-based, or cashew-based bang dip smothered over plates of nachos, hotdogs, and burritos — or grab a tub to go.