Black Restaurant Week is back in Atlanta for the ninth year in a row, running now through Aug. 17.
Since its inception in Houston, Black Restaurant Week has expanded to six locations around the country, including Cleveland, the Carolinas, and the Pacific Northeast, and has supported more than 5,000 Black-owned food industry professionals.
At its core, Black Restaurant Week is about promotion — the event was founded to help re-stimulate local Black economies, particularly boosting Black-owned food businesses and restaurants.
This year’s event features more than 50 restaurants and food businesses from around Atlanta, ranging from coffee shops and food trucks to award-winning restaurants like Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours.
Get to know five Atlanta restaurants taking part in the 2025 event.
Omni Coffee & Eggs
261 Peters St., Castleberry Hill
Sandra Norman founded Omni Coffee & Eggs in Los Angeles, California, in 2018. Then, in 2020, Omni opened its Castleberry Hill shop in Atlanta. In addition to the restaurant, its sister business, Omni Coffee Brands, now produces high-quality beans and K-Cups for wholesale distribution.
From the castle-themed interior to unique drinks like sweet potato chai, tiramisu cappuccinos, and blueberry-lavender London Fogs, the breakfast and brunch restaurant doesn’t shy away from flavors or providing an experience for its customers.
“Our whole concept is built around having a royal experience,” Chief Strategy Officer Chris Floyd said. “When people walk in, we say ‘Good day, Your Majesty.’ When they leave, we tell them to ‘have a royal day.'”
This is Omni’s first year participating in Black Restaurant Week (BRW), and the company is celebrating by launching a canned cocktail line. Floyd met BRW founder Warren Luckett through a mutual friend and began discussing ways to collaborate.
“We talked about a lot of things we may end up doing together,” Floyd said. “[But Black] Restaurant Week was a no-brainer.”
Related Stories:
• Black Restaurant Week returns to Atlanta Aug. 3-17
• Pop-up Pepper’s Hotdogs opens in Downtown Atlanta
Pepper’s Hotdogs
84 Peachtree St., Downtown
Tarina Hodges founded Pepper’s Hotdogs, her gourmet hot dog pop-up, in 2022 and has participated in Black Restaurant Week for the last two years.
“It’s helped put Pepper’s on the map and connect us with customers who value culture and good food,” she said. “Each year has brought more visibility, more community support, and new opportunities from collaborations to catering to media features. It’s been a real part of our growth.”
Hodges is quite literally going into Black Restaurant Week with a bang. Her first permanent location opens at the Flatiron Building in downtown Atlanta on Aug. 7, and on Aug. 11, Pepper’s Hotdogs will host a grand opening celebration, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“I want it to feel like a celebration all week long,” Hodges said, which includes serving daily specials and offering giveaways via Instagram throughout Black Restaurant Week.
Sugarhi Sweet Eats N Treats
Jonesboro, by appointment only
Tasha Taylor originally pursued baking as a hobby, but the universe had other plans.
“I sold Mary Kay [makeup] and attached cake pops to my business cards,” she said.
Taylor launched Sugarhi in 2014 and has since worked as the executive pastry chef for James Beard-nominated chef G. Garvin and the Atlanta Hawks. She’s also written two cookbooks and won several baking competitions and cooking shows, including Netflix’s “Sugar Rush” and Food Network Canada’s “The Big Bake.”
This marks Taylor and Sugarhi’s sixth year participating in Atlanta’s Black Restaurant Week. “I was there from the beginning,” she said. “They are my favorite people.”
Through Aug. 17, Sugarhi is offering a special that serves up to 25 people and is redeemable through the end of 2025. For $500, the dessert catering package includes a six-inch vanilla, strawberry, or red velvet cake and four dozen cupcakes, cookies, and shooters with free local delivery.
Ray’s Southern Foods
4150 Jonesboro Road, Forest Park
Two years after launching as a catering operation in 2016, father-and-son duo Ray Allen and Daniel Ray Allen opened their soul food and barbecue restaurant Ray’s in Forest Park.
Daniel Ray said restaurants are in his blood. “My father has owned and operated restaurants all my life, and I have worked in every part with him along the way.”
The Allens’ love of people and for feeding their community continues to inspire the food and hospitality served up at Ray’s.
For Black Restaurant Week, Ray’s is offering three baked turkey wing specials, with a choice of rice or dressing, a side, and a drink.
The Black Coffee Company
1800 Jonesboro Road, Lakewood
830 Westview Dr., Atlanta University Center
Inspired by Berry Gordy’s family and Motown Records, The Black Coffee Company opened in Lakewood Heights in 2018.
From fair-trade coffee to locally branded merchandise, The Black Coffee Company celebrates entrepreneurship, financial freedom, and collective economics, partnering with organizations like Math 4 Success and the National Society of Black Engineers. The company also includes a satellite coffee shop location on the campus of Morehouse College.
The Black Coffee Company has participated in Black Restaurant Week since 2019.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to showcase our business to a large network of supporters, food and beverage professionals, corporate partners, and new potential customers,” said CEO Jamin Butler. “Through this network, I’ve met so many partners, we’ve had many wholesale clients, and I’ve learned so much to grow my skill set as a small business owner and a food and beverage operator.”
The Black Coffee Company is offering two sandwich specials at both locations during Black Restaurant Week in Atlanta: ATL avocado toast and the Summertime Cheesy grilled cheese with onions, tomatoes, and arugula. Expect drinks specials like Brown Skin Girl (espresso with brown sugar, cinnamon, and caramel), Cash Money Matcha (matcha with vanilla and cinnamon), and Light Skin Keisha (espresso with vanilla, honey, and lavender).
