Staten Island
Staten Island only has a few Black-owned restaurants, yet the island was home to one of the first African-American communities at Sandy Grove. Founded in 1828, Sandy Grove was formed just months after New York abolished slavery, and many of its residents were skilled in the oyster trade. According to the New York Times, 10 families who trace their ancestry back to the original settlers still live in Sandy Ground. Although the Great Migration did not influence Staten Island as much as the other boroughs, the island is home to one of the largest Liberian communities in the United States, with around 10,000 residents of Liberian descent.
Despite this large Liberian community, there are only a few Black-owned restaurants on the island, perhaps the best-known being Chez Adja African Restaurant in Tompkinsville, a Senegalese and Nigerian eatery known for fish stews and meat pies. Nearby is Mona’s Cuisine, an eatery serving West African and Caribbean fusion. By the water in Rosebank, Bayou offers New Orleans-style fare like Blackened chicken, jambalaya, and crawfish etouffee. Elm Park is home to Koten’s Carribean and American Restaurant, a casual Jamaican restaurant, and Tompkinsville is the home of Jamaican eatery Blaze Jamaican Restaurant.
Discover even more Black-owned restaurants in this compiled spreadsheet. Next, check out 10 Times Curfews Have Been Imposed on NYC.