Take Out Thursday: 5 Delicious Meals You Can Eat To Support Black Owned Businesses

It’s easy to go with your gut and eat food because it’s tasty. But we know that most people look beyond this primal instinct when choosing a meal. We want our food to have meaning. Whether it’s a visual beauty, name brand recognition, or just because it reminds us of mom’s cooking, we want our food to be more than just something we shovel into our mouths in order to make the tummy pains go away. That’s why we’re highlighting five delicious meals from black owned businesses this week. If you want to be part of solution to end inequality, particularly in the world of restaurants, asking you to order take out is one of the easiest things you can do.

Seafood…but also see an opportunity to support black owned businesses Photo: The Crabby Shack

A lobster roll from The Crabby Shack

Breaking crab legs and then eating them in public is delightful, but we get why you might want to grab a butter soaked bag of crab to bring back home. Lobster rolls on the other hand are easy to eat wherever you go. That’s why we’re highlighting The Crabby Shack in Brooklyn as the perfect grab and go spot for your seasonal lobster roll fix. Also, owners Gwen and Fifi are experts at the right way to break down crabs, so if you do decide to go all in on a bag, make sure to pick up a few tips from them first.

The Fried Chicken Sandwich at Cheeky’s Photo: The Sandwich Sluts

The chicken sandwich from Cheeky Sandwiches

In a world full of Subways and Jimmy John’s, stumbling upon a sandwich shop like Cheeky’s and eating their fried chicken sandwich will restore your faith in humanity. Served on a biscuit and topped with gravy and coleslaw, it’s the type of meal you want to pace yourself with but then realize you’ve just taken 10 consecutive bites and at this point you’re licking your fingers just to pick up biscuit crumbs. It’s also our duty to report they serve beignets and chicory coffee from Cafe Du Monde for anyone who’s desperately in need of these New Orleans favorites in NYC.

Chef Diana Tandia of Berber Street Food Photo: Berber Street Food

Akara from Berber Street Food

There are so many great options here (well except seats, there aren’t that many) at this vegetarian friendly West Village cafe ,it really is hard to choose. So we suggest starting with Chef Diana’s akara, a light crispy black-eyed peas fritters served with spicy tomato lemon zest sauce. It’s the kind of dish that will have you cursing at yourself you didn’t catch on to this cuisine earlier.

This is what an authentic slice joint really looks like Photo: Scarr’s

Pepperoni slice from Scarr’s Pizza

In New York, there are basic slice joints you go because you just need something. But then Scarr’s came along and made everyone realize that a slice shop could do things like mill its own flour on premise, serve drinks, and offer a place you wouldn’t mind spending all day in. Owner Scarr Pimentel spent time learning the craft at Lombardi’s - the first pizzeria in America - , so anyone who thinks this is just a hipster pizza without respect for the classics should think twice before starting the “this isn’t NY pizza” argument.

The shrimp rice bowl at Fieldtrip Photo: Fieldtrip

Shrimp bowl from Fieldtrip

Where can you pick up delicious rice bowls from a James Beard award winner? Just head to Harlem and spend time at Fieldtrip, where Chef J.J. Johnson is educating eaters on the culture of rice and heirloom grains. We’ve been seeing Fieldtrips bao buns get lots of love, but shrimp over sticky rice with toasted coconut and green curry sauce is a combination we can’t pass up - and neither should you.