Liberian Restaurant AfroEatz Planned for Midtown Sacramento

A new restaurant is lined up for the former Bambi Vegan Tacos space in Midtown Sacramento, from a group that has built a following without ever having a brick-and-mortar location.

A lease was signed earlier this month that will see Liberian restaurant AfroEatz open in the 2,200-square-foot space at 1725 I St. The family-owned business introduced customers to its authentic West African cuisine last March when its operators opened a cloud kitchen in Sactown Eats at 1501 N C St. Sactown Eats includes multiple restaurants offering pickup and delivery.

“We started off small and have grown tremendously,” said co-owner Sayeah Mayson, who is opening the restaurant with partner Tonia Sambola and aunt Warnerlyn Warner. “Customers want to experience the culture, and as a cloud kitchen we never really got to meet them, so now we will be able to give our customers that opportunity to experience Liberian culture, come sit with us, and have family meals like we do at home.”

Some of the most popular items at AfroEatz include jollof rice, fried plantains, Liberian dry rice, and pepper soup with fufu. All the owners were born and raised in Liberia but came to the United States at different times due to a civil war that was ongoing in the country at the time, Mayson said.

“We are all new to the restaurant industry, we just love cooking good Liberian food and want to share our culture with friends and neighbors,” Mayson said. “We’ve been learning every day and have been persistent with it. We are excited about this and the location we will be in, in the heart of the city.”

Brokers Matt Axford and Kimio Bazett of Turton Commercial Real Estate represented the tenant and landlord in the lease deal. The Midtown space was most recently occupied by vegan restaurant Bambi Vegan Tacos, which opened in September 2021 but has been closed since November 2024.

Mayson said the restaurant is planning minor improvements to decor prior to opening, with hopes of having AfroEatz operating by this summer. In addition to a service counter where orders can be placed, Mayson said AfroEatz plans to incorporate a self-serve kiosk in the restaurant and allow customers to place orders using QR codes at the table.