After 16 years running Afro Deli and Grill, the popular casual restaurant with three Twin Cities locations, its owner said it was time for a higher-end Somali restaurant.
Martiya, which means “guest” in Somali, has opened on Nicollet Avenue near Lake Street in south Minneapolis, offering Somali diaspora cuisine. Abdirahman Kahin, a native of Djibouti, says Martiya will bridge the gap between Muslim and East African communities and the local fine-dining scene.
“Martiya came in response to the community’s demand. It was created not only as a business opportunity, but also as a much-needed amenity for the community,” he said.
The restaurant is on the ground floor of Opportunity Crossing, an affordable housing complex on Nicollet Avenue built after the riots that followed George Floyd’s 2020 killing by police. The building replaced a Wells Fargo Bank building ravaged during the riots. But the area still has its problems, including a large homeless population.
Some might question the location of an upscale restaurant at such a location. But Martiya sells out daily and has only a limited number of reservations on most evenings because of high demand, Kahin said.
The owner also feels was determined to be part of the solution to a sometimes troubled area.
“Building Minneapolis is the responsibility of those who live here, and creating a thriving community and businesses is important,” Kahin said.
He’s putting his star power behind the new venture. In 2023, Kahin was named the U.S. Small Business Administration’s National Small Business Person of the Year.
The recognition came after his Afro Deli business grew rapidly, expanding to multiple locations in the Twin Cities, and his efforts to provide free meals to vulnerable members of his community.
Muna Mohamed, 25, is a Minneapolis-based food content creator with 49.8K followers on Instagram and 113.1K followers on TikTok.
She is proud of the Twin Cities’ Somali food scene and of hospitality businesses like Martiya.
“Ten of us planned to go to Martiya today, but we couldn’t get a reservation, so we are trying to make one soon,” she said. “I think it’s about time for places like Martiya to come to our community.”
Kahin said Somalis living outside Somalia, such as in Djibouti, Kenya, and Ethiopia, share the same cultural foods, with nuances shaped by their native countries, and as a result, these are not only Somali foods but also broader East African foods.
Diners come from across the Twin Cities for the popular xaanid, a slow-cooked lamb or goat shoulder; lamb suugo, a spaghetti with chili (basbaas), pecorino, and mint; and gluten-free hummus, made with olive tapenade and sumac, and served with chapati.
Zakkiyya Jeter of Brooklyn Park and Mare O’Neil of St. Paul, two friends dining recently at Martiya, said they were amazed by the food, music, ambiance and the staff’s attentiveness.
When a reporter asked what they ordered, Jeter replied, “What did we not order?” She lifted a large brown bag in the air, indicating they not only dined at the restaurant but also bought food to take home.
Jeter said their order included goat meat, chicken wings served with salad, hummus and bread, and spicy tea with camel milk, among other dishes and drinks.
“It’s a dream come true,” Jeter said, describing how hard it is to find an upscale halal restaurant. “There’s something so welcoming about this restaurant; there’s even a prayer section,” she said, pointing to a prayer mat in a section of the event hall.
Executive chef Matthew Lamoreaux said Martiya is becoming a place where the local community will come together to share a meal without feeling like outsiders.
“I converted to Islam in 2013, and it has been challenging to work with non-halal restaurants while maintaining my Islamic faith,” he said.
Lamoreaux said the prospect of being a chef at a Somali restaurant was daunting.
“I hesitated a bit because Somali food is not just a recipe; it’s a food that is built on history, cultural stories, and awareness, and I wasn’t sure if a white man from Oklahoma would be able to tell that story,” Lamoreaux said. “After two months of contemplating, I finally applied. I figured that even though this is not my story, it doesn’t mean I can’t be part of it.”
“With Kahin’s guidance and the recently released Somali cookbook, I can now comfortably help tell that story,” he said.
Sadiq Ali owns Deg Deg Grill, with two locations, at Karmel Mall and 24 Mall, both in south Minneapolis. He started his food business in 2009, and with a lot of trial and error, Deg Deg Grill (meaning “quick” in Somali”) has found its footing, Sadiq said.
“Somali business and south Minneapolis are thriving and will be unrecognizable in the coming years. I’m proud to see a restaurant like Martiya coming to the Somali community in south Minneapolis,” he said.
Until its grand opening in November, Martiya will be open Wednesday through Sunday, 4 to 10 p.m. Then it will operate seven days a week and will introduce Twin Cities’ first halal brunch, two days a week.
