After more than a month closed, Kismayo Kitchen, the Somali American restaurant founded by the late Ahmed Omar, has reopened with new operators at 505 Riverside Avenue in Burlington. Omar’s widow, Anisa Mohamed, and her new business partners, siblings Maryan and Abdirisak Maalin, decided to continue running the restaurant on the property, even though it has qualified for a Federal Emergency Management Agency hazard mitigation grant buyout. The building will eventually be demolished and the property converted to green space, most likely in 2027, according to Scott Gustin, Burlington’s principal planner and zoning division manager.
Mohamed and Abdirisak both emphasized that they are actively seeking a new Chittenden County home for Kismayo Kitchen. Abdirisak said he hopes to find a location with at least 24 seats and room for an employee break room in Burlington or one of the surrounding towns.
The small restaurant has gone through several closures since 2023, when Omar, Kismayo’s founding chef and owner, died unexpectedly at the age of 36. Earlier this year, Mohamed announced that she was selling the business to a Burlington couple originally from Sudan; they ran it for a few months, but the deal was never finalized.
Mohamed, who now lives in Minnesota with her two young daughters, returned to Burlington to help the Maalins reopen Kismayo over the weekend of October 10. All three are originally from Somalia and the two women have known each other for many years.
Abdirisak, 43, works as an accountant and said he will be responsible for many of the business aspects of the restaurant while his 40-year-old sister, who has worked in food production, will manage the kitchen. He said they will maintain the popular mix of Somali and American dishes, from samosas and goat curry to Philly cheesesteaks, but plan a slight price increase to manage spiking ingredient costs.
The business partners are working on setting up new social media accounts and a website. In the meantime, Kismayo Kitchen can be reached at 802-448-3032. The restaurant is currently open Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.; and Friday, 2:30 to 9:30 p.m.
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