Black Restaurant week starts tomorrow with 36 different partnered businesses with the Madison Black Chamber of Commerce. It can be hard to try everything out there between all the restaurants, food trucks and caterers, but here’s an exhaustive list to help narrow down your choices.
Restaurants
Artemis Provisions
213 E. Main St., Mt Horeb. Open Sunday and Wednesday 10-5 p.m., Thursday 10- 6 p.m., Friday 9-8 p.m. and Saturday 9-6 p.m. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Artemis Provisions provides farm-to-table goods with the belief in using Wisconsin’s highest quality goods fresh from its farmlands. It provides meats and cheeses along with Jamaican food staples like oxtail and jerk chicken.
Artemis Provisions also sells its quality meat and cheeses at its storefront for you to take home. It offers a unique experience where Artemis Provisions will help you craft your perfect charcuterie board for your guests.
Ben’s Stoughton
210 S. Water Street, Stoughton. Open Monday 4-9:30 p.m., Wednesday 3-9 p.m., Thursday 2-10 p.m. and Friday-Saturday 11-10 p.m. Closed Tuesdays.
Ben’s offers a mix of Mediterranean, Indian and African cuisines. The restaurant features Tanzanian delicacies from its famous coffee to staple dishes like Ugali — a maize porridge served alongside meat, vegetables or soups.
Its signature dish, the World Class Golden Gyros Masala, features Zanzibar spices to elevate the taste for a unique experience.
Buraka
1210 Williamson St. Open Monday, Wednesday-Friday 4-9 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday 2-9 p.m. Closed Tuesdays.
Ethiopian food on Madison’s East Side. Buraka brings the taste of East Africa and Ethiopian recipes with spiced, aromatic cuisines. Its location bounced around since 1992, but its reputation in Madison led to it finding a more permanent location in 2016.
Buraka offers a variety of food to get a taste of the African region. Staple dishes include dorowot, a stew made with chicken, carrots and a blend of spices slowly cooked in a thick red sauce and paired with berbere, a traditional Ethiopian flat sourdough made from teff.
Cliff’s Willy Street Eats
1146 William St. Open 12-12 daily.
Food inspired by owner Cliff Simmons’ grandma. Simmons ventured to start his own restaurant after a string of odd jobs and short stint in prison. He thought of his enjoyment as a child cooking with his grandmother and recalled his dream of starting his own family style restaurant.
Cliff’s brings comfort food from his childhood with BBQ, jerk chicken and a large selection of seafood.
Falbo Bros. Pizzeria
Multiple locations in Wisconsin and Iowa. Hours vary by location.
In 1992, two University of Wisconsin-Madison Students wanted to create a better tasting pizza for the area. Falbo Bros. created a unique “Madison” style pizza inspired by Chicago and New York.
The chain has seen success with creating Madison’s own pizza style. It now has six locations, three in Wisconsin and three in Iowa.
Holisac Taste of Africa
815 W. Main St., Sun Prairie. Open Monday-Friday 11-9 p.m. and Saturday 12-9 p.m. Closed on Sundays.
Holisac Taste of Africa brings greater Madison a taste of authentic Ghanaian cuisine with cultural staples. The restaurant prides itself on highly traditional styles and preparation of its food and drinks.
Get a taste of Ghana’s national dish Fufu, a doughy mashed potato-like side dish made by pounding cassava and unripe plantains together.
House of Flavas
4905 Commercial Ave. Open Tuesday 1-7 p.m., Wednesday 2-7 p.m., Thursday, Saturday-Sunday 1-9 p.m. and Friday 1-8 p.m. Closed on Mondays.
Soul food and BBQ with a taste of Jodie Jefferson’s home Chicago. House of Flavas has been around for three years as a family venture when Jefferson decided to leave her job and pursue her passion for cooking and wanted to bring the tastes of Chicago to Madison.
Jefferson has seen a lot of support throughout the years and is set to open a new location soon after Black Restaurant Week.
JD’s Taste of Chicago
2570 Rimrock Rd., Fitchburg. Open Monday-Saturday 11-11 p.m. and Sunday 11-9 p.m.
The taste of Chicago without the three-hour drive. JD’s Taste of Chicago brings the city’s staples like its hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches.
Just Veggiez
540 State St. Open Tuesday-Thursday 11 a.m. -9 p.m., Friday 11-10 p.m. and Saturday 12-10 p.m. Closed Sunday-Monday.
Just Veggiez was started as a way for James Bloodsaw to make positive changes in his health. He watched his father’s health deteriorate and knew he needed to do something for his own health.
Just Veggiez brings vegan alternatives to all your favorite foods. From cheese curds, egg rolls and plant-based Reubens, enjoy healthier versions of the dishes you know and love.
Kingdom African Restaurant
1865 Northport Dr. Open daily from 9 a.m -9 p.m.
Kingdom African Restaurant has it all from African, Mediterranean and American food all day. Food options range from gyros, country fried steak and Gambian domada — meat stew in a mild peanut sauce served over a bed of rice.
Les dèlices de Awa
2045 Atwood Ave. Open Wednesday and Thursday 11-3:30 p.m. and 4:30-8 p.m., Friday 11-3:30 p.m. and 4:30-9 p.m., Saturday 12-9 p.m. and Sunday 11-6 p.m. Closed Monday-Tuesday
New to Black Restaurant Week, Les dèlices de Awa brings a culinary adventure through West Africa’s rich and vibrant flavors. Chef Awa, founder of the restaurant, sought to bring a curated taste of her West African Heritage through taste to Madison.
Dishes aim to tell a story of West Africa with options like palm nut stew; Theibou Guinar, Djollof and chicken; and Chicken Kedjenou, a popular spicy stew from the Ivory Coast.
Marie’s Soul Food
1637 Monroe St. Open Wednesday-Saturday 12-7 p.m. and Sunday 1-6 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
Marie’s Soul Food brings all the staples from catfish to fried chicken, mac and cheese, collard greens, sweet potatoes and more.
Mentoring Positives
2844 E. Washington Ave. Open Monday-Thursday 11-7 p.m. Closed Friday-Sunday.
Mentoring Positives aims to empower Madison youth through mentorship, entrepreneurship, sports and the arts — but it makes pizzas too. It recently opened up a new location on Madison’s east side where it makes its pizzas through its programming.
Food Trucks and Mobile Food Vendors
All food trucks and mobile food vendors can be found around Madison and will all be present at the Food Jamboree on August 18.
Cool Mode — You may have seen this ice cream truck around greater Madison with patrons of all ages flocking to it. Cool Mode is the classic ice cream truck from your childhood with all the offerings too.
Café Costa Rica — Enjoy Costa Rican street food from patacones, fried green plantains with a side of beans, or a pura vida quesadilla paired with Mango Man’s secret sauce.
Finger Licking Good — Chicken so good, its finger licking good. Check out this food cart and its unique tasting chicken at the Food Jamboree.
Mattie’s Nachos — A range of food from tacos, quesadillas and its titular signature nachos.
M&J Jamaican Kitch’N — Winners of 2022’s Taste of Madison’s best Latin American/Mexican food award for its jerk pork and rice and beans.
Propa Jerk & BBQ — This food truck has been making its rounds all across Madison and in pop-up markets. Popa Jerk comes to Black Restaurant Week with its jerk chicken, dirty rice and a slew of other classic Jamaican dishes.
Sista’s Chicken & Fish — From land to sea. Sista’s brings chicken and fish with a large selection of seafood along with its gumbo served with rice and hush puppies.
Keur Fatou Catering — A mix of Senegalese and Gambian food. Enjoy West African staples from Fataya to Jollof Rice.
Melly Mell’s Soul Food — Melly Mell’s bring generations of family recipes from yams to cornbread.
Taco Sunrise — This food truck offers American style tacos inspired by its owner’s childhood. Gaylene Norfleet remembers the days in Chicago eating dollar tacos and comfort food, so she wanted to bring the taste to Madison.
The Smiling Coast — The Smiling Coast offers West African food ranging from meat pies to lamb benachin.
Woo’s Food for Soul — New to Black Restaurant week, Woo’s Food for the Soul brings specialty dishes ranging from chicken and waffles to lo mien.
Specialty Food & Drink Vendors
All vendors can be found at the Food Jamboree on Aug. 18
Bartender 608 — China Moon’s Bartender 608 brings full-service bartending to a large swath of events around Madison.
Ernie’s African Kick Sauce — Found in local grocery stores, Ernie’s Kick Sauce is a Gabonese hot sauce named after founder Sandra Morris’ mother Ernestine.
South Madison Farmers Market — For everything else, South Madison Farmers Market brings a range of goods locally sourced from Wisconsin farms.
Sweet Treats
All vendors can be found at the Food Jamboree on Aug. 18.
Dolce Desserts by Dominique — Signature homemade desserts that cater its chocolate dipped fruits, taffies, pies, pudding and cakes.
Mo’ Betta Butter Cookies — Cookies that melt in your mouth. Mo’ Betta Butter Cookies has been seen at events all over Madison but will be at Black Restaurant Week for its first time.
Sensational Sweetz — Sensational Sweetz specializes in bringing all your favorite desserts in a gluten-free option. Its founder, Linda Smith, was inspired to find alternative recipes after her son’s gluten sensitivity and sparked years of experimenting in the kitchen.
