Fork in Nigeria food truck to open sit-down restaurant in Midtown

The owner of a popular food truck is bringing his Nigerian cuisine to a brick-and-mortar, sit-down restaurant in Detroit in Midtown near Woodward and Willis. 

Owner and chef Prej Iroegbu says he's working now on getting furniture imported from Nigeria and other materials for the new restaurant, which he says "will be all about the experience." He said he'll likely open this fall.

"People will sit on the floor and eat with their fingers to get the remote Nigerian experience," he said, adding that they'll have a cocktail menu, expanded vegan offerings and more variety of fufu, which is what put Fork in Nigeria on the map locally. 

More:New food truck Fork in Nigeria perseveres during pandemic, gets a boost from TikTok

Fork in Nigeria specializes in jollof rice, meat pies, goat and oxtail dishes and fufu, pounded yams served with flavorful stew. 

The West African dish got a boost in popularity this year when it went viral on TikTok. Young people went in search of it around Metro Detroit and found that the Fork in Nigeria food truck was one of the few places selling fufu. 

Shortly after, Iroegbu was able to expand to a second food truck that serves the Columbus, Ohio, area. He said even once the Detroit restaurant is up and running, the food trucks will continue. 

"The restaurant gives me the creative space to fully support the trucks and (offer) a full dining experience," said Iroegbu.

Visit forkinnigeria.com to view the menu and place an order for delivery (in some areas) or pick up in front of the forthcoming restaurant at 4219 Woodward in Detroit. 

mbaetens@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @melodybaetens