Maima’s

Incredibly sweet and honest owners. So hospitable. Just based on their generosity it’s worth the trip!
Pepper shrimp– will burn you a new one
Grilled chicken– these chicken skewers are deeeelish
Okra small– it was more of a stew with all kinds of animal up in there
Chicken gravy– funky rustic chunks of chicken with some meat in it
Ginger drink-​phenomenal when they actually have it.
Staff is always amazing and the food is just so unique and I’m guessing authentic as I’m not sure most run of the mill American palettes would be feeling this place.

its the best west African restaurant that I have ever eaten in New York. the food is great i love it. the pepper soup & fufu, cassava leaf is my favorite dish.

Food is very good and tasty. Large quantity for the price. Ambiance is decent. I recommend goat meat peanut butter soup and fufu

Had the pepper shrimp and by far the best in St. Albans area! Word of caution even mild is a spicy meatball, however the heat doesn’t burn your tasted buds allowing the sweetness of the large shrimp to remain the star of the dish. It was also nice of Grandma in the kitchen to offer to put the hot sauce on the side. Priced well, polite staff, and clean. I also appreciate that the shrimp was made to order instead of sitting on simmer all day or served cold.

The food at Maima’s is delicious!
My favorite dish is the fried fish with dry rice. The homemade pepper sauce toppled on the fish and rice is amazing… I just can’t get enough. I absolutely licked the plate until everything was gone. Also, for all you spice lovers— try the famous pepper shrimp. It is another one of my favorite dishes. I normally have it with a side of sweet fried plantains. Lastly, you must try Maima’s homemade ginger beer. It is a nonalcholic beverage made with natural ginger and is strong!
If you want some good authentic Liberian Food, similar to your mother’s from back home then you have to go to Maima’s Liberian Restaurants in Queens, New York. I love everything on the menu here.

We arrived at the original address for Maima’s (106 – 47) and saw the sign above the red awning that the space was for rent (noooooo!) I couldn’t believe we ventured all the way to Jamaica and now have to find a plan B. So I called the phone number (no answer). We turned the car around to the sidewalk in front of the vacant space that used to be Maima’s and started searching on my trusty Unilocal app for some yummy food.
I looked up and was just about to make a joke — «hey at least we didn’t stop by at any random restaurant on this block for our meal» — when lo and behold I spotted Maima’s Liberian Bistro across the street (hooray!) pro tip: take look around the neighborhood when you can’t find a place because more often than not a business relocates to a location close by when their lease is up.
We the restaurant was decorated simply with Liberian influences — a few well chosen wooden ceiling fans and the tables with complimentary décor. I appreciated the Liberia flag on the table — I’d be proud of my home country too. The space was clean and there were plenty of elbow space between the tables.
The waitress seemed like she was new but she was friendly and attentive — if we asked her a question she wasn’t sure about she would ask the staff in the kitchen.
We got the palava sauce, and the pepper crab and shrimp combo with a side of fufu and rice. We came here to try the infamous spicy pepper shrimps and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. It’s not for the faint of heart, the Scotch Bonnet peppers is on a level on their own. However this is a succulent and flavorful chili sauce, not the tongue numbing tasteless kind. We licked the chili sauce from the shrimp before peeling off the shell.
The palava sauce was a veggie stewed with chicken (and goat) today. We welcomed the mild and gentleness of the stew in contrast to the seafood dish but if you are keen for more chili our food was accompanied by a fiery hot pepper sauce and there’s more where that comes from. I had fufu for the first time and I ate it with my hand — it’s a West African dough ball made with fermented cassava flour — and is eaten substitution for rice /​pasta in the Liberian culture.
Maima’s have live music on certain nights of the week. The menu is specialized which means anything that comes out of the kitchen is going to be made with care. They have a selection of dishes that is available everyday and a daily specials list of three or four different items from goat meat peanut butter, palm butter to cassava leaf to torborge. Someone stopped in for just an order of the cassava leaf — I made a mental note to get that next time.
I love spicy, African food and eating fufu (nshima and injera at other places) with my hands (they also have salad, rice, fries, couscous, and plantains if that’s more your style). I’m excited to come back here soon to try more authentic Liberian cuisine.

We came to Maima’s on a mild Saturday afternoon to get a taste of Liberian food. The place looked completely empty save for a young man at the bar. When my boyfriend asked about what to order, the young man pointed at the menu of the day, scrawled onto a chalkboard.
Honestly, we didn’t quite understand what to make of the menu — it read: palava sauce, cassava sauce, collard greens, goat meat, chicken in gravy. What was the difference between the cassava and the palava? How much did these things cost? The young man noticed how baffled we were, answered our questions, and offered us a small sampler platter, which we happily accepted.
He brought four sauces (just the sauces) to our table — palava, cassava, collard greens and the chicken in gravy sauce. They were all delicious, but I had a bias towards the palava because (somehow) its flavor was very nostalgic to me, which was a huge surprise considering I’m most familiar with Chinese and Brazilian cuisines.
We decided to order the chicken and gravy and the palava sauce, thinking that one was a vegetable-​only dish and the other was a meat dish, so it was a surprise to us when the palava sauce came with chicken in it too. The chicken and gravy was a more traditional tomato-​based dish, whereas the palava sauce was a creamy paste of palava leaf. We also received a spicy sauce to eat with it, which was *extremely hot* and musty. I had tried something similar to this sauce at B&D Halal Restaurant in Chelsea, but my boyfriend and I agreed that Maima’s version was much fresher.
Overall, I was extremely happy with my meal. Definitely a five-​star place. My boyfriend was less impressed, but I think that’s because it wasn’t as spicy as he wanted it to be. Our meal came up to $ 26, bottled drinks included.
Biggest perks:
+ Rich, homemade-​style food.
+ It’s Liberian food. When was the last time you had Liberian food?
+ Affordable
Biggest drawbacks:
— It’s in South Jamaica, and a fair distance from the subway to boot (at least a 15 minute walk). We biked so it wasn’t too bad.
— SUPER small menu. It’s true that it was 2:00 on a Saturday, but they only had what was written on the chalkboard. Usually I prefer small menus, but we wanted to try some sides, and the young man working there told us they had «just run out yesterday.» Oh well.

I never really venture to South Jamaica. no offense to those who live there.but.it’s kinda hood. A little Liberian restaurant lives in the middle of the hood. Restaurant is cute enough but hot inside. No complaints since I was getting takeout. I was excited to venture into new territory. I’m tired of eating the same olé things and wanted to try something different. I’ve had Liberian food once but cooked by my friends mom. It was yummy.
The interesting thing about this place was that there was no menu. Just a couple of dishes on a chalkboard with no prices or description.lol. I was confused. The cook came to greet me. I asked what was palava. He said it was a vegetable. I asked what was Torborge. He said it wAs a vegetable but spicy. Lol. I couldn’t choose based on description so I chose what was spicy. Haha. By the way. their prices went up. I paid 12. A lot of these reviews are old so just an FYI.
I got home and was excited to open my mystery meal. It looked interesting and tasted ok but was swimming in oil. It seems to be a common complaint on Unilocal.Rice was sorta bland. and FYI.the Torborge has meat in it. Trust me. I bit into pork fat. a big hunk of it. It also contains chicken. I like to support mom and pop establishments so I’ll try them once more. Maybe for their fish. It’s grilled and not in a sauce so maybe I would like it more.

If you want to cry, get the pepper shrimp — spicy in a good way. The grilled fish is also awesome. Service is always slow. Just accept that fact, and enjoy the food.

South Jamaica, located behind York College, is one of my least favorite places, dirty, garbage strewn vacant lots & abandoned houses, crappy low-​class apartment buildings which replaced some of the homes, no grocery stores, dirty delis with little on the shelf, the area is like time forgot it.
But in the midst of the ugliness is a gem, Maima’s Liberian Bistro & Bar, located at 106 – 38 Guy Brewer Rd (718−206−3538). Specializing in African food, but not just any old African food, Liberian food, in fact it is the only Liberian restaurant in New York City and was featured on Food Networks show Bizarre Foods hosted by Andrew Zimmerman. Maima’s has been around for some time, but was located on the other side of the street further South, but I never really paid attention to it, till they moved about a year ago into their new spot and the outside and the inside caught my attention. It looks like something you would find in Williamsburg or West Village not South Jamaica. It is decorated nicely and has a cool kind of African vibe to it.
Riding my bike, I stopped in to sample the food and what tasty food it was. Maima is the owner of the establishment and many of her family work there. She is character that makes you feel like you are eating at your grandmother’s place. She told me what the specials were, but since they all contained meat (I am a vegetarian), she told me she could make me some fish. I order the whole porgy and had it steamed (you can get it grilled or fried). The big whole fish came with cabbage and a big side of rice with some majorly hot sauce, majorly.
The fish was seasoned perfectly and so moist and the cabbage was out of this world. I wish I would have gotten one of their drinks such as the ginger beer, which I hear is amazing and their desserts. Next time and there will be a next time. You get an amazing amount of food that is very reasonable. My total was only $ 15.
Maima’s Liberian Bistro is unpretentious, but cozy with a cool African flair. Maima after serving my food took a seat at one of the tables and watched an African movie on the television, which I got caught up in.
While South Jamaica gets a bad wrap and deservedly so, I felt totally comfortable eating there and even left my bike outside in front of the large window unchained.
While a little off the beaten pack from the subway, about a fifteen minute walk from the E train at Jamaica Center, it is worth checking out, especially since there is no where else you can get Liberian food. The food is worth the trip. Service is no thrills, but very adequate and Maima makes you feel at home.
Maima’s is a definite gem in this land that time forgot.
You can check out their Facebook page at

I won’t lie; even though I waited for what seemed like days to either have my order taken or just to have the food prepared, my first visit here blew my brains out!!!
The small, $ 22, cash only portion of peppered shrimp and crab was insanely spicy, yet stupidly delicious as promised and expected. They ask you how spicy you want your food so don’t puss out if you tell them to bring the heat!
I give Maima’s the reduced star-​age for horrible establishment and personnel organization, and extraordinarily long wait times (all three occasions), which is why I resorted to calling the orders in and still ended up waiting at the drink-​less bar for 15 minutes for someone to come from the kitchen to deliver my phone order. Their rating also suffered for inconsistently prepared food and portions. One time everything is impeccable, the next, you’ve got some some shriveled up, over-​cooked shrimp, and crunched up, meatless crab pieces WTF lol
And who doesn’t take cards?
The staff is in disarray. After they finally took my order, everyone disappeared forever except for the dudes staring lmfao
I think this place is one of those By Us, For Us places, as they aren’t accommodating unless you speak the language. Never felt comfortable enough to dine in, just got my food and peeled off into the dust of the concrete jungle.

This review is not about the food but the service (we didn’t stay long enough to eat):
I really wanted to like this place, mainly because the place was visited by Andrew Zimmern and my boyfriend wanted some authentic African food. I found a deal on
where you basically buy a gift certificate at a discount. We had an issue with two things: the waitress gave us one small postcard which turned out to be the menu. I asked her if she had another one and she just looked at me with a blank stare. She was a kid and she seemed to try hard but she obviously didn’t know what she was doing. The other thing was the fact that when the egift certificate was mentioned she promptly shut it down and said that they don’t take those anymore. I told her that I already paid for it, she shrugged her shoulders and repeated herself. I asked for the manager who was this older woman who didn’t know much English, (she literally looked like the Liberian version of my grandmother right down to her head scarf) the waitress explained about the egift certificate and the lady just shook her head, looked at us while speaking her native language and just shook her head over and over again. A woman sitting across from her, who I’m assuming was part of the family owned business told us that they don’t take the certificates because «they make too many fake ones». I didn’t understand that at all but my boyfriend had enough and we got up to leave. As we were leaving, the woman told us she will be calling her sister to find out what to do. My boyfriend said, once they get things sorted out, we will come back. We aren’t going back. It makes me sad that many black owned establishments don’t have their things together. Anyway, I’m sure the food is good for takeout.

I have been to this restaurant on several occasions trying to support local business. Unfortunately the food is a hit or miss type of venture. They seem awkwardly unprepared, there are no menus, no trills, no vegetable dishes nor salads.
How did they get such high ratings… I don’t know???
It’s a quint and comfortable place but it hardly warrants their small portions and ridiculous prices.

Great service and food. I visited on a Wednesday and since the menu is based on the day, I missed Cassava Leaf (my FAVE) but the checked rice and gravy was delicious. The fish they served didn’t have too many bones and they had mini bottles of wine to compliment the dinner. Great experience and I wish they were closer to me so I could go more!

The chicken stew was just ok, I didn’t think it was all that great and it was pretty oily. The grilled fish however, was PHENOMENAL! The blend of spices and freshness of the fish made for a very tasty meal… I wish I had ordered it instead of the stew and am lucky my friend was generous in sharing her fish. The hot sauce is really, really hot. One lick of the sauce and I was choking up and I’m usually someone who can tolerate (and love) spicy food. It’s a family owned business and a little out of the way but I can’t wait to return to eat that fish again! I also tried the palm wine (African beer?) but it tasted a little too green for my liking. Great prices, services and authentic African food!

Amazing food.
I went twice in a span of ten days. The first time I went, I tried fufu. I have never had it before and wasn’t too crazy about it but the chicken stew (I guess) that came with it was very tasty. I assumed it was just me not liking fuf much and not it not being prepared well. Either way, the waitress was wonderful. She helped me out because I obviously was having a difficult time figuring out how to eat it lol. She was very sweet and attentive.
That is why I was very pleased to see her again on my next visit! I went with a good friend of mine. My friend order a spinach dish with meet cooked in it. I ordered the fish gravy. Both of us were AMAZED by how wonderful our food was. The waitress was also very good at tending to our (many) questions. Plus our drinks were strong as hell!
Maima’s also has great character. The waitress was playing music from her iPod, she chatted up w/​Nigerian regulars who chatted up w/​my friend I. It’s a great addition to the neighborhood.
Oh by the way, all the dishes are $ 10 except for the fish, which is $ 12. And the portions are huge!
All in all, it was a wonderful experience and I’m inching to go back.

Man, this was some exquisitely seasoned food.
The prior reviewers have done a fine job of describing the dishes, so I’ll just talk about the drinks: The ginger beer and the ginger beer/​sorrel combination were just delicious! I didn’t know that Liberians made ginger beer, so I did some Internet research to see if there’s a difference between the Liberian and Jamaican techniques of manufacture… Apparently Liberians use pineapple in their recipes. Don’t know if Maima’s follows this pattern, but their ginger beer is really something special.
Next time I want to try the dessert called Grapefruit Surprise.

I found this restaurant listed in a Village Voice article from May 2011 on the Best West African restaurants in NYC.
As the others wrote, the food is very good. I had a chicken stew, greens and spicy rice cake, washed down with strong ginger beer. All were very yummy. It was a slow rainy Friday evening. The restaurant appears to have a full bar; I didn’t drink.
It was nighttime, I found the place with GPS. The neighborhood seemed fine, mostly working class residential, with small commercial properties at intersections. The restaurant is set alone mid-​block on an otherwise residential street.
I believe the menu changes on any given day, depending on the chef’s whims.
They have a FB page:

I really wanted to go to this place while I was visiting NYC. We have a Liberian restaurant at home in Indianapolis (Dekontee Spot) and I wanted a reference to see how good/​authentic it was. I’m no expert but it looks like there are very few Liberian restaurants in the country.
It was a pretty far trek even though our hotel was on the E train in Manhattan. All in all it took about an hour to make it out here. They have a few things on the menu that they make everyday and two specials that vary with the day. We ended up ordering both the specials — The careless green and the palava sauce
The careless green was by far the winner. This was probably the best Liberian dish I have had thus far. It consisted of leaves from the calaloo plant finely chopped with meaty smoked pork bones mixed with various Liberian spices and herbs. This dish excellently demonstrated the African and southern American influences in Liberian cuisine.
The palava sauce is made of the palava leaf. It was similar to the other but it was slowly cooked with some sort of fish (I think it might have been dried fish). I really liked the texture of the fish but for the dish as a whole it was just a bit oily for me. Still very tasty though.
I really liked the fufu here and would certainly recommend getting it. We finished the meal with the rice bread. It was a really unique dessert. Sticky, warm, sweet, and with a ton of ginger.
This place is really worth checking out. There are not many places here in America to try this cuisine and Maima’s is a fine example of it.

Loved it! Very authentic Liberian food.
I had the cassava leaf and it reminded me of home! Palava sauce is also good (either w/​rice or fufu). Portions are generous (i.e. you WILL get a mountain of white rice or fufu w/​your dish) and prices are reasonable at about $ 10 a person. Offer special dishes daily but you can get certain dishes like pepper soup, fish, and dry rice everyday. The rice bread was finished when I went but I’ll be back to try it! Ginger beer was strong and delicious. Be warned: the pepper sauce is NOT for the weak ;)
Other dishes they offer during the week: Palm butter, cabbage, Torborge, potato greens, careless greens, spinach, fish gravy, and eggplant.