Sometimes when you try something for the first time, you end up finding a new thing you love. That is what happened to me after Tati recommended I try the Senegalese food for the first time at Maty’s African cuisine. It was SO GOOD. Yes, it was a bit different than what I usually eat, but they cook with a lot of the same flavors I am used to, and I’ve been going back time and time again.
Maty’s African Cuisine was the only Senegalese restaurant in Metro Detroit at the time it opened. Amady Gueye, and his wife Maty, are both originally from Senegal. When they came to America they loved to cook authentic dishes for their friends and family, and their guests absolutely loved it. They wanted to own their own restaurant, and finally, after years of working at chain restaurants, Amady and Maty were able to open up Maty’s African Cuisine on Detroit’s north side.
The most popular style of dish they have, and what I recommend first-timers try, is their yassa. Yassa, as they put it, is “a tasty onion sauce.” The onions are caramelized and stewed for a long time in herbs and spices, and they pair excellently with the different meats they serve them with. You can get a chicken, lamb or fish yassa. The lamb and chicken in yassa meals are marinated in their “magic sauce” which is flavored with mustard seeds and is a bit tangy with a mild heat.
To see more of what’s on their menu, watch the full story above.
Right now Maty’s African cuisine is offering dine-in and takeout, you can place your order by calling (313) 472-5885.
Maty’s African cuisine is located at 21611 Grand River Ave, Detroit, MI 48219.