A family has transformed a former car garage into a new, authentic Yemeni restaurant in Liverpool, creating a space they hope will give the city’s long-established Yemeni community a taste of home.
Walima on Parr Street is the work of Suleman Tayeb, 60, who lives near Sefton Park, his son Muaad, 28, who lives along the waterfront, and Muaad’s brother Mohammed, 34, who is based in Abu Dhabi. Muaad said the restaurant has been several years in the making and represents a fresh start for the family after they first took on the building around six years ago.
From empty warehouse to restaurant
Muaad told the ECHO: “It was essentially an empty warehouse, so there was a huge amount of work involved.
“This is an opportunity for families to come together and experience something they may have been missing for years. It’s a great feeling to finally be open, to be honest, especially after all the hard work. We’re all grateful for what we’ve achieved and for how far we’ve come so far.”
The latest transformation began in September last year. The family has changed the entire counter, repainted the building, altered the layout and made numerous other improvements, with more changes still planned.
Challenges and soft opening
The project has not been without its challenges, with the family having to wait several months for a gas connection, adding to the time it took to get the restaurant ready. But after months of work, the doors have finally opened, with the family saying the response has already exceeded expectations.
Muaad said: “We wanted to give ourselves time to get used to serving customers. In the first few days, mistakes can happen, so we wanted to reduce the chances of that happening.
“That’s why we decided to have a soft opening without advertising heavily, get used to everything and then start promoting the restaurant properly. It has been really packed over the first few days. I only started filming videos and posting on social media in the last week.”
Family project with deep roots
For Muaad, however, the restaurant is about much more than opening another food business in the city centre. He said Liverpool’s Yemeni community has a history stretching back generations, with some families now in their fifth or sixth generation in the city.
The business owner said: “People have told us that the food takes them back to Yemen, and so does the atmosphere.” The restaurant is very much a family project, with each of the three Tayebs bringing a different background and set of skills to the business.
Muaad studied International Business Management at Liverpool John Moores University. His brother Mohammed is a petroleum engineer based in Abu Dhabi, while their dad Suleman has spent around 30 years running an IT company. None of them had previously worked directly in hospitality. Muaad said the three different backgrounds had helped bring a fresh perspective to the project.
The family also believes the timing is right for the Parr Street location, with Muaad saying the area has changed considerably since they first took on the property six years ago. He added: “When we first got the building, the hotel wasn’t there - it was a car park. There are so many local businesses opening. I think the future is on Parr Street.”
