Indigenous Eats

Fry bread tastes fantastic drizzled in local honey. @iespokane used with permission

An Indigenous Eats feast. @iespokane used with permission

Hearty wild rice forms the basis for healthy bowls. @iespokane used with permission

The staff at Indigenous Eats. @iespokane used with permission

A drag event at Indigenous Eats. @iespokane used with permission

Indian tacos are a classic. @iespokane used with permission

Fry breads get the sweet treatment with butter, powdered sugar, and huckleberry preserves. @iespokane used with permission

A Powwow Burger sandwiched between two fry bread "buns." @iespokane used with permission

The interior of the restaurant. @iespokane used with permission

stevensea12 (Atlas Obscura User)

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.