An expert guide to the best Black-owned restaurants in London

Jackson Mclarty set up the UK’s first Black-owned restaurant directory in the summer of 2020. A mid-pandemic plan to bring more attention to local food and catering businesses, Black Eats LDN was an instant success. Less than a year later, Jackson was already hosting live events, putting on the first Black Eats Fest in Hackney, involving a selection of drool-worthy street food traders from across the capital. The next festival takes place September 14-15 and will be bigger than ever, moving to Woolwich Works to accommodate more vendors, and with live music thrown into the mix too.

Here are just a few of Jackson’s current favourites when it comes to Black-owned restaurants in London. 

1. Bokit'La

‘They’re from Guadalupe, which is a very small island in the Caribbean, and are one of the first French Caribbean street food vendors in London, so they’re quite a unique find. They do something called a Bokit, which is a bit like a pita or a fried dumpling – it’s that flatbread vibe. It’s cooked fresh and puffs up and creates a hole which they fill with different flavours. You can get aubergine, salt fish or chicken, and then they stuff it with loads of different fresh salads and plantain as well. It’s healthy-ish! Then they have their own custom sauces with about five different heat levels to choose from. I like to hack the menu. They have a side of salt fish fritters, accra, and I stuff the bokit with them to add crunch.’

Oval Farmers Market, Alexandra Palace Farmers Market and Hammersmith Lyric Square Market

2. Jollof Mama, Covent Garden

‘Tieyan and Samuel are a Nigerian husband and wife duo who’ve been in the street food game for a very long time. They used to be in Victoria Park every Sunday and now they’re at Seven Dials market. They’re best known for their jollof burrito, which is similar to a Mexican burrito, but with jollof rice. They’re also got a few new items in the Covent Garden menu, like seared steak.’

Seven Dials Market, Earlham St, WC2H 9LX

3. RapChar, Brixton

‘It’s not too fancy, but it's definitely an elevated Caribbean experience. It's owned by a Jamaican born chef called Raymond Fowler, and the food he's putting together has got some real finesse to it. Whether it's scallops or king prawns, the portions here are so generous, and the flavours are so good. They also serve some of the most authentic rice and peas in London. A lot of people don't know that proper rice and peas isn’t actually made with kidney beans, but with something called gungo peas and you don’t see them used in London very often.’

30 Brixton Water Ln, SW2 1PE

4. The Watergate, Deptford 

‘The Watergate is a sister restaurant to Busta Mantis – that already gets rave reviews for its  Jamaican sunday roast, so I decided to talk about this place instead! It’s owned by the chef Gordon McGowan and almost like a speakeasy, with dim lighting and it’s great for a date night. But they also do a £7 Thursday, where everything on the menu is £7, for both food and drink, so it’s good for a midweek date! It’s got a great atmosphere – when you go here, you're in your own oasis and the food quality is amazing.’

7 Watergate St, SE8 3HR

5. Foodie & Grubbies, Dalston

‘They’re a street food pop-up originally from Bristol, but started selling food in London about three or four years ago. They’re currently at Copper Cats bar in Dalston and for me, their garlic parmesan wings are a must-try, as is their buffalo burger, and they also do loaded fries and stuff like that. If you like fried chicken, this is the place to go!’

574-576 Kingsland Rd, E8 4AP

6. Rack City Ribs, Highgate

‘Rack City is run by Keon Cilly who is the OG of OGs when it comes to the street food game in London. He’s a BBQ pitmaster and has a true passion for the grill! All the meat is done on the grill, even smoked wings. There’s eight hour cooked brisket, beef, lamb, pork… everything is super succulent with a variety of different drizzles and flavours to get on top. They also do hash brown fries. You’ll find influences from his Jamaican heritage on the menu too and he visits Jamaica quite often to get inspiration and find out about new concepts. It’s at The Duke’s of Highgate which is a super American style honky tonk dive bar – it’s like you’ve been transported to Texas.’

16 Highgate High St, N6 5JG

Black Eats Fest takes place at Woolwich Works, September 14-15. There will be two sessions each day, from noon-4pm for families and 5-9pm for over-18s.