One of the persistent and harmful colonial narratives about Indigenous people and our cuisine is that we are somehow frozen in time, unchanging. But the proliferation of Indigenous restaurants and food entrepreneurs is turning this on its head by creating some of the most innovative and spectacular food out there, while preserving important throughlines of our history and food culture.  

We are in the midst of an Indigenous food renaissance, with amazing restaurants opening across Turtle Island that celebrate Indigenous foods and recipes. These restaurants are revitalizing our food systems and bringing traditional recipes and ingredients back to the table. Here are just a few: 

• Oro by NIXTA (Northeast Minneapolis): Featuring heirloom corn as the star of their menu, this restaurant and tortilleria makes incredible tortillas and other inventive dishes featuring delicious Indigenous ingredients. Their food draws on food traditions from Mexico with an innovative, contemporary twist. They also sell their tortillas to-go! 

• Wahpepah’s Kitchen (Oakland, CA): This is a restaurant deeply rooted in reciprocity and committed to reclaiming Native food ways. Founded by Crystal Wahpepah, an enrolled member of the Kickapoo nation, Wahpepah’s serves a variety of dishes rooted in her personal connections with Indigenous food producers. Menu highlights include wild rice fritters and blueberry bison meatballs. 

• Gatherings Cafe, located in the Minneapolis American Indian Center, serves fresh, locally grown foods that are “prepared using innovation mixed with ancestral knowledge”, like pumpkin wild rice pancakes and a delectable bison melt.  

These restaurants are part of a larger movement to restore Indigenous food sovereignty by strengthening diners’ connections and knowledge of their food.