Minnesota's first fine-dining Somali restaurant opens in Minneapolis
Minneapolis' first fine dining Somali restaurant opens
Martiya, a new restaurant in Minneapolis, is being described as the Twin Cities’ first fine-dining Somali restaurant. Owner Abdirahman Kahin says he created the space to provide a sit-down East African dining experience and a place for community gatherings.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A new Minneapolis restaurant is a one-of-a-kind, bringing Somali fine dining and a community space together under one roof.
How the concept came together
What we know:
Abdirahman Kahin, who also owns Afro Deli, spent years working on the concept for Martiya before he even found a building.
The restaurant opened in October in the Lyndale area of Minneapolis. Kahin said the Twin Cities was missing a sit-down restaurant focused on Somali and East African food.
"You know, we have a huge, large East African community in the Twin Cities, and we did not have any sit-down or upscale, or if I might say, fine dining in the Twin Cities," said Kahin.
The backstory:
"The word 'Marti' means, in Somali, 'guest,'" explained Kahin.
He said that idea shapes how he wants people to feel when they walk in.
"It's not only just a restaurant, but it's a guest house where you can invite your friends," said Kahin.
Martiya serves traditional Somali food and fusion dishes inspired by Kahin's culture.
Fine dining and event space
Why you should care:
When he was working on Martiya, Kahin said he envisioned a restaurant that not only served up foods from his culture, but also wanted to have an event and community space. Kahin said the space is part of the experience.
"Coming into this space, as you see, it's a very inviting space. And then food will complete that experience," Kahin said. "A lot of the time we don't find space that can accommodate everybody, especially the way you want things."
Dig deeper:
Kahin said Twin Cities chefs and restaurants from all different cultures inspired him to open Martiya.
"A lot of chefs, you know, in the Twin Cities are doing the same thing, and they're doing from other cultures, like the Hmong culture, the Vietnamese culture, the Chinese culture, the native culture. So it was about time to have an East African/Somali dining space, dining experience to join the new scene of Minnesota food," said Kahin.
Kahin said his head chef was trained in Michelin-starred kitchens and brings extensive fine-dining industry experience.
The Source: This story uses reporting by FOX 9's Chenue Her and an interview with owner Kahin.