Ghanaian food pop-up Hedzole opens at Tysons Galleria this weekend

Tysons Galleria visitors can get a taste of West African cuisine this weekend, when the new Ghanaian pop-up Hedzole opens for business.

Expanding on regular appearances at local farmers’ markets, the stall will have a three-hour soft opening tomorrow (Friday) before officially opening on Saturday (March 19), Hedzole founder and owner Candice Mensah told FFXnow.

“There’s been a lot of preparation, me juggling still working and then still doing this, coming in at night,” Mensah said yesterday (Wednesday). “We’re just about done putting the final touches on everything.”

Hedzole’s opening will precede the March 22 relaunch of Tysons Galleria’s Urbanspace food hall, which also recently added Twelve Twenty Coffee, the British eatery London Chippy, and Empanadas De Mendoza.

Those vendors will soon be joined by Makaw Superfoods, a rebranding of the Leesburg-based Makaw Bowl. The açaí bowl and smoothie shop is moving into the space near Andy’s Pizza that was previously filled by the Asian-style sandwich pop-up Laowich.

The Cantonese restaurant and bar Hei Hei Tiger is also working to fully reopen later this year.

The Hedzole pop-up will run for three months through June. The menu features staples like jollof rice and the rice and beans dish waakye that can be topped with various stews, cabbage, plantains, and proteins, such as fish, grilled chicken, and oxtails.

“I’m looking for the opportunities I expressed to you before: to be able to understand how to operate a brick-and-mortar, get more customer feedback, build my following, get people more excited about the food,” Mensah said. “That’s ultimately my goal, and then ultimately, if we can have a space here, that would be amazing too.”