As Portland continues to protest violence against black civilians and police brutality, many local diners have begun searching for black-owned businesses and restaurants to support, either by donating funds or buying dinner. While many restaurants are donating proceeds to black justice organizations, Portlanders can put money in the community directly by supporting black chefs, business owners, coffee roasters, and winemakers. The black business community has historically had less access to resources, and will be disproportionately affected by coronavirus. Many organizations, publications, and journalists have compiled lists of black-owned businesses, so those who are less familiar can find them when looking for a meal.
Below, we list a number of different lists, maps, and guides covering black-owned businesses in the area, as well as a number of black-owned restaurants and organizations directly giving out free meals to black Portlanders and protesters.
Lists of Black-Owned Businesses
I Love Black Food
In 2014, Size Queen’s Bertha Pearl created a Facebook event celebrating black-owned restaurants, which included a list on Facebook of black-owned businesses to support. Since then, that original list has turned into a searchable directory and map, with cafes, restaurants, bars, clubs, and grocery stores. The list is currently being updated with a new wave of submissions, but generally, this map is one of the most comprehensive; users can submit listings, and volunteers confirm they’re black-owned. Support Black-Owned Restaurants Week still exists today. The full directory can be found here, while the Facebook page shares other black-owned businesses and information.
Mercatus
Mercatus’s list of black-owned businesses has a handy filter-able search engine, so those looking for black-owned restaurants, bars, or caterers can filter out to find specific lists of just those kinds of businesses. The Mercatus search also can open up to include other businesses owned by people of color. Here’s the main search engine.
Portland Mercury
The Portland Mercury just released its own list of black-owned restaurants in Portland, with short explanations of what each restaurant serves. Not every restaurant on the list is open right now, but the list does include a number of newer restaurants and food carts that may not have hit the other guides.
Willamette Week
The benefit of the recent Willamette Week guide to black-owned restaurants is that it specifically focuses on restaurants offering takeout and delivery, which includes Jamaican Homestyle Cuisine, Akadi, and Nacheaux, among others.
Black PDX
The benefit of the Black PDX search is that each list is separated by town, so people looking for black-owned businesses in Gresham, Beaverton, or another specific suburb or city outside Portland can easily find everything — including non-restaurant businesses and organizations — in their immediate communities.
Instagram Lists
There are a handful of shareable Instagram posts with a select number of black-owned restaurants and businesses, but it’s worth noting that some of these lists are a touch outdated — Stoopid Burger, for instance, has closed, but co-owner John Hunt now runs a burger cart on NE MLK.
EatOkra
This app is designed to look and feel like most of the popular delivery apps, except that it exclusively features black-owned restaurants. It even has a “delivery” button that will show which apps are offering delivery from that business. The Portland listings are limited at the moment, but it’s worth a download — it could include a wider swath of businesses down the line.
If you know of another similar list, please reach out to the Eater Portland tip line.
Other Ways to Support Black-Owned Restaurants and Businesses
Donate to Don’t Shoot PDX
Beyond this organization’s various projects support black Portlanders and speaking out against police brutality, Don’t Shoot PDX has been explicitly paying black-owned restaurant owners to feed black Portlanders and protesters for free. So far, Don’t Shoot has paid Kee’s Loaded Kitchen, Everybody Eats PDX, and others, who have, in turn, organized meal giveaways. Make a donation here, or donate directly to Kee’s efforts through CashApp, PayPal, or Venmo.
Buy Merch
Akadi’s tangy “West African sauce,” Trap Kitchen’s cookbook, a bottle of Abbey Creek wine, a Deadstock Coffee hat (or a plain-old bag of coffee beans) — several black-owned businesses in the Portland area have things you can buy and take home. If the business doesn’t offer merch, ask about gift cards.
Support a Black-Owned Food Nonprofit or Organization Focused on Food Justice
There are a number of black-owned farms, farmer collectives, and organizations that help with business development and mentorship that might also be worth a donation, including the Equitable Giving Circle, the Black American Chamber of Commerce, the Portland chapter of the NAACP, and the Black Food Sovereignty Coalition, among others.
• Portland Organizations and Grassroots Efforts Feeding Black Communities [EPDX]