In West Africa, maquis are small, open-air restaurants that serve as go-to meeting places for locals. It’s a concept where bustling social hubs meet communal dining, centering on good food and good people. Fanta and Fabiola Agbale hope to evoke that feeling with their restaurant Le Nouveau Maquis. With two locations in DeKalb County, one in Stone Mountain and a newly-opened location in Tucker, the mother-daughter duo is bringing a taste of home to metro Atlanta and crafting their own maquis one West African dish at a time.
“A maquis is supposed to be a space that’s on your street or in your neighborhood. So, if your mom didn’t cook at home, you can go there,” Fabiola said. “I think feeling like home is always a good thing.”
What has now become a popular spot for the diaspora in the Atlanta area once started at the back of an African store on Memorial Drive with only 10 seating spaces. While it wasn’t Fabiola’s initial plan to venture into the restaurant business with her mom, she believed Le Nouveau Maquis could reach new heights. When she graduated from school, the pair opened their first storefront in 2020 on the same street.
Since then, the restaurant has become a staple in the metro area for West African food, garnering love from locals who are and aren’t familiar with the cuisine. The passion for what they’ve been able to build can be seen as soon as you step into the restaurants, with memorabilia from Africa greeting guests as the sounds of afrobeats, highlife, coupé-décalé, and mbalax surround them. Oftentimes, you can see Fabiola cooking in the kitchen or greeting guests in the dining area as the smell of authentic spices and flavors wafts throughout the restaurant…