Hey everyone!
I just had an epiphany, if I can call it that, but I realized that I spend all (literally all) of my money on eating, yet I haven’t done a food blog post yet! How and why are two questions I don’t have an answer to, but finally, I’m doing this! If you live in Lagos, you know that there are certain restaurants you can always count on for a good meal. However, you also know that SO many places are a hit or miss, so we often tend to go to the same restaurants we can bank on. But, if you’re a spontaneous foodie like me, you’re probably always willing to try out different places across the city! So here’s a list of everything really to do with food in Lagos. Consider it your 2019 food menu in one!
Let’s start off with my go-to restaurants in Lagos:
RSVP
I’ve personally never had a bad meal at RSVP. It’s one of those restaurants that you know you can count on. Beyond the food, RSVP has a great ambiance, especially outside which is where I always sit. The drinks are also really good but I won’t deceive you, it’s also quite expensive!
Back to the food though, I usually go for the seafood parpadelle which is YUM! If you’re a pasta lover like me, it’s up there with Craft Gourmet’s seafood pasta. If you know, you know.
Photo Credit: @RSVPLagos
The pepper crusted seared tuna is also a hit at RSVP. It’s fresh, well seasoned and perfect with a glass of white wine. I usually chuck it in to my order and pick on it on the side (don’t judge me I’m the most indecisive foodie)!
Last but not least, I will certainly recommend the beef sliders!
Friday nights are definitely when I look at heading to RSVP. It’s always a vibe by the poolside with good music, good wine and of course, good food! Just remember to avoid going at the end of the month when things are tight (don’t say I didn’t warn you) lol!
788 ON THE SEA
Firstly, can I just say that Twin Waters is such a breath of fresh air in Lagos! It’s nice to see developments that actually make a difference to the city. I love going to Twin Waters, mainly to eat, but also for fun days out at the arcade or cinema. There are three restaurants at Twin Waters – Chai Tang, The View and 788 on the Sea. This post is about 788 but here are some pictures of the food at Chai Tang and The View (both good)!
I’ve only ever tried two things at 788, but I’m also that person that sneaks her fork around the table to get the fly off your food (don’t judge me!) – In other words, if your food looks good, I will unapologetically disturb you to try it even though I dislike people touching my food (don’t judge me again) lol! With that being said, my top recommendation for all the seafood lovers out there is definitely the Fisherman’s Platter:
I also have to add that the MASH POTATO at 788 is the BEST mash in Lagos. Trust me. As you can tell, I was a happy bunny gobbling this down:
My second recommendation at 788 On the Sea will definitely be the sole. You can choose your side of course and OF COURSE I always go for mash potato.
I usually go for the sole when my pocket’s a bit too tight for the fisherman’s platter and I’ve never regretted it.
Last but not least, if you’re not a seafood lover but you find yourself at 788, I’d recommend the juicy chicken or the basil pesto tagliatelle…not that I think it’s worth going to 788 just for pesto, but I love pesto so why not?!
HOUSE CAFE
Now I’m not talking about The House in VI but House Cafe in Lekki Phase One. Personally, I don’t find anything that special about House Cafe, I wont lie, but there are two things that keep me going back. The first one is the Pollo Pizza and the second is that indoor but outdoor but indoor room opposite the bar that’s just really chilled to chill in I guess! But let’s talk about the pizza.
A few months ago, my manager, Tinu, asked me to meet her at House Cafe. Of course, I thought she meant The House as I hadn’t heard of House Cafe before hence my little intro to this section (I know I’m just blabbing at this point). Anyway, Anyway! So, I met her at House Cafe and she asked if I wanted to share a chicken pizza. My initial reaction was chicken pizza, ew, because I’ve actually never liked chicken pizza, but spontaneous me said sure! So our chicken pizza arrives, I take a bite and I literally go WHAT!!! I mean, not only did it change my mind about chicken pizza but it was also just one of the best pizza’s I’ve has in Lagos (alongside Pizza Riah, La Taverna…and Jet Ski Club).
So if you’re on the hunt for good pizza in Lagos, head to House Cafe. The Roca Pizza there is also really good:
To be honest, there’s nothing else that I can really say stands out on their menu, although some people vouch for their pasta. I’ve also had some bad experiences here with drinks. On one particular occasion, I had to send my white wine back three times as it tasted quite old and musky. The bartender eventually came over to try and convince me that the wine was fresh so I asked him how long the bottle had been open for and he said four days…say no more.
TEMPLE COTTAGE
Hidden in the centre of Victoria Island, Temple Cottage is a little guest house with a very surprising kitchen. The owner, Cyril, is a huge foodie with great culinary skills, so whenever I’m looking for an affordable but GOOD meal, I give him a call. Ever had a Krispy Kreme burger? Well that’s the level of goodness we’re talking about! And the pasta! The pasta is seriously just on another level.
You see that meatball? I broke in to it and a load of melted cheese broke out! Cyril normally does a three way pasta for my friends and I and we just share, but to cut a long story short, I have only ever walked out of Temple Cottage with a food coma lol!
The drinks at Temple are also great. I can count on them for good wine and good cocktails, such as my birthday Watermelon Martini’s that Cyril specially prepared:
MOIST BEACH CLUB/SOUTH SOCIAL HOUSE
Which is better, a Moist Burger or a South Burger? This is literally a constant back and forth debate between myself and the owners of Moist and South! I used to count on South for my burgers in Lagos and I still do, until Moist Beach Club opened recently and my best friend ordered their burger, which of course I had to try. You know when you put something in your mouth and you just get confused at how good it is? Well the honest truth is a moist burger is a south burger and a south burger is a moist burger as they’re owned by the same people BUT the Moist Burger is honestly the one!
I’m extremely impressed with the food at both Moist and South and asides from the burgers, there’s a lot more that stands out. For Moist, it’s definitely also the grilled fish which is heavenly and the ambiance. Having a NICE beach club in Lagos makes such a difference – you can go for lunch, dinner, drinks, a swim or whatever you wish really!
Photo Credit: @AkinkunleAkinkugbe
Or if you’re like my friends and I, you can take the boat out, dock it by Moist Beach Club and have Moet and Grilled Fish canoed over to you on the water! Lol!
On to South – I’m obsessed with the cocktails and the mac and cheese…and the mac and cheese burger!
Photo Credit: @South_Social
CRAFT GOURMET
I can say so much about Craft in very few words. All I know is, as a pesto lover, the Craft Gourmet Chicken Pesto Pasta is LIFE!
Photo Credit: @craftgourmet
The pesto pasta at La Taverna also isn’t bad, but not as good as Craft:
The pancakes with bacon and maple syrup at brunch is also LIFE! And the watermelon juice…LIFE!
Craft is honestly just a go-to restaurant, kind of like RSVP – you know you can count on the fact that you’re going to get a good meal! I also find the service pretty good and the ambiance is a plus. It is however quite expensive, so don’t go when your pocket is quite tight,
MY SUSHI LIST
If you’re a sushi lover like me, then just trust me on this one. There are only two places I count on for good sushi in Lagos – Izanagi and Sushiholic.
Izanagi has been a go-to for me for years. I’d often go and stuff my face on a load of sushi and round it up with a ‘Take me Home’ – one petrol like cocktail like this that will literally TAKE. YOU. HOME! Until recently when Sushiholic opened, Izanagi was the only place I’d get sushi from in Lagos. Not because you can’t get sushi elsewhere, but because you don’t really want to go too wrong with sushi.
Photo credit: @sushiholiclagos
Like the time when I decided to head to Shiro for sushi…top ten regrets of 2017 to say the least! It was EW. Don’t be deceived by the picture!
Or the other day when I went to Bonzai for sushi…which was honestly just awful. I’d been to Bonzai for sushi before and it wasn’t too bad, but this time around, it was a mess so I certainly wont be going back. Here’s a picture of it anyway:
MORE PLACES AND RATINGS
I love heading to Brass and Copper. There’s something about the vibe that makes it a go-to place for chilled drinks and a good ambiance. Above is a picture of the whiskey sours I had on my last trip there – it was great! Definitely one of the few good whiskey sours I’ve managed to find in Lagos. However, I can’t say the food at Brass and Copper impresses me much. The popcorn chicken is a bit tough so when I ordered it, I only ate one or two and sent it back. I then ordered the Salmon “Carpaccio”…
It wasn’t carpaccio lol, it was just smoked salmon and avocado. I didn’t mind at all…but let’s not say carpaccio! I haven’t had a full on meal at Brass and Copper, which I’m yet to do and once I do I’ll let you know what I think!
Eric Kayser has also just opened in Lagos and yes, a lot of us got excited, including me. Tinu took me there for some pre-birthday pastries which were amazing!
We were really impressed and thought YES! This is a new spot! Until Tinu went back for brunch a week later and sent me a picture of her supposed Full English Breakfast… it genuinely looked diabolical. I was crying from laughter!
That’s definitely put me off seeing Eric Kayser as anything more than a place for pastries and desserts in general.
But nothing has been more disappointing than Z Kitchen, I can’t lie. I went to Z Kitchen expecting a great ambiance, great drinks and great food. The ambiance was great, the drinks were great, but the food was absolutely shocking. Let’s start with the drinks though! I ordered a Zobo cocktail and I have nothing bad to say about it – it was refreshing, tasted really good and I could’ve genuinely gone through about four more!
Now on to the food. I ordered the tomato and lobster linguine and like I said on Instagram, the best thing I had at Z Kitchen was the free bread and butter. My linguine was soggy, the pasta had NO taste and for their extremely high prices, it was appalling.
Try it if you wish, but don’t say I didn’t warn you lol! I definitely won’t be eating at Z Kitchen again, but I may go back for their cocktails.
And this was the starter we ordered. That pizza type looking thing was just nasty, couldn’t eat it after a bite. The chicken drumsticks were just a joke!
Sabor is another restaurant to always bare in mind. It’s quite expensive, but the food is really good. For the first time ever, I completely underestimated what my bill would be and nearly choked when I saw it! But I never mind paying for good food, it’s one of few things I can comfortably spend on. I went with Tracy as we run a food page together on Instagram (@Afroodie), so whenever we’re together we try and get as many meals in as possible. I got my “usual”, the butternut squash pasta with prawns and Tracy ordered the seafood scampi. Both tasted great, alongside amazing starters – pulled duck sliders and calamari. Here are a couple pictures:
TOP SPOTS FOR AMALA
I’m an Amala lover. I literally LOVE Amala. But then again, I’m from Ibadan so what can you expect?! If you’ve been to Amala Skye in Ibadan, you’ll struggle to eat Lagos Amala, but I’d be lying if I said I still don’t find myself working my way around different Amala spots in the city!
- White House
- Amala 4 Real (mainly based on the proximity to my house around Chevron and the fact that they deliver!)
- Polo Club (I’m sorry, Polo Club amala is actually so good!!!!)
- 100 Hours
- Olaiya in Surulere – I’ve never actually been but I heard their Amala is good!
What’s Nok Amala like?! Lol, let me know, even though I doubt I’ll ever try it. I’m not the greatest fan of food at Nok and going to Nok for Amala just seems so out of place to me I don’t know why!
Anyway! This post could go on and on and on but I’m going to stop myself! I hope this helps you when deciding on where to go for lunch or dinner and I’ll definitely be doing another post soon focusing on the best bars/lounges in Lagos. I plan on having quite a quiet social life through 2019, so I know I’m only ever going to be out if its to eat, go for a drink or head to the beach. No heavy rocks for me! There are so many restaurants in Lagos and I’m sure I’ve missed out on some of the best places, so I may also add to this post as time goes on. I hope this helps and I hope you don’t find yourself trapped in awful food for a lot of money! Enjoy!
Oh and if you’re looking for a good salad, try Hard Rock!
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