Why are there hardly any Native American restaurants anywhere?

Question

Why are there hardly any Native American restaurants (even in NM & AZ), even as other ethnic restaurants abound?

Answer 1

A lot of the food has been incorporated into various American, Southwestern, and Mexican.

But here are the authentic ones, Native American owned ones:

Cedar Pass Lodge
Box 5, Badlands National Park, SD 57750 Tel [phone].

The Cedar Pass Lodge Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, 7 days a week. No visit to the Badlands is complete without trying the Sioux Indian Taco made from our special fry bread and seasoned buffalo. You may also choose from a variety of sandwiches, steaks and burgers.

Kai, Sheraton Wild Horse Resort
5594 Wild Horse Pass Rd. Tel [phone].

Kai, meaning 'seed' in the Pima language, features a menu rich in creativity, history and Native American culture. Native American Chef Strong incorporates the essence of the Pima and Maricopa tribes and locally farmed ingredients from the Gila River Indian Community to create unforgettable masterpieces. James Beard Award-winning Chef Janos Wilder is consulting chef for Kai and is renowned for creating unique and indigenous menu experiences. Kai (rhymes with "sky") is set on the Gila River Reservation and relies on tribal and local agriculture to fill out much of its menu. Start off with honeydew melon soup with scallop and halibut ceviche, set off with candied kumquats. Then move on to tribally raised buffalo with raspberry and tomatillo salsa. Finish up with warm fry bread topped with Kahlua ice cream. Open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday, reservations are recommended. Menu at: http://www.wildhorsepassresort.com/dining-wild-horse-pass.html

Jakes Bakery
off Highway I-40 between Gallop and Albuquerque NM take exit 102 to Acoma Pueblo and it sits back off the road to the right
Tel [phone].

Jake Vallo produces the best Pueblo bread ever eaten in his wood fired hornos. These round loaves have a crispy crust with a hint of mesquite wood that fires his oven. He and his son also produce cherry, apple, blueberry and pineapple pies that are made in the form of a round loaf as well as sweet rolls. Bring some cheese to eat with this wonderful bread as you visit Acoma Pueblo. Also take home some great tamales made at his bakery. Open Tuesday through Friday.

Uncas American Indian Grill, Mohegan Sun Casino
1 Mohegan Sun Blvd, Uncasville, Ct. 06382, Tel [phone].

Whether for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a late night snack, our newest addition to the dining menu at Mohegan Sun, the Uncas American Indian Grill in its rustic natural designs of waterfalls and fire pits to reed canopies and natural birch trees, provides a setting and menu to uniquely satisfy both senses and appetite. Prepared over wood-fire and spit-roasted rodizio style, the diverse menu features items with an American Indian flair such as Wampausuk fried oysters, Mohegan succotash, and spit-roasted turkey tenderloin. The menu also includes favorites from the former Chief’s Deli and Mohegan Territory restaurants such as over-stuffed sandwiches and seafood pot pie.
Hours of Operation Sunday thru Friday: 11:00 am - 1:30 am Friday and Saturday: 11:00 am - 2:30 am Menu at:
http://www.mohegansun.com/pdf/menus/uaig_menu.pdf:




Fry Bread House
4140 N. 7th Ave., Phoenix Az 85013, 602-351-2345.

Cecilia Miller made Indian fry bread while growing up on the Tohono O'odham Reservation. She's still doing it the traditional way at her central Phoenix shop: made-from-scratch, hand-stretched and fresh-fried. Top the fry bread with mild green chile beef or zesty red chile beef. There is no more wicked dessert in town than fry bread coated with butter and chocolate.

Agave at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa
6902 East Greenway Parkway Scottsdale, Arizona 85254 Telephone: [phone] Toll Free: [phone] Fax: [phone].

Known for its use of indigenous spa ingredients and practices, Agave, The Arizona Spa adds another dimension with its Arizona Spa Cuisine menu. Each of the three new spa menus incorporates natively found ingredients such as quinoa,sunflower sprouts, and peppers, along with locally grown fruits and vegetables. Pacific Rim, Mediterranean and Native American influences are found in Sautéed Shrimp with Ginger, Garlic and Curry; Quinoa in an Orange Blossom Vinaigrette; and Roasted Beef Tenderloin on Butternut Squash. Executive Chef Anton Brunbauer, with an avid interest in food history and origin, is committed to the versatility and native flair of the ingredients used in all of the resort’s dining options. Brunbauer designed these menus to be light and healthy in keeping with the spa’s mission. A refreshing accompaniment to these meals is Agave’s signature limeade, made with Agave nectar, an organic liquid sweetener extracted from the core of the Agave plant, also a mainstay in early Arizona culture. Menu at:
http://www.kierlandresort.com/Spa.aspx

Native Hands
8806 McDowell Rd., Scottsdale, Az 85254, Tel [phone]
Breakfast and Lunch, Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Green chili stew with tortilla or fry bread ($5.95) understandably is a best seller. Pima Taco a folded-over fry bread stuffed with beans and cheese ($4.50) a Pima taco combination ($5.50) adds red or green chili. The house special ($4), with the ground beef jazzed by sizzling jalapenos, tomato and onion and scooped with warm corn tortilla chips. A simple basket of fry bread ($5), finally, fry bread dessert with honey and powdered sugar.

Answer 2

probably because we committed a genocide (as "we" I mean the US govt upon the initial "development" of the land) to the Native American people as a whole. I have been to many Native American reservations (in AZ and New Mexico) and they usually sell "fry" bread, etc. but I am sure there are great other meals using maize, etc. However, I do think that because the issues plaguing Native Americans (financial depressions, etc.) are due to our policies from years back- and therefore those tribes are only now getting financial viability back (with casinos, etc.). Thus, hopefully we will have more opportunities to experience yummy new food!

Answer 3

The National Museum of the American Indian in DC has the Mitsitam Cafe. It features Native foods found throughout the Western Hemisphere including the Northern Woodlands, South America, Northwest Coast, Meso America and Great Plains.

Each food station depicts regional lifeways related to cooking techniques, ingredients and flavors found in both traditional and contemporary dishes.

Sadly, the museums in NY and MD do not offer the cafe experience...

There's also Spirits Native American Restaurant in Asheville, NC http://spiritsnativeamericanrestaurant.com/ where they serve buffalo, quail, trout, pheasant, rice, beans, squash, etc...

There's also Fry Bread House in Phoenix, AZ... Native American Cuisine Catering in Hartford CT... Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe, NM....

Remember too that a lot of dishes that we claim for other regions, like clambakes and "Boston Baked Beans" were actually traditional Native American dishes adapted by settlers and claimed as their own as generations passed.

South City Kitchen in Atlanta, GA and Georgia Brown's in DC use a lot of Native American ingredients as do many other regional restaurants.

I think, odd as it may sound, we have just so absorbed the Native American cuisine into American cuisine in different regions that it no longer stands as its own cuisine enough for folks to recognize it individually... which is sad because the history behind the food (the use of it and respect for it) is just incredible.

Answer 4

Most of the Native American food I've has loads of grease and fat. It's not very healthy. Probably not a great fit for American culture in general.

THere are a lot of these restaurants in South Dakota

Answer 5

Because the government people are a$$holes!
I wish they did have Native American restaurants because I like eating foreign or un-american foods.

Answer 6

Maybe because most of those that actually know how to make the traditional foods and would keep it "authentic" are too poor to open restaurants...

Try a legitimate powwow if you want food...

Answer 7

I don't know,but I wish there was one,I like to try new things to eat.

Answer 8

i dont know but i would really like to go to one if there was one!

Answer 9

Shall we all wait for someone to say "Caus they can't cook worth a damn!"?

Answer 10

great question and i learned a lot!! thanks