Houston has some of the most underrated black-owned restaurants, and I wanted to see that for myself. I visited Cool Runnings, Sabo Suya, and Finger Licking, located in unfamiliar areas. Walking into black-owned restaurants, the first thing I noticed was the smell — warm and rich, as if they had been cooking all day. The plates look bright, with deep colors that get me hungry fast. 

Roti-Cool Runnings (8270 W Bellfort Ave) 

Roti is made in South Africa, where soft flatbreads are used to scoop up slow-cooked stews and sauces — turning simple meals into something warm. These cooking traditions focus on softness and mixing sweet sides with savory dishes. When I ordered the flat roti with curry and plantains, it looked overwhelming at first, like everything was just thrown together randomly. Yet once I took my first bite, the curry was smooth and rich, and the chicken was so soft it felt like it was falling apart in my mouth. The roti skin soaked up the sauce really well almost comparable to a sponge, and the sweet plantains balanced the spicy, savory flavors in a way that was surprising to me.  

Beef Suya – Sabo Suya (9405 Country Creek St) 

Suya started in West Africa, where cooks mixed peanuts, peppers and spices to coat meat before grilling it over an open fire.  When I tried the beef suya skewer, the flavor came swiftly. The peanut taste was strong at the start but a little smoky and it blended with a salty savory seasoning that made the meat taste deep. The heat followed right after — sharp for a second, then warm and steady. Each bite had a mix of nuttiness, spice and a little bitterness from the peppers, giving the suya a bold layered flavor that stayed on my tongue after i finished eating, the kind of taste that makes you want more bites even when the spice is still lingering. 

Fufu-Finger Licking (9815 Bissonnet St) 

Fufu is a traditional dish rooted in West and Central Africa, where people pound cassava, plantains or yams until they turn into a smooth dough designed to scoop up sauces from soups and stews. Diners dip their fingers in water to prevent them from sticking. When I tried fufu, I was honestly nervous because I didn’t know what the texture would be like. Yet it was very soft, with almost a warm squishy cloud in my hand.  It wasn’t sweet or salty, and it didn’t have any sharp taste to it. Instead, the flavor was steady, giving me a simple taste. Even on its own, the fufu had a quiet, grounding flavor that made you pay attention to the small details. 

After trying all three spots, I realized how much depth and history there are in these dishes. Each restaurant had its own style, but they all delivered flavors that tasted carefully made. The roti was rich and comforting; the suya brought the real heat, and the fufu showed how simple tastes can still be so much more. These restaurants may be underrated, but overall, I liked them equally in their own ways. They left a strong impression on me, and overall, I’d go back with zero hesitation.