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THE LAGOS BISTRO
I got to experience a taste of Lagos in Abuja when I visited Lagos Bistro with some friends. Lagos Bistro is a new restaurant that opened a week ago in Abuja, Nigeria. I stumbled on their Instagram page and I was immediately in love with their space.
LOCATION
Civic Innovation Lab, 50 Ademola Adetokunbo Street, Wuse 2, Abuja, Nigeria
AMBIENCE
Lots of Art! I really love the paintings on the walls; they show some notable parts of Lagos like the popular Ikoyi bridge, The three white cap chiefs, and of course, the yellow bus.
The seats were really comfortable, arranged to easily accommodate from mini to large groups of people. I found more art under the glass tables with funny Nigerian sayings like “This life I can’t kill myself”. With music playing in the background and so much Naija vibes all over, it was so easy to feel welcomed and comfy.
They also have an indoor space which is perfect for a more formal or semi-formal event.
FOOD
They have some interesting meal combos and drinks on their menu but unfortunately, most of them are not available yet.
We ordered:
- IBILE (Assorted meat, boiled egg, fried plantain and ofada rice)- N3000
- Special Fried Rice- N1500
- Fried Yam (two portions)- N2,000
- Asun- N3000
I had IBILE and I really loved it! The sauce with assorted meat was tasty, plantain was perfectly fried and overall it was really filling. Esther, who had the Asun was satisfied with the taste but felt the pieces of meat weren’t cut small enough and it wasn’t prepared in the “Lagos style” she expected.
Mabel wasn’t too excited about the special Fried Rice. In her words, “the rice was just meh, nothing special about it.”. She also scored it 4/10. The fried yam however, got 9/10 so I believe she really enjoyed it.
I had no complaints about my food and I think Ibile will easily be my go-to item off the menu when I visit again.
DRINKS
- YOLO- N3000
- Eko Mule- N3000
- Pina Colada(without alcohol)- N1500
- Mojito- N3000
SERVICE
First of all, shout out to Faiser, the beautiful lady that attended to us. She was very friendly and responsive. The only problem we had was the time for food prep. I was the last person to order but I got my food first. My friends had to wait for over an hour for their food.
On the flip side, they did some kind of damage control with the two portions of puff puff we were served while we waited.
So that was my “Lagos in Abuja” experience and like I already mentioned I’ll definitely be visiting again. Overall, I rate my experience 7/10.
Would you be visiting Lagos Bistro soon? Have you visited already? Please share your experience in the comment section.
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RESTAURANT REVIEW | THE PAVILION
You guys remember Sarah from my last post? Well, we decided to check out one last spot before she left Abuja and it was a fun day at The Pavilion.
The Pavilion is a cafe and bar at the Atelier Hotel, a luxurious micro hotel perfect for a staycation. I’ve seen really nice pictures of their rooms on Instagram, unfortunately, I didn’t check them out when I visited. They also have an art gallery called Retro Africa.
Location: The Pavilion is located at 12 Ukpabi Asoka Street, Abuja, Nigeria
Ambiance: The one thing that really got my attention the first time I came across the restaurant’s Instagram page was the beautiful artwork on the wall.
I really liked the seating arrangement. It’s an outdoor space so it gives a very relaxed feeling. It’s perfect for casual and group outings, a few board games and you’re set to have a swell time.
What we ordered:
- BBQ wings- N1,200
- Frozen Ginger Hurricane- N1,200
- Atelier View signature cocktail- N2,800
- Two portions of Jollof rice- N1,600
- Two bottles of water- N900
- Asun Ribs- 2500
BBQ Wings 
Asun Ribs 
Atelier View Signature 
Frozen Ginger Hurricane
The BBQ wings were really spicy and sweet, we almost got a second plate. According to Sarah, there was nothing ”hurricane” about the frozen ginger hurricane. It tasted like plain sieved ginger juice. I ordered it because the waiter said it’ll taste like ginger beer (which I really love) but I can confidently tell you that was plain ginger drink.
Service: 6/10- The waiter was quite friendly even though he didn’t seem conversant with the menu. Normally when I visit a new restaurant I like to be informed about the contents of different meals before I order. The food took a while to come but the waiter was kind enough to get us complimentary chips that tasted really good.
Retro Africa
Retro Africa is a contemporary art gallery where emerging and established artists display their works. Entry is totally free and visitors are allowed to take pictures with the beautiful artworks on display. We spent quite some time taking pictures and looking at the artworks.
A closer look at one of the pieces revealed that it was made with charcoal, tyre and other upcycled materials like biscuit wraps.
I really enjoyed my time there and I’ll definitely be going back. Overall, I’ll rate my experience 8/10.
Have you been to the Pavilion? Please share your experience in the comment section.
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RESTAURANT HOPPING AND A VISIT TO CENTRAL PARK ABUJA
At the beginning of the year, I had this idea to go restaurant hopping and site seeing in Abuja, since I’ve decided to stay back after my NYSC. Two weeks ago, I got a DM from a lovely lady asking if I’d like to check out a few places with her when she arrives Abuja and of course I said YES!. We agreed to visit three places: Tea Room, Marrakech and Central Park.
So guys meet Sarah. She is an Engineer, traveler, lover of art and books and a sweetheart. Meeting her for the first time wasn’t awkward at all. We actually got deep into our conversations that we spent too much time at our first stop.
The Tea Room
Our first stop was The Tea Room at Tulip Bistro. I’ve been there once and as much as I loved the decor and cute little space, I wished they could make it bigger. There’s a seating arrangement for just six people.
Funny twist- renovations were going on when we went this time.
Tea Room 
Tulip Bistro Location: 7 Atakpame street, off Ademola Adetokunbo, wuse 2, Abuja, Nigeria.
Ambiance: I loved the flowery decorations (very cute for pictures), the coziness and smell of desserts.
What we ordered:
- Cloudy Lemonade- N1,000
- Cherry/Strawberry Lemonade- N1,000
Service: 6/10- Apparently, customers were not supposed to be in the Tea Room during the renovations yet the waitress took our order and served us there, then we were asked to move later on.
Let’s go to Morocco
Next, we went to Marrakech, a Mediterranean inspired restaurant. Immediately we entered, the colors and music started giving me weird vibes. Everything about it was really different to me; the furniture, lighting and the smell.
Few minutes after we were seated, we were served complimentary flavored tea that was hot, tasty and smelled absolutely divine.
Location: 2 Bangui Street, Off Atakpame Street, Off Ademola Adetokunbo Crescent, Abuja, Nigeria.
Ambiance: The music that was playing in the background reminded me of Telenovela movies. They have very colorful art pieces, weird looking chandeliers but they were all put together really nicely. If you love art, calligraphy and baroque designs then you’ll definitely love this place.
What we ordered:
- Marrakech chicken wings – N1800
- Shrimp fried rice- N2500
- Moroccan rice – N2500
Service: 9/10- One thing I really loved about this place was the customer service. The waitress was really polite and friendly. We got our order in about twenty-five minutes and the waiter was kind enough to get Sarah another cup of the flavoured tea when she requested.
Honey Abuja
We decided to stop by Honey which was originally not on our list. It was very close to Marrakech so we just walked down. I love the interior of this place. From the furniture to the details on their ceiling, everything is just perfect. They also have a picture-perfect bathroom which is a huge plus for me.
Location: Top Floor, ChocolateMall, No. 2 Atakpame Street, Wuse 2, Abuja, Nigeria.
Ambiance: Everything about Honey’s space spells out the word CHIC. From the wide glass giving a view of the streets and the seats shaped like a honeycomb. Everything seems well thought out and elegantly put together.
What we ordered:
- Coconut Kiss- 1650
- Lollypop – 1650
Service: 6/10- I have been to Honey twice and I think they could do better with their service. We had to wait a while before getting our drinks. When I had my birthday dinner there, we almost got tired of waiting for our food.
Central Park
Our final stop was Central Park. This is a recreational park where you can go paintballing, go-kart racing and get food or drinks. The entrance fee is N500 and it admits one person. Paintballing and Go-karting costs N5,000 each.
Paintball Arena Location: Plot 174, Kur Muhammed Avenue, Central Area, Abuja, Nigeria.
Ambiance: Central Park is so Green and beautiful.
What we did: Immediately we got into the park we started taking pictures and making videos. Sarah decided to try a drink from Tapas on the Green, a restaurant located inside the park. She had the Tapas Special Smoothie which comes in a cute pineapple shaped cup and costs N2,200
Service: 5/10- It took a while before Sarah got her drink because it seemed the lady who took the order didn’t actually place the order. On the bright side, our tickets had N500 coupon each, so Sarah got N1,000 off her drink since I didn’t get anything.
These are the beautiful places we visited all in one day. We had so much fun bonding, gisting and taking pictures.
I’m so glad you read up to this point, Thank You very much!
Which of these places have you visited and how will you rate them? If you haven’t been to any, which would you like to visit soon and why?
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RESTAURANT REVIEW | LA FAMILY RESORT
Listening to Wonderland by Efe Oraka
Since I got back from school I’ve been spending most of my time indoors and helping my mom at work. So last Sunday I decided to go out and chill with my sweet friend Mabel. We went to La Family Resort.
