Detroit is home to a burgeoning African food scene, with acclaimed restaurants like Maty’s, Saffron De Twah and Yum Village joining the mix over the past decade. Baobab Fare owners Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere – partners in hospitality and in life – came to Detroit as refugees before growing their pop-up into a nationally acclaimed brick-and-mortar serving their native Burundian cuisine in the New Center district. An excellent entry point is the kuku: pan-fried chicken served in a delightfully tangy mustard sauce with soft plantains, earthy yellow beans, and your choice of their spiced rice pilau or coconut rice.

Nadia Nijimbare and Hamissi Mamba bring the flavors of their native Burundi to Detroit’s Woodward Avenue, announcing in bold letters across the waitstaff’s T-shirts, “Detroit Ni Nyumbani,” or “Detroit Is Home” in Swahili. Located on the corner of busy Woodward Avenue and Grand Boulevard, the restaurant’s black and gray interior pops with yellow accents and includes a wall of handwoven East African baskets. The menu includes tender grilled chicken and crispy fish served with coconut rice, fried plantains, stewed peanuts and spinach.

Sitting at the intersection of Woodward Avenue and Grand Boulevard, Baobab Fare brings new flavors to Detroit. Owners Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere, a husband-and-wife duo from Burundi, celebrate East African cuisine and culture. The restaurant offers authentic East African foods and specials, such as Ugali, a traditional East African swallow served with an okra stew, and Mhogo, which includes the root of the cassava plant served with shredded chicken that is pan-fried in a tangy mustard-onion sauce.

At Baobab Fare, owners (and husband and wife) Nadia Nijimbere and Hamissi Mamba serve East African cuisine that honors traditional dishes from Burundi, their home country. Named one of Eater's best new restaurants of 2021, Baobab Fare is more than just an eatery — it's a community gathering space that employs refugees and asylum seekers. Passionate about giving back to Burundi, the restaurant also has a market with goods for sale, including coffee beans imported from Burundi and roasted in Detroit.

Baobab Fare, which is located at the intersection of Grand Boulevard and Woodward Avenue, introduces fresh flavors to Detroit. Burundi husband-and-wife team Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere celebrate East African cuisine and culture. The restaurant serves authentic East African foods and specials like Ugali, a traditional East African dish served with an okra stew, and Mhogo, which includes shredded chicken and cassava root in a tangy mustard-onion sauce.

Owned by husband-and-wife duo Nadia Nijimbere and Hamissi Mamba, Baobab Fare brings the rich flavors of Burundi to Detroit’s food scene. While the slow-roasted mbuzi (goat shank) and comforting ugali have earned a devoted following, the restaurant’s dessert offerings provide a light and refreshing way to end a meal. The tamu, a silky pudding made with avocado and passionfruit, offers a unique balance of creamy and tangy flavors.

One of the newer restaurants in midtown, Baobab Fare, belongs on everyone's list of restaurants to try this year. The husband and wife co-owners, Nadia Nijimbere and Hamissi Mamba made it their personal mission to bring the flavors of East Africa to Detroit. No detail was left untouched from the décor and music to the mouthwatering menu options that beautifully introduce African fare to the thriving Detroit community.

Top: Samaki (flash-fried fish) with fresh corn salad, stewed yellow beans, plantains, and coconut rice. Bottom: Intore (eggplant stew)with yellow beans, fried plantains, and spiced rice pilau. When Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere set out to open an East African restaurant in Detroit, “we didn’t know what we were doing,” says Mamba, who worked in sales and marketing, while Nijimbere was a human rights worker.

Burundi restaurant Baobab Fare is readying to open in West Village after winning a $10,000 grant from Comerica Hatch Detroit. While they ready to open, the husband-and-wife team have been hosting pop-ups around town. Jerk & Jollof is a nightlife pop-up that blends African and Caribbean music, food and culture that most recently took over Saint Andrew’s Hall for a New Year’s Eve event.

Here at Baobab Fare, people will get to taste a rare find: cuisine from the East African country Burundi. Named after the Tree of Life, Baobab Fare is serving a taste of East Africa to the Motor City. The Nijimberes were originally welcomed to Detroit as refugees with open arms, and now the husband-and-wife team is giving that love back to Detroit with food.

Baobab Fare is an East African restaurant, market, and juice bar, offering an array of prepared menu items, groceries, juices, and other retail products from East Africa. Small, casual dining area, amazingly different food. The East African restaurant is ranked among highly rated restaurants in cities like Chicago, New York, Miami and Los Angeles.

Billed as "a celebration of East African food and culture," this James Beard Awards 2023 semifinalist offers dishes including its signature Nyumbani (beef slow-simmered in ripened tomato sauce), Kuku (pan-fried chicken in rich, tangy mustard-onion sauce), vegetarian creations and daily specials. Hours and more details: baobabfare.com

6568 Woodward Ave., Suite 100, Detroit; 313-265-3093; baobabfare.com". Opened by immigrants, Baobab Fare brings East African fare, coffee, and fresh juices to Detroit’s New Center neighborhood. Their signature dish is Nyumbani, a slow-simmered beef dish served with fried plantains, peanut stewed spinach, and coconut rice.

6568 Woodward Ave, Suite 100, Detroit, MI 48202, United StatesPhone: 313-265-3093 Visit Website. In 2021, Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere, two refugees from Burundi, opened Baobab Fare. The restaurant quickly became a sensation thanks to its amazing menu inspired by East African cuisine.

This weekly training exercise — past lessons have included inventory, front-of-house management, and organizing prep stations — are designed to prepare Mamba when he and wife Nadia Nijimbere open their new African restaurant, Baobab Fare, later this year.

- Rating: 4.7/5 (350 reviews)- Price level: $$- Address: 6568 Woodward Ave. Detroit, Michigan - Categories: Coffee & Tea, African, Juice Bars & Smoothies- Read more on Yelp. You may also like:Highest-rated delis in Detroit by diners

More than a restaurant, Baobab Fare is a gathering space where all are welcome and embraced. Baobab Fare is an East African restaurant offering food that honors traditional dishes served in Burundi, the… Baobab Fare

From Burundi to Detroit, this immigrant-owned East African restaurant has enjoyed so much success since opening in early 2021 that it expanded to open the Soko East African Market and Waka East African food truck.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Final preparations are underway with - the placement of tables, the stirring of spinach inside Baobab Fare - the new East African restaurant in Detroit's New Center area.

Bringing the vibrant flavors of East Africa to Detroit, Baobab Fare is a restaurant founded by refugees from Burundi that embodies the spirit of “Detroit Ni Nyumbani” — Detroit is Home.