Here are 62 Houston restaurants that are black-owned businesses

Cousins Michael Ellis Taylor and Shaday Smith Herrera didn’t expect to be opening a restaurant in the middle of a pandemic. But, hey, people still need to eat.

A month ago, they bought Olive + Twist, 2712 Richmond, after the coronavirus dashed plans for another restaurant in Kingwood. They revamped the menu, adding some of their family’s New Orleans-inspired dishes. They’re open seven days a week, with a focus on weekend brunch.

Smith Herrera is also a respiratory therapist who worked in the COVID-19 unit of Houston Methodist Hospital.

“She would get out of her hazmat suit, shower, change again and then we’d work on getting this place going,” Taylor says. “It might have been an act of insanity. But there are few minorityowned places in that area, and we could, so we did.”

Olive + Twist is just one of many black-owned restaurants in the Houston area. Take your pick from barbecue, vegan, soul food, subs and much more.

• Olive + Twist Bar/Kitchen

• Burns Original BBQ

• The Breakfast Klub

• Taste Bar + Kitchen

• Craft Burger

• Frenchy’s Chicken

• Wisdom’s Vegan Bakery & Cafe

• Korny Vibes

• Victory Eatery

• Soul Behind Tha Stove

• Tropical Express

• Davis Street

• Wafflez N Creamz

• The Stuffed Baked Potato Factory

• GoCajun Subs

• Abbie’s Plant Based Cuisine

• Earthy Goodness Vegan Ice Cream

• Trill Taco

• Turkey Leg Hut

• Soul Food By Catherine

• Kulture Restaurant

• The French Fry House

• B’s Wine Bar

• Golden Krust

• Cafe 4212

• Neyows Creole Cafe

• Sunshine’s Health Food Store Vegetarian Deli

• Cool Runnings Jamaican Grill

• Sugar’s Cajun Cuisine & Bar

• Jus’ Donuts Bakery Cakes & More

• Cream-Burger

• Houston Sauce Co.

• Boogie’s Chicago Style BBQ & Homemade Burgers

• Alfredas Soulfood Cafe

• Cupcake Kitchen Houston

• Crumbville Texas

• Krab Kingz Seafood

• Soulfood Vegan

• Bee Fit Foods

• Mikki’s Cafe

• Burns Burger Shack

• Hanks Ice Cream Parlor

• 210 Fusion Cuisine

• Onion Creek Cafe

• Cedar Creek Bar & Grill

• Green Seed Vegan

• Reggae Hut

• Esther’s Cajun Cafe & Soul Food

• Gatlin’s BBQ & Catering

• Lost & Found Houston

• Mama’s Oven

• Sleepy’s Po Boys

• Flappy’s Wings & Burgers

• Lucille’s

• Lindiana’s Southern Vegan Kitchen

• Dream Wings

• Ray Jay’s Feel Good Food

• Sparkles Hamburger Spot

• Southern Q BBQ

• Jersey Bagels

• Throughgood Coffee

• The Greasy Spoon

Olive + Twist Shaday Smith Herrera opened Olive + Twist Bar/Kitchen with her cousin Michael Ellis Taylor during the COVID-19 pandemic.

J.C. Reid / For the Chronicle From left, Cory Crawford, Gary Burns and Steve Burns at their restaurant, Burns Original BBQ.