Celebrating Black-owned restaurants on Long Island

Though we celebrate the contributions and cuisines of Black Americans throughout the year, Black History Month gives us the opportunity to shine a deserved spotlight on the rich culinary heritage of Black-owned restaurants across Long Island. There are many, with more opening each season. Within the past year alone, we saw the addition of spots like 8-Bit Bites, 32 North, The Barnyard, Blue Mermaid, East Rock Coffee, Mo's Island Spice, Vern and more.

"We have so many takeout West Indian and Caribbean restaurants on Long Island, but there are few spots to dine in, have a great experience and feel the Caribbean," explained Xiomara Romain, co-owner of The Barnyard in Farmingdale, a newer spot which highlights Trinidadian, Guyanese and Haitian cuisines. "We wanted to start slowly, because the neighborhood is not accustomed to Caribbean food. What is legume? What is akra? You have to educate people about these dishes," she continued.

Bryant Postell, cofounder of the Black Restaurant Coalition and owner of Prime 39 in Lynbrook, one of the restaurants on this list, explained "It's not just about food; it's about celebrating our heritage, promoting economic empowerment, and fostering connections within our communities."

While it’s impossible to highlight all of the Island’s Black-owned restaurants, cuisines, and food sources in one list, here’s a sampling of some of our favorites.

8-Bit Bites 

17 Centereach Mall, Centereach

This halal burger and chicken sandwich spot is the first Long Island location of a Brooklyn-based chain. The Centereach location is co-owned by entrepreneur Joshua Morrison, who was hooked on the retro arcade concept that draws from '80s and '90s pop culture. Video game consoles are attached to every table, allowing you to choose from dozens of free games. The Flying Dutchman burger ($8.50) also recently made our list of 12 standout burgers on Long Island. Based on a secret menu item from In-N-Out, the burger has two rounds of grilled onions instead of bread. It’s a little dinky in its paper wrapper, but the onion slices add an extra savory element to the meat patties and allow you to focus more on the melted cheese. When you're done eating, you can play Donkey Kong for free. More info: 631-285-3823, 8bitbitesbk.com

32 North

32 N. Central Ave., Valley Stream

One mimosa is not enough at 32 North, a boozy Southern brunch spot that opened last summer in Valley Stream. Owner Andy Dorant (who is also behind East Rock Coffee) designed everything himself, converting the space from a video store to a clubby restaurant with a feminine look. His short-but-sweet menu skirts between American soul food and Jamaican flavors. Don't pass up the homemade buttermilk biscuits with a side of crumbly pork sausage gravy ($15). The biscuits are on the stouter side rather than being fluffy and tall, but they are heavenly and so buttery crisp. The jerk shrimp and grits also stand out, with five plump shrimp atop a thick moat of peppery cornmeal laced with so much spicy cream that each bite feels like a meal. More info: 516-593-0105, 32northrestaurant.com

The Barnyard

261 Main St., Farmingdale

A Caribbean restaurant focused on the foods of the islands, this family-run spot belongs to Don and Xiomara Romain, a husband-wife team and Babylon residents. With Haitian-Canadian and Guyanese-Panamanian roots between them, Xiomara spices the chickens and Dom concocts addictive sauces like mango-clove — which should be bottled — that accompany the light, airy akra ($13), or malanga (yautia) fritters, a Haitian delicacy with a habanero kick. The oxtail empanadas ($18) are accompanied by a killer jerk barbecue sauce, and wings ($16) come in four varieties: curry, jerk, island BBQ and hot honey. At lunchtime, the jerk chicken cheesesteak ($15) is a way to dip a toe into the spicy dish that is offered as an entrée at dinnertime ($28). There's chicken and waffles, Bob Marley French toast, and shrimp and grits. There’s also a Caribbean whole fish ($36) at dinner and a traditional Haitian legume ($18) made with chayote, eggplant and creole spices. Drinks include a salmon-hued rum punch, made with all-fresh juices. With only 10 tables, it’s clear a lot of love went into the restaurant’s face-lift, from the vibrant turquoise walls and colorful island prints to the live plants and reggae soundtrack. More info: 516-249-5150, thebarnyardstation.com

Bayview Kitchen

393 Bayview Ave., Amityville

By day, the cozy 48-seat dining room of chefs Antoine Reid and Asim Henry is cheerfully flooded with sunlight. Nighttime brings a party atmosphere, where rastaritas (cranberry-flavored margaritas, a house specialty) flow. Touting breakfast all day, classics like waffles and grits are served with a variety of toppings from shrimp to salmon to whiting. Omelets, pancakes, wraps and sandwiches round out the menu. Bayview Kitchen offers lots more pleasures for the curious diner, like a plate of nachos that substitutes plantains for tortilla chips, and small pods of whole okra fried in cornmeal. More info: 631-608-4785, bayviewkitchenli.com

Blue Mermaid

327 Oak St., Uniondale

In the former home of Jamaican Bickle, the spiffy shop boasts a steam table brimming with Caribbean staples such as griot, Haiti’s national dish of citrusy deep-fried pork bits, goat in Creole sauce, curry goat, plantains, black rice and more. The shop is a family affair, owned by Frantze Faustin, who was born in Port-de-Paix in the north of Haiti. Black rice, a Haitian specialty that takes on the black hue from a Haitian mushroom called djon djon, is a must. You need it to soak up the fragrantly spiced stews like the curry chicken and stewed chicken in a rich tomato Creole sauce. A meatless eggplant and veggie stew called legume may have been the most delicious bite of a recent afternoon, as it was richly spiced with epis, a Haitian marinade of scallions, peppers, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. More info: 516-246-9727, bluemermaidgourmet.com

Bobby Q’s ... Jus Like Mama’s

365 West Sunrise Hwy., Freeport

The fried whiting, says Bobby Ford, is indeed just like mama’s. These crisp, golden shards of briny goodness are a highlight of the menu at his Freeport restaurant, Bobby Q’s ... Jus Like Mama’s, and, like Elizabeth "Betty" Ford, his South Carolina-born mother before him, he coats the fillets in corn flour and fries them to a delicate golden brown. The whiting is one of many seafood entrées (along with swai, salmon, porgy, shrimp, lobster and more) but Bobby Q’s also crams a lot of soul food onto its menu. You’ll find the classics, all expertly rendered here: fried, and jerk chicken; smothered pork chops; shrimp po-boys, mac-and-cheese made with nine (!) cheeses: collard greens, candied yams, fried okra and sautéed cabbage.

Ford’s first eatery was a barbecue spot on Freeport’s Main Street and his ribs, chicken and burnt ends have made the journey to the larger venue. Ford has taken a circuitous route to the hospitality industry. He's been a museum security guard and art handler at the Whitney Museum of American Art in Manhattan, a beat cop and then a detective at the NYPD and then a position at the Freeport Police Department. Despite the challenges, he conceded that running a restaurant doesn’t require quite as much patience as being an officer of the law. Police officers "broker in the business of misery," he explained. "You see people at their worst. But when you are serving them soul food ... it’s an ‘ice cream’ moment." More info: 516-460-8056, bbqeastofharlem.com.

Casita RD

866 Merrick Rd., Baldwin

This low-profile Baldwin restaurant is decorated to the nines with a colorful photographic mural and deep couches where people drinking fruity cocktails snack on wooden platters of fried salami. The menu flirts with Japanese, Italian and Mexican flavors in the context of Rodriguez's Dominican upbringing. Also known as Chef Papi on Instagram, Rodriguez impressed Massiel Medina with his vodka sauce when he catered her daughter's 25th birthday party. The two partnered to open Casita RD in a space that was previously the kitchen of her family's supermarket, Ideal Food Basket. The signature item is Dominican pizza ($19), slicked with Rodriguez's signature vodka sauce and stacked with fried salami and fried cheese. It's a saucy extravaganza of a dish that works better than you might think. More info: 516-600-9079, casitard.com

Coco's Cuisine

391 Peninsula Blvd., Hempstead

With silken shreds of beef that flow into the macaroni, this oxtail mac-and-cheese is worth the trip to this takeout joint. Jamaica native Collette Daley blends Caribbean dishes from her mom with soul food staples she learned in the United States, like a burger topped with jerk sauce, brown stew chicken with rice and peas, or freshly fried shrimp on a waffle. She also prepares her own fresh juices, like a crimson-colored sorrel juice made from hibiscus and a generous hit of ginger. Her partner Mark Davis makes the dessert; a red velvet Hennessy cheesecake is just as beautiful (and decadent) as it seems. More info: 516-636-5755, cocoscuisines.com

East Rock Coffee

Island Park and Garden City

Most coffee shops these days go in for a minimalist-rustic-industrial vibe. Not East Rock Coffee: It’s maximalist all the way. At both of Andy and Sherly Dorant’s chic locations — the original in Island Park (est. 2020) and the new one in Garden City (2024) — the decor relies on bold black-and-white stripes and wallpaper featuring a profusion of giant roses. Few main ingredients on the menu are left in peace: bacon gets an espresso-maple glaze; French toast is soaked in tres leches before being blanketed with crème Anglaise, dulce de leche and berry compote. As for the coffee, you might forgo a cappuccino in favor of the East Rock Pink, a rose-infused latte with pink pitaya, coconut milk and chocolate sauce. More info: 100 Long Beach Rd., Island Park, 516-442-7208; 653 Franklin Ave., Garden City, 516-280-2429, eastrockcoffeeshop.com

Lola’s Southern Cuisine

2717a Route 112, Medford

High school sweethearts Tiffany and Darrell Darwood cook fried chicken, pulled pork, mac-and-cheese and other Southern-style dishes at their Medford restaurant, a savory counterpart to the bakery the couple own in Brooklyn, Doc’s Cake Shop. The fried chicken is served by the piece or bucket, or over red-velvet waffles dusted with powdered sugar. Among the other meats and seafood are pork and beef ribs, pulled pork, barbecued chicken, fried whiting, fried catfish and salmon in a sweet-chili glaze. The hot bar is filled with traditional soul food sides: Candied yams, potato salad, string beans, mac-and-cheese, corn, mashed potatoes, cabbage, black-eyed peas and cornbread, as well as collard greens dotted with smoked turkey (there is also a vegetarian version). More info: 631-730-8526. lolasoutherncuisine.com

Mama Philo's African Cuisine

237-05 Linden Blvd., Elmont

For owners Philomena and Femi Alabi, having a restaurant was a natural extension of their ministry, the Farmingdale-based Bethel of Praise. "As a pastor," Philomena said, "you are serving people, accommodating people, providing a place for the community — it’s the same here." That openheartedness imbues every morsel at Mama Philo’s, Long Island’s only Nigerian restaurant. According to Femi, two dishes on the menu vie for "most popular." Jollof rice, cooked in a flavorful, tomato-stained broth that gets its heat from Scotch bonnet peppers, is served with a choice of braised meat or fried fish. Egusi is a hearty soup-stew, thickened with the ground melon seeds that give it its name. It is traditionally served with a ball of pounded yam, the flesh of an African tuber that has been peeled, chopped, boiled and mashed until it becomes a smooth white paste. Instead of a spoon, you use knobs of pounded yam to scoop up the egusi and convey it to your mouth. More info: 516-400-9743, mamaphilo.com

Mo's Island Spice

18 Woods Corner Rd., Setauket

While Caribbean restaurants are more numerous in Nassau and along Suffolk’s South Shore, Mo Green was determined to bring a taste of her native Jamaica to this corner of her adopted island when she opened Mo’s Island Spice in a former Subway in Setauket." Even though there are not a lot of Jamaican people up here, people will smell the food and wander in, that’s how it starts." She’s only been open since November, but "customers already know to come early for the oxtail before it runs out." Along with the stewed, falling-off-the-bone oxtail, popular items include jerk chicken, brown stew chicken or beef, curry chicken or goat. Platters, $13 to $19, come with rice and beans, steamed cabbage and peppers and fried plantains. At lunch, there are also jerk chicken tacos and wings, Jamaican patties and soups. For breakfast, a belly-busting platter of eggs, sausage or bacon, fried plantains, dumplings, toast or bagel, oatmeal or porridge and coffee or tea ($15.99). More info: 631-350-2430, mosislandspice.com

NuVo Kitchen, East Meadow

2367 Hempstead Tpke., East Meadow

The handsome, chill exterior of Marc Celestin’s fusion charmer calls to mind a nightclub with a serious rope line, although inside you’ll find a menu and hardworking staff that find ways to please almost everyone, especially during busy weekend brunches where standouts include jerk chicken and waffles, meaty lobster mac-and-cheese, and Dominican mangư — mashed plantains — with eggs and choice of proteins. There are also tempting-at-any-hour cocktails, each beautiful and potent, from the sunrise palette of rum punch, to a classy citrus, spiced rum and Cointreau concoction called Cable Car, to a pina colada-esque gin number served in a Leaning Tower of Pisa glass. More info: 516-493-4717, nkrestaurant.com

Pops & Poosh

988 Merrick Rd. Baldwin

The small room is dominated by a stunning wall-length photo of colorful Haitian buildings weaving their way up a hill. In this fast-casual setting, Jessie Byron and her sons Parnell "Pops" Gervais and Wagner "Poosh" Gervais, showcase the cuisine of her native Haiti. Her meat-based dishes benefit from the seasoning mixture called epis, which contains scallion, parsley, thyme, garlic, peppers and cloves. In the iconic pork dish griot, the shoulder is gently cooked with epis into large chunks and then deep-fried until it has a crackling crust. Served in a takeout container topped with the pickled vegetable relish pikliz, it’s deeply savory and shockingly spicy. But nothing one of those refreshing housemade lemonades can’t fix. More info: 516-223-2600, popsandpoosh.com

Pretty Toni’s Cafe

759 W Merrick Rd., Valley Stream

Chef-owner Toni Clifton serves a healthier version of soul food with no pork products and limits on fat and sugar. That said, there's plenty of comfort to be had from specialties such as fried whole whiting served with eggs, grits and home fries; a French toast croissant topped with whipped cream and berries; and sides of turkey bacon and sausage. Open only on weekends, Saturday is waffle day, with choices such as blueberry, chocolate chip and banana, and the Soul Brunch (named for the recorded soul, jazz and R&B piped into the comfortable dining room during the meal) is served Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. More info: 516-285-8664

Prime 39

39 Atlantic Ave., Lynbrook

In 2021, Bryant Postell and Rocky Jenkins opened this intimate restaurant-meets-lounge, where diners can partake in steaks and seafood through the dinner hours before the space evolves into a nightclub vibe with a midnight happy hour. The six prime, 28-day-dry-aged steaks — filet, New York strip, flat iron Wagyu, rib-eye, T-bone, and long-bone cowboy — are by far the most expensive mains offered, with a lobster tail add-on available. Sundays offers prix-fixe menus starting at brunch, while a nightly dinner menu includes dishes ranging from lollipop lamb chops to sweet potato deviled eggs and lobster mac-and-cheese. More info: 516-837-3939, prime39.com

Prime on the Mile

340 Woodcleft Ave., Freeport

Three years after opening Prime 39, Bryant Postell & Rocky Jenkins expanded their Prime directive to Freeport’s Nautical Mile, taking over the sprawling, multilevel building that used to be Hudson’s on the Mile. The venue has indoor and outdoor bars and dining areas, including a rooftop "SkyBar" with views of the water. There’s a full lineup of DJs, live music and comedy. On the menu, starters include mussels with lobster and crab, chargrilled oysters with lobster and crab, "sweet and crispy" calamari, lamb chops and tacos. Mains include lobster rolls, surf-and-turf mac-and-cheese, roast chicken, crab-stuffed salmon, surf-and-turf burger, lobster ramen and short rib pasta. More info: 516-224-3344, prime-onthemile.com

Stop 'n Nyamm

921 Montauk Hwy., Shirley

At Stop ’n Nyamm, chef Kwame McNeil is putting it all together. Blending his Jamaican culinary roots with decades of experience in corporate and fine-dining kitchens, he stocks the steam tables at this casual Shirley eatery with dishes of distinction. Stop ’n Nyamm (Nyam = "eat with relish" in Jamaican patois) is owned by Carlton and Annet Williams, who supplements the Jamaican food and imported groceries with her own fresh-squeezed juices. McNeil excels with curry chicken and goat (which has a bit more of a kick), brown-stew chicken and oxtail, both of which have a dark-mahogany hue bestowed by imported molasses and, somehow, tasting even darker and richer than they look. The menu is rounded out by a hauntingly spiced jerk chicken (smoked daily out back), escabèche fish, Jamaican patties (beef, chicken and vegetable), soups (chicken, fish, beef, goat head and red pea) and a range of West Indian breakfast specialties such as salt fish with ackee (a native fruit) or callaloo (a leafy green), and porridges made with corn hominy, peanuts or oatmeal. More info: 631-772-1544.

Sunflower Cafe & Bakery

825 Montauk Highway, Bayport

After the 46-year-old French restaurant Le Soir closed in 2023, new owner Stacé Hansen reimagined the spot as a chef-driven cafe. At Sunflower, she's keeping some of the staples of the Le Soir menu like the duck l'orange, but with her own twist. The space is casual and airy during lunch, when Hansen and her daughter Kathrine serve a fabulous French onion soup and one of the largest Nicoise salads you'll ever see, packed with tuna and freshly roasted beets. Sunflower also makes its own pastries and desserts, and, on a recent visit, was offering housemade lavender ice cream. More info: 631-472-9090, sunflowercafebakery.com

Uncle Don's Kitchen

1B W. Village Green, Hicksville

Patrick Walters first dreamed of having his own place as a 19-year-old in Kingston, Jamaica. His Hicksville takeout cafe is a family affair, with his three children working alongside him to keep up with demand for his stupendous jerk chicken — fresh from the pit, fragrant of smoke and allspice — along with oxtails long-braised in great caldrons until the meat goes soft and broth becomes gravy becomes elixir. Don't overlook the several varieties of Jamaican beef patties, their fillings both mild and spicy, all enveloped in a buttery crust. More info: 516-226-3808, uncledonskitchen.com

Vern

301 Bergen Ave., West Babylon

Bergen Bay isn’t one of Long Island’s best-known bodies of water, but this narrow inlet in West Babylon is worth exploring — a task that can easily be accomplished while dining on the deck at Vern. Last spring, the eclectic eatery replaced the long-running Seagull Restaurant. First-time restaurant owner Vernisha Persaud runs a construction company, and she tightened and brightened the building, enclosing more of the dining area and giving it a sharp black-and-white scheme. Vern’s kitchen is run by Long Island native Lamar Todd, whose dinner menu features pan-seared duck with chili-cream sauce, grilled lamb chops with rosemary, thyme and Vern sauce, Caribbean pasta in a spicy cream sauce with tricolor peppers. Lunch is a bit more casual, with crowd-pleasers such as grilled chicken-avocado club, Caesar and Santa Fe salads, fried calamari tossed in a Caribbean-inspired sauce and a Vern burger slathered with a secret green "Vern sauce." Raw bar items are always available. More info: 631-620-3340, vernny.com

Village BBQ

2224 Jerusalem Ave., North Merrick

Village BBQ may be a sliver of an eatery but, for Randy Brown, it’s the Big Time. This is the third location he’s occupied in three years — but it’s the first one that isn’t inside a gas station. The tiny, one-man show is quite a departure from his former career as a health care executive. When he retired in 2020, he decided to fulfill a lifelong dream of opening his own restaurant. "I didn’t know what kind," he recalled, "but I had begun to lean into barbecue, like a lot of guys." Brown’s menu ranges all over the barbecue and soul-food repertoires: Jigglingly tender brisket, beef plate ribs, St. Louis pork ribs, rib tips, chopped BBQ (pork shoulder), chicken (barbecued and jerk) and turkey wings. Brown also roasts pernil (Latin American pork shoulder), bakes chicken, and fries chicken, shrimp and whiting. And he makes Philly-style cheesesteaks. Give him a day’s notice if you’d like braised oxtails. More info: 516-727-2060

Marie Elena Martinez contributed to this story.