East English Village just leveled up. Little Liberia — a Black-owned Liberian restaurant — opened its doors in March 2026 at 16530 E. Warren Ave. Unit A, right on the ground level of The Ribbon, the mixed-use apartment complex at Kensington and East Warren. West African flavor, right here on the East Side. That’s Detroit doing what Detroit does.
This is the brainchild of chef Ameneh Marhaba, a native of Liberia who immigrated to Detroit at just 16. She started Little Liberia as a pop-up back in 2016, grinding her way to the big stage — winning the $100,000 grand prize in the 2022 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest, then landing an $80,000 Motor City Match grant in 2024 to secure a permanent home. A decade of hustle, finally rooted.
The menu is unapologetically Liberian: jollof rice the Liberian way, pepper kala, collard greens slow-cooked with beef, groundnut stew, kidney bean stew, goat shanks, and fried plantains. This is the kind of cooking that reminds you food is culture, family, and history on a plate.
The dining room itself is a celebration — African art and portraits by diverse local artists line the walls, and in early fall it hosted “Legacy and Lineage,” an exhibit honoring Black culture. So come hungry and taste the story.
Read the full story: https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/dining/2026/10/11/restaurant-review-little-liberia-in-east-english-village-detroit/92161485007/
Tap in. — LORDZ
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