New York’s Harlem has fed the community both with food and rich African American and Black culture for nearly a century. The historic neighborhood ushered in the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s, bringing jazz, soul food, and opening one of the city’s top venues, the now 90-year-old Apollo Theater on 125th Street.
From legendary culinary institutions to restaurants showcasing Black American roots to newer holes-in-the-wall, these are the places that add and build up the area’s reputation.
Sylvia’s Restaurant
It would be a crime to not mention Sylvia’s in Halem. After all, Sylvia Woods opened the local soul food spot in 1962 and remains the oldest Black-owned restaurant in the city. Known for authentic southern cuisine, it’s been a community staple with countless birthdays, weddings, and holidays celebrated over the decades.
Fill up on fried chicken, barbecue pork ribs, fried and smothered pork chops, collard greens, banana pudding, and more. It’s also one of the only places in town to get southern-style chitterlings, but only on Thursdays. You also won’t want to miss Sylvia’s iconic gospel brunch every Sunday. 328 Malcolm X Blvd., Harlem, sylviasrestaurant.com
Red Rooster
Fifteen years ago celebrity chef Marcus Samelssun opened flagship restaurant Red Rooster, and it’s been celebrated as a local and international hub ever since. The menu offers a unique combination of American soul food, tinged with the chef’s Ethiopian roots. Think chicken and waffles with hot maple syrup, the Jerk Salmon Bowl with bulgur, Gullah Okra Stew with smoked turkey, and more…