Black Restaurant Week Returns to Los Angeles—Here’s Where to Eat in South LA and Beyond

Ten days of wine, barbecue, soul food, Creole cooking and Black culinary excellence begin September 18

Los Angeles never needs an excuse to celebrate Black food, but Black Restaurant Week offers a particularly good reason to make a reservation, order something new and put real support behind the restaurants shaping the city’s dining culture.

The ninth annual Black Restaurant Week Los Angeles runs from September 18 through September 27, 2026. The national initiative highlights Black, African and Caribbean restaurants and culinary businesses—several of which are located right here in Inglewood and South Los Angeles.

This is not a discount-focused promotion like Dine LA. The point is visibility, discovery and sustained patronage. Founded in Houston in 2016, Black Restaurant Week was created to give Black-owned culinary businesses access to the kind of marketing and public-relations exposure that is often difficult for independent restaurants to afford.

In other words: come hungry, pay full price and remember the restaurants you discover after the official week ends. Explore Black Restaurant Week’s national culinary directory.

Start With Wine and Dinner in Inglewood

1010 Wine and Events

Inglewood’s 1010 Wine and Events belongs near the top of the list. The sophisticated neighborhood wine bar has earned attention for centering Black-owned wines while creating an inviting space for dinner, conversation and date night.

The experience is polished without feeling overly formal—the kind of place where you can explore a new bottle, share several dishes and settle in rather than rush through dinner.

Neighborhood: Inglewood
Best for: Date night, wine lovers and dinner with friends
Why go: It brings thoughtful food, Black wine culture and a stylish neighborhood atmosphere together under one roof.

Catch the Game With Barbecue at The Wood

The Wood Urban Kitchen & Sports Lounge

The Wood gives Inglewood a lively sports-bar experience built around barbecue, drinks and an energetic crowd. It is a natural pick when you want dinner but do not necessarily want a quiet dining room.

Expect a social atmosphere suited to game day, happy hour or a casual night out with friends.

Neighborhood: Inglewood
Best for: Barbecue, sports and group outings
Why go: The Wood combines the familiarity of a neighborhood gathering place with a menu made for comfort and sharing.

Revisit a South LA Soul Food Institution

Dulan’s on Crenshaw

Some restaurants simply serve a neighborhood. Others become part of its identity.

Dulan’s on Crenshaw has long been one of South Los Angeles’s essential destinations for generous plates of soul food. This is where you go for fried or smothered chicken, greens, macaroni and cheese, candied yams and the kind of meal that requires both an appetite and a little extra time afterward.

Black Restaurant Week may introduce new diners to Dulan’s, but its history and loyal following extend far beyond any ten-day promotion.

Neighborhood: Crenshaw
Best for: Classic soul food and satisfying takeout
Why go: Dulan’s represents the connection between food, family tradition and South LA history.

Make Room for Creole Classics

Harold & Belle’s

Harold & Belle’s has been serving Creole cuisine in Los Angeles for generations. Its menu draws from Louisiana flavors with dishes such as gumbo, jambalaya, crawfish étouffée, po’boys and seafood platters.

The restaurant works equally well for a family dinner, celebratory meal or a first introduction to Creole cooking. Come prepared to order beyond your usual favorites—this is a menu worth exploring.

Neighborhood: Jefferson Park
Best for: Creole food, seafood and family celebrations
Why go: Few Los Angeles restaurants combine longevity, cultural history and deeply comforting Louisiana cooking quite like Harold & Belle’s.

Follow the Smoke to Bludso’s BBQ

Bludso’s BBQ

Pitmaster Kevin Bludso built his name in Compton before bringing his Texas-style barbecue to a much wider audience. The restaurant remains closely tied to Los Angeles’s Black culinary story, with slow-smoked meats that have earned national recognition.

Brisket may be the headline order, but ribs, pulled pork, chicken and classic sides make this an easy destination for a group—especially if everyone agrees to share.

Los Angeles roots: Compton
Best for: Brisket, ribs and serious barbecue cravings
Why go: Kevin Bludso’s journey from Compton barbecue destination to nationally recognized pitmaster is part of the city’s modern food history.

Build a Brunch Around Gritz N’ Wafflez

Gritz N’ Wafflez

If brunch is your preferred weekend activity, Gritz N’ Wafflez makes a convincing case for arriving hungry. Chef Jurni Rayne’s menu plays with familiar Southern flavors through dishes like fried deviled eggs, collard greens dip and soft, indulgent waffles.

Add a Keke Palmer—the restaurant’s take on an Arnold Palmer—or lean fully into brunch mode with mimosas.

Neighborhood: Koreatown/Pico-Union area
Best for: Brunch, waffles and creative Southern comfort food
Why go: The menu is playful, highly photographable and built around flavors that still feel rooted in tradition.

Look Beyond the Familiar Favorites

The participating lineup also includes Obet & Del’s Coffee in East Hollywood, Southern seafood destination Joyce in Downtown Los Angeles and Blaqhaus NoHo in North Hollywood.

That geographic spread is part of the appeal. Black culinary culture is not limited to one Los Angeles neighborhood or one category of food. It stretches from morning coffee and weekend brunch to wine bars, barbecue counters, sports lounges and celebratory dining rooms.

The official 2026 event runs September 18–27, and participating businesses or details may change. Check the Black Restaurant Week directory and each restaurant’s website or social channels before visiting. The event’s return and participating Los Angeles restaurants were also reported by Eater Los Angeles.

The Real Assignment: Keep Going Back

Restaurant weeks are useful because they draw attention, but meaningful support is built through habits.

Try a new restaurant during Black Restaurant Week, then return for a birthday dinner, order takeout on a busy weeknight, purchase a gift card or recommend the business to someone else. Post the meal, tag the restaurant and leave a thoughtful review when the experience deserves it.

For communities like Inglewood, Crenshaw, Jefferson Park and Compton, restaurants are more than places to eat. They create jobs, preserve family recipes, give neighborhoods gathering spaces and help shape the identity that makes people want to live, work and spend time there.

Black Restaurant Week ends September 27. Supporting Black-owned restaurants should not.

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