I love going to Lagos! It’s a vibrant city full of energy, life and colour. Lagos is a fun place to visit if you visit with having a good time in mind. When I visit Lagos, the minute I step off the plane, I switch to Lagos mode which means, I don’t compare it with where I’m coming from and try and make the best of what it has to offer.
Like cities all over the world, the pace is fast with a lot of hustling and bustling, so not quite a relaxation destination. The traffic jams are legendary and can be horrendous if you get stuck in them. The trick is to time your journeys so you’re always going against traffic.
When I go to lagos, I find myself jam packing my days with activities which like visiting friends and family, eating out, visiting fashion houses to buy clothes (I love the vibrant Ankara fabric) and trying to do at least 1 arty thing if possible.
This blog post is a review of almost all the restaurants I visited in September, what I thought about the food, look and feel of each establishment. Hope you enjoy the read. Do leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts.
K❤️
South Eatery
O my gosh! The food here was yummy!
Why do I like food so much? Cos I’m human I guess. 😜
Seriously, this was very nice. I met up with some of my Fediben class of 85 supers here. I don’t think there’s any alumni quite like the FGGC Benin City alumni….particularly our Lagos class of 85 group. They sure know how to make a visiting alumni’s trip extra special. ❤️
South was a great second choice by Osa Ezekiel our Financial Officer. The decor was modern which was nice but the food, the food, the food!!! I ordered Jambalaya to go, pancakes (they were huge so I shared them) and an eggs Benedict (with pulled beef) type dish without the hollandaise sauce. Everything I ordered was fresh, well made, well presented and tasty. Thumbs up South!
South, 92b Younis Bashorun, Victoria Island Lagos https://www.southeatery.com
Basilico Italian Restaurant.
Okay, this did not look like a restaurant which would serve great Italian food. The decor was simple, clean and neat and did not look Italian. However, I should not use the way a place looks to judge because….this is africa! Tasty food is served in the most basic looking joints. I met up with my husband and bil (brother in law) at Basilico one evening after a long day of waka. Hubby had placed an order of salad and my favourite grilled fish with sweet potato fries before I arrived. The fish and chips were delicious and the salad was fresh. I can’t rate their pasta because I didn’t order it. I can however say their grilled fish was very nice and is a dish I’d order again.
Basilico, 15 Musa Yaradua St, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria
Switch 1922 Lounge and Grill
Prior to visiting Switch, I’d been to a few places with very modern westernised decor, so I was kind of taken aback by the very basic looking bench style outdoor setting. We ( hubby, bil and I) sat outside to eat and when it got dark we moved inside because the light outdoors was quite dim. The lightening was very poor both inside and outside which to me makes it look like a joint where men go, relax and hide out with a side chic. The outdoor screen makes it seem like a lads football watching joint.
The cat fish pepper soup with yam and plantain made up for my disappointment with it’s decor. It was delicious!!!! I ordered it as a starter, but the portion was very generous. The pepper-soup came in a Pyrex like dish and could easily feed four people. I guess it was intended as a meal on it’s own. I also ordered grilled fish and dodo (fried plantain). The fish was tasty but took too long to arrive and was overcooked. I’ll go back for the pepper-soup but as takeaway.
Shiro
O my gosh! The ceiling was high up. I felt like I was entering a Shaolin temple or one of those Lara Croft cave like places. I was blown away by the decor at Shiro, it was of an exceptional standard and very nice. The restaurant also had a nice ambience.
Not sure about the gigantic statues though, having watched a lot of superhero movies, my imagination went into action and I wondered if they if there were going to come to life and open their eyes. 🤣🤣🤣
Situated in the Landmark centre, Shiro is a pan- Asian restaurant that serves Japanese, Korean, Thai and Mediterranean cuisine. The back of the restaurant opens out to the beach front. The night we went, there was a party going on and we were told we had restricted access and were not allowed outside. We sat near the glass screen so we could get an outdoor view. The revellers (who were all foreign) looked and sounded like they were having a whale of a time. The party started to wind down whilst we were there so we were able to walk to the beach at the back and experience the ocean at night which was quite nice.
Food wise, since I’m not a sushi lover, we ordered Dim Sum and Maki. I particularly loved the Suya Maki. The service was good and the food was tasty . I highly recommend a visit if you like East Asian food.
Shiro, 3/4 Water Cooperation Road, Landmark Village, (Near Landmark Centre) VI Lagos
L’afric Restaurant and Bar
No frills decor with tasty food.
I’ve visited this restaurant almost every year in the last 5 years. I usually order the same thing, pounded yam with sea food Okro. I’ve only had two dishes here, the seafood Okro dish and the Efo Riro with fish. Both are very nice. Good service usually depends on how busy they are. The speed of the service was okay this time around because they weren’t busy when we went. The young waiters had dour expressions like they weren’t happy. This is something management should address as could be off putting. This is a joint which is well known for it’s Seafood Okro dish and so far they have lived up to their reputation with regards the taste of that dish.
L’afric, 1 Adeola Hopewell St, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria
Food wise, we were advised to order nibbles because their nibbles are nicer than their meals. I was hungry so I ordered fish with an accompaniment of rice. The fish was tasty but the dish felt like something was missing. I would definitely go back again but I would stick to nibbles as advised.
The View Rooftop Lounge , Off Remi Olowude Road, Lekki Lagos
Flower Shop Cafe
This is obviously owned by a plant lover. As you walk through the doors, the flower shop is on the left and the cafe straight ahead and to the right.
Okay, I was in here for only 10mins. But, I think it’s worth a visit because the place looks nice. I heard that, because it’s new, it’s quite popular at the moment which is why they didn’t have space on the day we were to meet there for our Fediben hangout (see South Eatery review). I took a few pictures because the decor was nice, airy and fresh. I hope that means the food would be fresh.
If you’ve been here, share your experience in the comments section for others to read.
Terra Kulture
Is a cultural educational centre in Victoria Island lagos where you can watch a show in it’s theatre, browse the bookshop, attend an art exhibition, learn a Nigerian language by attending one of the language classes held there, or sit down and have something to eat at it’s restaurant. It’s a centre that aims to establish itself a leading cultural centre in Lagos, a place to learn about Nigerian art, culture, traditions and lifestyle.
I’ve visited Terra Kulture a few times and I really enjoyed watching Wàkáá and Fela & The Kalakuta Queens musicals. Both productions were of a high standard, well put together and very enjoyable. I highly recommend going there to see a show.
The restaurant itself is no great shakes. I’ve had food there on two occasions and on both occasions, the food didn’t blow me away. However, we all have different tastes, so give it a try.
Terra Kulture, Plot 1376, Tiamiyu Savage, Off Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos
Lekki Arts and Crafts Market
The art market is a good place to buy gifts and souvenirs. In the market you can buy bags, clothing, jewellery made with the local Ankara fabric, beaded jewellery and beads, leather goods like bags, wallets, slippers and jewellery, wooden carvings and paintings.
The market itself is small and the road that leads to the market is a nasty experience of giant potholes. If you go a day after it rained like we did, you will see potshots filled with water so deep, humans can swim in. It really was that bad. In retrospect, we should have parked the car at the top of the road and walked in. I wonder why in Lagos, what could be a great tourist attraction is not given high priority with regards road maintenance by the state government.
A couple of things to beware of if you’re thinking of visiting Lekki Art Market.
1) Don’t be a market sellers dream customer by paying the overinflated first price they give you. Start your bargaining by bringing it down to half price and if you’re going to go higher, don’t go too high.
2) Be prepared, vendors will try to get you to come into their shop. Some might try to pull you, so don’t be alarmed. All in all, I think it’s worth a visit if you’re looking for one stop ethnic gift shopping.
Lekki Art Market, Oba Elegushi St, Lekki Penninsula II, Lekki lagos Nigeria
Click to enlarge images.
11 Comments.
KK, what a great read .. I’m off to Lagos in just under 2weeks and I’ll be checking out some of your recommendations most certainly the arts place.
Let me rate you now .. I give you a 10 👍🏾👍🏾😊
Simply captivating – you should consider selling this piece of writing to an online travel site – the quality of writing and captivating pictures are up there with the best of the best writers. I will definitely checkout some of the eateries and how I wish you had samples of that bag made out of Ankara for sale – so exquisite. Well done Kehinde – I love this mouthwatering masterpiece.
Well written reviews Kehinde. Quite balanced, giving the reader a clear picture of what each restaurant has to offer. The high quality pictures are a great addition. I’m leaning towards trying out The Rooftop Lounge and The Flower Shop.
Very beautiful and captivating write up Kehinde.. I will definitely visit some of the restaurants. Though l visited Shiro the last time I was home for a surprise birthday , hmmmm, beautiful ambience yes, didn’t particularly like their food and l think they are way too pricey.
The Lekki Art Market is my go to any day, there’s also a food market there, they cater to a lot of expatriates so you find really good fresh farm produce comparable to what we get here.
Lagos is really a fun place to be
Well done Kehinde… 👍🏽
This was a really great read and the pictures were amazing too!
The photography is absolutely fabulous! The food…the decor…the blog…well the author is a Champ of the Class of 85! 10/10 💯% Outstanding job K’oach!
Very interesting. I live in lagos but haven’t visited some of these joints. South eatery is an amazing joint and so close to me. Left to me I would stop by for breakfast everyday enroute the office 😀
CK, u really had a fantastic time. Inface tyis is how c
Vacation should be. Woo am so so happy for you o
Thanks for showing me more of my City!
Having been to a couple of these venues, it was most enjoyable to read this blog and see the vivid pictures from the blog writers “fun & colourful” perspective. Some of the food reviews were delightfully funny, none of the pompous, unrelatable guff you get from the self-styled food critics.
Great Read, very useful and I will certainly be referring to this blog on my next visit to Lagos