‘Yalla Eat!’ culinary tours expand in Dearborn
By Andrea Clum
Dearborn Press and Guide
A taste of all of Dearborn’s flavors awaits foodies with an expanded season of the city’s popular “Yalla Eat!” culinary tours.
The flavorful journeys around Dearborn are getting bigger and tastier with an expanded season of guided walking tours along Warren Avenue and Michigan Avenue.
Offered by the Arab American National Museum, “Yalla Eat!” is an interactive opportunity to learn the story of Arab Americans in metropolitan Detroit, including the history of Arab merchants on Dearborn’s busy commercial strips.
On the tours, guests will meet both small and large business owners eager to share the story of their family-run businesses and savor the sights, sound and delicious scents at bakeries, nuts and coffee houses and fresh produce markets. Traditional Arabic hospitality will be on full display with generous samples offered, along with the stories of individuals, their families and their history.
Nourhan Mattar, the “Yalla Eat!” tour coordinator, hopes guests take home a newfound understanding and appreciation of the diverse characteristics that make up Arab American culture.
“The Yalla Eat! tours are not only about food, they revolve around food as it relates to identity, history and culture,” Mattar said. “These tours are designed to provide an introduction to the intricate and nuanced Arab American culture through guided culinary exploration. Guests will enjoy authentic flavors and spontaneous interactions with individuals from the community while exploring the many ways this community has been an integral part of American culture and identity for generations.”
Tours will be offered to the public on Saturdays from April through October, and will alternate between Michigan and Warren avenues.
Throughout June, tours will go on a temporary hiatus for Ramadan. Many businesses will temporarily change their hours of operation to best serve the community during this month of fasting.
Warren Avenue tours begin and end at Super Greenland Market, 12715 W. Warren, in the heart of the Arab American shopping district in East Dearborn. The tour highlights the historic presence of Arab Americans in Dearborn from the perspectives of business owners. Tourgoers will explore Dearborn’s intricate and rich culture through a culinary experience hosting the most authentic and uniquely crafted flavors and recipes passed down for generations.
Michigan Avenue tours begin and end at the Arab American National Museum, 13624 Michigan Ave., and offer a more diverse flavor profile of the Arab American community in Dearborn. Guests can explore a wider variety of nationalities through their foods. Michigan Avenue in East Dearborn is the newest Arab American commercial district. There are more than a dozen Arab American food establishments along the Michigan Avenue corridor, including the popular Dearborn Fresh grocery store located behind the AANM.
The has published an updated version of its “Yalla Eat!” Culinary Map of Dearborn for self-guided exploration. It is available free from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays at the museum’s admission desk.
Tickets for Yalla Eat! tours are available in advance at arabamericanmuseum.org/yallaeat. Prices are $35 for museum members and $45 for the general public. All participants receive a “Yalla Eat!” shopping tote, a “Yalla Eat!” culinary map of Dearborn and a complimentary admission to the Arab American National Museum.
Each 2 1/2-hour tour is led by a Museum docent and is limited to 12 people. Comfortable walking shoes are required. Many stops offer free food samples, and shopping is encouraged.
