A Barbados native bringing his dream to life with a Caribbean-inspired bar in the East Village, a French-trained Nigerian and Caribbean chef who is reimaging the flavors of the African diaspora in Fort Greene, and a London-born chef who started cooking at 15 and is on the heels of opening her own spot in Chelsea. This is just a glimpse of the Black-helmed restaurants in NYC, and the start of Black History Month is yet another reason to visit—or return—to these stellar restaurants.
Read on for four must-visit Black-helmed restaurants in NYC, and make a booking on OpenTable.
Mango Bay (Fort Greene)
At Mango Bay, chef London Chase blends his Caribbean and Nigerian heritages with classic French techniques honed in top kitchens like Manhatta and Essential by Christophe. His menu is a love letter to the flavors of the African diaspora, and you’ll see that in inventive dishes like ackee and saltfish eggrolls and braised oxtails. “I became a chef out of necessity and passion, shaped by my upbringing,” Chase says. “Growing up in an environment where cooking was essential for survival, I learned to appreciate the importance of food from an early age.”
But beyond the food, Mango Bay is a place of community—especially when it comes to the restaurant’s Sunday Supper series, where local artists, musicians, and diners come together. It’s a mirror to his early years. Born in French Guiana, Chase spent much of his early life between England and the Caribbean islands, where he first discovered the communal power of food through “bush cook” traditions (the concept of preparing food for a group of people in a faraway or outdoor setting). “I loved the feeling of pitching in,” he says.
Mango Bay’s menu reflects that deep-rooted connection to his upbringing. Leaving without orders of the mango curry king prawns—inspired by his grandmother’s use of unripe mango—and the labor-intensive goat puff pastry is non-negotiable.
The Musket Room (NoLita)
Growing up in Easton, Pennsylvania with a Jamaican father and Brooklyn-born mother—who were both great cooks—Food & Wine Best New Chef recipient Camari Mick developed an early love for sweets. “I was the only one of the family to have such a huge sweet tooth, so I begged my mom to bake with me, and we started learning baking,” she says. By high school, Mick was selling cookies and cakes to teachers, and with encouragement from her father, she pursued a pastry career.
At the MICHELIN-Starred The Musket Room (Mick is also behind Raf’s and the newly opened Cafe Zaffri along with Mary Attea and sisters Jennifer and Nicole Vitagliano), Mick honors her heritage in dishes like the bean pie dessert. Make sure to get the cranberry bean mousse with huckleberry jam and bay leaf hazelnut shortbread, which is inspired by 1930s bean pies that became a staple in Nation of Islam restaurants after Elijah Muhammad encouraged a diet centered around navy beans as a healthier alternative to starch-heavy sweets. “I adapted my mother’s sweet potato pie recipe, swapping in beans cooked with cinnamon sticks and orange peel,” Mick says. “The result is a silky mousse swirled with huckleberry jam, mimicking the cranberry bean’s natural pattern.”
Bar Kabawa (East Village)
Paul Carmichael’s culinary journey began remarkably early; he was cooking his first dish at age three and preparing meals for his family at eight while growing up in Barbados. Part of a family of cooks and musicians, he learned to create dishes intuitively by exploring what was available in the fridge and pantry.
After working and living in New York, Puerto Rico, and Australia, he found his culinary voice in Sydney at 34. “I started to understand who I was in Sydney,” he says. And the accolades poured in, too—while the chef at Momofuku Seiobo in Sydney, the restaurant was named Restaurant of the Year in 2016 and Carmichael was named Chef of the Year in 2020 by Gourmet Traveller. So it didn’t come as a surprise when Momofuku tapped him to lead restaurant operations at the company.
The East Village’s newly opened Bar Kabawa marks his first project with the group in this new role and celebrates the diverse cuisines of the Caribbean. The menu reflects his heritage and evolution as a chef, and you’ll see that clearly in a standout dish that comes from his childhood.
The sardines with avocado and pepper sauce was something his dad made after finishing his chores. “I have wanted to put this thing on a menu since I was probably 26,” Carmichael says. He mostly keeps the dish true to its roots at Bar Kabawa swapping in some high-end sardines but including nostalgic touches like the Eclipse crackers from his youth. “I’m comfortable with who I am, and I know who I am,” Carmichael says. “I’m just happy to share those things, even if they’re simple, because they’re real to me.”
Opening soon: Haymarket (Chelsea)
India Doris remembers watching her Jamaican grandmother lovingly prepare family meals on Sundays. That ignited the spark for her to get into cooking, and Doris was already working in professional kitchens by the age of 15. “Trying to prove yourself as a small lady in the kitchen can be rough,” she says. But she found inspiration in the organized chaos, describing the environments as “pirate ships.”
Her soon-to-open restaurant, Chelsea’s Haymarket, will showcase dishes that are rooted in her background and extensive travels. The menu will have salt cod fritters, a dish that connects her Jamaican heritage with her time in Spain, where salt cod is a staple. Another standout will be a custom skewer board served with fluffy breads, tahini sauce, hummus, and chili sauce, a sophisticated take on the late-night kebabs she enjoyed growing up in London. “I don’t need to over try,” she says about her cooking philosophy. “I’m going to cook the food that I feel passionate about.”
Alexis Benveniste is a big fan of Persian food, sushi, and finding hidden gems she can recommend to her friends. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The MICHELIN Guide, Bloomberg, and New York Magazine. You can find her on Instagram at @apbenven.
