Top Restaurants in Lagos Nigeria

Nigerian food is very tasty, but can be quite spicy. The basic format of most dishes is a stew accompanied by a starch (called swallow) made from pounded yam, cassava, wheat, plantain, or rice.

Lagos has many great restaurants with both local and foreign food. Here are a few recommendations:

Personal Favorites

Nok - high end African food and great architecture.

Danfo Bistro - inventive takes on classic Nigerian snacks + dishes. Surprisingly vegetarian friendly. Multiple locations - both VI and Ikoyi.

Salma's incredible Lebanese food and nice ambiance on the water. This is our favorite restaurant in Lagos

TT - amazing Thai food in Victoria Island and great ambiance. Great for vegetarians and carnivores alike.

Chapter - very creative “new” Indian. Also a favorite.

El Padrino - amazing Nigerian Mexican (a true fusion). They do “Taco Tuesday” every week at The Garden in Ikoyi. Otherwise order delivery.

Terra Kulture – traditional Nigerian food, art space, and event venue. They often have good shows. Check out their instagram to see what’s playing

Yellow Chilli - well known spot for Nigerian favorites
Sherlaton, Spice Route, or Cafe Potoba - good traditional Indian. Cafe Potoba has dosa!
Pitstop - bike themed cafe with a bike shop upstairs. They have an outlet in VI and also a cafe in Ikoyi
Forno Lagos - really nice pizza. Not too overpriced
Dough - NYC style pizza
Shiro - pan Asian in the Landmark complex. Exceptional service and very vegetarian friendly
Korean Wife’s Table - fantastic Korean food. Delivery only
Goodla - great traditional Chinese in Lekki Phase 1. The ambiance is lacking but the food is on point.
Shu Garden - traditional Chinese in VI
Encanto - tex mex. Dog night is on Thursdays. Get a free pitcher of margaritas if you bring your dog.

Fast Food and Delivery

Foodcourt – popular and fast delivery of Nigerian favorites. Highly recommended if you live within their service area. They produce and deliver the food themselves so delivery times are often pretty quick.
Chowdeck – popular and fast delivery that partners with other restaurants for food production. Do Bowls is a favorite.
Glovo - delivery from multiple restaurants and some supermarkets
Blackbell – popular Nigerian fast-casual chain
Chicken Republic – Nigerian fast food
Habib Yogurt - order Fura da Nono, a fantastic smoothie with spiced bits of millet. It’s incredible.
Dominos Pizza - unbeatable in Lagos when it comes to speed + consistency. Toppings are skimpy though so you might want to double up.
Clay Food - a great place to order Northern Nigerian food which is very good and worth trying. Get the Masa and Miyan Taushe.

Coffee Shops and Brunch

Eric Kayser in VI or Ikoyi. Wide selection and good to work or take meetings from. Freshly baked bread.
Ziya Cafe - in VI. Very nice salads and all around good food and baked goods. A favorite
Godaïf Village - in Ikoyi. A secluded spot for coffee chats or computer work
Dulce - nice brunchy bakery in Ikoyi
Mai Shayi - coffee roaster in VI with the best coffee you’ll find in Lagos. Note: they don’t allow laptops.
Pause Cafe - in the Palms shopping mall so it’s convenient if you want to go to the grocery store as well
Flowershop Cafe - in VI. Popular brunch spot that can get really busy / crowded
Thompson 23 - Taiwanese Bubble Tea and Bakery
Top Beans - on the water in VI
Kaldi - Large scale coffee roaster with a cafe. On the mainland in a very industrial area. Cool complex with an art gallery, and chocolate maker next door. You might also encounter a friendly monkey

Splurge

Some of the nicest / most expensive restaurants here include:

The Ona - Amazing cocktails. Tuesday night is Bao night. They also have a rooftop bar.
RSVP - a classic
Z Kitchen - great upscale international food
SLoW - Latin American inspired
The Smiths - notable for having a vegan menu. Very creative cocktails that often include a bit of performance
Koi - japanese
Ile Eros - modern nigerian
NOMAADA - pricey but nice south American inspired cuisine. Great ambiance
Kaly - quite expensive. Personally not a fan of value for money
Vici - quite expensive. Personally not a fan of value for money

Drinking / Nightlife

Lagos nightlife gets started very late which isn’t really our thing so we don’t have many recommendations here, but some of the more popular clubs include:

Vertigo - if you’re looking to sample Lagos nightlife and drop some $$
Zorya - gets started very late
The Library
Zaza

Outside of those, Lagos has a very active private membership club scene, but unless they’re having a special event, you’ll need to know a member to get in. This also isn’t our scene, but popular ones include Miliki, Mako, and the more traditional Polo Club, Capital Club, Motorboat Club, or Yacht Club (among many others).

If you’re in Ikoyi and just looking to have a few beers you might consider Tiger Bar which is a chill local spot. In VI our favorite place to have a beer would be Bature Brewery - the first craft brewery in West Africa. For cocktails try the Ona rooftop, Nok’s courtyard, or Smokes and Barrels. A sunset drink at Amah studios in Lagos Island would also give you a unique view of the older part of Lagos Island. Message them in advance to make sure they’re open.

Sleep

My top recommendation for an authentic stay in Lagos is the Pada guesthouse in Onikan (Lagos Island). It’s a beautiful space, super close to historic sights, and the owner, Folayemi, is amazing.
If you’re just looking to maximize convenience + affordability, you could also consider an AirBnB in the 1004 apartment complex. It’s pretty rough around the edges but very centrally located and everyone knows it.

If your budget is mid-range, you might also consider booking a room at 16 by 16 a boutique AirBnb.

If your budget is higher end and you want to stay in a hotel, you can’t go wrong with the Radisson Blu (pictured below), Nordic Hotel, or Lagos Continental.

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