Nigerian restaurants

Restaurants in Ikeja: Seven Hot Spots That Should Get Your Coins

The mainland gets a lot of heat, but there’s no denying that we have some sweet spots, and even better, these restaurants in Ikeja won’t damage your pocket.

Whether you’re looking to dine solo, or with your friends or family, you’ll comfortably walk into these spots like the true boss that you are.

The Grid

Source: TheGridLagos

You don’t have to brave the traffic of trying to get to the Island. If you’re looking for a fun-filled experience on a slim budget, The Grid has got you covered. The chefs at the upscale restaurant use traditional African recipes to create a familiar experience for visitors.

Source: Instagram (@thegridlagos)

Address: 6, Thomas Ajufo street Lagos NG, off Opebi link bridge, 100001, Ikeja.

Menu: Chicken suya, calamari strips, gizdodo, Ojuelegba tacos, apple tart, coconut creamy flakes, fried rice, jollof rice, etc.

Average spend: ₦10k per head

Perks: Karaoke night, group friendly, walk-ins.

Average customer rating: 4 stars

Yellow Chilli

Source: Ofadaa

On the mainland and looking for the Yellow Chilli experience? You don’t have to go all the way to the Island. The Ikeja branch offers the same experience.

Source: Instagram (@yellowchilling)

Address: 35, Joel Ogunnaike St, Ikeja GRA 101233, Ikeja, Lagos.

Menu: Oil bean salad, jollof rice fiesta, yam pottage special, peanut chicken, goat curry, chicken pepper soup, goatmeat pepper soup.

Average spend: ₦10k

Perks: Dine-in, take-out, delivery, vegetarian-friendly.

Average customer rating: 4 stars

Zen Garden

Source: Foursquare

If you love Chinese food, then this is one of the restaurants in Ikeja that should be getting your money. From the interior that takes you on a literal journey to China to the traditional Chinese recipes, you’ll leave the spot a satisfied foodie.

Source: ZenGarden

Address: G.R.A, No. 60 Isaac John St, Ikeja GRA 101233, Ikeja, Lagos.

Menu: Shredded chicken in peanut sauce, barbecued pork, smoked fish, special seafood fried noodles, crispy duck, fried prawn with chilli.

Average spend: ₦15k per head

Perks: Dine-in, take-out, free wifi.

Average customer rating: 3.5 stars

Ocean Basket

Source: BellaNaija

Imagine a restaurant that’s 100% dedicated to teasing your taste buds with a variety of seafood options. That’s exactly what Ocean Basket is. You know the extra catch? They have two branches in Ikeja!

Source: OceanBasket

Address: 9, Obafemi Awolowo Way Shop U06 1st floor, Ikeja City Mall, Ikeja Nigeria.

58c Isaac John St, Ikeja GRA 101233, Lagos

Menu: Fish and chips, prawn and mussel combo, crunchy fish bites, calamari, firecracker squid, village salad, seared salmon salad, creamy seafood soup.

Average spend: ₦10k per head

Perks: Dine-in, take-out, delivery.

Average customer rating: 4 stars

Jevinik Place

Source: InfoAboutCompanies

It would be criminal if we didn’t have an elevated fine-buka experience on the mainland, but thankfully, Jevinik does a good job of representing. Think of your everyday Nigerian staple, and you’re in good hands with this mainland restaurant. They also have huge portions that will leave you bursting.

Source: Instagram (@jevinik_restaurant)

Address: 29 Isaac John Street, Ikeja, Lagos.

Menu: Oha soup, pounded yam and egusi, fried rice, jollof rice, ogbono, bitter leaf soup.

Average spend: ₦5k

Perks: Dine-in, take-out, delivery.

Average customer rating: 3.5 stars

Rhapsody’s

Source: Hotels.ng

This is one of the restaurants in Ikeja that you should go to if you’re looking to eat good and have a nightclub experience while at it. Also, dress hip because you might run into your favourite celeb at either of their Ikeja braches.

Source: Instagram (@rhapsody’s_nigeria)

Address: 176/194 Obafemi Awolowo Way Ikeja City Mall.

Isaac John, Ikeja, GRA.

Menu: Chicken pops, asun, prawn suya, oisha crab and noodle salad, mushroom burger, quinoa kale seafood salad, nasi goreng, chicken espedata.

Average spend: ₦10- ₦15k per head

Perks: Takeout, outdoor seating, parking available, wheelchair accessible, bar, free wifi.

Average customer rating: 3.5

Golden Eagle Spurs

Source: InfoAboutCompanies

Might not be the best choice for relationship people, but it’s great for large family gatherings. The food is good and there are many fun activities for kids.

Source: Instagram (@officialspurnigeria)

Address: 53 Isacc John St. Ikeja GRA, Lagos 100271 Nigeria

Menu: Chicken strip, calamari salad, buffalo wings, chicken and French fries, peppamelt burger, chicken and mayo pizza, seafood platter.

Average spend: ₦10k per head

Perks: Family friends, kiddies play area, free wife, take-out.

Average customer rating: 4 stars

Adeyinka Odutuyo

June 8, 2023

Chopist

Ikeja, Nigerian restaurants, Nigerians, Restaurants
QUIZ: What Type of Restaurant Are You?

This is just one of those questions you may not have asked yourself, but now you can’t stop thinking about it. Just take the quiz and find out.

Meyimi O.

July 25, 2022

Long Throat, Quizzes

Food, Nigerian restaurants
The Zikoko Guide To Opening A Restaurant In Lagos

One of the most thriving industries in Lagos is the restaurant industry, People are always looking for where to spend money when there is rice at home, in this economy? And on that salary? Anyways, here are a few tips on breaking into this industry.

1. Make sure it’s in a hidden location

What’s fun about a place that is easy to find right? You can build at the back of ten hospitals and under a bridge if you so wish.

2. Add bistro at the end of the name

Doesn’t matter that your food is way to expensive for a bistro, who gon check you? In Sanwo-Olu’s Lagos?

3. Take nice pictures of the food you sell for instagram

It doesn’t matter that it won’t look like that in person, how will people even know?

We might judge you, but God will judge you more.

4. Go for the aesthetics

Flowers, Mud cloth pattern on the walls, nice background, good ambience. Anything to make people forget the bad food.

Yes girl, give us nothing.

5. Hire a celebrity chef

This is not for everyone but you need to be able to give people a reason to come back if your aesthetics don’t work.

of course you can also hire anyone and just add chef to their name, that works too.

6. Make everything unreasonably expensive

There is no reason why just anyone should be able to afford your food, plus how else will you pay your celebrity chef?

Wickedness must be your middle name

7. Pasta

Sell all the different types, posterity has proven that lagosians love this or why else would it be thriving?

8. Do not research

There’s no need to find out what a pina colada is or a mojito. Just put a lot of ugu in a cup and call it a day.

God airpus

9. Small parking lots

You don’t want them wasting time in your restaurant, everybody should eat and go abeg.

10. Deliver late

Anything that is worth paying above 5k for, is worth delivering late or how does that saying go?

Even God won’t save you

If you’re into memes, check out this mind-blowing Nigerian meme site we created. Click Here

Malakai Bassey

March 18, 2021

Chopist

Food, Nigerian restaurants, Restaurants, Zikoko Guide
15 Hilarious Tweets About Horrible Nigerian Restaurant Experiences

Before we get into this gist, here’s a little backstory.

So some people on Twitter said that’s it’s wrong to eat at a restaurant and not tip the waiters. When other people pointed out that we live in a society where money no too dey like that, the pro-tip people said that anyone who can’t afford to tip, shouldn’t be going to restaurants (i.e. sit at home and eat rice).

That was how, in a bid to explain that many Nigerian restaurants have terrible servers who don’t deserve tips, TwitterNG was flooded with stories of shitty restaurant experiences

Here are the funniest ones we found.

Kini ‘steak’?

I remember same conference centre in OAU , they had “steak on the menu” and someone ordered that , they said they have it , 40 mins later they came and said we should tell them what “steak” is in Yoruba and if it is “eran din din Pelu ata “
— Sọ̀rọ̀ Sókè and #EndSARS (@AyoThinks) November 9, 2020

The Salted Fly

Guess what my food came back, mad people literally just picked out the fly and microwaved it.

So I ate the chicken and was packing my shit when the waitress came back with bill.

Which bill? which food? 😆

Las las manager came to settle matter.
— I (@browniedust) November 9, 2020

Holy Shit!

I bought food from a restaurant in Lekki. Ordered for their special jollof rice and assorted. Got home, started eating the assorted but noticed it tasted funny. I spit it out only to see cow shit . I was mad. Enraged .
— omodebola famule 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@OmodebolaF) November 9, 2020

The Rat With Insect DNA.

https://twitter.com/OsinubiHimself/status/1325764197058228227?s=20

The Stern Waitress

My wife and I were in VI for our honeymoon and decided to go out for drinks. The waitress brought mine first and my wife took a sip, next thing we heard was “ Aunty is not for you oh” .
— ΛlΛGβ€℠ (@Sir_moyo) November 9, 2020

The Man Who Was Shown Pepper

https://twitter.com/amaechi1234/status/1325809364654039040?s=20

Ratatouille: Remy Bulks Up And Opens His Own Restaurant

Why are you complaining? That was just the manager checking on his staff
— Kaycee Igbokwe (@leroybrown_1) November 9, 2020

Damsel In Distress

Rhapsody at ICM. After the bad service, they kept bringing men to sit at the table with me. Even though the restaurant was practically empty. Waiter even made hints that a lady like me shouldn't be alone, like I need a chaperone the eat out.
— Ayanate 💥💥💥 (@aayanate) November 9, 2020

Bob’s Bony Burgers

https://twitter.com/LentinaHub/status/1325829425011838976?s=20

Written & Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

So my friends and I went to @Junkyard in Abuja, we ordered drinks and barbecue Fish, we were told it will take 35mins to be ready, even with our vex we still waited, after an 1hr 30mins or so, we asked for our fish and the waiter said we didn’t place any order😫😫 #stillpained😫
— Ivy🌟 (@CuteIvy_) November 9, 2020

Spaghetti Egusinese

Since we are dragging Nigerian restaurants today please why was I given this as spaghetti bolognese??😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/PTEdyGcd1K
— E💕 (@Ennie__) November 9, 2020

African Mac & Cheese

This was early last year Grandlux.. before they started putting flowers everywhere

That’s how I asked for Mac’n’cheese oh. The waitress brought me stir fry macaroni and grated cheese on top with her full chest.

Lai se Tom&Jerry pic.twitter.com/uDcS4VY6aS
— Just Bukky (@Bikkylanre) November 9, 2020

Robbery in Broad Daylight

Brass And Copper wouldn't take an order without you ordering Hennessy or Martel. Omo, it was the effrontery
— ✞ = ♡ (@CarlsonOse) November 9, 2020

Welcome To Joes’s ~~Apartment~~ Restaurant

https://twitter.com/Fiyinlu/status/1325809579838623744?s=20

Seafood Okra: Ibadan Drift

Ordered for sea food okra and it had locust bean inside
— Jules (@juliet_I_O) November 9, 2020

[donation]

Astor George

November 9, 2020

Chopist

Nigerian restaurants
12 Things You’ll Relate to if You’ve Been to an Expensive Nigerian Restaurant

A lot of Nigerian restaurants that consider themselves “fancy” always find a way to overcharge and underdeliver. If you’ve ever found yourself feeling immensely disappointed after a visit to one of these fine establishments, then this post is for you.

1. How the waiters look at you knowing you’re about to finish your money:

“This one is not ready”

2. You, navigating the menu like:

Is it only water I can afford?

3. When the waiter “suggests” the most expensive thing on the menu.

Please, nobody asked you.

4. When you see the portions.

Is that all?

5. You, calculating all the ingredients to see how they got that price:

This shit don’t add up.

6. You, wondering why you didn’t just cook at home:

Is it pasta I cannot make, abi what?

7. Your mouth realizing the food wasn’t worth the cost.

I’m really a broke clown.

8. When you finally see your bill.

This can’t be right.

9. When you realize they charged you 7k for ambience.

Is it AC and chair I’m paying for?

10. When you see how much tax you have to pay.

Is the food not expensive enough?

11. When the manager comes by to ask if you enjoyed your meal.

Don’t be asking me annoying questions.

12. You, leaving with your empty account:

Nobody sent me oh.

NerdEfiko

January 28, 2020

Oldies

Expensive, Lagos, Nigerian restaurants