Visit Nebraska’s best Black-owned restaurants for comforting soul food, elevated French cuisine, and healthy plant-based eats.
August is Black Business Month, making it a great time to explore and support local businesses in your area. Whether you’re craving soul food, barbecue, Caribbean flavors, or hearty comfort dishes, Nebraska is home to a variety of black-owned restaurants offering memorable meals and excellent service.
Use this guide to discover black-owned restaurants in Nebraska that are worth experiencing this Black Business Month—and all throughout the year.
Beatrice
Zo’s Soul Food Mississippi Burning
Zo’s Soul Food Mississippi Burning serves authentic southern comfort food in a laid-back environment in downtown Beatrice. Staple menu items include chicken strips, fried catfish, chicken fried steak, barbecue pork, and homemade banana pudding, but the restaurant is constantly adding new dishes, like breaded oysters, and offering limited-time specials.
Zo’s Southern Makes and Bakes recently opened within the restaurant to provide sweets like cinnamon rolls, pies, and cakes to diners.
Address: 103 S. 5th St., Beatrice
Bellevue
Shug’s Comfort Food
Shug’s Comfort Food is a cozy eatery where you can indulge in a simple, satisfying meal that feels like home. The restaurant is known for its catfish fillets, meaty pork chops, and candied yams, but you can also order smothered or fried chicken, a “grown-up” grilled cheese, wings, or peach cobbler (to highlight just a few other options).
Address: 105 W. Mission Ave., Bellevue
Lincoln
Lila Mae’s Southern Kitchen & Lounge
Lila Mae’s Southern Kitchen & Lounge is known for serving southern comfort classics, including Nashville hot chicken strips, shrimp and grits, and a shrimp po’ boy.
The woman-owned restaurant (named after owner Tramesha Cruse’s great-grandmother) also serves Sunday brunch, with menu items such as peach cobbler French toast, a biscuits and gravy sandwich, and hot chicken n’ waffles.
Address: 2110 Winthrop Rd., Lincoln
SoulFull Cocina
At SoulFull Cocina, a relaxed neighborhood spot in Lincoln, you’ll find southern and soul food staples like fried catfish and chicken, ribs, collard greens, and a barbecue sundae (with pulled pork, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, and barbecue sauce).
The family-run eatery also serves burgers, including a smash burger with pineapple, pulled pork, coleslaw, barbecue sauce, and Sriracha mayo, and sandwiches, such as The Stache with hot links, pulled pork, coleslaw, and barbecue sauce.
Address: 6105 Havelock Ave., Lincoln
Tiru Ethiopian Restaurant
Tiru Ethiopian Restaurant is a casual, woman-owned establishment that serves excellent Ethiopian food. The chef and co-owner, Aynalem, first began cooking at a restaurant owned by her family in Ethiopia.
The menu consists of traditional stews, hearty platters, and combos. Many of the dishes are meat-forward (the beef and lamb stews, for example), but there are plenty of vegan options as well, such as the lentil soup and a vegan combo (the restaurant’s most popular menu item).
Address: 2630 Orchard St. #3, Lincoln
Omaha
A Taste of New Orleans
As you might’ve guessed based on its name, A Taste of New Orleans serves Louisiana-style Cajun and Creole cuisine. Owner Lee Franklin Jr., a New Orleans native, moved to Omaha after Hurricane Katrina and realized the city was missing authentic New Orleans food.
Andouille fries and sausage, beignets, jambalaya, gumbo, po’ boys, and fried seafood all appear on the menu alongside a variety of tacos and several vegetarian dishes.
Though it shares a space with ice cream shop Ted & Wally’s, A Taste of New Orleans offers a bright, airy interior with plenty of room to relax and enjoy your meal.
Address: 6023 Maple St., Omaha
Big Mama’s Kitchen
Big Mama’s Kitchen is a family-owned restaurant known for serving soul food and classic comfort dishes like fried chicken, fried catfish, and sweet potato pie ice cream.
Founded by the late Patricia “Big Mama” Barron, Big Mama’s Kitchen started as a home-based catering business but now operates as a full-service restaurant located inside the Highlander Accelerator.
While many recipes have been passed between generations for more than a century, the menu also reflects modern tastes with offerings like the Vegan Soulful Bowl and the vegetarian Spicy Fried Cauliflower Sandwich.
Big Mama’s Kitchen has been featured on several TV shows, including Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives” and its own reality show “Big Mama’s Kitchen.”
Address: 2112 N. 30th St., Ste. 201, Omaha
Chef Duane’s Soul Creations
For satisfying soul food on the go, check out Chef Duane’s Soul Creations. Popular menu items at this Omaha-based food truck include fried catfish, chicken wings, baked macaroni and cheese, collard greens with smoked sausage, and beans and rice with smoked turkey.
Address: 4002 Cumming St., Omaha
Ital Vital Living
Health-conscious eaters in Omaha should add Ital Vital Living to the top of their list of places to try. Inspired by the owner’s Jamaican roots and the rastafarian plant-based way of life (Ital), this female-founded spot serves smoothies, smoothie bowls, cold-pressed juices, chia pudding, and wraps.
The popular Bob Marley smoothie features mango, pineapple, raspberry, and spirulina. Juice flavors range from key lime and beet to grape and watermelon.
Address: 7639 Cass St., Omaha
Jackson’s Fair Deal Cafe
Run by twin brothers Antoine and Vershan Jackson, Jackson’s Fair Deal Cafe features an extensive menu of cozy, down-home dishes.
All the items you’d expect to find on a comfort food menu are there—including ribs, burgers, fried chicken, and catfish—but you’ll also find handmade ravioli, tofu skewers, peanut-crusted steak, and six different potato casseroles.
Address: 2118 N. 24th St., Ste. 101, Omaha
Jim’s Rib Haven
For juicy, fall-off-the-bone ribs, head to Jim’s Rib Haven. This family-owned barbecue restaurant has been an Omaha favorite since the 1960s and is best known for its ribs, but you can find other barbecue items like chicken, baked beans, potato salad, and a variety of sandwiches there too.
Meat is seasoned with a dry rub and then slowly cooked over hickory wood to give it a smoky flavor. Sauce is plentiful but not overpowering. You can order at the counter inside or the drive-thru.
Address: 3801 Ames Ave., Omaha
Le Voltaire
Le Voltaire brings classic French dishes like escargot and foie gras to the heartland. After working at the French bistro for a decade under its original ownership, chef Wilson Calixte took over with his wife in 2021.
Calixte was born in a small town outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and began his culinary career in New York City before moving to Omaha in 2010.
Le Voltaire’s staples include beef bourguignon, coq au vin made with white wine, steak frites, and bouillabaisse, and for brunch (served on Sunday), omelets, croque monsieur, and sweet and savory crepes are popular.
Address: 569 N. 155th Plaza, Omaha
Okra African Grill
Okra African Grill specializes in vibrant, slow-cooked African food. At this female-founded restaurant, you can indulge in comforting dishes like peanut butter chicken, jollof rice, fish fillet, and ablo (a sweet rice dumpling with steak skewers, veggies, and a tomato sauce).
Okra’s owner, Nina Sodji, immigrated from the West African nation of Togo in 1994. Her first foray into the food business in Omaha was an African grocery store, but it was her restaurant that helped introduce the flavors of her homeland to a wider audience.
Address: 608 S. 72nd St., Omaha
Rib Shack Smoke House
Rib Shack Smoke House was born in St. Louis, but the owners eventually brought their authentic Southern food to Omaha, much to the delight of the city’s residents.
This popular, family-owned barbecue spot serves smoked meats, traditional sides like baked beans, fried okra, and macaroni and cheese, sandwiches with plenty of sauce, and hearty platters.
Address: 10841 Q St., Ste. 105, Omaha
