Akara

We had a fantastic dinner at Akara on a Saturday evening. The restaurant was completely full by 7 p.m., so I would strongly recommend booking in advance. Between the two of us, we ordered a wide selection of dishes, including the beef fataya, prawn akara, beef akara, beef kuli kuli yaji with onion, chicken alata, roasted aubergine, Efik rice, steamed rice and cassava chips, along with an ilara and a caipirinha. Everything was full of flavour, but the Efik rice and the beef kuli kuli yaji were the absolute highlights for me. The plantain cake was also amazing and is definitely worth ordering. I would strongly recommend all three. The dishes are served as relatively small plates, so it is worth ordering several to share, especially if you have a good appetite. Although our table was not particularly large, the staff cleared empty plates promptly, so it never felt crowded. They also regularly refilled our water, which was a thoughtful touch. The atmosphere was lovely, with Afrobeats playing in the background at just the right volume. It added to the experience without making it difficult to have a conversation. At one point, a fly briefly landed on my rice and then flew away, which put me off eating the small area where it had landed, but this did not detract significantly from an otherwise excellent meal. Overall, the food was amazing, the service was attentive and the atmosphere was warm and enjoyable. I would definitely return.

Delicious food, full of interesting and well balanced flavours. Everything was cooked excellently and portion sizes were certainly reasonable (when you consider the location of the restaurant and the quality of the food). The sauces were all wonderful and really elevated the dishes. I would particularly recommend the cod fillet moqueca, efik rice and lamb dibi. Service was good- very professional and gave excellent recommendations. Not particularly smiley but I didn't feel that detracted from the experience.

This was our first time trying African cuisine, and it was a wonderful experience. At first, it was a bit difficult to understand what was in each dish, but the waitress was very kind and happy to explain everything to us. One of the waiters even knew a few phrases in Latvian, which was a lovely and unexpected touch. Since we’re not used to spicy food, almost every dish felt quite spicy—but that’s exactly what we expected from this cuisine. We ordered a variety of appetizers to try as many different flavors as possible, followed by a main course each. Everything was delicious, although a couple of the sauces were incredibly hot and definitely set our lips on fire! Thank you for such a unique and memorable dining experience. Highly recommended!

My sister and I had the pleasure of dining here while visiting London three weeks ago, and it was such a memorable experience. We unfortunately arrived late, but despite the restaurant being completely packed, the staff were incredibly kind and accommodating and still managed to find us a table. We really appreciated the warm hospitality. The food was a beautiful, elevated take on West African, specifically Nigerian, cuisine. Everything was thoughtfully presented and full of flavour. The sorrel slush was refreshing and delicious, the cod was cooked well, and the kebabs were good as well. I also tried the akara stuffed with beef — it was tasty, although a little oily for my preference. The highlight of the meal, however, was the plantain cake for dessert, topped with vanilla ice cream. It was absolutely incredible and easily my favourite dish of the evening. Overall, the service was warm, the food was creative and enjoyable, and the experience lived up to the occasion. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a unique and refined take on Nigerian cuisine while in London.