A Guide To Black-Owned San Francisco 

San Francisco has a powerful legacy of Black history stretching as far back as the Gold Rush. That lineage is reflected in a tapestry of landmarks, enclaves, and traditions reflecting the contributions and culture of Black San Franciscans. Head to the Fillmore District to discover an area that was once known as the “Harlem of the West” thank to its status as a thriving center of Black music that saw the names of jazz greats like Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, John Coltrane, and Etta James (a longtime San Franciscan herself) regularly emblazoned on marquees throughout the 40s, 50s, and 60s. 

Beyond its historical significance, today’s San Francisco is home to an expansive network of Black-owned businesses and organizations, offering a unique opportunity to engage with and support the Black community. Continue reading for Sepi’s curated list of must-visit Black-owned establishments in San Francisco.

Cuisine Across the African Diaspora

Chef and owner Jay Foster and business partner and co-owner Deanna Sison first brought Little Skillet to San Francisco in 2009, launching as a takeout window operation with a menu jammed with soul food classics (the fried chicken and Belgian-style waffle is their signature dish). The spot became so popular that they reopened as a counter service restaurant in Victory Hall and Parlor, a bar just down the street, in 2014. Just off the beaten path in a quiet alleyway near Oracle Park, you’ll find the brick-walled space that somehow manages to feel both elevated and unpretentious. Don’t miss out on the stone ground grits, mac and cheese served in a mini-skillet, and the BBQ pulled pork plate.

Radio Africa Kitchen began in the garage of Ethiopian chef Eskander Aseged, where he’d host groups of 15 or 20 friends for lively conversations around homemade meals. In 2012, he turned that concept into Radio Africa Kitchen, named after the Ethiopian ritual of gathering around the radio for meals and community. Aseged, who came to the US as a refugee at age 19 and got his culinary chops in some of San Francisco’s most renowned kitchens including Square One and Campton Place, wanted to celebrate the historically Black Bayview neighborhood by opening his restaurant there and working with local farmers and fisherman. One of the more popular items on the menu is the sautéed lamb, couscous, and chermoula, but you also can’t go wrong with their vegetarian roasted eggplant dinner.

Z Zoul bills itself as the only Sudanese restaurant in the Bay Area, and though we’re not sure of the veracity of that claim, many locals will tell you it’s certainly the best. Inside this cozy, mom and pop eatery in the Tenderloin, chef and owner Aref Egali (who runs the restaurant with his wife and co-owner, Dalia) dishes out hearty portions of Sudanese staples like fuul (fava bean stew), roasted lamb shank, and kisra (a tangy flatbread), along with a friendly helping of insight and recommendations about Sudanese cuisine. After your meal, enjoy a cup of coffee and support an important cause: the coffee beans come from a nonprofit that sources them from a camp for Sudanese refugees, donating 80 percent of profits back to the cause.

Tom Bennet, a Philadelphia transplant who runs this charming old-school dessert shop with his two daughters, has been passing out ice cream cones to locals and tourists for 30 years. On the menu is a tantalizing selection of over 100 flavors. You’ll find Americana classics like mint chip, butter pecan, and rainbow sherbert alongside Asian-inspired offerings like red bean, green tea, and black sesame. According to Bennnett, the most popular flavors are vintage classics caramel praline and peanut butter chocolate. You can also order up shakes, sandwiches, hot dogs, and any of the seemingly endless varieties of candy filling glass jars on the shelves in the quaint shop, which is located on the cafe and boutique-lined Fillmore Street.

Where to Immerse Yourself in Black History

Co-created by author and San Francisco historian John William Tempton, this self-guided walking tour (part of the larger California African-American Freedom Trail) spotlights more than 400 historic locations and landmarks that chart the history of African American culture in San Francisco. You can follow a downloadable or printable map as you make your way through significant sites across a wide variety of neighborhoods, from Maya Angelou’s childhood home and The Fillmore, a storied concert venue where musicians including Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, and B.B. King performed, to the Palace Hotel in the Financial District, where a teenager named Tracy Sims spearheaded a major sit-in to protest employment discrimination in 1964.

Inside this nearly 20-year old glass-walled contemporary museum near the Yerba Buena Gardens, visitors will discover art and artifacts highlighting a wide and fascinating range of perspectives on the Black experience. Past exhibits have showcased modern African art, highlighted the work of 15 contemporary fashion photographers of African descent, and explored the cultural influence of the African diaspora in the Americas, Europe, and beyond. Visitors can also catch discussions, film screenings, workshops, and other special events (check the events calendar to find out what’s in store during your visit). 

While strolling through the picturesque and tranquil Yerba Buena Gardens, be sure to stop by the memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The towering 50-foot-high waterfall cascades down a granite wall into a reflecting pool, with a circular inscription of a quote from the “I Have a Dream” speech engraved at the base of the falls. King visited San Francisco several times, notably in 1964 to receive an honorary degree from the University of San Francisco, where he delivered a speech called “The Future of Integration,” and in 1966 to speak on the power of nonviolent protest at the city’s Labor Temple. The memorial was designed by celebrated Bay Area artist Houston Conwill, a Vietnam War veteran and prolific sculptor who also designed other monuments to African American icons (including the Langston Hughes memorial at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem) before his passing in 2016.

Cultural Hubs of the Black Community

The oldest Black-owned bookstore in the country, Marcus Books was founded in 1960 by Drs. Julian and Raye Richardson, academics who met while studying at Tuskegee University. The couple opened a printing press in the Fillmore District in 1946 where they published works by independent authors for 15 years before opening their bookstore to house titles by Black authors. Though the original San Francisco location closed in 2014 due to gentrification, the store lives on across the bay at its current location in Oakland, where their children now run the business. Named after Marcus Garvey, the bookstore has been a hub of African American intellectual and cultural life in the area for over 60 years, having hosted readings, signings, and discussions by icons including Rosa Parks, Angela Davis, Muhammed Ali, Toni Morrison, Sistah Souljah, and Stacey Abrams. Check the store’s Instagram feed for updates about upcoming speakers and events. 

Housed in a three-story building in the Fillmore District, this cultural and community center is now an active hub for emerging artists in the San Francisco area. The complex houses a 200-seat theater, galleries, exhibition spaces, dance studios, recording studios, and more. It makes an excellent stop during holidays like Juneteenth and Kwanzaa, as there are usually festivals or other celebrations hosted at the site. You can also catch twice-weekly yoga classes, concerts, seminars, documentary screenings, dance and art classes, and other immersive programs and events throughout the year.

Author

  • Eric has revolved in and out of passport controls for over 20 years. From his first archaeological field school in Belize to rural villages in Ethiopia and Buddhist temples in Laos, Eric has come smile to smile with all walks of life. A writer, photographer and entrepreneur, the LA native believes the power of connectivity and community is enriched through travel.

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