"This is one of my favorite restaurants. It's really small—it actually has no seats, but in the summertime you can sit outside. The chef does an amazing job bringing together different elements of African cuisine. One of my favorite dishes in the souya, a barbecue-seasoned meat common in West Africa. And she does an amazing jollof rice. Seeing an entrepreneurial Black woman and all the diverse people that come in to enjoy the restaurant is really beautiful." —Nina Oduro

"There is never a time I will go to New Orleans without visiting this restaurant. The vibe is really beautiful. It's Caribbean-inspired, drawing from the chef, Nina Compton's, own heritage, so you're learning about the chef's history and culture as you're eating each dish. No matter who you are or where you're from, you will have an amazing time eating the buttermilk biscuits with honey and bacon butter. They are so good—just the right texture." —Oduro

"Cane is based in Washington, D.C., and it's a brother-and-sister–owned Trinidadian spot—Jeanine Prime is one of the owners. It really goes to show that you can have elevated Trindadian flair in the District. My favorite things are the doubles, and they have tiffin boxes, and you can choose between meat or vegetarian curries. When you go in, you can tell the people working there have a connection to the family. It's a must-visit for anyone coming to D.C." —Maame Boakye

"Being from Ghana, where meat pies are quite a tradition, I've never seen meat pies being done this way, with a twist on the traditional appetizer version. This is a Kenyan-inspired pie company, where you order whatever you want ahead of time, and then pick it up from this location in Virginia. (It is not a sit-down location.) The pie I really like is called their 'Curried Away.' It's a vegetable pie made out of chickpeas, potatoes, spinach, and curry." —Boake

"This is a place I first visited when I got to D.C. over 10 years ago. You go into this really cozy enironment, and they have a wide variety of teas that you can select from that can get brewed there. My favorite tea is the Mandela's Masala chai tea. I had never had chai in my life before, and after discovering it there a couple years ago, I got hooked on it! They've moved locations, but they've been able to bring the same selection and hospitality." —Boakye

"Tiffany Derry, the chef here, made this duck fat–fried chicken that was shared at chef Kwame Onwuachi's 'Family Reunion' event, and it was a crowd favorite—as well as ours. This is a place that we know is a must-visit when you're near Dallas." —Boakye and Oduro

"This vegan burger spot in Atlanta has numerous locations, where they make vegan burgers with very provocative names. My favorite is the Fussy Hussy—a plant-based patty loaded with pickles, vegan cheese, and a special 'slut' sauce, on a vegan Hawaiian bun. When you go into the space, everyone is really friendly. They have music playing, and they have a slushy drink bar in there as well. It's a different take on vegan cuisine." —Boakye

"This plant-based ice-cream company is based in Baltimore, Maryland. They're not your common flavors that you'd think of for ice cream, but so delicious and healthy! One of my favorites is the sweet potato. They have a really vibrant brick-and-mortar that's bright and inviting for everyone to enjoy." —Oduro "My favorite on the list of ice cream is the horchata, their take on the Latin American drink, with vanilla and cinnamon." —Boakye

"Accra in New York gets its name from the capital city of Ghana, which is where we’re from. One of my favorites is waakye, which is an eclectic rice-and-beans dish that comes with a lot of different things: tomato-y stew, a really spicy sauce called shito, as well as spaghetti that you can mix in, as well as ghare, which is like roasted and dried cassava shavings that you can also mix in. The portions are large, and you’ll leave really excited and happy and full." —Oduro

"This is a plant-based eatery based in Brooklyn, New York, and when you walk into the space, you literally feel like you are walking into a warm, inviting living room with beautiful colors. It's a very cozy environment that's playing the best of soul and hip hop music. I really like the vibe they set in there. My favorite dish is called the E Classic, which is a vegan egg sandwich on an English muffin. They have an apparel line as well—it's so multifaceted." —Boakye