A Nigerian Restaurant for Milwaukee
'People travel to Chicago' for Nigerian food. Kemola opening soon on Brown Deer Road.
Site of Kemola, 8704 W. Brown Deer Rd. Photo taken May 7, 2026 by Sophie Bolich.
Over two decades of catering for birthday parties, baby showers and weddings, Mary Oluwakemi Akande heard the same question time and again: “When will you open a restaurant?”
Now, she has an answer.
Her brick-and-mortar business, Kemola, will welcome its first guests May 16. Tucked in a multi-tenant building at 8704 W. Brown Deer Rd., the restaurant will specialize in Nigerian cuisine, offering jollof rice, suya, pepper soup and other dishes Akande learned as a young girl at her mother’s side.
“As I grew up, I saw that I loved cooking,” she said. “I don’t get tired when I’m doing it, I do it with joy.”
Akande plans to continue catering through her existing business, Authentic Nigerian Food & Catering Services, but hopes the new restaurant will fill a gap for those craving her cooking on a whim.
“Right now, we don’t have any Nigerian restaurants in all of Milwaukee, so people travel to Chicago to eat,” Akande said. “We have a lot of people who are looking forward to this. People who are craving home.”
The restaurant aims to attract a diverse range of diners and will be welcoming to all, she added. “It’s not just for Nigerians alone.”
An extensive menu highlights Nigerian staples such as jollof rice, fufu, meat pies, akara bean cakes and moi moi — a steamed pudding made from blended black-eyed peas, onions, peppers and spices. Soups and stews featuring proteins like chicken, turkey and salmon are also featured, along with Saturday breakfast offerings such as ogi, a fermented hot cereal, and bread with beans.
The restaurant will not serve alcohol, but plans to offer soda, juice and malt, a nonalcoholic carbonated drink popular in Nigeria.
Family remains central in Akande’s latest venture: Kemola is a combination of her and her husband’s names, she said, noting that the couple’s large families and community are also eager to contribute. “The kids are excited to be part of this, and people have been calling to ask how they can help. We have a lot of support.”
That includes backing from the couple’s church. “We have faith,” Akande said. “It’s the faith in God that’s making this work.”
The restaurant is able to seat about three dozen guests for dine-in and will also offer carryout service. Grand opening hours are noon to 9 p.m., with a 20% discount offered for the first 50 guests and a 10% discount throughout the day.
“This is what people have been waiting for, and I’m so excited to be in a position to serve,” Akande said.
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