Source: Courtesy of St. Noir Cafe
As thousands of visitors pour into New Orleans for the 2025 Essence Festival of Culture, the city’s vibrant culture, along with its Black-owned businesses, stands ready to offer more than just world-class hospitality and a soulful expression of the word “bayyyyybee.” Both will offer a glimpse into history, culture, and community resilience, with a side of style, partying, and Daiquiris galore. Among these many essential spaces that exude the Crescent City’s zeal are the Black-owned coffee shops NOLA has to offer, which serve as both gathering spots and symbols of empowerment in a city where coffee has deep roots.
Long before modern specialty cafés, Rose Nicaud, an enslaved woman in the early 1800s, was the city’s first known coffee vendor, pushing a humble coffee cart through the French Market in New Orleans. Selling café noir and café au lait, she saved enough to buy her freedom and inspired generations of Black women to enter entrepreneurship, laying the groundwork for a Black coffee culture that continues to thrive in the city today.
Black-Owned Coffee Shops in New Orleans
In honor of Nicaud’s trailblazing spirit, today’s Black-owned New Orleans cafés are more than just spaces that provide expertly brewed espresso shots. They foster community, amplify local voices, and reclaim narratives in an industry shaped by global forces. From art-forward hubs to soulful neighborhood fixtures, each café is an extension of Nicaud’s legacy.
Source: Courtesy of Vinti / Courtesy of Vinti…