Spokane, WA

At Indigenous Eats, owner Jenny Slagle and her husband, Andrew, serve Native American dishes prepared using family recipes. Offerings range from Indian tacos to desserts drenched in huckleberry sauce, and ingredients are sourced exclusively from locally owned Native American businesses. Fry bread, which appears here in both sweet and savory forms, is made according to a recipe from the owner’s mother.

Slagle, a member of the Yakama Nation and descendant of the Northern Arapaho Tribe, always dreamed of running a restaurant for Native American comfort food. For years, she ran an Indian taco stand with her four children and mother at Spokane’s annual Falls Pow Wow. Finally, an inspiring visit to Denver’s Tocabe: An American Indian Eatery, reassured her there was an appetite for such dishes. In 2022, Indigenous Eats was born.

Around the restaurant’s deli-style order counter, walls are adorned with local Indigenous art and traditional melodies resound from the speakers. Exhibits and posters paint a picture of the vibrant Spokane’s Indigenous ancestry, where over 300 tribes in the county have created lively community spaces.

Slagle and her family recipes have proven that even a fast food restaurant can be a powerful medium for preserving heritage and celebrating Native American culture.