Little Liberia moving from pop-up to permanent location next year

The popular African fusion pop-up eatery Little Liberia recently announced plans to open a brick and mortar location next year.

Owned and operated by Ameneh Marhaba, Little Liberia offers a variety of Liberian beverages and multicultural cuisines influenced by African, Caribbean, and antebellum-south African American culture. Born and raised in Liberia, she spent most of her life there with her siblings and mother, who taught her how to cook as a young girl as a means to survive.

“It takes a lot of motivation for sure, the fact that if you really didn’t have any other option in this whatever it is for you if that’s your only means of survival, you’re going to do everything you can to make that work,” she said.

Those necessary skills eventually developed into a passion for cooking, and after immigrating to the U.S., she turned her passion into her first pop-up in 2016.

The new permanent location is expected to open in mid to late 2024 in Detroit’s New Center neighborhood at 6513 Woodward Ave., the former home of the co-working space Room Project. In a Facebook announcement last month, Marhaba said the location is “one-of-a-kind.”

“We’ll be right on Woodward Ave. in the heart of New Center, surrounded by Wayne State University, the Fisher Theatre, and the Amtrak station,” she said. “So whether you’re a student, a theater buff, or just passing through, we’ll be here to serve up some delicious Liberian cuisine.”

There are also multiple pop-ups planned for the end of the year at The Schvitz, including a Women’s Brunch from 12 to 4 p.m., and an all-gender dinner from 6 to 10 p.m. Sundays, Dec. 3-17.

For more information about Little Liberia, visit littleliberia.com.

Listen: Little Liberia owner Ameneh Marhaba talks with WDET about her journey to entrepreneurship