Local West African restaurant Ike’s Cafe and Grill has big plans for 2026. In addition to a previously announced location planned for Edgewood, it will also be expanding its Marietta footprint, according to a release. Currently, the brand has a fast-casual, to-go-focused ghost kitchen at 724 Cherokee St. in Marietta that opened in September. Now, Ike’s is taking over the restaurant space upstairs to open a 3,200-square-foot full-service dining destination with room for 100-120 guests. Slated to open this spring, it will offer sit-down service for breakfast, lunch and dinner with Ike’s signature African cuisine.
Menu items will include smoky jollof rice, tender suya, rich egusi soup, peppered meats, grilled chicken, fish and plantains.
“This new space represents growth for our family and for our community,” Ike Kwarteng, founder of Ike’s Café & Grill, said in the release. “We started Ike’s with a simple goal: to share African flavors in a way that feels welcoming and accessible. The overwhelming success of our Marietta ghost kitchen showed us just how strong the demand is in this community, and expanding into full-service dining here felt like the natural next step. This new restaurant allows us to create a place where families can gather, celebrate and experience the richness of African cuisine in a comfortable, modern setting that can be enjoyed at any time.”
The brand finds its roots in neighborhood grocery store Ike’s Tropical Food Market, which opened in 1995 in Norcross. Now, Ike’s Cafe & Grill operates as a family-run restaurant, with Mike, Kwab and Marcy Kwarteng — the next generation — taking over the day-to-day operations in the U.S.
The forthcoming full-service restaurant will join existing spots in Norcross, which opened in 2013, and an additional ghost kitchen location in the West End that opened in 2024. There is also a location for Ike’s Cafe and Grill in Kumasi, Ghana, and the family also operates Ike’s Village, a boutique hotel in Ghana.
The team is also preparing to roll out a premium African coffee program across Ike’s locations later this year.
When the full-service restaurant opens in Marietta, its hours of operation will be 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday.
