A guide to black-owned restaurants of the Inland Northwest

click to enlarge A guide to black-owned restaurants of the Inland Northwest
Young Kwak photo
Chkn-N-Mo owner Bob Hemphill has been serving fried chicken in Spokane for 28 years.
Many Inlander readers have been asking for this resource: a list of black-owned restaurants in our region that locals can support as the community and the nation struggles to reconcile with its deep-rooted, systemic racism.

We will continue to update this list in case there are any we've missed. If so, please email [email protected] so we can make edits.

Updated June 16 at 11:13 am.

click to enlarge A guide to black-owned restaurants of the Inland Northwest
Young Kwak photo
Chef Almaz Ainuu's restaurant is faithful to Ethiopian traditions.
Queen of Sheba
Serving traditional Ethiopian cuisine; owned by Almaz Ainuu.
Located in the Flour Mill at 621 W. Mallon Ave., Suite 426; queenofshebaspokane.com, 509-328-3958
Past Inlander coverage here and here.

Chkn-N-Mo
Offering Southern-style fried chicken, ribs and catfish; owned by Bob Hemphill.
Located in downtown Spokane at 414 1/2 W. Sprague Ave.; chicken-n-more.com, 509-838-5071
Past Inlander coverage here.

Ezell's Famous Chicken
A Seattle-based fried chicken chain; owned by Lewis Rudd and Faye Stephens.
Located on the South Hill at 4919 S. Regal St.; ezellschicken.com, 509-448-4881
Past Inlander coverage here.


Cascadia Public House

A sustainably-focused, vegan-friendly Northwest gastropub, co-owned by Jordan Smith.
Located in Five Mile at 6314 N. Ash St.; cascadiapublichouse.com, 509-321-7051
Past Inlander coverage here and here.

Spokane Cheesecakes
A European-style cheesecake shop, owned by Thomas and Gillian Speight.
Located in Sprague Union District at 1420 E. Sprague Ave., Suite 104B; spokanecheesecakes.com, 509-570-0658 (temporarily closed as of this posting)
Past Inlander coverage here.
A guide to black-owned restaurants of the Inland Northwest
Erick Doxey photo
Ribs, corn, collard greens and a biscuit at Fresh Soul.
Fresh Soul
Serving traditional Southern American cuisine; owned by the Spokane Eastside Reunion Association and operated by Michael and Lorrie Brown and family.
Located in East Central Spokane at 3029 E. Fifth Ave.; spokaneeastsidereunionassociation.com, 509-242-3377 (temporarily closed as of this posting)
Past Inlander coverage here.

Big Rod's Texas BBQ
A Texas-style barbecue truck, owned by Rod Smith.
Located in Suncrest/Nine Mile Falls at 12602 N. Nine Mile Rd.; bigrodstexasbbq.com, 509-218-7087

The Jamaican Jerk Pan / Green Bluff Fresh Catering Co.
A Jamaican food truck and catering company; owned by Roian Doctor and Sabrina Sorger.
More at facebook.com/TheJamaicanJerkPan and greenblufffresh.com, 509-795-9050
Past Inlander coverage here.

Scoe's Barbecue
Southern-style barbecue offering brisket, ribs, pulled pork, tri-tip, hotlinks and more; owned by Vascoe Zinnerman.
Mobile food truck and catering; info at facebook.com/scoesbbq and scoesbarbecue.com, 509-927-6300

Betty Jean's BBQ
North Carolina-style barbecue pork ribs, chicken, brisket, fried fish and more; veteran-owned by Omar Jones.
Located in the Fairchild Air Force Base Main BX Food Court at 101 E. Spatz Rd.;

West End Beer Fest 2024 @ Brick West Brewing Co.

Sat., April 20, 12-11 p.m.
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Chey Scott

Chey Scott is the Inlander's Editor, and has been on staff since 2012. Her past roles at the paper include arts and culture editor, food editor and listings editor. She also currently serves as editor of the Inlander's yearly, glossy magazine, the Annual Manual. Chey (pronounced "Shay") is a lifelong resident...