Local City Guides
Black-Owned Businesses in Austin to Support in 2026
Updated August 31, 2026 6 min readLocal Guide
On this page (9 sections)
Hoover's Cooking has been putting Texas home cooking on plates in Austin since 1998, and Hoover Alexander learned the trade at the Night Hawk while he was at UT, rolling pie dough and covering for the head chef on his days off. That is the kind of business this list is full of: long-running, specific, and run by someone who can tell you exactly how they got there.
Fifty-six Austin-area listings carry the Black-owned tag, across thirteen categories. Each links to its profile, where the tag shows its source.
Quick answer
- For Texas home cooking, Hoover's Cooking. For catfish and a Sunday buffet, Mr. Catfish & More.
- For Caribbean, Island Fork and Tony's Jamaican Food, both in Pflugerville.
- For a cheesesteak, R&B's Steak and Fries on East 6th.
- For a drink without the alcohol, Sans Bar on Congress Avenue.
- For books, Black Pearl Books. For sneakers, Kicking It ATX.
- For curls, Austin Curls. For a barber, Legendary Cuts or The Barber Benz, who comes to you.
- For cake, Suga's Cakery in Pflugerville or Noble Delights in Leander. For cupcakes, Gigi's Cupcakes in Bee Cave.
- For the city itself, Black Austin Tours.
- For dance, Dancin' Jazzi, teaching since 2006.
- The Austin hub carries the full list.
Where should I eat?
Twelve restaurants and food businesses, and they divide neatly by what you want from the evening.
For a table: Hoover's Cooking for smoked meats, chicken-fried steak and the sides that belong with them. Mr. Catfish & More for whole fried catfish and Southern classics. Habesha Ethiopian for a long dinner in a room built for one. R&B's Steak and Fries, run by two brothers from central Jersey, whose fries Austin Monthly called the best in the city.
North and east of town: Cajun Skillet in Cedar Park went from a food truck to a storefront and makes the roux properly. Island Fork and Tony's Jamaican Food are both in Pflugerville and both worth the drive, one for rasta pasta and one for oxtail.
For an event rather than a table: Lucille's Catering does soul food, and 3 Small Plates Catering runs chef-led stations that move between cuisines.
To take home: Me & the Bees Lemonade, started with two bee stings and a lemonade stand and now on shelves nationwide. Soul Popped Popcorn, whose flavors were built in a kitchen rather than a lab. Taco Sweets for ice cream tacos.
Where should I shop?
Thirteen retail listings, and the range is the point.
Black Pearl Books is an independent bookstore run as a family business, and the name was chosen for what black pearls stand for: independence, strength, loyalty, healing. Kicking It ATX carries Jordan, Nike, Adidas and a rotation of labels that do not turn up in a mall, and shows up for youth basketball in the city besides.
League of Rebels tailors suits. Dope Crochet crochets earrings, apparel and swim sets by hand and runs rug tufting workshops. U4UDesigns and Uwakstar Designs both work in African textiles, one in clothing and one in bags and accessories.
Social Justice Jewelry builds its pieces around the Adinkra Okodee Mmowere, the eagle's talon. Caribreoso Flavour Boutique makes Caribbean and Creole seasonings in Pflugerville. SPIbelt was sewn from a prototype in Austin in 2006 and is still made and owned here.
Also here: New Origin Shop, The Gift Bag, Your Pets' Chef and Aura Rainwater.
Where do I get my hair cut?
Five listings, and each does a different thing.
| Where | What it does |
|---|---|
| Austin Curls | Curly hair only, Ouidad-certified cutting |
| Legendary Cuts Barbershop | Northeast Austin, cutting since 1992 |
| The Barber Benz | Mobile barbershop, walk-ups and appointments around town |
| Perfect Stylzs | Barbershop, hair and nails, in Hutto |
| Gabrielle's Salon & Extensions Boutique | Extensions, weaves and a trichology center for hair loss |
Most book by appointment and several stylists hold their own chair inside a larger shop, so book with the person rather than the address.
Where the bakers are
Three, all outside central Austin, all custom.
Suga's Cakery in Pflugerville took first place in both the cupcake and cake divisions at the Williamson County Fair and Rodeo in 2021 and grand champion of the cake division, and it is allergy friendly: gluten-friendly, vegan, eggless and dairy-free are all on the table. Noble Delights Bakery in Leander bakes to order, and Regina will take creative liberty if you offer it. Gigi's Cupcakes in Bee Cave is run by Brian Orakpo and Michael Griffin, who played in the NFL before they opened a bakery together.
What else is here?
Health and training. Ten listings, from RJ Orthodontics and Quintessence Plastic Surgery to The Brinkley Center for online therapy, Scout Wild Awake for doula and birth work, and Sweet Remedy Care Services for in-home senior care. For coaching: Martial Athletes, Austin Karate Center, FalseNin9 and Ball Hard Player Development.
Going out. Sans Bar has poured alcohol-free cocktails at 918 Congress since 2017 and runs an academy for people who want to open their own. ZODI'X Cigar Lounge in Round Rock keeps one of the largest humidors in Texas.
Seeing the city. Black Austin Tours is led by Javier Wallace, whose family has been in the Austin area for close to two hundred years. Hill Country Outdoors has organized outdoor and social events since 2001. Deliberately Different Travel plans the trips that leave Texas.
Everything else. Dancin' Jazzi Dance Studio has taught tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop and contemporary since 2006. Kiwis Party does face painting and balloon decor. EP Photography and Eric Coleman Photography shoot portraits and brands. Heritage AutoHaus repairs European cars in Pflugerville and Platinum Motorcycles builds custom bikes. Kimbrough Legal practices family law. This Lil' Dog of Mine walks the dog.
What the record does not cover yet
There is no Black-owned contractor, accountant, engineer or architect in the Austin record today, and one attorney. That is a gap in what has been sourced rather than a description of the city: the listings here came from consumer directories that a business submits itself to, and those directories skew to businesses with a storefront.
If you run one of the missing kinds, a free listing is the fastest way to close the gap.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the food is downtown. Six of the twelve food listings are in Pflugerville, Cedar Park, Leander or Bee Cave.
- Turning up at a caterer. Lucille's and 3 Small Plates cook for events, not for walk-ins.
- Booking any salon for curls. Curly cutting, extensions and locs are separate specialisms, and the listings say which one each shop does.
- Expecting a bar. Sans Bar serves no alcohol, on purpose, and that is the reason to go.
FAQ
How many Black-owned businesses are listed in Austin?
Fifty-six as of August 2026, across thirteen categories, in Austin and the surrounding cities. The Austin hub shows the live count.
Where did these listings come from?
Most were sourced from the Black Makers Market Black Business Guide and the Black Wall Street ATX directory, which are directories a business submits itself to. Each listing names its source and shows how the tag was verified.
Are there Black-owned businesses outside Austin proper?
Yes. Pflugerville, Cedar Park, Leander, Hutto, Round Rock and Bee Cave all have listings here, and several of the strongest ones are in those cities rather than in Austin.
Can I add my business?
Yes, and a basic listing is free. Start at the claim page.
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