Top Black-Owned Food Businesses in Berkeley

In the past year, the coronavirus pandemic has destroyed many lives and put a lot of restaurants out of business. What made matters worse was when the whole George Floyd tragedy happened and since then, I have been looking for ways to support black owned businesses. In this article, I have compiled a list of a few food businesses that I have had the honor of supporting and hope others can find a way to support them as well.

Alchemy Collective Cafe

Kimberly K on Yelp

One of the first things I noticed when I set foot into this cafe was that it was a very hipster cafe and I appreciated all the artwork they had put up. I have always had a thing for cafe art and this place does it really well. The day I came in to try this place, I was feeling like a latte with oat milk and they delivered it in a timely matter as well as making sure my cup of latte art was instagrammable. It looks like it would be a great place to hang out once indoor dining is opened again and I will try to make another stop here in the future!

What I recommend: latte art but add oat milk to perfect the drink

Location: 1741 Alcatraz Ave Berkeley, CA 94703

Cupcakin' Bake Shop

Terrell L on Yelp

One of my favorite desserts of all time are cupcakes and the quality of Cupcakin' Bake Shop's cupcakes are next level. I was very surprised when I first ordered cupcakes to go and there were so many different designs and flavors to choose from. It was honestly overwhelming because I wanted to try everything but there's no way my house would fit so I opted for a few popular flavors of the week. If you've ever tried the cupcakes from Sprinkles or Kara's, you would definitely be blown away by this shop because not only does it taste way better, but you also don't feel sick after eating five. Yes, I said what I said. If you get the chance or love cupcakes, check this place out for sure!

What I recommend: key lime cupcakes were one of my favorites but they have so many to choose from

Location: 2391 Telegraph Ave Berkeley, CA 94704

KC's BBQ

Bellea M on Yelp

When it comes to supporting small businesses, I'm all for it and it doesn't get better than some good ole' barbeque from KC's BBQ. I am a huge fan of barbeque and love finding new places to try but for me, the dishes that determine if a barbeque spot is legit are the ribs and the briskets. And I'm not exaggerating when I say these are some of the best ribs I've ever tasted. I had a party a while back, pre-pandemic, and needed a large order of ribs, chicken, sausages, and briskets. Not only did they deliver my last minute order, but they made sure to pack it neatly and fit a lot more than I expected into trays. Presentations are very important to me because I love posting about restaurants on my Instagram and this place made sure that everything looked amazing.

What I recommend: tray of ribs, chicken, and brickets

Location: 1235 San Pablo Ave Berkeley, CA 94706

I could go on and on about all the black owned restaurants I've tried because I made it a goal to try a lot and bring business to them during a difficult period. But I will continue writing about black-owned businesses in future articles and hopefully, I can get some suggestions on which places to try next. There's nowhere in the Bay Area I wouldn't travel to support a small business.

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