Washington, D.C. is welcoming thousands of visitors this week for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 55th Annual Legislative Conference, taking place September 16–20 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
For visitors deciding where to grab coffee before a session, meet for dinner afterward or spend a few hours exploring the city, there are plenty of Black-owned businesses worth adding to the itinerary.
The same goes for locals looking for somewhere new.
From recently opened cafés and restaurants to bookstores, shops and longtime neighborhood businesses, here are some places to visit during CBC Week and beyond.
Near the Convention Center
Saints Paradise Cafeteria
601 M Street NW
A few blocks from the Convention Center, Saints Paradise is an old-school cafeteria serving Southern comfort food for breakfast and lunch. It’s a straightforward option when you want a quick meal without going far from conference programming.
Port Royal Tapas & Cocktails
1118 9th Street NW
Port Royal brings Jamaican flavors to a menu of shareable plates, seafood and cocktails. Located on 9th Street in Mount Vernon Square, it’s especially convenient for dinner, happy hour or drinks after a day at the Convention Center.
Chercher Ethiopian Restaurant
1334 9th Street NW
Chercher is one of several Ethiopian restaurants that make the Shaw area worth exploring. The menu includes traditional combination platters, vegetarian dishes, seafood and other Ethiopian specialties, with a location that’s an easy walk north from the Convention Center.
Kaché
510 K Street NW
Kaché combines dinner, drinks and late-night energy just minutes from the Convention Center. During CBC Week, its proximity to conference programming makes it an especially convenient option for meeting up after sessions.
Coffee, Breakfast + Daytime
Prim’s Cafe
1847 7th Street NW
Prim’s is a neighborhood café in Shaw serving coffee, matcha, tea and a small food menu. It opens at 7 a.m. on weekdays, making it a convenient stop before a morning of conference sessions.
Proper Cafe
1545 New Jersey Avenue NW
One of the city’s newest café openings, Proper Cafe brings specialty coffee and a substantial breakfast and brunch menu to Truxton Circle. Red velvet pancakes, chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, pour-overs and espresso drinks are among the options.
Sankofa Video Books & Café
2714 Georgia Avenue NW
Part bookstore, part café and part cultural gathering place, Sankofa has been a fixture on Georgia Avenue for decades. Browse its selection of books and films, grab something from the café or check the calendar for screenings, conversations and other programming.
Dinner + Drinks
The Park at 14th
920 14th Street NW
The Park at 14th is a longtime downtown destination for dinner, cocktails and nightlife. Spread across multiple levels just off Franklin Square, it’s especially well positioned for CBC Week dinners, meetups and late-night plans without requiring a trip across the city.
SOST
1901 9th Street NW
SOST brings food, cocktails, music and art together across multiple spaces in a historic Shaw building. Its café, Vinyl Room and Resto-Lounge draw from Black and African diaspora traditions, making it a place that can carry an evening from dinner into late-night drinks and music.
The Continent DC
1110 Vermont Avenue NW
The Continent offers African-inspired dining alongside a lounge and late-night experience downtown. Its central location makes it convenient for moving between conference programming, dinner and evening events.
Urban Garden Brewhouse
624 T Street NW
One of the newest additions to Shaw, Urban Garden Brewhouse brings craft beer, food, cocktails and cultural programming together in a brick-and-mortar home for a beer brand that began with homebrewing. The space is designed for gathering as much as for what’s being poured.
Realm Rooftop Lounge
899 O Street NW
For rooftop drinks, Realm offers cocktails, dinner and views over Shaw from its perch above O Street. The menu pulls from global influences and traditions across the African diaspora, while evenings transition from dinner into a livelier late-night atmosphere.
Fraîche
3345 14th Street NW
Fraîche is worth heading north to Columbia Heights for. The menu moves between Cajun, Caribbean, Southern and French influences, with dishes including charbroiled oysters, oxtail meatballs, fried snapper and blackened salmon risotto.
Shanklin Hall
2325 18th Street NW
Shanklin Hall operates somewhere between a restaurant, social club, gallery and cultural venue. Its Adams Morgan home includes a downstairs parlor for food, cocktails and art and a second-floor space that picks up later in the evening. Programming regularly brings together artists, chefs, entrepreneurs and other members of D.C.’s creative community.
Shop + Explore
Lee’s Flower Shop
1026 U Street NW
Lee’s Flower Shop has been part of U Street since 1945 and remains one of the corridor’s longstanding independent businesses. Stop in for flowers and gifts, but also take a moment to appreciate a business that has remained on U Street through generations of change in the neighborhood.
Nīche by Nubian Hueman
1241 Marion Barry Avenue SE
Nīche is a curated showroom featuring apparel, accessories, beauty products, home goods and gifts from Black and Brown brands and designers. Located inside Honfleur Gallery in Historic Anacostia, it’s an easy addition to an afternoon spent exploring the neighborhood.
The Spice Suite
2201 Channing Street NE
The Spice Suite is part spice shop, part culinary destination and part small-business ecosystem. Beyond seasonings and kitchen goods, its home at Black + Forth was developed as a commercial space for Black women-owned businesses and regularly hosts community programming.
Head East of the River
Downtown and Shaw will naturally get much of the attention during CBC Week.
Visitors with more time, and locals looking for something different, can also head east of the Anacostia River, where cafés, restaurants, shops and cultural spaces are creating more reasons to explore.
Grounded
1913 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE
Grounded combines a plant shop, café and wellness studio in Historic Anacostia. The café serves coffee, matcha, herbal teas and plant-based food, while the larger space incorporates plants, coworking and wellness programming.
Café Cino
632 Howard Road SE
Café Cino opened its first brick-and-mortar location at the Bridge District this year after building a following through pop-ups. The café specializes in espresso, single-origin pour-overs, tea and pastries, while also using the space for live music and other arts and community programming.
Sapodilla’s Caribbean Restaurant
1215 Marion Barry Avenue SE
Sapodilla’s brings Caribbean cooking to the heart of Historic Anacostia, with a menu influenced by Guyanese and broader Caribbean flavors. It’s part of a recent wave of businesses adding new dining options along the Marion Barry Avenue corridor.
Save This List for After CBC Week
CBC Week provides a good reason to explore Washington, but these businesses are part of the city year-round.
Some have served their neighborhoods for generations. Others opened within the past year and are still being discovered by people who live here.
Whether you’re visiting Washington for the Annual Legislative Conference or already call the D.C. area home, keep this list for your next coffee meeting, dinner, shopping trip or weekend out.
The post Black-owned Businesses to Visit in DC During CBC Week — and Beyond appeared first on SHOPPE BLACK.
