“Our food is here to stay”: here's how a modern West African dining movement born in Peckham is making it big across London
Londoners are branching out, increasingly treating their tastebuds to West African flavours – these are the addresses, and culinary masters, to know right now.
Akara is a place of smart blond wood and bare brickwork in a Victorian railway arch south of the river, so its significance might not be immediately clear. But to restaurateur Aji Akokomi, running a bricks-and-mortar site on the edge of Borough Market – with neighbours ranging from Bao to Berenjak and Barrafina – is a sign that West African cooking has truly been taken to London’s foodie heart. “Opening here, it shows that our food is here to stay,” he says, flashing a buoyant smile in his trademark thick glasses. Just days after launching in October, a lunch queue is steadily building outside.
Named after its signature dish of black-eyed bean fritters, which come filled with everything from prawns and scallops to ox cheek, this is Akokomi’s second restaurant. Fitzrovia’s Akoko (meaning “first” in Yoruba) opened in late 2020 and very quickly proved that authentic West African food can successfully translate to 10-course tasting menus, awards and Michelin recognition. Akokomi grew up around his mother’s bakery in the Nigerian city of Ibadan, and he first spotted a gap in the London food scene after moving to the capital to complete a master’s degree in business. “It was important to me to do fine dining in central London,” he tells me, in between discussions of our shared passion for comforting, nutty egusi gourd seed stews. “I felt strongly about changing peoples’ perceptions of what this cuisine can be.”
When I grew up in London, there weren’t many places with the reach of Akara, Akoko or the other West African restaurants that have opened in London in recent years, such as the boldly creative Chishuru north of Oxford Street, or Tottenham’s Instagram-friendly Nigerian tapas joint Chuku’s, both of which began as supper clubs. Back then, it was the likes of 805 on Peckham’s Old Kent Road, at the beating heart of the so-called Little Lagos, that flew the flag for modern West African food.
My family used to enjoy Friday night treats at 805 and I still return regularly to scoop up umami-packed spoonfuls of ayamase, glittering shredded green bell pepper seasoned with irú (fermented locust beans) and fried in tangy red palm oil (not to be confused with refined, commercial palm oil). When I was young, it was mostly Nigerians there, ploughing through mounds of pounded yam, the dining room reverberating with boisterous baritone greetings and assessments of Nigerian politicians. Now, the crowd is far more mixed and 805 has a branch in Hyde Park as well as outposts in Hendon, Reading, Accra and Abuja. Enish has followed a similar journey: it started out serving authentic Nigerian in Lewisham just over a decade ago but has grown to become the world’s largest African restaurant chain, with branches from Covent Garden and Knightsbridge to Dubai and celebrity fans including Anthony Joshua and Hugh Jackman.
Like 805 and Enish, many of the new West African restaurants are about hospitality as much as food and have actively encouraged fresh audiences. Emeka and Ifeyinwa Frederick, the energetic brother-sister duo behind buzzy Chuku’s, wanted to lean into the warmth and friendliness of Nigerian restaurants at their inclusive joint, painted in bright corals. Or, in their words, “To take the beauty of the food we enjoyed at home and stitch it into the fabric of London’s social economy.” Their mantra is “chop, chat, chill” (chop being Nigerian pidgin for eat), and regulars have become almost as accustomed to Emeka’s jokes as to playful, pan-regional dishes such as jollof quinoa stew or fluffy sinasir (rice pancakes) lathered with miyan taushe, an earthy Hausa pumpkin and peanut casserole.
Reaching new palates hasn’t meant sacrificing authenticity, though. At Akoko, I watch executive chef Ayo Adeyemi divide a tray of moi moi – the steamed boiled bean pudding that’s ubiquitous across West Africa – into cubes with surgical precision. “Mum’s recipe,” he grins. I can taste love in the dish’s deep, subtle heat, served with smoky torched mackerel, a nod to traditional tinned fish fillings. The flames leaping behind him recall the cooking technique of alase: cooks who cater for hundreds over outdoor fires at exuberant parties.
Joké Bakare, the powerhouse behind the set menus at modern West African Chishuru, is known for her creativity and flair but still hews to heartfelt Indigenous flavours. “It might not look like my grandma’s cooking but, if she closed her eyes and ate it, she would recognise it,” she says, referencing her use of traditional seasonings such as ogiri (fermented oil seeds) and ehuru (calabash nutmeg). Bakare ran a fish-and-chip cart while studying biology in Nigeria, and in London, has gradually evolved from beloved supper clubs and pop-ups – one of which wowed restaurant critic Jay Rayner – to a permanent restaurant in Brixton and, now, a larger space in the West End. Her well-priced menus remain elevated rather than Europeanised. “Growing up, it was an amalgam of everything, so my palate has always been that way,” says Bakare, who was raised in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna, with southern Yoruba and Igbo roots. “I bring myself to the food.”
Uniting these restaurants is a belief that cuisine can be a tool for wider cultural dialogue. The Nigerian contemporary art lining the walls at Chuku’s, Akoko’s handcrafted crockery inspired by the great Nigerian potter Ladi Kwali and the melodic Afrobeat soundtrack at Chishuru show that these entrepreneurs are acutely aware that their establishments are not just dining rooms but doorways to their cultures. Yet Ifeyinwa Frederick still thinks there’s room for growth, especially to showcase more of West Africa. “I want to walk into a Senegalese Chuku’s one day,” she says.
Back at Akara, though, by the time the lunch crowds have poured in and I’ve sunk my teeth into the restaurant’s spongy eponymous dish, I can’t help but feel a renewed pride in the food that still tastes like home. And in the knowledge that there’s still so much more to come.
The best West African restaurants in London
805, Peckham, Hyde Park and Hendon
There’s a simple elegance to the duck-egg-blue and silver interiors of the iconic Old Kent Road flagship, which still retains its community vibe. Everyone goes for the Monika, a signature dish of marinated grilled fish and fried plantain, served as a main or to share. The lamb suya is a generous portion of smoky, grilled, tender meat crumbed in nutty and piquant yaji spice, served with fresh tomato and onion – naturally flavoured coolants to balance the layered heat.
Address: 805 Old Kent Road, London SE15 1NX; 24 Kendal Street, Connaught Square, London, W2 2AW; 60, Vivian Avenue, London NW4 3XH
Website: 805restaurants.com
Akara, Borough
Within the Dickensian railway arches of Borough Yards, this brick-walled space is filled with vanilla tones, greenery and bursts of modern art. Carefully presented dishes borrow from a range of West African culinary traditions and Afro-Brazilian cuisine. As well as the akara fritters with ox cheek or pan-seared scallop, a standout is the edesi isip, an aromatic coconut rice with a creamy vatapá sauce and glinting mini parallelograms of mackerel. Cocktails are great too, and include the Palm Punch, which combines refreshing notes of hibiscus and smooth palm liquor.
Address: Arch 208, 18 Stoney Street, London SE1 9AD
Website: akaralondon.co.uk
Akoko, Fitzrovia
With its clever village hut theme and modern design, Akoko exudes a moody sophistication mirrored in the beaded Nigerian flag artwork on its wall. It’s known for its beautifully plated, innovative pan-West African tasting menu and curated wine pairings. A highlight on a recent visit was coal-roasted king oyster mushroom with Senegalese sosu kaani pepper sauce, served with light, fresh monkfish and an emerald-green creamed ayamase stew. Akoko was awarded a Michelin star in 2024.
Address: 21 Berners Street, London W1T 3LP
Website: akoko.co.uk
Chishuru, Fitzrovia
Joké Bakare’s interrogation of native flavours started with a series of cult supper clubs; now the seasonal set menus at her Fitzrovia restaurant highlight the depth and complexity of West African food. Don’t miss the Nsala guinea fowl in a mussel stock that blends taro root, uziza leaves and a catalogue of native spices. For her star dessert, Bakare pairs rice ice cream with the citrussy sweetness of baobab and spicy ginger. The cocktail list is similarly playful, from a spiced okra martini to The Suya & Smoke, with yaji spice and mezcal. In 2024, the restaurant was awarded its first Michelin star.
Address: 3 Great Titchfield Street, London W1W 8AX
Website: chishuru.com
Chuku's, Tottenham
With bright coral interiors and a jovial atmosphere, this cosy spot transmits the sociability of West African restaurant culture. Its Nigerian tapas dishes are designed for sharing and cleverly repurposes traditional flavours. The tricoloured egusi bowl is a confection of smoky grassiness, nuttiness and prickly heat with the sour pinch of stretchy eba (dried cassava) balls. The zobo wings are a must: plump bites of chicken tossed in a sticky, sweet and spicy hibiscus glaze. The Obi cocktail fuses coconut rum and palm wine for a tropical and not-too-sweet refresher.
Address: 274 High Road, London N15 4AJ
Website: chukuslondon.co.uk
Enish, various locations
Enish’s lively dining rooms are known for their Afropop soundtracks and playful interiors (the Fitzrovia branch features a red telephone box). The menu has an excellent selection of home-cooking-style dishes, such as ewa aganyin: a generous bowl of sweet, mashed honey beans with a golden palm-oil-based purée of dried chillies and onion. It’s delicious with slices of plantain and chicken stewed in a tomato and sweet red pepper reduction (ata din din).
Address: Check online for the full list of restaurants
Website: enish.co.uk
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