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Chicago is home to one of the most thriving black communities
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There are a ton of black-owned businesses all around the Chicago area
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For this series, we're going to concentrate on what everybody loves, food
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Hi, my name is Jared and welcome to The Five, where we share five interesting things in
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black culture and society in every episode. Don't forget to subscribe and hit that bell so you can get notified when we release new videos
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If you're anything like me, one thing you look forward to when traveling to a new city is trying out the local restaurants
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But you don't even have to travel to try new places. In this series
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we're gonna focus on black-owned restaurants for everybody who might be traveling into one of those cities or for all of you who
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already might live there. Picking just five black-owned restaurants in any of these major
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cities was incredibly difficult. There are so many different restaurants to choose from
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that picking just five was of course nearly impossible. So know that there are so many
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other great places that we had to leave out. Our picks are based on restaurant reviews
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and unique brand story. In no particular order, let's start at number one, Hecky's Barbecue
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Located on Green Bay Road in Evanston, this restaurant is home to some of the best barbecue menus in Chicago
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Hecky's has been around for four decades, so it's one of the most popular and long-standing businesses in Chicago
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The founder is Hecky Powell, who started the restaurant in the early 80s
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The restaurant quickly became popular for its rib tips ribs fried chicken and smoked wings Hecky crafted his menu with the help of Creole recipes passed down from his mother and grandmother
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Since then, the menu has expanded to include plenty of other flavorful dishes such as turkey and seafood
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The landmark restaurant sauce is so unique that it has turned into a popular motto
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It's the sauce. The sauce is also available for purchase in a bottle
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After going through your stack of barbecue, you can finish your meal with a slice of sweet potato pie, peach cobbler, or bread pudding
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Since Hecky's has always been a carryout restaurant, adjusting to the pandemic was not a huge factor
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The restaurant even donated meals to healthcare workers. Unfortunately, the founder Hecky Powell passed away in 2020 due to complications from the coronavirus
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At number two, we have batters and berries. We are moving from savory to sweet with this Lincoln Park's Batters and Berries
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This amazing breakfast and lunch spot was opened by Derrick Rylan in 2002 and has been
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completely dominating Chicago's brunch scene ever since. They collaborated with several local artisans and suppliers to create a unique and vibrant experience
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The most popular dish on the menu at Batters and Berries is the French Toast Flight, which
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combines four of their signature flavors of French toast. But you don't have to stick to the sweets as you can also get the savory here
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Try their ribeye steak with grilled onion and mushrooms, shrimp alfredo omelet or fried
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chicken stuffed waffles. Be warned, this is a very popular place during the weekends
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You might be looking at wait times that are over an hour, so you might be better off going
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on weekdays if you can. Batters and Berries will be opening up a new location in Olympia Fields soon And number three can believe it not meat If you a vegetarian or vegan then can believe it not meat is the place for you
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The restaurant is a modern vegetarian vegan restaurant that prioritizes making flavorful
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meals that are equally as healthy. Founded by Larissa Chandler Baker, a self-taught chef, the restaurant helps people who are
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transitioning to plant-based diet by making meals that allow people to enjoy all of their favorite
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dishes without completely changing their habits. The menu includes popular dishes such as boneless
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buffalo wings, Philly cheesesteaks, and lasagna. The catch is all of those dishes are meatless
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Chef Larisia, also known as Chef Bab, used her own experience of transitioning into a plant-based
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Diet to open this restaurant in 2019. Since opening, Can't Believe It's Not Meat has become
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a must-try restaurant for both locals and travelers. There are currently two locations
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in the Chicago area, one located in Chicago and the other one located in Orlando Park
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Number 4 Soleil. Owner Bridget Flagg opened the Westtown Seoul Creole restaurant in 2017. Since then, it has been the go-to destination for refined
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soul food that's as much for celebrities and tastemakers as it is for everyday people who
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love to gather and dine. Some popular items on the menu include fried catfish, shrimp and grits
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and honey-drizzled fried chicken. Side dishes include the classic greens, sweet potatoes
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and mac and cheese. The menu et soleil might be short, but it includes everything you want
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out of a dining experience at a soul food place Owner and chef Bridget Flagg come from a line of great cooks as both her mother and grandmother were known in their communities for their cooking skills As the third generation with those great cooking skills
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Chef Flagg is sharing her family recipes in a cozy and inviting atmosphere at Soleil. Just like
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most sought-after restaurants, the wait to get a seat here can be long, so keep that in mind when
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you make your plans. And then number five, of course, Harold's. Not all Harold's chicken shacks
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are created equal. This isn't news for anybody from Chicago, but it bears repeating as Harold's
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has become a nationally known brand with locations in different states. But this particular Harold's
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the one on the corner of 127th and Halstead, is different than the rest of them and many would say
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it's the best one. It's crisp chicken fried in beef fat and its own take on mild sauce which has
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become a must-have condiment that's become a cult favorite or infamous. African-American
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entrepreneur Harold Pierce opened the first restaurant in 1950 on the corner of 47th Street
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and Kenwood. Unlike most chain restaurants, Harold wanted each of its franchisees to develop its own
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personality and look. Not all locations offer the same dining experience or the same menu item
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Knowing all of this, prepare to be told by Harold's fans that this choice was wrong
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and their favorite is the one to visit. So that's it for this list of the top five black-owned restaurants that you need to try the next time that you're in Chicago
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Remember, don't kill me in the comments. Instead, just list your favorite black-owned restaurants so that everyone can see it and try those too
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That's it for this episode of The Five. We'll be back with another episode in black culture and society
