West African barbecue grill Mande Dibi will be smoking barbecue at 6825 Winchester Road in Southeast Memphis by mid-March.

The 1,600-square-foot grill will be the second concept for the owners of Bala’s Bistro, a traditional African restaurant at 4571 Elvis Presley Blvd. in Whitehaven.

The bistro’s co-owners, Bala Tounkara and Mady Magassa, are adding to their traditional soul food menu by venturing into Memphis barbecue with a twist: West African flavors and style. 

“We want to welcome (Memphians) to the West African type of cuisine for barbecue, but we will also have Memphis-style items as well because we feel we are from Memphis too,” Tounkara said. 

In the early 2000s, Tounkara emigrated from West Africa, stayed a year in New York and then made his home in Memphis. 

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Tounkara said in his more than 20 years in Memphis, he’s had a lot of barbecue and loves the food here. He wants to include those flavors and foods in the new grill.

“I want to do a little bit of West African grill and then throw in some of the Memphis-style barbecue as well,” Toukara said. 

Mande Dibi will not be barbecuing pork. Instead, Tounkara said they will barbecue brisket, chicken, fish and lamb. 

Tounkara said he wanted to barbecue over an open flame like they do in West Africa, but with building code and fire hazards, they will use a charcoal grill. 

“We’re doing something that’s a lot more familiar to people from here, which is barbecue, but it’s different,” Tounkara said. “We want people that are looking for something they’ve never tried.” 

Tounkara said he challenges Memphis customers to have an open mind and welcomes those looking for something different from traditional Memphis pork barbecue. 

Tounkara said after opening the bistro in 2019, he noticed strong support for West African flavors and the need for different types of cuisines in Memphis.

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“This is something that challenged us a lot at the bistro because every day we have people who are looking for something different, not just West African food,” Tounkara said. 

Tounkara said since customers wanted more variety, Mande Dibi would follow the bistro and have a rotation of different dishes ranging from Southern to South African cuisines. 

“We’re going to continue to provide different flavors, and I think that will help us be successful when we do,” Tounkara said. 

Mande Dibi will have dine-in and take-out options six days a week from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tounkara said the restaurant will eventually be open seven days a week..