Barrio Taqueria and Tequila will soon be history as the prime Fan District space makes way for Memi’s, an Egyptian restaurant set to fill a unique niche in the city’s local restaurant scene.

The restaurant is the newest undertaking from entrepreneur Ramy Yacoub, who first entered the food business as a Charleys Cheesesteaks franchisee and later became the head of 3 Monkeys Bar and Grill, another Fan spot he still owns. After buying Barrio from the Richmond Restaurant Group in the fall of 2023, Yacoub soon began planning to change the restaurant’s concept. This new project will be his most personal yet: named after his mother, Memi’s will celebrate the cuisine of the country where Yacoub was born and from which he immigrated at the age of 12.

Having lived in Richmond ever since—with the exception of a few brief stints elsewhere during his past life as a Marine—he aims to appeal to both Richmond’s growing Egyptian community and Richmonders at large who are eager to indulge in the flavors of the Middle East and North Africa.

“I had a lot of different ideas of what to do with the space, but this was the idea that was most special to me—it’s my culture; it’s a thank you to my mother; it’s part of my family legacy,” Yacoub says. “You really get to know people through food.”

Opening this November, Memi’s will be a full family affair: Yacoub’s sister, Rania, will manage the front of house, while Memi herself—an executive chef who began her formal cooking career as a hotel prep cook when her family first arrived in Virginia—will lead her namesake restaurant’s kitchen.

“Cooking is what [Memi] loves—even at the house, there are notebooks of recipes everywhere,” he adds. “At 3 Monkeys, [Rania] treats people like we’re bringing them into our house. I’m lucky to have my mom and my sister by my side. There’s no way I could be where I am today if it weren’t for how good they are at what they do and how much they trust me.”

Egyptian specialties

The menu will feature dishes many diners will likely be familiar with, like shawarma, falafel, kofta, and hummus. But the real stars will be a variety of Egyptian specialties: molokhia, a verdant soup made of jute mallow; mahshi kromb, cabbage leaves stuffed with rice, fragrant herbs, and spices; koshary, Egypt’s national dish that crowns a mix of noodles, lentils, chickpeas, and rice with a spicy tomato sauce, garlic sauce, and fried onions; hawawshi, a crispy pita stuffed with minced meat and herbs; and macarona bechamel, a comforting baked pasta layered with meat sauce and creamy bechamel.

Several local vendors will supply the restaurant with fresh bread as well as pastries like kunafa, a crunchy shredded phyllo pastry stuffed with silky sweet cheese and soaked in sugar syrup; basbousa, a soft, dense semolina sheet cake; and the classic favorite, baklava. Adding to the authenticity, Yacoub is working to source many ingredients throughout the menu directly from Egypt.

Seeing the value in bringing a new sit-down Middle Eastern restaurant to the city, where similar options are harder to come by, Yacoub first tested a sample menu with employees, friends, and family before officially committing to the concept. With positive feedback under his belt, he hopes to make Memi’s a dining destination for locals and those who typically travel to Northern Virginia for good Egyptian food.

“I think the people around here are going to really enjoy it,” he says. “Richmond is my favorite place; I wouldn’t choose to do this business anywhere else.”

Memi’s will eventually be accompanied by two additional concepts in the same space: Amar (Arabic for “moon”), a cocktail lounge located upstairs for those looking to give their evening a boozy finish, and Noor (Arabic for “light”), a cozy coffee shop situated in the space’s back room. This means that, in its final form, Memi’s and its counterparts will essentially be a morning-to-night operation. Fortunately, Yacoub has an appetite for working.

“I’ll be able to wake up and have a cup of coffee, have lunch or dinner at the restaurant, and then end up upstairs with a nice cocktail,” he says jovially. “It’s my personality. I have to stay busy seven days a week.”

Memi’s will be located at 2229 W. Main St. and will open in November.