Above, A scene inside HUE Boston, a restaurant and lounge owned by Rob Eugene. Photo courtesy HUE Boston
By Sherri Cajuste
Special to the Reporter
As Boston celebrates Black History Month, it’s a perfect time to recognize the rich cultural contributions of the Haitian community, particularly in the culinary world. Downtown Boston is home to a growing number of Haitian-owned restaurants that not only offer delicious, authentic dishes but also serve as a vibrant reflection of Haitian heritage.
These eateries are more than just places to grab a meal, a cocktail, or an ice-cold Prestige. They are hubs of culture, tradition, and history.
Today, BostonHaitian.com spotlights three Haitian-owned restaurants that are making their mark on the Boston food scene and invite you to experience the flavors of Haiti right in the heart of the city.
Savvor Restaurant and Lounge
Savvor Restaurant and Lounge, located in the heart of Downtown Boston, opened its doors in 2013. Eddie Firmin, the pioneering Black restauranter who owns Savvor, explains that he wanted to give patrons “something to ponder” with the unique name.
“With the spelling not being correct it gives people something to think about and it's a way to stand out. I also wanted it to rhyme with “flavor” which makes us unique,” he told The Reporter.
The restaurant and lounge serves Haitian food, but also tries their best to incorporate a blend cultures in their menu, which offers traditional flavors with contemporary twists to ensure a diverse and inclusive dining experience.
“We serve some traditional dishes such as Haitian spaghetti and boulette burgers. We have such thing as pikliz as well so it's more of a Caribbean fusion but we do have a lot of jerk items, wings, oxtail and more."
“There's so many different things we cover but we do have Haitian specials every now and then such as diri kole (brown rice) and griyo.”
Being a Black-owned business in Downtown Boston has many challenges, Firmin said.
“Just to open up was a challenge," he says. "Twelve to 15 years ago they were not renting spaces to people like us. We were always doubted and denied even before getting through the door. Being the first, many felt as though Savvor wouldn't last, [so] carrying that burden can be exhausting. I just didn't want to mess it up and wanted to show people this could be done.
“We have neighbors that assume anything that happens in the area is caused by the minorities we bring in. As long as they consider them minorities then they think it's my fault because they think I'm the one that brought them downtown.”
When asked how he thinks his business is contributing to improving the perception of Haitian people and culture in Boston, Firmin said: “Being Haitian-owned is giving people the inspiration and will power to do it themselves. It's one thing to be Black and another to be Haitian-owned. Being that most Haitian spots are in Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park, Randolph and Brockton, this makes many business owners want to consider coming Downtown. Seeing a Haitian-owned space like me thriving, this gives people inspiration to dream bigger and to be afraid to do what's never been done.”
“I want people to understand that we are not in competition with the other restaurants in Downtown. I have great relationships with the owners of Fete, Hue, Estellas and so many other spots. They come to my place. I go to their place, I've never been a gatekeeper. I'm always open to helping my people win.”
Fete on Kingston
Established in 2022, around the corner from Downtown Crossing, Fete on Kingston has emerged as a vibrant restaurant, offering a dynamic blend of local culture, food, and entertainment. Owned by Paul Demosthene, Fete has built a strong reputation not only for its exceptional Caribbean fusion menu but also as the top destination for Black nightlife in Boston.
“Fete means ‘festive’ in Haitian Creole and is used a lot in the Western Community,” he said. “It was more of us using that reference to name it Fete.”
Opening a Black-owned restaurant comes with its share of challenges, and after just three years of operation, Fete’s journey has been particularly demanding.
“Not having a lot of people that look like us in the food industry can be quite challenging. Being one of the very few Haitian-owned spaces down there, it's a matter of people wanting to try something different than what they are used to Downtown. There's not a lot of us to reference so we're just trying to figure everything out in real time.”
Fete has grown to be one of the most popular spots for great food and nightlife in Boston, with many notable figures visiting, including NBA stars Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and many others.
“We always wanna stay true to the culture,” says Demosthene. “We've grown to have this reputation based off of the support from the community and we have many customers from different ethnicities and backgrounds. We just support whoever supports us so that's how we've grown to become so popular.”
While many rave about the great food at Fete on Kingston, the prices -including an added 20 percent dine-in gratuity— can also be a hurdle for some.
“As far as the prices, we don't just go and jack up prices. We do market research within a 1 -3 mile radius and try to make sure our prices are comparable to other establishments in the area, granted you re downtown and overhead is more challenging. It's not as easy as walking out your house, parking down the street and going to your local bar, so those are things people have to take into consideration.”
Fete, he says, benefits from a collaborative spirit that Eddie Firmin and others share.
“We like to stick to the script and be true to ourselves,” says Demosthene. “Naturally people always like to compare all of us and I’m sure there's different things people like about us that they don't like about other restaurants nearby. It's a lonely industry, there’s not a lot that look like us so were more about collaborating.”
HUE Boston
Another Haitian-owned destination downtown is HUE Restaurant, owned by Rob Eugene, which opened in 2023 in Boston's Back Bay. HUE has grown to become a popular destination for vibrant, contemporary cuisine, attracting both locals and visitors alike.
Eugene is a serial entrepreneur who owns many establishments in the Boston area such as RoseBar and Blue Nile Restaurant. He’s be partnering with Nia Grace this spring to reopen Darryl's Corner Bar with the new name being Uptown Social.
Eugene says the name HUE is “an abbreviation for our address.”
“The restaurant is located between Huntington and Exeter. It's just a way for people to remember the address and to seem unique amongst others. Hue also means color which signifies Boston as a melting pot with nationalities and backgrounds and to me it was important that HUE was a reflection of all of Boston.”
Eugene says HUE faces all of the same challenges facing other restaurants and nightspots in the city, but with the added dimension of countering a “misconception” that HUE is “only for Black people.”
“Obviously, that's not the case nor my intention and don't think that's any Black-owned establishment’s intention. I would also say that a challenge can be trying to break the narrative of people trying to put other Black-owned spots against each other as if there is competition amongst us when, in fact, we are all united and support each other.”
With the Black-owned food industry rapidly growing and many sparking interest in opening their own establishment, we asked Rob to offer his advice.
“I would say start by working at a local restaurant first just to get a feel,” he said. “Start off as a hostess, become a server, bartend, spend time in the kitchen and really learn the business from the inside out knowing all the moving parts.”
HUE’s menu isn’t Haitian-specific, but does have some Haitian-inspired touched.
“We do have sweet plantain, pork belly which is similar to oxtail. We have pikliz with our lamb chops so there are some touches of haitian influence in there and the menu changes every season. So we're looking forward to adding in more of my country’s flavor at HUE."
Rep. Chyna Tyler is sponsoring the Black Restaurant Challenge as part of Black History Month. See more here.
Sherri Cajuste is the founder of Haitians of Boston, which partners with BostonHaitian.com and BNN, Inc. Follow Haitians of Boston on Instagram