Today there are over 570 federally recognized Native American tribes. They all have their own food traditions. Many of the chefs at Native American restaurants across the U.S. create dishes that showcase vegetables and proteins Native to the Americas. Uplifting local communities is often one of their priorities. They will purchase from indigenous producers and support local food systems as much as they can.
Off the Rez in Seattle, Washington
Off the Rez started as a food truck and has since become a restaurant located at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. It is run by Mark McConnell and his partner Cecilia Rikard. The restaurant serves fry bread just like McConnell’s mother used to make when he was growing up. The fry bread comes with various sweet or savory toppings. Other Native-inspired food includes wild rice served with braised bison and seasonal vegetables.
Shkodé Chophouse at Gun Lake Casino in Michigan
Shkodé is the Potawatomi word for fire, and the chophouse food and atmosphere at Gun Lake Casino reflect this. Flame-grilled steak, seafood, and various entrees offer a fresh take on American cuisine. You can pair your meal with wine or an artisanal cocktail. The elevated dining experience comes at a more affordable price than many chophouses in the West Michigan area. You can also enhance your experience by playing casino games at Gun Lake Casino. The gambling complex also has an MI online casino where you can use an app on your mobile phone to play games.
Black Sheep Café in Provo, Utah
Chef Mark Danial Mason is half Hidatsa and half Navajo. In the Black Sheep Café, he serves up a rotating menu that includes dishes like grilled pork chop with roasted chili wrapped in Navajo bread. The café is also a local gallery for Native American artists in Provo. Mason sticks to one principle in his cooking and that is the use of corn, beans, and squash in his dishes. These are the ‘three sisters’ of Native food.
Tocabe in Denver, Colorado
Co-owner Ben Jacob’s grandmother was a member of the Osage Nation. He and his partner Matt Chandra opened the eatery in 2008 with the goal of creating an understanding of Native food. The menu features updates of traditional recipes, and meals include ingredients like bison, beef, chicken, beans, and vegetables. A variety of Native ingredients are available such as toppings like Osage hominy made from maize, sweet corn, and maple vinaigrette. A favorite at Tocabe is bison ribs glazed with berry barbeque sauce and served with fry bread.
Kai in Chandler, Arizona
Kai is an upscale restaurant that has earned a number of awards. The menu uses ingredients from the local Gila River Indian Community and carries influences from the Pima and Maricopa tribes. The name of the restaurant means “seed” in the Pima language. The menu features many dishes that honor Native American cuisine. One of the popular dishes is grilled tenderloin of tribal buffalo. It comes with chorizo, corn puree, scarlet runner bean chili, cholla buds, and saguaro blossom syrup. A special entrée involves burning sage and lavender in a bouquet above a dish of rabbit and goose.
Café Ohlone in Berkley, California
Vincent Medina and Louis Trevino are the founders of Café Ohlone, and they are reviving traditional American dishes from pre-Columbian times. There is no gluten, dairy, alcohol, pork or legumes to be found and the whole menu is seasonal in nature. Ingredients are sourced from the Bay area alone. Patrons can look forward to crispy duck breasts, oak acorn bisque, and desserts such as yerba Buena flavored sorbet.
