Your Guide to Black Paris
A Francophile shares her favorite Black-owned businesses in the City of Light
In Paris, I become that typical enamored tourist who finds thrill in everything: flaky croissants, cobblestone streets, effortless fashion, the celebration of butter and wine … lots of wine. Over the years, I’ve ventured beyond the typical tourist path to discover the heart of the city: its people. And along the way I’ve encountered some incredible Black-owned businesses. Here are my top picks.
Tanisha Townsend is a sommelier whose wine lifestyle and education agency offers engaging wine and food pairing experiences for expats and tourists. Townsend also hosts the wine podcast Wine School Dropout.
Gumbo Yaya, Paris
Lionel Chauvel’s soul food eatery features fare including chicken and waffles, pecan pie, and sweet tea, served to the strains of throwback R&B.
Yanique Francis moved from New York to Paris in 2007 and created My Parisian Life to give visitors an opportunity to see the City of Lights beyond the typical tourist sights. Trip planning and elopements are just a few of the services her company provides, and her newsletter is a trove of all things Parisian.
It's time the world knew Black travelers better. Read our full Black History Month coverage.
New Soul Food, Paris
Helmed by Cameroonian-Guadeloupean chef Rudy Laine and his brother Joël, this 10th-arrondissement restaurant features Afropéenne (Afro-European) cuisine. Standout dishes include an Afropoke bowl with shredded barbecued chicken, red beans, roasted maize and plantains, as well as spiced prawns en brochette with mbongo tchobi, a velvety, spicy black tomato sauce from Cameroon.
It’s hard to say no to dessert in Paris, and if you’re lactose-intolerant or following a gluten-free diet, now you don’t have to. Pastry chef Murielle Dagnet uses tuber flour (a mixture of sweet potato, manioc and banana flour) to make tempting lactose- and gluten-free treats you can order for delivery via Instagram.
Black paris walks
Raised in France and Martinique, Kévi Donat leads walking tours that highlight Black culture in Paris, revealing everything from the influence of the Harlem Renaissance to Black GI’s fight to liberate France.
Jacqui Mpii continues to highlight the influence of Africans in Paris using her company as a tool. Mpii offers walking tours that reveal the beauty of the African diaspora, and her Africa In Paris City Guide is a compilation of more than 200 of the city’s Afro-Parisian boutiques, restaurants, events and artists.
Maison Chateau Rouge
Youssouf Fofana co-founded and runs this boutique, which features everything from cushions to T-shirts sourced from sub-Saharan Africa, and has collaborated on limited-edition releases with Nike.
Olivier Thimothée’s laid-back restaurant serves West African and Caribbean specialties such as okra skewers, stew chicken and fish patties in a chic space not far from the Charonne metro station.
Kristin Braswell is travel journalist and founder of CrushGlobal Travel. She has penned pieces for Vogue, CNN, USA Today, Essence, NPR, Architectural Digest, Ebony and The Los Angeles Times. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter.