CriticChef Archives
53 reviews4 helpful votesReviews
- 7 Cape Town Street, off IBB way, Beside Imperial Bakery, Zone 4, Wuse 1, Abuja07 Dec 20164.0
I’ve been hearing about City View Restaurant for sometime, however I never really really understood the hype because when I went once a long time ago, the food was just ok
The last time I came to City View, I sat inside, which isn’t all that great looking. This time around, we sat in their outside (covered) seating area. It’s a big tent looking place that is decorated very cute I think; at least the couch area we sat was cute.
I wasn’t too hungry, but I just wanted to try something that would make me love the place like others do. I ordered the chicken wings (₦500). My friend said it comes four on a stick so I got two orders of it. She got a Greek Salad (₦2200) and an order of Hummus (₦1400).
The hummus came with this puffed up pita bread and some pepper sauce and garlic butter on the side. The garlic butter was the best thing I’ve ever had in awhile!! I rubbed it on my bread then dipped the bread into the hummus…DELICIOUS!! The chicken wings were good too except they were a lot smaller than I imagined; reminded me of the wings from Nkoyo. They were grilled so that was good #fitfam.
Service was good. They got busy very quickly so the waiter was a bit all over the place, but overall he wasn’t bad. I definitely can’t wait to go back for some hummus!
I have been to Charcoal Grill many times and somehow I always forget to do a review, but this time I remembered.
I had a day off from work and was supposed to meet someone at Charcoal for a meeting (so much for a day off work). I actually spent a long time at Charcoal that day; like most of the afternoon. I really like the way this place is set up. When you walk in there is the café area then there is a dining area for larger groups and then an outside balcony area that is shaded to protect you from this horrendous Abuja sun. I sat at the café area…although I walked around the whole place before I decided on it.
I love how they give you free popcorn as a starter. I finished it super quick. I wasn’t really sure if I wanted breakfast food or a burger. I came there with the intent of getting their spicy pancakes that are filled with minced meat, but the burgers kept calling me. I finally decided on the Spiced Lamb Burger (₦2500) which comes with fries ( I got sweet potato fries) and water to drink. I wanted to still get the spicy pancakes, but although I was hungry, I knew it would be too much food. I killed my lamb burger. It was delicious. I think they could have given me a bit more of the fries, but oh well. After eating, I got super sleepy and my meeting hadn’t even started plus I still had work to do. I decided to get a Flat White coffee (₦550) to wake me up. What goes better with coffee than cake, right? Yep, I ordered a slice of lemon cake. I was a bit skeptical about the cake at first because I asked if it was made today and the waitress said they made it last night. I had said no I didn’t want it, but it kept eyeing me so I got it and it was great!! A tad bit too sweet but it still tasted fresh and moist. My tummy was very satisfied that afternoon.
Customer service wasn’t the best. The waitress kept acting like I was bugging her (the usual). Sometimes she tried to be nice, but she would have such an attitude saying stuff. Oh, and she would just go MIA. Each table had service buzzers to be able to call the waiter/waitress, but for mine, I’d have to press it a million times before she would finally come. I opted to just stand up and go looking for her instead.
All in all, I had a good dining experience to which I normally always do when I am there. I highly recommend Charcoal.
While on a short visit to Lagos, I met up with a friend for brunch at Samantha’s Bistro. I’ve heard so much about this place, I was pretty happy to go when my friend suggested it. It’s location is kind of hidden. It isn’t the type of place you’d just happen to come upon on your own. You kinda have to just know where you are going. The interior was so cute. It’s a small, boutique-ish looking, comfortable seating type of place. It’s definitely a place I’d frequent if I lived in Lagos. Their menus were written on little chalkboards, which was cute, however it had smudged a bit so it was kinda hard reading some parts. Anyway, I was starving so we ordered pretty quickly.
I ordered the Spicy Scrambled Eggs, which comes with French Toast, Bacon, and Sausage (₦3500). I got fresh pineapple juice to drink. They didn’t have the ingredients for a mimosa so I got a cocktail instead -
Bistro Rum Lemonade (₦2500). I enjoyed my meal. The sausage was pork sausage I believe, which was yummy! I always hate the fake looking sausages other places serve. This one seemed more authentic. My friend had the same sides pretty much, but with pancakes. The pancakes were way too sweet…not a fan. It was like they used cake mix to make it. Yuck! That lemonade cocktail was gross. I can’t even explain what it tasted like. My pineapple juice wasn’t that good either. They get an F on drinks from me.When we got there the place had only two other guests, but it got full rather quickly as lunchtime approached. I was eyeing someone’s lunch that looked rather good. Our waiter was nice, but not attentive enough. He tried though, but I guess the busyness of the place took his time. I can’t wait to go back and try their lunch items, with water to drink.
One day while watching something on TV, I got this serious craving for Chinese food; some might call it long throat, I call it craving. I decided then and there to do something about it. I set out to Silverbird and went straight to Woks & Koi. I always feel very awkward going to nice restaurants alone…fast food ok, but nice somewhat fancy places, I feel weird. But alas, work has to be done.
I couldn’t really decide on what to eat. The menu seemed a bit pricey and I just hate how Chinese restaurants sell everything separate. Why can’t I get beef broccoli and it automatically comes with rice. Why must I order them separately and pay two hefty prices? Ugh! Anyway, I decided to get the chicken with corn soup (₦800) to start. Then I ordered the Woks and Koi special fried rice (₦1000) with spiced mixed vegetable sauce (₦2300). I had water to drink.
My meal was decent. For special fried rice, it didn’t taste all that special. I had to put a lot of the chili sauce mixed with the veggies to give it a good flavor. I think I prefer Chopsticks in Maitama. Or maybe I just didn’t get a good enough meal because I hear people rave about Woks & Koi quite often, but it wasn’t all that impressive to me. I really like the look of the place though. The ambiance and colors are nice. It would make for a nice romantic dinner place, if it didn’t have those glass windows where people in the mall can just stare at you eating your dinner. Some random guy saw me sitting and eating by the window and felt it was a good idea to come inside and ask me for transport money…and then my phone number. I was so confused…my life!
The waiter I had was OK. He did his job, but not that effectively. He wasn’t really checking on me. In fact I think he forgot I was there (another reason why I don’t like going to eat alone, I get neglected), but when he was there he was nice. Their POS wasn’t working (ugh!) so I had to go to the ATM downstairs with the waiter to get cash. The joys of a cashless society eh!
I hear people talk about Al Basha so much in this town and I’ve been once a long time ago, I figured it was time to go check it out again. I like the decor..I didn’t notice if they had a sit on the floor section with pillows and all though.
I like the ambiance of the place, although they could invest in more comfortable seats. The menu was decent. They have a good variety of meals and no Nigerian section (yayyyy) because authentic middle eastern restaurant should not have pounded yam abeg. Prices were ridiculous sha. Come prepared.
I finally settled on the Shish Tawouk (N4000) as I didn’t want the normal grilled chicken and rice and this one sounded “exotic” enough. I also got a glass of House White Wine (N1700).
Yea my lamb was delicious… Tender and so well seasoned. The rice was a bit salty but I still liked it because it had caramelized onions and vegetables.
So much for it not being basic. It was very blah. Normal fried rice (a bit too soft and soggy for my liking) and grilled chicken as far as I was concerned. The only difference was that the chicken was a chicken kebab removed from the stick and it was covered with pita bread. It didn’t blow me away, but it wasn’t bad either.
They don’t accept POS, so come with cash. I’d go back for some hummus and perhaps to try a lamb dish.
- 46 Euphrates Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja17 Jun 20164.5
I saw an IG post of Flames Churrasco a while back and made a conscious note to visit soon. I’m not a big meat eater, but I just really wanted to go thinking it would be like the Lagoon Restaurant in Lagos. Their website pictures were very enticing too. So one afternoon after work, I went to meet a friend there to check it out. Apparently it’s in the same compound as Prixair (a hotel I think). When I walked in to the restaurant, I was very shocked. Somehow I had got the impression that it was much much bigger from looking at their website pictures. It just seemed a lot more spacious, but yea it definitely was not big. My friend was already there so I just joined him at the table in the corner he had chosen. He too was shocked at the size compared to what he saw online.
We ordered some wine to start and then the waiter proceeded to tell us how the dining all works. Basically, they have a set up of sides (buffet style) and you go choose whatever sides you want, then come back to the table and the waiter will bring out the different proteins (gizzard, beef, goat, chicken, lamb…) and when you’ve had enough you let them know. Each person has a card on the table in which one side is green and says “Yes, Please” and the other side is red and says “No, Thanks”. When you want them to keep bringing more meats, you leave the green side up and when you’ve had enough you put the red side up. There’s also an instruction guide that details how everything works on each place setting. Good idea right? Yea that’s what I told my friend, but he was more like “yea, let’s see how well this works”.
So I got a few sides…salad, roasted sweet potatoes, and fried rice, then went to sit down. The waiter brought out first some sausage, which I took, gizzard next, and then lamb. I also had a piece of chicken breast (not pictured), then I turned my card to red. The salad and sweet potatoes were delicious!! The rice wasn’t bad either. It smelled flavorful and tasted so too. The lamb was good, but a bit tough. I didn’t like the gizzard…no seasoning. Sausage was just sausage, but I liked it. I was so full after. I actually couldn’t finish my food talk less of asking for more meats or getting more sides. I did have a tiny bit of space reserved for dessert. I had seen they had slices of cake, but when I was ready it was all gone. Boo! They only had fruit left and I didn’t want the available fruit (watermelon).
Oh did I mention that that whole red/green card up thing doesn’t matter? Yea so we had our red cards up and they still kept bringing meat. We had to verbally say “no thanks” till they got the message. Sigh. So close. Service was good though. The waiters were nice and cordial. I might try this place again. Next time, I’ll come starving so I can eat more.
I don’t know prices honestly because…well…I didn’t pay and they didn’t have a menu that had the prices and I forgot to ask my friend what the bill was. I do think though that it’s about ₦5,000 and up for the meal which includes all you can eat sides and meats.
Bon Café? Rien de spécial! I have noticed this place while passing Aminu Kano several times and when a friend said she wanted to try it out, I eagerly agreed. When I got there I found a table to sit down and the waitress came to look at me. I say look because that’s all she did. She didn’t say hello or anything she just looked at me, ready to take my order, like I was supposed to magically know the menu. I asked for the menu which she brought and I finally settled on a chicken and sausage shawarma. Yeah so the menu said ₦800 then when the waitress asked the cashier, the cashier said it was ₦1000. To prove her point she told me to come look at the computer screen that stated the price. I told her no problem, but they should use the extra ₦200 to reprint their menu (the menu is just on normal A4 paper that is laminated).
For something that took about 30 minutes to make, my shawarma was warm at best. There was really nothing special about it. I think the best part was just the sausage in it. The mayo was much and the chicken was just blah. No pepper or any extra seasoning (I guess I should have asked for pepper). I wasn’t impressed.
It’s a small somewhat cozy café, but it started getting filled with guys working on their laptops talking pretty loud. When we left, we concluded, we wouldn’t be back.
H&H Continental has been tempting us with their awesome IG photos so we thought to try them out.
It wasn’t really hard to find, their new location is quite big, in another Food City like compound.The restaurant was empty but well designed and clean. There were way too much wait staff around not doing anything. That always bothers me at restaurants …10 waiters watching me eat..eek.
Yea I took a look at the menu which is quite extensive…minus alcohol. I ordered the Singaporean noodles with beef (N2200), the beef samosas for appetizer (4 for N1000) and a bottle of water (N200)
My noodles were quite good, I like Singaporean noodles because they are light and don’t have as much carbs as spaghetti. (2016 is the year of fitfam ..i think) The portion was quite large as well. The samosas were a bit oily for my taste but the meat was fresh and well cooked so I didn’t have much to complain about.
In all, H&H is quite nice, I love the setup, the staff are quite friendly and the food is yum.
- Heroes Place, 145 Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Opp GT bank / Oti Carpets, Wuse 2, Abuja17 May 20164.5
My friend has been talking about going to cupcake fairy for some time, so we finally went. I don’t know why I was expecting the place to be bigger…but it’s a cute little dessert shop.
I was torn between ordering a red velvet cupcake or the apple crumble. I really wanted both, but you know…#fitfam and all.
I got a slice of the apple crumble (N500). The reason I picked it was because the server said it and the brownie were the only two things that come with ice cream and I had a quick day dream of warm apple pie and ice cream (Yum!).
I don’t really know the words to explain how good this crumble tasted in my mouth. It was everything I could have asked for and more. It probably was a bit too sweet, but I think any less sugar wouldn’t have made it as wonderful as it was. I tried to eat it slowly to savor every bite.
We had listed Fusion Spice as one of the 5 restaurants to check out in Abuja in 2016. So when a friend said she was going to there to check it out, I figured I would tag along since it was hunger o’ clock.
The waitress was super nice and cheerful, despite the fact that I was a little unsure what to do; she made some recommendations and seemed quite knowledgeable of the menu. They don’t serve alcohol (it’s not healthy duh) or soda or even wine. I eventually settled for the freshly squeezed juice: apple, orange and ginger (N800).
For food, I ordered the Fusion Platter: Prawn tempura, chicken wings, chicken and beef skewers with plantain balls (N2500). I was a bit worried about the portion sizes but the waitress assured me it would be fine.
It took about 10-15 minutes to get my food, they served it on like a lunch tray that reminded me of high school in the US (shudders). I really liked the prawn tempura and the chicken skewers, I am not sure what sauce they dipped the skewers in but it was finger licking good, kind of tasted like Worcestershire sauce. Only thing is one of my skewers had a part not cooked all the way through, carnivore woes. The wings were just there, they were breaded but no kind of seasoning on it. Plantain was delish but its plantain so yea.
Would I go back? Definitely, it’s a super cute arrange and the way my friend was raving about the lamb chops..i gotta try em. Fair warning, do not go there with a large crowd unless you guys plan on sitting outside. Fusion Spice is bomb. I am a fan.
I had seen a couple of reviews for Kungfu Chinese Utako online. They are located inside the Atrium Plaza in Utako next to ABC Transport. On first thought it’s kind of a weird place for a restaurant to be situated, but after sitting down I think I was sold. The restaurant takes up the entire ground floor and it reminded me of the food court style settings in American malls. It was quite empty and the waiter appeared almost immediately to assist me. I had no idea what to get and he was very helpful pointing out what I may like and what fit into my budget. I have to say, I was thoroughly impressed with the service at Kungfu, Tim my waiter is like my new best friend.
So I ordered the Teriyaki Chicken with white rice and shrimp balls (N1600) with a fruit smoothie (800). They have those waiter buzzer buttons on each table which I hope every restaurant invests in because who wants to be shouting or pssting every time you need your waiter. The smoothie took about 10 minutes to be made and Tim said he put watermelon, banana and pineapple in it. I kind of wished he had asked me what fruits I wanted without assuming but that thought disappeared because the smoothie was delicious and so fresh.
The food took ages, almost 40 minutes from the time I ordered it. It finally came with plenty of apologies of course. I was quite impressed with the size, and the teriyaki chicken was not too saucy which was great. Tim brought a serving of pepper sauce and soy as well. Can we talk about the shrimp balls? So I was expecting like breaded balls made of shrimp..kinda like this
However, I got like 8 pieces of deep fried shrimp..nothing bally about them but at least they were generous with the portion. It was a lot of chicken, I could hardly move when I was done eating and I still had some food on my plate. Overall, I really enjoyed my food, service was superb..possibly the best waiter I have had in Abuja and I really like the restaurant ambience. They even had a little stage with a piano for performances. I want to try a couple more things on the menu so I will definitely be back.
Apple Boulevard used to be called Apple Bee-Bs or something like that. I had been to it twice or three times then. It was actually a nice little coded place to chill and hangout. I’m guessing it’s still under the same management since they kept the Apple part, and the layout pretty much looks the same as it was before. I had read a review on another blog of the place and it looked like somewhere I’d want to try as soon as possible. A friend wanted to hang out one evening, and I quickly suggested Apple Boulevard. One of the reasons I picked it was because I saw on social media they do 25% off wines on Firday and being the wino that I am…
The staff welcomed me nicely when I arrived; I was the only customer at the time, so as I was trying to decide on where to sit and wait for my friend, the waiter suggest the VIP cabana outside (they have inside and outside seating) which is normally an extra charge I think he said, but for that day I could sit there free. While waiting, I asked for about the wine deals and the waiter left and came back with a list of the “Friday Wines”. A minute later, he came back and said that they’ve discontinued the Friday specials (*side eye*). My friend arrived shortly after and so we were ready to order. My friend only wanted drinks so he ordered a mojito, to which after taking the order, the waiter came back and suggested something else because they were out of mint leaves. Reluctantly, my friend picked another cocktail. This time, the bartender came and said they were out of one of the ingredients for that too so he offered up a different suggestion. My friend was pretty irritated by this point and picked something else, hoping he would like it.
Over on my end, I decided I would just get a glass of wine regardless of specials or not, but was told that they only sell wine by the bottle (womp womp), so I got water instead. For food, I was torn between the smoked chicken and grilled chicken. I asked the waiter and he recommended the grilled chicken. Of course y’all know I’m picky so I asked what part of the chicken would be served and he said the lap so I quickly canceled that order. I then decided on the chicken alfredo pasta…but the waiter said it was unavailable. I was beginning to get irritated like my friend, but I finally just asked for chicken stir-fry with fried rice (N2900). When my meal came, I couldn’t wait to dig in. It was presented well and looked nice. After all that hassle in ordering, I was so glad that it tasted good too. Other than the rice being a bit too oily (you could see the oil dripping), both the rice and the chicken were seasoned well. My friend tried some of the chicken and agreed with me. His drink thankfully, was up to his standards too.
My friend said he wouldn’t go back to that place, but I think I’d be willing to give it another try. Especially since I liked my food, and it’s a nice quiet place. Hopefully, they keep to their advertised specials.
Some friends had recently been raving about Nkoyo and their cheap margarita prices which immediately caught my attention and I couldn’t wait to go there. Considering how many times I have been to Ceddi Plaza, it was pretty shocking that I never went to Nkoyo and in addition to that I had been missing out on this place that had great and affordable prices. Upon entering, the décor looked more like a Chinese restaurant to me. It is still nice though and very spacious. Nkoyo, which serves Nigerian food, is on one side and Masala Wahala (Indian cuisine) is on the other, however you get both menus and can order from either menu.
I met a friend there over the weekend for drinks. The margarita everyone raved about is really called Nkoyorita (N850). We both had one each. I was a bit disappointed it didn’t come in different flavors, but hey for that price, I couldn’t complain too much. One would think that for drinks that cheap, it would taste more like juice but in my opinion, it was pretty strong. My friend also got a mojito (N750), which she described as lemonade with mint in it. My second drink was called planters punch (N750), which was ok but a bit too strong for my taste buds. Of course after drinking, you tend to get a bit hungry so we ordered a plate of grilled pepper wings (N1500) to start and Keema Toasty sandwiches (N1500) with fries. The wings were juicy and well seasoned. The sandwich was made with minced curried lamb, it was a bit dry and greasy but I enjoyed it. The fries were freshly fried and thick almost potato wedges-like.
Service was a bit slow, but the waitress was polite. She might have been new because she didn’t seem too knowledgeable about the menu and kept saying she would go ask. I like this place though, and of course I’ll be back A LOT. The menu items are very affordable. They have steaks and lambs for about N3500-4000 or so, which in other places in Abuja you would be looking at about N8000. This is definitely a place to go visit.
I know this might be some kind of travesty..but since arriving in Abuja over a year ago, I have never eaten at any Jevinik Restaurant Abuja location. Everyone has always said how huge their food portions were and how inexpensive the food was, so my colleague Dele decided to help me break my Jevnik virginity.
We decided on the Wuse 2 location close to Food City since it was more central and he warned me that we had to order swallow and soup to get the best deal and value for money. I am not a huge fan of eating swallow outside the comfort of my home, I like to be able to unzip my jeans and tie my wrapper and truly enjoy the meal. However, I relented today and once we arrived and were seated, we made our orders. I wanted Pounded Yam with White soup but they didn’t have either so I ordered the Semo with Okro Soup (N1650) , my friends ordered the native soup N600 ( Which after tasting I will definitely get next time) and Oha soup. We decided to get two wraps of semo between the three of us because the swallow portions are quite huge.
I don’t know if I like the restaurant setup, it just looks like a big hall with chairs and tables set up, it was a bit overwhelming. Apparently there is a VIP section upstairs which I don’t understand if they use the same entrance and exit as everyone else. Oh and there was daily specials menu with none of the specials available
The food arrived quite quickly and I have to say, I was so impressed with the Okro soup..first of all its was huge! and the okro chunks were still a bit crunchy but not too much..and it was chuck full of meat and stockfish. My eyes were eating faster than my hands basically. I had a bit of the native soup and it was so good, it had a bit of a banga soup taste to it. The oha was alright, I didn’t find it fantastic and it was bit too watered down.
I can’t speak too highly of the service, besides taking our order the waiter was not very attentive but I guess you cant expect special service at a big restaurant like that…
So I have officially lost my Jevnik virginity..do I regret it? Of course not..it was cheap and so filling. I could barely move. Definitely worth more visits, apparently the Garki locations cooks better so maybe I will try them next time.
I’ve kinda been looking for spot to hang out in Gwarinpa..Not only to get work done but to grab some cheap , decent food. I think Crush café Gwarinpa is my solution. Crush Café is a massive place, it’s almost like a recreational center, they have got ping pong tables, a volleyball court, an outside bar and grill area..It’s only missing a pool really.
The interior of the restaurant is a good size too and there is an upstairs section that is still under construction, and wait for it…they have free OPEN WIFI!
Yes, we are here for that. Anyway, the waitress came up quite quickly after I took my seat and provided me with the menu. I have a thing for nice menus, I feel like if your menu is on point..your food should not be too bad. Yes, there might not be a correlation..this is just me. The menu I was handed was practically falling apart, anyway I decided on the Crush Burger and fries (1200) since I figured it was a signature meal and a Tonic Soda. The menu stated that the burger came with sweet creamed corn and green peppers…I was interested to seeing how that turned
The food didn’t take too long and on first bite, it was actually not bad. The Crush Burger was supposed to be beef but it kind of tasted like lamb. The corn was randomly placed inside the bun and I didn’t really understand the point. I did enjoy the burger though, it didn’t bang as much as the Street Café one or BluCabana but it was not bad for ₦1200. The fries were crunchy and not oily which always wins.
Service was quite good as well, and I felt taken care of. Crush Café is a win for me.
The Clubhouse…the pride of Lifecamp. A lot of people don’t know much of anywhere in Life Camp, but they know about this place. Situated in Tak Estate, The Clubhouse is a popular restaurant that serves continental dishes. I went recently with a colleague from work after an extra long and hot day at work and running errands. We were both so hungry, as soon as we sat down and the waiter came we told him to just wait so we could order right away. The staff wasn’t that welcoming, but we were attended to quickly. At first I wasn’t sure what to get because the first time I was there, a long time ago, I think I ordered the curry chicken and it was not good. I finally decided on something fast and seemingly easy…chicken fajita sandwich (₦2300) with a glass of house white wine (₦1300). My friend ordered the chicken wrap (₦2300) with the clubhouse special (₦900) to drink. Due to our hunger, we added an order of buffalo chicken wings (₦1500).
Our drinks came out first with some groundnuts which helped with the hunger a bit. I was pretty disappointed when the wings came out because for ₦1500, they were so tiny. The sauce it came it was nice though. Didn’t really taste like buffalo sauce but it has a nice tangy, spicy taste to it. My sandwich was so yummy! The hoagie bread was warm and slightly toasted, the chicken was chopped into small sizes and sautéed with mushrooms, sweet corn, and onions…oh and the melted cheese topped it all up nicely. Our sandwiches came with fries and I used the chicken wing sauce as my fries dipping sauce…wonderful!
My friend on the other hand was not pleased at all. She hated her drink and struggled to drink it. She said it shouldn’t be called a clubhouse special because there was absolutely nothing special about it. She said the chicken wrap wasn’t that good either and her sister makes way better ones. Welp! I’m glad I didn’t have those problems. I was so full afterwards, I could barely walk out of the place.
All in all, Clubhouse is a chilled place. They have outdoor and indoor seating. It’s also a frequent spot to a lot of the expatriate community. I would stop by again, it was a good time for me.
Since Gwarinpa is the new Wuse 2 (keep your opinion in your pocket), I decided to check out Rice Bowl Gwarinnpa on 3rd avenue of course so I decided to check it out and compare with the Wuse 2 location.
So apparently, the Tulip Bistro in Gwarinpa closed and it was converted to Rice Bowl so when i entered I was kind of surprised at the nice furniture but then it dawned on me that it was the old Tulip (which i still have never been to so if any nice gentlemen want to take me )
Anyway, I ordered the Lunch Bowl (Jollof rice, 2 meat (chicken and beef) and a side salad) and drink (water or soda) for ₦2000. The last time I went to Rice Bowl read here , the meal was ₦2500 so i guess the Gwarinpa location is cheaper. Though that meal had plantains sha maybe that was the ₦500. Anyway its kind of a canteen style setting so you eat immediately you order. The rice I got was a bit overspiced (I don’t know if its the Jollof Rice seasoning or something) but it was still edible, it also had bits of potatoes in it which was strange but I rolled with it.
The chicken was decent, I couldn’t decide if it was grilled or fried though. The size was definitely reduced from last time and the shredded beef sauce was nothing to write home about really. The side salad was over doused with salad cream, I like my cream on the side because really what is the point of getting a salad if its swimming in salad cream. I do like that they put little bits of apples in them though.
Service was blah, waitress girl was on the phone the whole time and looked like she was waiting for me to leave so she can really gist properly.
I don’t know how much longer the restaurant will last in Gwarinpa though, i was the only customer there for about 2 and half hours.
Per the usual happenings, I had this craving that just wouldn’t go away. I was really craving a beef burger from Street Café, but I didn’t really have the chance to go there. I was on my way to Fusion Lifestyle fair and lo and behold I see this food truck that’s right in the park. I’ve noticed it before, but it always looked like it was closed to me. I stopped by as I waited for my friend and looked at their menu….seemed legit. They had quite a few burger choices so I said I would be back on my way out of the fair.
When I went back, I ordered a cheese burger (₦800). I waited maybe about 5-7 minutes for it to be ready. I was kinda hungry, but more so just wanting to fill this craving. The disappointment when I opened the burger wrapping was too real. First of all, I didn’t really see any cheese on it , and second of all, the beef patty was sooooo tiny compared to the bun it was on. Serious rip off of my money. I had no choice but to eat it. I’m not sure what kind of mayo they used or sauce but it was way too sweet and the whole burger was not even hot. I was sitting there wondering why I even had to wait 5-7 minutes for a cold burger. So upsetting!!
The guy who took my order was very pretty nice and respectful, but mehn…that place needs to change quick or shut down. I’ll stick to my Street Café from here on out.
So the folks at The Little Diner Gwarinpa followed us on IG so after looking through their pictures, I decided to check them out plus the fact that Abuja really needs a legit wings spot. Most of the wings I have had have been struggle (aside from Zanzibar and maybe Blu Cabana) and too bloody expensive. Anyway, they are located right opposite Game City off 1st avenue in Gwarinpa. I kind of expected them to be in a plaza but they have a little shop on the street,
The Little Diner should really be called The Mini Diner or the Tiny Diner lol. I don’t think five people can fit in there comfortably.
Anyway, I ordered the BBQ wings (5 piece) and sweet potato fries for N1000. I also got an Oreo Shake (they called it a Latte) for N1000. I have never had sweet potato fries in Abuja so I was interested to see how they would turn out. The food probably took about 15 minutes to be prepared and the presentation was simple and nice. I liked the milkshake, it was just right and had bits of oreos in it, the wings were soooo good too. Tender and juicy and a decent size for the price, the fries were a bit small but well-seasoned and spicy.
Service was quite good as well and although they have only been open for a couple of weeks, I am pretty sure they are going to get a lot of customers in Gwarinpa and they have delivery as well.
I want to try the spicy wings and they have a waffle burger as well. Sold!
One very hot Saturday afternoon, which also happened to be Valentine’s Day, all I wanted was a margarita so my friend and I set out to Traffic. When we got there, we found out they had decorated and were having a little Valentine’s Day thing.
The Traffic menu is quite pricey and I wasn’t in the mood to overspend so I ordered noodles and egg (N1650) and a strawberry daiquiri (N2000) to drink. I really wanted a margarita, but they didn’t have flavored ones, just the regular so I opted for the daiquiri. My friend ordered Pesto Pasta (N600) and a Caribbean long island (N1500). My noodles tasted good, it would have been quite disappointing if they messed up noodles and egg. My drink was quite weak, but it was very sweet. My friend’s pasta was very oily, but a typical taste for Pesto. Her drink contrary to mine had entirely too much alcohol in it. That’s not surprising for a Long Island though. She had to request more coke or sprite be added.
The staff was very nice and attentive. Frequently checking on us and making sure we were comfortable, as we were sitting outside. The highlight of the afternoon was when the owner sent over a bottle of wine to us. It was a very welcoming gesture and we drank it all appreciatively. All in all, I like Traffic and this wasn’t my first time there nor will it be my last time.
I miss the days when Spice Route was exclusive. Now everyone wants to take their significant other there and its so crowded! Not to mention all the shady characters there nowadays. Food is still good though but management needs to sort out some other issues.
- The Ivory Place, 42 Birao Street, Off Ademola Adetokumbo Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja15 Jan 20165.0
This place is the new chic on the Abuja scene and its hidden enough just the way Abuja folks like it. Was there last weekend for a friends birthday, Had a Great time! Going back this weekend for sure
One word to describe this place? CODED. Abuja folks love hidden places where they can be away from the crowd and this is it. Food is amazing and service is always on point. For guys like me who just need a place for a quick smoke and drink…this is it. They have a great buffet as well ..can’t remember the price though.
The other day I had a business meeting at Nouveau Restaurant. I didn’t really want to eat there because the last time I did, I didn’t like what it (I had a chicken burger), but I was starving and didn’t have enough time to stop somewhere else to eat before my meeting. Nouveau is a very chill and nice place, I’ve been there a lot and I like it for just lounging. There is outside and inside seating.
It’s another one of those pricey places, so I ordered mildly. I ordered Mediterranean vegetable lasagna (N3800) and water (N400) to drink. The lasagna was wonderful. I was a bit reluctant about how it would be because it was vegetable, but because I love lasagna, I decided to try it out. Lots of cheese as expected, but the medley of vegetables made it taste great. I detected carrots, eggplant, and broccoli. I ate every bit of it and would recommend it. My business partner that came to meet me ordered goat meat pepper soup (N2200) and soda water (N500) to drink. The goat meat pepper soup was also quite enjoyable, although she stated that it seemed like they just mixed the meat broth with tomatoes and added the meat. There were no distinctive pepper soup spices in the dish, but the rolls were nice and warm and completed the meal.
That night was Ladies Night, which starts from 6-9pm and offers free drinks. The manager had told me it was free drinks, but then there was confusion with the wait staff who said it’s only complementary champagne. Either way, we enjoyed both the free champagne and free cocktails after our meeting. Nouveau also has good shisha for anyone that is interested in shisha.
I come here all the time to hang out with my colleagues. It is a favorite in the Abuja expat community. I just wish the service was better, almost seems like it gets worse with every visit.
Lotus at Pattaya is one of my favourite spots on the Island. The food is heavenly and the service is superb. Only thing is they take a while to prepare their meals. Definitely fun after hours as well. A Lagos must visit!
Loved the food! My friend found Woks and Koi on this site a few days ago and we decided to check it out since I’m in Abuja for the weekend. Awesome Chinese and they give you hot napkins to freshen up after..Definitely a fan.
- Surulere Leisure Mall, 97-99 Adeniran Ogunsanya street, Surulere, Lagos17 May 20154.5
Loved it!. I just moved to Lagos from Capetown and I came across your site this morning. Decided to check Bheerhugz Cafe out since I was in the area. Amazing service and delicious food! Definitely a place i will visit again. Thanks again
- 5 Sakono street, Beside CBN Quaters, Off Ademola Adetokunbo Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja17 May 20153.5
Hmmmmm, my own experience was close on my first visit, maybe because I just picked up on placing the order ahead. It was coconut rice with spicy wings. The rice was superb and the wings yummy even though it was smaller than I expected. The cashier was the issue that attended to me as if I wanted asking her out. Any way I forgave them when I took the coconut rice. Always an option I go for after dancing all night in club.
Dopest spot! I Love that they have live music and spoken word nights and its such a great place to meet people. Perfect for the weekends too, Definitely 5 stars all the way!
Madiba is actually a great restaurant, I had their grilled fish and it was so good! Service is very slow though but if you go with friends, its not so bad.
My relationship with amala had always been nonexistent; very much a case of judging a book by its cover. One day, I decided to give it a try and was introduced to The Amala Place by a friend. I’ve never regretted it after that. This place is similar to the very popular Iya Oyo in Wuye and it is equally as popular and packed, but CLEANER. I’ve been to Iya Oyo before, but I declined to eat because the mixture of food just didn’t sit well with me nor did it seem hygiene enough. However, at The Amala Place, the set up is the same, but to me it’s nicer. It’s in a covered space with plastic tables and chairs, you place your order at the back, they hand you your plate and you pay and go enjoy your meal. The amala and soup of choice isn’t all mixed together in one bowl (not sure if you can request it like that if you want), which I liked. There’s a glass window that separates the kitchen from the rest of the room, so you place your window at the window and continue down the line (almost cafeteria style).
When we got there the place was packed. We were planning to take away the food, but even if we wanted to eat it there, there wouldn’t have been any space. My friend and I both ordered two wraps of amala with weed, gbegiri, and stew. I’m not a big meat person so I only got kpomo and shaki added to mine. Sorry, I’m not sure of the pricing as I didn’t pay nor did I pay attention to what my friend was paying because I got distracted. I do believe that for about N700-N1200, you would get a decent and filling amount. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal upon getting home. I wouldn’t say I love amala per se, but the amala and soup combo is to die for! If you’re looking for a correct spot for local food, I recommend this place over any other.
As I mentioned earlier, I got distracted because at the cashier table, the woman (cashier) was shouting at her daughter to apologize to someone and was going between trying to collect people’s money and beating the girl. It was kind of embarrassing to watch and of course not what you’d expect to see at a place of business, but hey we’re in Nigeria and it’s a buka so anything can happen. The customer service wasn’t that great. The people serving the food were a bit rude and unpleasant as they were trying to rush the order. I guess I can understand that since there were quite a few orders to take, but that’s not a good enough excuse for bad service when the food isn’t free. It’s best to not come with high expectations of how things should be and just enjoy the meal.
It’s amazing how many coffee shops are beginning to pop up all over Abuja. I love it! A friend recently referred me to Café de Vie and I must say, I kinda like it. It’s pretty small but very cozy. I think that’s what I like most about it…the coziness. It’s a hard place to miss. You wouldn’t know about the place, unless someone tells you. It’s inside the same compound as an apartment/hotel (not sure which but it’s chic and probably expensive) called Bricks Point.
They don’t really have a menu, there’s a blackboard at the back in which you can just look at and pick what you want. I think it always stays the same except the meal or soup of the day. They also sell Simply Green Juices, which attracts people to the café. The first time I went there, I was trying to decide on what to get and the lady who served me (she seemed like she was part of management), let me sample the different simply green juices they had available. Yeah…definitely not for me! All of them tasted disgusting to me, but I’m in the minority, as most people love it.
Most days I’m there I just get coffee (N700) and orange juice (N800). Last time I was there I tried their chicken sandwich (N1500). It was more like a chicken salad sandwich, which is always good to me. Service is good also, most of the staff seem nice and attend to you pretty quickly. I just really like the ambiance of the place. Candles everywhere! They have books available to read and games. It’s a cute little place. Thumbs up!
When i first heard the name Hatlab, i immediately imagined a cybercafe…definitely not an icecream and snacks parlour. So on one hot afternoon, a friend and I strolled into Hatlab Place in zone 5 for some icecream. Each scoop is 300 naira so we ordered 3 scoops each, I got the caramel, coffee and mango flavors while my friend got the mango, vanilla and bubble gum flavors. We also ordered a marble fruit cake (300 naira) and a hot dog cheesy pretzel (250 naira).
The icecream was absolutely delicious, one thing about Hatlab is that they have quite a number of flavors compared to a lot of icecream places I have been to in Abuja. Also there is often an aftertaste that some ice cream have but Hatlab tastes fresh and creamy. I have been back several times since this visit and the service is always super. The hot dog pretzel is the first I have seen in Abuja and it was quite delicious. I am a huge marble fruit cake fan ( well i am a huge cake anything fan but that is besides the point) and it was so soft and absolutely yummy.
Hatlab is definitely a must visit for anyone in Abuja, i believe they have a kiosk in the Silverbird Entertainment Centre as well..Pay them a visit!
Yes I know we have been spending a lot of time in Gwarinpa lately. Its like a little city within Abuja really and there are so many restaurants and bukas there.
Anyway, on my usual DealDey food prowl..i found a Shirleys coupon for their jumbo sharwarma at N999 which i thought was a good price for a JUMBO (i was thinking maybe the length of my arm don’t judge me I am a chop chop) so i purchased it and found my way to Shirleys on 3rd Avenue in Gwarinpa. You can’t miss Shirleys really, they have an imposing building that you can’t miss. They are also right next to yogurberry and have a great outside seating area if you are so inclined in this hot Abuja sun.
I went into the main restaurant to make my order and the not so nice hostess told me to go outside to the sharwarma stand instead. The sharwarma guy was much nicer (he had a permanent smile I was wondering if one of my shirt buttons was open) and he took my coupon and told me the sharwarma would take 15 mins to make. He was right, he handed me my sharwarma and I went into the main restaurant to eat it.
Maybe i need to stop taking these Dealdey things at face value..I was handed a regular chicken sharwarma with cheese and sausage..there was nothing jumbo about it. In addition the regular price of the sharwarma is ..wait for it…N1000!!!! so 1 naira is the huge discount..gosh i give up!
Anyway, the sharwarma was quite nice I must say..it had a pepper sauce in it too so i definitely enjoyed it. I was tempted by the dessert menu so I decided to get a “cinnamon roll” (N300) which was on display..it didn't look like one but that was what the waitress called it so i believed her. Yea it was definitely just sweet bread with raisins..Sigh.
I have tried some of their cakes before and they are quite nice, the atmosphere is great too for a date or just quiet time to work on your laptop. Service is nothing special though (aside from the sharwarma guy..shoutouts to him).
- 6 Tapeta Street, off Thaba Tseka Street, British Village, Wuse 2, Abuja17 Jan 20153.5
Finally! I made it to Quarter Café. I really wish I had all good things to say about this place, but perhaps my expectations were too high. My friend and I drove past the place, because there was no sign other than the street number and name that helped locate it. My friend had to ask some people outside where it was and they pointed to the place we had just driven past. Another coded place (all you coded people, take note)! The outside area, inside the compound didn’t look as inviting, but inside looked really nice. The black and white décor was nice. They have an outside seating area (not attractive), and then inside. We picked a seat in the corner and the waitress behind the counter, soon attended to us. The place was pretty small. I don’t know why I was expecting bigger, but I like the small cosyness.
The menu was a bit extensive so I wasn’t too sure what to get. The waitress wasn’t helpful either. My friend got an Americano with extra caramel syrup (N650) and I ordered a Chai Latte (N650). For the sake of doing a full review, I ordered some food; I asked for the the Quarter Pound Gourmet Chicken Burger (N1500). Our drinks came out first. My latte wasn’t very hot and since the room was pretty cold, it got cold really quickly and I wasn’t interested in it anymore. It tasted good though, but a bit too sweet for my taste buds. My friend said that his Americano was the mildest he’s ever had (he’s a huge coffee lover) and the cup he got was the double espresso cup (gosh, you can’t please some folks hehehe).
When the waitress brought my food, I had to look at the menu again to remember what I ordered. So instead of my Quarter Pound Gourmet Chicken Burger, it seemed I got the Mini Chicken Burgers with Fries (N2000). Burger is burger right? I don’t like to complain about my food and the waitress, although polite enough, looked like we were disturbing her quiet time. The fries looked nicer than they tasted. They were sprinkled with some type of seasoning which since I wasn’t given any ketchup or similar dipping sauce, I thought it would be ok like that and so I managed it. The burgers, although mini, were actually filling. It seemed like the bun for the burger was heated up or grilled too much. It wasn’t burnt or anything but, you know how bread can be when you put it in the microwave for a minute too long and leave it to cool then it becomes hard in some places? Well that’s how my bread was. It was soft around and hard in the middle. I still ate it though *shrugs*.
Maybe I should have just stuck with the things I had been seeing on social media i.e. the breakfast food, waffles, etc. I haven’t written this place off yet though, I want to go back and try their American breakfast. I know I’m probably part of a very low percentage of people who didn’t completely love this place on first visit, but at least I’ve said I will still go back.
I grabbed dinner with some friends at BogoBiri House Ikoyi. My first opinion of the place was that it looked like a glorified tree house, like if Salamander and Madiba had a love child..it would be BogoBiri. They had a nice little book area as well as a guy selling African fabrics and kaftans outside. After some navigation, we found the restaurant area and made our orders. The waiter was really nice and quire knowledgeable about the menu. I ordered the Goat Meat Pepper soup (1500) with a glass of the house white wine (1500), my friends ordered the Grilled Fish with Chips , the Boiled Yam and stew with Chicken and the Jollof Rice with Grilled Fish.
The food took quite a while to arrive but we were really engrossed in our conversation, I only noticed because by the time my food arrived…I had finished my wine
The pepper soup was really good and spicy..my friends that ordered the grilled fish were not so happy with the way it looked at first but they said it didn’t taste so bad. My friend that ordered the Bolied Yam and Stew with Fried Chicken said he really enjoyed his meal. They usually have live music and poetry on weekends apparently, the restaurant space is quite small although I noticed there was an upstairs area as well.
I loved the ambience, its definitely a must visit whenever I am in Lagos
- The Ivory Place, 42 Birao Street, Off Ademola Adetokumbo Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja17 Jan 20155.0
Last week, My family and I went out for a birthday dinner celebration. We decided on Ivory Room because we had heard some great reviews and it was a relatively new place in town. Located at the top floor of the Ivory Place Furniture building in Wuse II, The Ivory Room leaves you speechless upon entry..Its not a huge space but its just enough for an intimate dinner or a nice night out with your friends. The decor is classy and the wait staff are nice and welcoming.
There were about 20 of us and we were immediately seated and served our drinks, it was buffet arrangement so the first course meal of hors d”oeuvres or as we say in Nigeria “small chops” was served.
The small chops were very good, i was particularly excited about the peanut ginger sauce, it gave each piece some extra flavor, however it seemed some of the beef samosas were spoilt and when we brought it to the attention of the waitress she apologized and stated that the order was made today and delivered to the restaurant (So they were not made in their kitchen). Aside from that…i went back for seconds for everything else.
Then the main course was served, there was a variety of pasta, rice and seasoned vegetables so I just picked a couple of things even though I was already full from all the wine and small chops.
The food was quite good, I think i was most impressed with the Alfredo pasta, it was delicious and very well seasoned. The grilled chicken tasted good on the surface but once i ate the skin, i was done with it..the seasoning didn’t quite penetrate and perhaps the huge size did not help either.
The final course was a chocolate chip brownie sundae. I was not too impressed with the sundae, the brownie was a bit hard and unlike the soft gooey brownies I am used to that melt in your mouth. Perhaps they forgot to put it in the microwave before placing the icecream on it.
Overall, the food was pretty decent..i would go back again just to try that alfredo pasta and perhaps a different dessert. The service was impeccable though and the ambience was great. Here is a sample page from the menu..it is quite pricey but a splurge once in a while never hurt right? lol
Another DealDey adventure led me to Uptown Asian Cuisine. If not for anything else, Dealdey is definitely good for their restaurant deals…in terms of pricing. I had been eyeing Uptown on my list of places to try. I bought a deal for a two course meal that included four large spicy chicken wings, special basmati fried rice with a combo of chicken, beef, vegetables, and seafood, and chapman to drink (N1750). I’m not sure how much all this would have been without the deal, I think per the fine print would have originally been about N3000 or more. I went there one day after work, but I did takeaway. I wasn’t in the mood to sit at a nice restaurant alone. Perhaps if I had planned it better, I would have brought a book to read and all.
In my opinion, Uptown looks nice, from outside and inside. It was pretty quite that day. There were only two other customers at that time (around 5:15pm). The lounge part is upstairs, but I only stayed downstair. I showed one of the waiters my Dealdey printout and he went to go put in my order. I guess because I was waiting for my takeaway order to be done, no one really felt the need to attend to me again or ask if I needed anything. After about 10 minutes, I was about to ask for my chapman while I waited, but the waiter came out with my packaged food and chapman in a plastic water bottle. I had to pay an additional N200 for the takeaway packs.
When I got home and ate my meal, my stomach was doing a happy dance. The basmati fried rice with all the goodies in it tasted so good! It wasn’t all mushy and stuck together. I love fried rice with fried egg in it and this had just that. The chicken wings….yum.com! The wings were breaded and fried. It wasn’t really spicy but the sauce it was put into went well with the rice. There are a good number of Asian cuisine restaurants in Abuja, and this is now one of my top 5…or maybe I should go back to try more things before making that decision. I look forward to going back.
On one of my many days of browsing DealDey , i came across a chicken and chips deal @ N1200 for two people. So i purchased it and went along with a friend to check out this spot. I had never heard of it before and its location was a bit random for me.
On arrival, i see there are seats both inside and outside but we opt to seat outside and proceed to speak to the waitresses (they were heavy in conversation and it seemed like we were disturbing their hot gist) who eventually proceeded to take our order after verifying the Dealdey coupon.
The food took about 20 minutes to be prepared, I am a little disappointed that Nigerian restaurants have started serving frozen chips as opposed to cutting them fresh ( i know its time consuming but they taste so much better!). It was a decent size and the chips were crisp..the chicken was also well seasoned and quite large. Although like most places the seasoning did not quite penetrate all the way but i was starving so i ate it all. My Friend wasn’t too impressed though so her’s was basically untouched minus the fries.
Would i go back to McDarnells…not on purpose, maybe if i was passing by in a hungry state and ready to eat just anything. Although the environment was neat, the service was quite crappy and nothing to write home about.
One afternoon after work, a friend and I decided to check out this restaurant Newton Chops that we hadn’t been to before. I had purchased a deal from Dealdey, so why not? Apparently it is in the same place as The Juice Place II. There are a lot of shawarma places in Abuja and I love finding new and better ones. We both ordered a chicken shawarma each. The waiter had a bit of an attitude, like we were disturbing him especially since we weren’t ordering anything big. Here I was thinking business was business, considering we were the only customers there, he should have been happy. I think it was the fact that I mentioned I had a Dealdey deal for the shawarma.
When the waiter brought the shawarma, he brought the two on one plate as though we were to be eating from the same plate. I didn’t like the shawarma. It was bland and just not on my list of top tasty shawarmas. My friend on the other hand said it wasn’t bad to her and she seemed to enjoy it. Then again she did say she was very hungry so maybe, the hunger made her overlook the taste. I’m not sure what else they sell there other than the fresh juices at Juice Place, but I don’t think I would be back. Not necessarily because of the bad shawarma, but more so because of the bad customer service. I felt like I was eating a school canteen rather than a restaurant in the heart of town.
I was looking for an inexpensive place to eat on my way home. I had always seen Chicken Etcetera.. in Gwarinpa but never really gave it a second look but for the sake of a review, I went in to check them out. They are pretty much a fast food chain like Chicken Republic or Kilimanjaro so they have the mix of Nigerian food and snacks, though they also have outside seating which I rarely see in chain restaurants.
I was welcomed by the waitress who stood behind the meal counter and asked for my order. I proceeded to ask her a couple of questions about each meal displayed. She seemed quite knowledgeable particularly when it came to the prices. I liked that (I did notice that the manager kept telling her certain things later like to make sure to get a copy of the receipt etc so I figured she was newly hired) .
I ordered the Porridge Yam (N350) with fried plantains (250), a bit of stew (free) and piece of grilled peppered ponmo (Cow Skin) (N150), I would have really liked some orijin but they don’t serve alcohol at fast food joints so I got a bottle of H2O Sparkling Water (N150)
I enjoyed my meal, although the porridge yam was a bit oily for my taste but it was well seasoned. The plantains were nice as well (though I feel like if you can mess up plantains then really you should just close your business).
The ponmo was friggin hard though! I literally had to bite and bite..felt like a wild animal after a while. I know ponmo can be boiled to be a lot softer so they need to work on that.
However, it’s a good place for cheap decent meal, nothing too spectacular though. My bill was under N1000 and i was full, I think thats a pretty great deal.
- 38 Osun Cresent , off Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida way, Maitama, Abuja17 Jan 20154.5
Another day, another new restaurant; this one comes to us from Lagos. A couple of weeks ago, a friend was describing to me this restaurant in Lagos that has really good and STRONG margaritas. He also mentioned that the restaurant would be coming to Abuja soon. To my surprise one day last week, I was playing around on Instagram and found out that that restaurant, 355 Restaurant & Lounge, was in Abuja already! Of course, I called up my friend and said we should have drinks there after work.
We got there and were ushered to the outside seating area, which is very relaxing and nice. The inside seating is fine dining. It looks very nice as well. After talking to our waiter wee discovered that it was their first day of doing business. The margarita I had heard a lot of noise about online was called “Wahalarita”(N2200), so we both ordered that and my friend got an order of chicken quesadilla (N2850). They have a pretty good list of other margarita flavors as well. Although I’m not a big fan of Mexican food, 355 prides themselves in their Mexican cuisine. I know a lot of friends that are happy about this place coming to Abuja, because there hasn’t been any sole Mexican place here (unless I haven’t found it yet).
There was nothing wahala-ish about my margarita, infact we had to ask for it to be a bit stronger. It was sweet and frozen, and a proper margarita though. The authentic margarita glass it came in, made me happy. I have a huge pet peeve about being served a drink in the wrong glass (is that weird?). I tried one of my friend’s quesadilla; it was ok but kind of dry. It came with guacamole and sour cream for dipping (or what looked like sour cream). Even with those, it was still bland. My friend said that the one in Lagos is a lot better, but perhaps with time, they will get to the yumminess of their Lagos branch. It’s a bit pricey, but considering the area and who their target audience may be, it makes sense. It would be great if they had happy hour specials though.
Customer service was good. The waiter and the bartender were pretty friendly and nice. I hope it stays like that even on busy days. The owner (I’m assuming), came by as we were leaving to check on how we liked our meal/drinks and he also mentioned they would be having their soft launch that Friday (last week). I love love love it when upper management/owners are welcoming and interact with customers outside of their friends. I know I will be back, if not to try out other margarita flavors, I saw they had a wine room so I will try out different wines. It’s a good place to hang with friends or le boo.
Friday after work adventures led me to Nkoyo to meet up with my Friend for a drink and I was starving so I also got food. Nkoyo is one of our favourite places to go because the food is good and the drinks are dirt cheap (all under 1k!). We have previously reviewed them before (below) but I thought my meal needed a review because it was soooooo good!
I won’t lie the service at Nkoyo is by no means the best, waiters always seem a little lost and annoyed to be there. I remember speaking to the Manager once and he seems clueless but notwithstanding..I ordered their Spicy Grilled Chicken Meal which comes with a side of rice (either jollof or fried) with a couple of plantains for N2000. I also ordered an Nkoyorita which is their twist of a Margarita with a random iceblock floating in it lol. The bartender also forgot to line the rim of the glass with salt (or sugar) but oh well, I enjoyed it nonetheless
Delicious Fried Rice image2image3 When my food came, my Friend who was happily drinking her glass of chardonnay and claiming not to be hungry..immediately shifted her plate for a piece of chicken and some rice. The food looked so good! Of course, I grubbed it all down quite quickly. The rice was perfectly seasoned with vegetables and not too soggy as some folks tend to make their fried rice. The chicken was crisp on the outside but tender on the inside with a delicious spicy tang that makes you swoon.
It is safe to say that I enjoyed my meal immensely and I was sad when I realized the chicken was finished..Why lord why?!
So if you are ever in Ceddi Plaza Abuja, be sure to check out Nkoyo on the 2nd floor…you won’t regret it. There is an additional location in K City Plaza Wuse 2 (but do not get the mojito there, according to a friend it basically looks like a swamp in a glass..too many mint leaves)
In my usual fashion of involuntary starvation I had’nt eaten all day so I decided to stop by Salt Grill and Cafe in Wuse 2. I was also planning to meet some folks there so I arrived before they did, The set up was not what I expected. It was all outside seating with the turf grass thing that is quite common for outside cabana like restaurants in Abuja. I tried to go inside a building I assumed was the inside seating but a waiter motioned for me to sit outside. I was given the menu and on looking it over, I saw it wasn’t too extensive..infact the drink menu was a lot better than the food menu. Anyway, I went on to order a Chicken Sharwarma with hotdog and cheese (N1300) , I also ordered a bottle of Orijin and side of fries. My friend had just eaten so she just got a bottle of STAR beer.
The food took about 20 minutes to be prepared, but my drink and fries came first (N500 for Orijin, N1000 for Fries.), Now i am a firm believer that fries should not cost more than N500 anywhere, However, the fries were a good portion and they were almost all gone by the time my sharwarma came around. The sharwarma was quite good, a good size..I would say a medium and the Chicken was tasty and I think the cheese added a certain zing to it.
Service was quite impressive as well, the waiters were courteous and friendly and willing to help out with questions and so on. The atmosphere is also quite nice, very coded if you like your privacy and want to be away from the hustle and bustle of Wuse 2, its quite hidden away and the outside seating is very well set up.
Would I recommend Salt? Sure, it’s a nice place to hang out with friends and just relax over drinks. The prices are a bit much though (I saw prices up to 5k for what?) for the main meals but maybe I will come back and try something else to see if they are worth the price.
My two favorite places to get good shawarma where I know I won’t ever be disappointed are Drumstix and Chicken Capitol. I had been seriously craving shawarma so off to Chicken Capitol I went to fill my craving. There’s nothing special about this place, it’s your regular fast food type joint that has food selections in front of you and then shawarma. They have a location in Wuse 2 and Zone 3 (only go to the Wuse 2 location, don’t say I didn’t tell you). I like sitting in the inner room because well it’s chic and more comfortable.
To place your order, you go to the counter to order what ever food you see available i.e. rice, stew, swallow, etc. If you are ordering shawarma, they will give you a sheet on how you want your shawarma made i.e. size, with or without hotdog, pepper or no pepper, fries or no fries, cheese or no cheese, etc. After placing your order and given your number, you sit down and wait patiently for it to be ready. I ordered a medium chicken and sausage shawarma (N1500) and my friend got a large chicken shawarma (N1800). I specifically asked the lady attending to us to cut my shawarma in half, which to me would 1. make it look better for pictures, and 2. Would be easier for me to eat. Did I get it ow I wanted? Of course not! All the same, the shawarma was still as good as Chicken Capitol shawarmas are. I think I like shawarama with cheese…it tastes yummier. My friend that I went with, didn’t seem especially pleased with his. He said it wasn’t real shawarma. It’s very real to me though.
The staff was ok. I can’t really remember how they were actually, which means they didn’t leave an impression on me whether good or bad. This location is very clean probably partly because it’s still fairly new, but I like it and really hopes it stays like that.
- Chocolate Mall, 2 Atkampe street, off Ademola Adetokunbo crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja17 Jan 20153.5
Before Domino's Pizza came and took over the pizza scene, Galaxy Pizza was my number one. Well, I’ve only been there once before, but I loved the pizza then and I loved it this time too. Compared to other pizza places in Abuja, this is by far one of the top ones. I stopped by one evening for a solo dinner before heading home.
I looked over the menu although I already knew that I wanted; the BBQ chicken pizza. I placed my order for the regular size (N3500) and waited for maybe about 15 minutes before it was ready. There’s an option for thin, regular, or thick crust. I got regular crust, but I think next time I will get the thick…I like the extra thickness in my dough. I didn’t really think about the price at that time, but now that I think of it…Dominos large is 3600 whereas Galaxy’s regular is 3500 and family size is 4500 (pricey, no?).
I was actually really hungry, but when the food came, I only had two slices and took the rest home. The last time I was at Dominos I had bbq chicken pizza too I think (can you tell I like bbq chicken toppings), but the difference between the two is that Domino's had a bbq sauce and chicken chunks while Galaxy uses shredded bbq’d seasoned chicken which I think I prefer. OK, I’ll stop comparing the two places. All in all I enjoyed my meal and at the remaining the next day and still enjoyed it.
Customer service was just there. Nothing spectacular, but the waiter was nice. He did his job well, but didn’t go above and beyond, which I’m OK with. I liked how they had a Galaxy Wall for people to sign their name, although I didn’t sign mine. It made it seem more intimate, especially with the place being so tiny…nice touch.
Madiba Antique Restaurant was one of the first restaurants we ever reviewed. I remember how excited we were (well i was) at finding palmwine in abuja! As a true daughter of the soil, my joy runneth over.
So a lot of folks in Abuja really do not know about this place and it makes me sad because it is quite awesome. Located right across from the Sheraton in the Art and Crafts Village, Madiba is a great place to hang out and just chill with your homies after work or on the weekend and their prices are pretty bomb too.
So the other day, i was craving nkwobi and my friend who was visiting from the UK wanted isiewu so we decided to head to Madiba for dinner. Let me just say that I have had the nkwobi here many times..it is by no means the nkwobi that Mama Nkechi in Enugu, Imo, Anambra makes…but its still quite good. I have never had their isiewu but my friend was adamant about it so I was like okay o.
So i ordered my Goat meat nkwobi (N1500) and my friend ordered the isiewu (N2000), the waiter who was very nice and quite funny told us that the isiewu would be enough for two but i was like naaa I came here for nkwobi son..don”t kill my vibe. Of course we got 2 bottles of Orijin to wash down our food.
Anyway, it takes about 30 mins for the food to be ready..the isiewu comes first and we dive right in. So I am really wary about isiewu like yes its delicious but its Goat Head! I would hate to bite into a juicy eye..Grossness. Anyway i ate a bit and left the rest for him to devour.
My nkwobi came and I was excited until i actually saw it. I don’t know what happened but it was basically some goats swimming in palm oil. Like a ton of palm oil…I basically ate the meat and left the pool of palm oil. I know nkwobi is made with the thing but this was just a lot..i complained to the waiter who apologized but said that was how it was usually made. Not true but whatever.
Anyway, If you have never been to Madiba you should go..its a nice setup, the food is good (most of the time), affordable and the service is mostly good albeit slow. Despite this experience, I would still recommend it to folks. Maybe I am just a die-hard customer..palmwine can do that to you.
There is a new Southern Fried Chicken in Jabi close to my office so I thought why not? I think I have only had their food once before and I really enjoyed the spicy chicken I had then. Since they had just opened, the line to order food was quite long and service was a bit slow. The restaurant’s layout is not bad, its pretty much a chain joint so you can’t expect anything fancy i guess. They do a good job with marketing their meals with the pictures and all. So I ordered the Fried Rice with Spicy BBQ wings, coleslaw and a chicken pie (don’t judge this baby girl was hungry!)
The food took about 15-20 mins and they don’t actually serve you, you just go up and pick it up from the counter. Its all good though…not every time fancy eating tins. The rice was quite good, the vegetables were fresh and the Chicken was yum! I just wish the pieces were not so small..I ordered the 6 pack but after eating I wish i ordered at least 12. The only thing I was not too impressed with was the coleslaw. There was something off about the taste and vegetables. Also can i get my food on a real plate though?, like what is this Styrofoam mess?
The chicken pie was straight too though I have had better. ( I personally swear by the pastries stand at Shoprite , their price is right and my belly is always happy).
SFC is basically like KFC with better chicken (yea i said it)..they don’t have swallow and all that either so don’t go there looking for ewedu soup.
Anyway, its nice to have some variety in the area finally besides that NASTY NASTY Mr.Biggs by the Ecobank that serves stank attitude for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eww!
I’ve always driven by Phoenix and never really thought to venture inside. Thanks to Dealdey, I got a coupon for a 2 course meal at the restaurant so I bought it for N1990 and made my way down there after work. The coupon gave a choice between rice and noodle dishes, chicken chili sauce or beef sauce..and spring rolls/samosas for starters.
Upon arriving the restaurant, I was greeted quite warmly by the hostess and led inside. Once i said “I have a ..” she knew I was here via Dealdey and quickly took the coupon and my order. I got the Beef Fried Rice (it wasn’t on the menu but i guesstimate its normal price is about N1000), Chicken Chili Sauce (N3000) and spring rolls (N900) for starters. I also ordered a Tequila Sunrise (N2000 which was not part of the coupon deal but was on a 5% discount yay! -__-) .
My meal came out pretty fast, I was impressed and the presentation was quite nice too (sorry hunger did not allow me to take a proper picture of the food once it came out). The spring rolls were just normal..nothing special to write home about and they had a funny taste that i could not figure out..they were quite oily too
The rice was very good, I need to start cooking at home with basmati rice and it was seasoned just right. The Chicken Chili sauce was a bit salty for my taste, the salt overpowered the chili sauce taste and I got tired of eating it after a while…hypertension is real.
I did enjoy my drink though, it was not too strong but just enough to generate a slight buzz. Can i say how awesome the waitress was as well? She kept coming to check on me..apologized for the food’s saltiness and asked me if there was anything else I wanted. I was like this chic is on a roll..so i got the only dessert they had available (an icecream swirl scoop) for N500.
The icecream was just what i needed to remove the saltiness on my tongue though so it was quite nice.
Phoenix was good, I will need to go back and try other stuff on the menu. Its nice to know that more restaurants to stepping their game up in terms of service.
A friend of mine told me about this place earlier this year and it has always been in the back of my mind to go. I love to try foods from other cultures, (usually when I’m traveling) so when the opportunity came, I jumped at it. When my friend and I arrived at Maitama Amusement Park, we couldn’t find the restaurant among the ones there and had to ask someone who said it was inside the park past the carousels. The walk was a bit long and at first we thought we were going the wrong way even though that was really the only way to go. We finally found the restaurant on the left, in a small building that looked a bit unkempt from the outside, but had a huge sign in front that said Saba Ethiopian Restaurant.
Upon entering inside, it looked so much better from the outside. It almost seemed like one was in a local Ethiopian restaurant (not that I would know, but according to my friend). The inside was small, but comfortable and our waiter quickly seated us. There was Ethiopian music videos playing on the TV which added to the ambiance. I had no idea what to order from the menu; they had a lot of meat options. The waiter came to explain that we could order the meats/sauces, which would come with injera (some type of Ethiopian flat bread). They also had a buffet option, but it wasn’t available till 7pm and at that time it was 5ish.
The first thing my friend ordered for himself was coffee. He’s a coffee fiend. The waiter tried to tell him, coffee comes after the meal, but he didn’t care. I had water to drink. To eat, I finally decided on a lamb dish (N2500). Sorry I should have gotten the name, but I really wasn’t thinking…it was number 18 though). My friend ordered a beef dish (N2800) that looked like beef stir-fry. As we waited for our food, my friend’s coffee came in a tiny cup with a small basket for sugar and also some aromatic coal. The waiter also brought a bowl of popcorn for us. I really liked how authentic the place seemed. Our food finally came and I must say, mine looked very interesting. Well the lamb sauce was sizzling in a small pot and I was told to pour it over the injera. Most dishes don’t come with utensils and you use your hands to eat. The interesting part was the way the injera looked…like a towel. It tasted even worse in my opinion. It was a cold sourdough flat bread. Luckily the lamb sauce was good and I could use the sauce to take away from the taste of the bread as I dipped into it. It didn’t seem like that much food, but I was stuffed after and once the lamb was finished, I stopped eating the bread. Minus the injera, I enjoyed my meal.
So taking a break from the usual Wuse 2 experience, I decided to grab lunch at O’Neal Restaurant in Jabi area. I used to be a major consumer of their fried yam in egg with pepper sauce (my hips are still crying from the weight gain) back when I first moved to Nigeria and its so cheap too… Only 200 Naira!
This time I decided to get pancakes with chicken. They serve 4 pancakes in a stack for N200( I know!) but they aren’t those big Nigerian pancakes..they are kind of medium sized but so delicious and fluffy. I got it with a piece of breaded fried chicken which was N500 (used to be N300 I have noticed they tend to change prices often at this joint). The poster board at the counter that had the exact meal I was getting for a drink said N750 but the cashier stated it was actually N850 now. I hate when restaurants have inaccurate prices, like why are you lying? Why you always lying? LOL anyway I digressSo at O’Neal you basically go up to the counter, order your food and take it to your seat yourself. The service is not spectacular here and the waiters always look angry, I only keep coming back for the delicious yam. The pancakes were delicious, a bit too sweet but I didn’t mind too much…the chicken was a bit tough for me and it tasted a bit odd perhaps they used old oil to fry it. However, with the pancakes and syrup the taste was disguised after a while and I enjoyed the meal. It was almost like eating Chicken and Waffles! (okay maybe not but a girl can dream). For a guy one stack of pancakes may not be enough because they are a bit small but for me it was perfect and just enough for what I was craving.
I would recommend the meal, it was cheap and took no time to prepare because most of their meals are precooked. However, come with cash because their POS never works here and they never also have change so come with your exact cash too, I know..it is annoying. They do have a nice outside seating area though and its a good place to just grab a quick bite at a cheap price.
I would recommend the yam and pepper sauce, they also have these huge meatpies for N350, you can probably eat one as a meal.
I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz about this place however never got a chance to go until this visit. Rhapsodys Ikeja City Mall is quite popular from what I have heard so my friend and I decided to meet up there for dinner and drinks. They have a nice outside seating area but the mall was so full and loud so we requested to sit inside.
The waiter was quite prompt in bringing the menu and attending to us. I noticed they didn’t have a very extensive food menu but my friend suggested we get the Pork Ribs Meal and split it since it was quite a large portion. I saw the price and almost shouted (N8000) for meat and a side. Restaurants are making money sha..that’s like 40 dollars for ribs..Impossible lol.
Anyway, we ordered the ribs with fries and I got a Mojito (2000) while he ordered a Mai Tai (2200) . My drink took almost 30 minutes to come..apparently the bartender forgot to make it (Side eye).
Eventually, it came with the food and we got to sipping and munching. Those Ribs hit all the spots! Maybe because it has been a minute since I had some but I almost felt like they were worth the price tag…almost. The meat was so tender and juicy..like fall of the bone delicious.
The Mojito was delicious as well (and strong) and I had a sip of my friends Mai Tai and it was yum. I finally get the Rhapsodys hype…my drink finished quite quickly so I ordered a Star Radler (my new addiction..sorry Orijin) and poured it into the Mojito glass. It tasted really nice..maybe I can patent it.
I definitely enjoyed the meal, the environment is bomb too, reminds me of a nice Midtown Atlanta bar though I can’t say the service was great, but I will definitely be back for those ribs.