Long Beach Black Restaurant Week 2026 has officially kicked off, running through Jan. 31 across the city. Organizer and longtime community food collaborator Qiana Mafnas—you might know her and her husband from their Axiom BBQ pop-up or their BBQ festival…—has been the rallying leader behind the concept.
“I’m really pleased with the amount of engagement and interest that we’ve gotten in the week,” Qiana said. “I honestly didn’t expect this amount of interest… With all the new spaces opening, especially pop-up or cottage businesses by Black entrepreneurs, I really wanted to amp up the participation this year.”
Qiana has gathered over 20 spaces—from brick-and-mortars to food trucks to pop-ups—a beautiful contrast compared to last year, when she admitted she struggled finding food spaces owned by the Black community.
From soul food counters and family-run BBQ joints to modern cafés and chef-driven concepts, Black-owned restaurants have long shaped how neighborhoods gather, eat, and connect. When they close, communities lose more than a place to dine. They lose stories. Jobs. Mentorship. And generational knowledge that rarely gets replaced.
The importance of Long Beach Black Restaurant Week…
Long Beach Black Restaurant Week is more than a calendar event. It’s a necessary act of visibility, remembrance, and reinvestment. The representation of Black food in Long Beach has dwindled along with the Black population itself. And this week serves as both a celebration and a response. A reminder that these businesses are not trends, but cultural anchors.
“We need larger support from the city and from people in office—not just patrons,” Qiana said. “Yes, we’ve grownl; I am beyond ecstatic to see more Black chefs, restaurateurs, pop-ups. This is only for the better of not just the Black community, but the entirety of Long Beach. Homegrown organizers, restaurant owners, small business owners… We’re trying to enrich the city culturally and culinarily. I know leaders have the same goals so let’s work together.”
In a city as diverse as Long Beach, Black Restaurant Week becomes a way to intentionally show up for the people who have always helped define its flavor and rhythm. It encourages residents to spend locally, listen intentionally, and recognize the barriers—rising rents, shrinking access to capital, and uneven visibility—that continue to thin the landscape of Black-owned food businesses. And preservation happens least through nostalgia alone. It happens best when communities choose, again and again, to invest in the places that invest in them first.
“There’s always the notion of these small businesses being endless pools of cash flow,” Qiana said. “But the reality is much, much different—as anyone in the industry will tell you. And this is how these families pay their bills. Their mortgages. Their rent. How they hope to put their kids to college… Especially with the state of our country, we need to be supporting minority-owned businesses.”
And now, a look into participating spaces…
Booka’s Nana Pudding
Offering a Long Beach Black Restaurant Week special featuring individual servings priced at $10. Original flavors include the classic original recipe, strawberry banana, vegan peanut butter chocolate chip, and toffee caramel. Deluxe flavors, also $10, include Oreo and cookie butter. Customers can also mix and match three puddings for $25.
For more information on ordering, check their Instagram.
Brother’s Keeper BBQ (offering to be determined)
3701 E. 4th St.
Bundts on Melrose (offering to be determined)
4147 Atlantic Ave.
Casey Family BBQ
1000 Pine Ave.
Hosting a pop-up event on Jan. 31, from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM at First Baptist Church of Long Beach, 1000 Pine Ave. Special menu highlights include smoked meats such as brisket (¼ lb $11, ½ lb $20, 1 lb $38), beef ribs ($8), smoked turkey (½ lb $10, 1 lb $20), pork ribs (¼ rack $15, ½ rack $27, full rack $50), BBQ chicken (1 piece $5, 2 pieces $8), and specialty sausages ($8).
Combo plates are available with one meat for $18, two meats for $23, or three meats for $30 (beef ribs not included in combos). Sides include mac and cheese, BBQ baked beans, and corn casserole, priced at $3 for small and $6 for large. Dessert includes banana pudding (8 oz) for $6. All meat orders come with pickled vegetables, BBQ sauce, and white bread.
CreoleNesian Fusion (offering to be determined)
5250 Orange Ave.
The Cultured Soul
400 E. Anaheim St.
Serving the $15 “Holla” plate, which includes two pieces of seasoned-to-the-bone chicken (smoked, baked, or crispy fried), served with one soulful side, fresh cornbread, and a drink.
Devi’s Donuts
3600 E. Anaheim St.
Offering a Long Beach Black Restaurant Week special of $4 off regularly priced dozen donuts.
Fresh Off the Yacht Catering
Chef Melissa Ramsay presents a pick-three tasting experience for $28 per guest. Diners may choose any three small plates inspired by the flavors of the African diaspora, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic coast.
The tasting menu includes jerk chicken wings (three pieces) with a smoky, spiced jerk glaze; mini doubles featuring Trinidad-style curry chickpeas with soft bara flatbread, tamarind sauce, and cucumber chutney; jagacida with Cape Verdean rice and beans; Creole jumbo shrimp (three pieces), Creole-spiced and sautéed; and lamb lollipops (two pieces), grilled and served with mango chutney. This is a limited-time menu for Long Beach Black Restaurant Week. Menu items and availability are subject to change.
For more information, click here.
Georgia’s
4101 McGowen St. #155
Offering a Long Beach Black Restaurant Week special: a half BBQ chicken plate served with a choice of two soulful sides for $22.
Hustleboy BBQ
Call to determine location: 562-723-9091
Offering a Long Beach Black Restaurant Week special called the Big Hustle Combo, which includes three meats and four sides for $25.
Just Wright BBQ
1115 E. Wardlow Rd.
One day only: Jan. 30 from 4PM to 8PM at Roxanne’s.
Presenting a special menu featuring several hearty dishes. The St. Louis–style rib dinner includes pork ribs seasoned with a dry rub and served with a choice of two sides for $23. Braised short ribs are also available, prepared tender with a ginger glaze, garlic mashed potatoes, and roasted broccolini topped with panko gremolata, priced at $27. The Just Wright chicken sandwich features a grilled chicken thigh topped with a poached egg, fresh spinach, pickled onions, and chipotle BBQ sauce, served on a brioche bun. It is available with a side salad for $20 or with French fries for $23.
Sides offered à la carte include mac and cheese ($8), greens ($8), mama’s potato salad ($7), BBQ baked beans ($6), and truffle French fries ($9).
Mangiafoglie (offering to be determined)
2306 E. 4th St.
Miller Butler Pizza
456 Elm Ave. (inside Partake Collective)
Offering a Black Restaurant Week special of 20% off all takeout orders at Partake. Guests are invited to try their fresh Neapolitan-style pizzas. DoorDash delivery is also available.
OMG Burgers & More (offering to be determined)
4712 E. 7th St.
Panama International Restaurant
Offering Long Beach Black Restaurant Week specials including yuca frita for $3 off the regular price, mango wings for $4 off the regular price, and ceviche for $6 off the regular price.
Patty’s Cakes and Chicken
Featuring a Long Beach Black Restaurant Week special called the Patty Sampler, priced at $20.95. The sampler includes two pieces of protein: fish and chicken.
Pizza Parlor (offering to be determined)
2936 Clark Ave.
Pop’ N Flavors (offering to be determined)
3916 Atlantic Ave.
Robert Earl’s BBQ (offering to be determined)
6050 Atlantic Ave.
Sal’s Gumbo Shack
6148 Long Beach Blvd. | 4470 California Pl.
Offering Long Beach Black Restaurant Week specials that include a free Kool-Aid with the purchase of a large gumbo, as well as a po’ boy and a side for $20.
SnoCorner
1701 Atlantic Ave.
Featuring a Long Beach Black Restaurant Week special of Oreo banana pudding–filled beignets. Pricing is three for $9.75 plus tax or five for $14.25 plus tax. The Oreo banana pudding filling is also available to mix and match with their other classic and filled beignet options.
Twins Smokehouse BBQ (offering to be determined)
1555 W. Willow St.
Throwdown Soul Food (offering to be determined)
4137 Norse Way
Taste of the Caribbean (offering to be determined)
3444 Los Coyotes Diagonal
