Black-Owned Businesses in Virginia Beach

February is Black History Month, and August is National Black Business Month — but any time of year is a great time to support local Black-owned businesses in Virginia Beach. They offer a variety of experiences and products, from restaurants serving up fine dining, Caribbean or Indian cuisine experiences … to a company that turns beer byproducts into granola bars … to a tailor of bespoke suits and beyond. Black-owned restaurants and other businesses are pillars of our coastal community. Here are the establishments that should be on everyone’s must-visit list.

All Good Granola Bars

It takes a special person to look at a pile of grain left over from home beer brewing and think it could become good-and-good-for-you granola bars — and even a business. “It just smelled too good to throw out,” said Bryan Daniels, who was born and raised in Virginia Beach and is now a certified personal trainer and the owner of All Good Granola Bars.

The crunchy granola nuggets also keep a small portion of the byproducts from local craft breweries out of landfills. In the brewing process, grain (mostly malted barley and a little wheat) is typically discarded long before fermentation begin. Daniels dries and bakes the grain before adding dried fruit and other good stuff. The All Good facilities also contain a coffee house where the granola bars are on the menu, but you can also order a subscription online. The bars’ creative names reflect their humble beginnins and “hoppy endings”: Cranberry Almond IPA, Coconut Mango Tropical IPA, Chocolate Berry Stout, Blueberry Hefeweizen and Pumpkin Spice Oktoberfest.  

Ceremony

Ceremony is dedicated to the proposition that people don’t have to drink alcohol to have fun or celebrate special occasions. This “dry bottle shop” caters to those who enjoy non-alcoholic or low-alcohol drinks, or who drink on occasion but also want non-alcoholic options. You’ll find an amazing variety of flavors that mimic spirits, wines and cocktails. Beverages come in easily recyclable glass or aluminum containers, and ship in plastic-free packaging locally and within the continental U.S.

Chef Skip 757

Virginia Beach native Christopher Skipper worked his way up from kitchen helper at age 15 to operating his own food truck to become the owner of two brick-and-mortar restaurants, both called Chef Skip 757. Chef Skip’s menu features golden-brown, deep-fried delicacies, from shrimp and oyster po’ boys and crab cakes to clams and chicken wings. Also on the menu are shrimp, fish and oyster tacos, but Skipper says his Philly cheesesteak is one of his most popular items.  

Cobalt Grille

Cobalt Grille’s owner and executive chef, Alvin Williams, was born and raised by Jamaican parents in Leeds, England. Williams graduated from culinary school at the top of his class, and his talents won him positions in the kitchens of prestigious London properties such as the Grosvenor House Hotel. After visiting the Virginia Beach area on a visit to his sister’s home, Williams moved here, helping to create the fine-dining experience at Virginia Beach’s former Le Chambord.

He opened Cobalt Grille in 2000 with restaurateur and businessman Gary Black. At the restaurant, diners can enjoy appetizers such as scallops Rockefeller and fried green tomatoes, entrees that range from beef Wellington to gourmet burgers, and desserts like tres leches cake, crème brulée and deep-fried Oreos. Williams has a small farm that supplies organic produce for the restaurant’s delicious dishes.  

CLTRE. | VGN JNT

Luvenia “Luv” Hankins says she’s realized her childhood dream of creating a very personal café that attracts and supports a community of artists and creatives who share their work and ideas. Patrons of the CLTRE. (pronounced “culture,” and don’t forget the period) Vegan Joint (or VGN JNT) create art on the walls and participate in open-mic sessions while enjoying breakfast and lunch from a plant-based

Stop in to savor vegan waffles in delicious flavors like cinnamon apple; Hawaiian (with pineapple, bananas, granola), Cream Cheez drizzle and coconut bacon; Chocolate Craze — or build your own. Sample vegan biscuits with gravy and even a Chik’n Biscuit, all of which you can enjoy with smoothies, coffee or tea. CLTRE. is located Inland, with a second location in Norfolk.  

The Dapper Luq Collection

The Dapper Luq Collection was started in 2019 by Luqman Haskett when he retired from the U.S. Navy after 22 years. The company specializes in creative bespoke suits in colors, fabrics, styles and sizes that aren’t available in retail stores, Haskett says. Though the suits are more costly than off-the-rack options from retail stores, the level of customization is worth the price for many loyal customers.  

Desmond’s Island Soul Grill

The 7,000+ islands and 30+ territories scattered throughout the Caribbean offer a colorful mix of cultures and flavors. Shavonne Alexander’s restaurant, Desmond’s Island Soul Grill, features a vegan menu that celebrates this unique mélange — with a special emphasis on Guyana, which combines influences from Africa, India and South America. The resulting menu, all vegan, showcases a delicious assortment of curries, roti, dhal puri, lentil empanadas, arepas, plantains, callaloo, peas and rice, jerk barbecued jackfruit and a popular, flavorful dish called Rasta Pasta.

Happy Cafe

Owner-chef Tomeka Wallace works long hours creating delicious food for breakfast, brunch and lunch at Happy Cafe. She created her first Happy Cafe in 2016 in her hometown of Blackstone, Virginia, and expanded the business to Virginia Beach three years later. Wallace specializes in sandwiches with flavor combinations that are far from ordinary, including the Cook Breakfast Bagel with sausage, ham, pastrami, bacon, one fried egg and pepper-jack cheese; the Ultimate Club made with sourdough bread, Swiss, American and cheddar cheese, turkey, ham, bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo; and the Cafe Roast of shredded chuck roast beef, French onion and Havarti cheese on a ciabatta bun.  

J&K Style Grill

Keona Dooley, the young CEO and owner of J&K Style Grill, has been working at the restaurant since she was nine years old — when she wasn’t in school, of course. Her military veteran parents, Kelvin and Latonya Dooley, opened the business in 2015, which now has two Virginia Beach locations, as well as food trucks and a catering service. J&K is famous for its stuffed wings and gourmet egg rolls, but perhaps its main claim to fame (other than its youthful boss) is the waffleburger: a six-ounce patty sandwiched between two fluffy house-made Belgian waffles, topped with a special sauce, crispy bacon, grilled onions and an egg fried to perfection.

Montego Island Grill

The father-daughter team of Randy and Danyelle Nurse owns and operates  Montego Island Grill, which has been serving great Caribbean dishes in Virginia Beach since 1997. Randy is from Barbados, and he bought the restaurant 22 years ago from Jamaican friends. “We felt it was best to continue to build on what was already there and add to it,” says Danyelle Nurse, who was born in the U.S. 

The grill’s authentic Caribbean dishes include patties (handheld pastries stuffed with meat), jerk chicken, stewed oxtail, curry goat, ackee and saltfish, whole red snapper prepared fried, steamed, in a brown stew, or in the Jamaican escoveitch style, in which fish is fried, then marinated. In a nod to the Caribbean’s influences from India, the grill also offers roti — chicken, goat, shrimp and veggie curry wrapped in pillowy Indian flatbread.  

Philly Cold Cuts

Navy Chief George Fuller and his wife, Louise, first started making and selling sandwiches to workers at the Oceana Naval Station. The sandwiches proved popular enough that by the time George Fuller retired in 1980 after 26 years in uniform, he’d bought a restaurant called Philadelphia Cold Cuts, which he and the Fullers’ four sons have operated as Philly Cold Cuts. Philly cheesesteaks are their forte, but the menu also includes hoagies, regular sandwiches and even burgers, along with sides and salads.  

Smoothie Stop Café

Serving a lineup of healthy, fresh smoothies and cold-pressed juices, Smoothie Stop serves up a long list of tasty options that are low in sugar and made with fresh fruits and vegetables. This family-owned business was inspired by one of the owner’s 105-year-old great-grandmothers- and the familial love is present in every sip. A menu of wraps and salads will fuel you up, and a variety of juice detox plans are available to complement your healthy lifestyle.

About Our Writer

Terry Galvin was six when he got his first boat, an eight-foot aluminum johnboat with oars. His family lived in a house on the water and soon, he was driving the family power boat, water skiing and learning to race sailboats. When he wasn’t boating, Terry was reading, a behavior that later lead to a career as a newspaper writer and editor. He was working for the Virgin Islands Daily News when Terry met his wife of 30 years, who shares his love of the water and humors his need to hunt down locally owned restaurants wherever they go.