Diverse-Owned Businesses in Austin to Support in 2026

An alcohol-free cocktail bar on Congress Avenue, a Texas home cooking kitchen that has been open since 1998, a bookstore whose name was chosen for what black pearls mean, a beekeeper who leases hives, a library furniture firm that outfitted libraries from England to the Middle East before it moved to Austin, and a raw bar that shucks East Coast oysters at Hill Country weddings. Austin is a wide market and this guide is a map of it by category, not just by dinner.

Every business here links to its profile, where each ownership tag shows the source it came from and how it was verified. For the full set, filter the Austin hub.

Quick answer

1. Eat at Hoover's Cooking for Texas home cooking, or Mr. Catfish & More for the Sunday buffet.
2. Drink at Sans Bar, the alcohol-free bar on Congress Avenue.
3. Browse Black Pearl Books for books and Kicking It ATX for sneakers.
4. Book a cut at Austin Curls for curly hair or Legendary Cuts Barbershop in northeast Austin.
5. Take a tour with Black Austin Tours.
6. Order a cake from Suga's Cakery in Pflugerville or Noble Delights Bakery in Leander.
7. Put solar on the roof with Greenbelt Solar, and the trees in order with Certified Arbor Care.
8. Hire Civil Team Engineers for City of Austin permitting or Foster CM Group for program management.
9. Plan the wedding with Satin Wedding Co. and cater it with Lucille's Catering.
10. The Austin hub carries all 123 listings across twenty categories.

Where should I eat and drink?

Thirteen restaurants and food businesses, four bakeries, two bars.

Hoover's Cooking has been serving Texas home cooking since 1998 and is the one to start with. Mr. Catfish & More builds its menu around whole fried catfish and runs a Sunday buffet. Habesha Ethiopian has the room for a long dinner, and R&B's Steak and Fries on East 6th makes cheesesteaks that Austin Monthly named for their fries.

Out in the suburbs, Cajun Skillet in Cedar Park makes a proper roux, Island Fork and Tony's Jamaican Food both cook Caribbean in Pflugerville, and the oxtail is the dish to compare.

For catering rather than a table, Lucille's Catering does soul food and 3 Small Plates Catering builds menus that move between cuisines. Aphrodite Enterprises brings a raw bar.

Sans Bar is the alcohol-free bar downtown and has been since 2017. ZODI'X Cigar Lounge in Round Rock is the other end of the evening.

Take something home from Me & the Bees Lemonade, Soul Popped Popcorn, Stroop Club or Taco Sweets.

Where should I shop?

Fourteen shops, and no two sell the same thing.

Where	What it is
Black Pearl Books	Independent bookstore, family run
Kicking It ATX	Sneakers and streetwear
League of Rebels	Menswear and custom tailoring
Dope Crochet	Handmade crochet earrings and apparel
U4UDesigns	Custom African-inspired clothing
Uwakstar Designs	African-print bags and accessories
Social Justice Jewelry	Jewelry with a message
Gusto Graphic Tees	Austin-inspired tees and stickers
Caribreoso Flavour Boutique	Caribbean seasonings and sauces
SPIbelt	The bounce-free running belt, made here since 2006
New Origin Shop	Curated home and lifestyle goods
The Gift Bag	Personal and corporate gift buying
Your Pets' Chef	Freeze-dried pet food
Aura Rainwater	Bottled Texas rainwater

Who cuts hair, and who looks after the rest of it?

Austin Curls is Ouidad certified and works only on curly hair, which is the kind of specialism worth crossing town for. Legendary Cuts Barbershop has cut in northeast Austin since 1992. The Barber Benz brings the chair to you, and Perfect Stylzs in Hutto puts a barbershop, hair salon and nail salon under one roof. Gabrielle's Salon & Extensions Boutique runs a trichology center for hair loss alongside its extension work.

On the health side there are eleven listings, from RJ Orthodontics and Quintessence Plastic Surgery to Sweet Remedy Care Services for in-home senior care and Shanaz Ikonne for virtual therapy. If the goal is to move rather than be treated, Martial Athletes in Leander, Austin Karate Center, FalseNin9 for soccer and Ball Hard Player Development for basketball all coach to a level.

Who do I hire for the house or the building?

This is the half of the Austin directory a visitor guide never shows.

For a house: Greenbelt Solar has designed and installed since 2009, Certified Arbor Care staffs ISA-certified arborists, CDC Carpets & Interiors has done natural fiber flooring since 1981, Texas Epoxy & Coatings does garage and workshop floors, Longhorn Blinds covers windows, JNS Landscapes handles irrigation and backflow testing, and The Purple Fig Eco Cleaning Co cleans without the fumes.

For a building: Foster CM Group runs capital programs, Corza Construction generals, Millard Drywall and Castillo Drywall finish, Hagler & Kerr coats, Mechanical & Process Systems installs medical gas and process piping, and Integrated Environment digs.

For the drawings and the permit: Civil Team Engineers specializes in City of Austin permitting, Meeta Morrison Designs and Fusearch Studio draw the buildings, JQ+Tsen does the structure, and Circle V Landscape Architecture does what happens outside them.

What about the rest?

Black Austin Tours runs tours of the city led by a native Austinite. Hill Country Outdoors has been organizing outdoor and social events since 2001. Deliberately Different Travel plans group trips and destination weddings.

Dancin' Jazzi Dance Studio has taught dance since 2006. We Get Lit lights the shows. EP Photography and Eric Coleman Photography shoot the portraits.

For advice: Kimbrough Legal on family law, Tastemakers Legal on trademarks, CHA Law Group on family and reproductive matters including LGBTQ+ ones, and Austin Spanish Academy if the answer is a language rather than a lawyer.

What the record does not cover yet

Twenty categories are represented and six of them hold fewer than three listings. There is one nonprofit, one dance studio, two auto shops and two schools in the metro record, which is a gap in the directory rather than a description of Austin.

By city, eighty-four of the listings are in Austin proper, with the rest spread through Pflugerville, Round Rock, Leander, Cedar Park, Hutto, Dripping Springs, San Marcos, Manor, Buda, Lockhart, Wimberley, Bee Cave, Lakeway, Liberty Hill and West Lake Hills. Georgetown, Kyle and Bastrop have none yet.

If you run a business in one of those places, a free listing puts it on the map, and you would be the first in your city.

Common mistakes

• Assuming everything is in Austin proper. Several of the best kitchens and bakeries here are in Pflugerville, Leander and Cedar Park. Check the address before you set off.
• Treating a catering listing as a restaurant. Several food businesses on this list cook for events only and have no dining room.
• Booking a salon without checking the specialism. Curly cutting, extensions and locs are different disciplines, and the stylists here say which one they do.
• Skipping the trades. The largest single category in the Austin record is professional services, and the second is construction. If you are looking for a contractor, an engineer or a supplier, this directory has more of them than it has restaurants.

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