Little Lagos Bistro & Bar — Restaurant in Sydney

Date night Nigeria was much anticipated, as neither of us had eaten Nigerian food before. While that makes it impossible to rate Little Lagos in comparison to other Nigerian restaurants, I do have some thoughts and observations to share.

When we arrived, strict COVIDSafe procedures were in place. After our temperatures were duly noted & we’d signed ourselves in, we were informed— by way of table signage—that we’d only have 60 minutes to eat, so other people could eat here too. Ordering both drinks and dinner was hampered by a list of things we couldn’t have. From a very short wine list (eight choices) our first two picks being unavailable saw me drinking beer—The Grifter Pilsner ($9).

It was a similar situation with the food menu, eased somewhat by the smile of our impossibly beautiful waitress. No Nigerian fried rice saw us opting for jollof rice ($20) cooked with tomatoes, red capsicum and habaneros. It arrived first, followed by a stew, ayamase ($32) that was the tastiest thing I tried. It’s pretty much a Nigerian kitchen sink with fish bits, cow leg “bokoto”, tripe “shaki” and cow skin “ponmo” cooked in locust beans, red capsicum, green bullhorn and habanero chilli. The gravy is thick and glossy from well-sweated onions, and it eats well on rice.

Looking somewhat like Spam, a lewd pink mould of moin moin ($15) is actually vegetarian, made from blended black eyed beans. It eats better than it looks. Asun ($25) is very dry and chewy marinated goat pieces, moistened up with an onion herb and chilli topping. My dining companion liked them, but he eats jerky for a treat. Asaro ($30) is described like a yam curry but eats like a mild, potato salad. It’s horrendously over-priced when you consider the serving size and what it’s made of.

What I liked about Little Lagos was the music. Nigeria is the home of Fela Kuti, the pioneer of Afrobeat, and he’s celebrated mural-style on the wall. We also appreciated the kind Rawandan women at the next table, busily eating plantain fritters, who took the time to explain their chosen meal, and that their East African cuisine is much closer to Ethiopian than Nigerian. While I always like trying something new, I didn’t find enough at Little Lagos to lure me back, especially at the...

Note for anyone considering a visit to Little Lagos: 10% Surcharge Applies on Weekends and Public Holidays. I wasn’t aware of this until I saw it on their hard copy menu when we dined in. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you cannot view the full menu on their website, which unfortunately is against Consumer Law. I have quadruple-checked. “The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) mandates that businesses must clearly display any surcharges, including the percentage and the conditions under which they apply. ” We were a party of two on Saturday evening (before 6pm) and were seated right away. We visited this restaurant without checking the reviews, hoping that it’ll exceed our expectations - Unfortunately, it fell short. Website was very misleading, as you’d expect to walk in a pristine restaurant but it appeared run-down. They didn’t closed the door so it was cold throughout our dining experience (Cold Winter Night). We ordered 1x Fufu, 1 x Goat Stew, 1 x Jollof rice and 1x Egusi. The fufu and goat stew were nice and it paired well together. The stew was flavourful and the goat was tender with a good amount of spice, but the portion was too small and not enough meat. After that, it all went south. The jollof rice wasn’t anything to rave over - It had little to no flavour, the spice was over powering and that was literally the only thing I could taste. The egusi was nice from the start, however towards the dish, it began to leave a bitter aftertaste, and majority of the cow skin and cartilage they’ve included was not tender and very difficult to chew and swallow, it was inedible. Honestly, I felt scammed - Of our money and time. The restroom was horrendous, like every negative review I’ve read…it’s true. The bathroom sink was broken and the door wouldn’t lock! The lack of care and maintenance was noticeable. The whole place surely appears as a cry for help. Honestly would’ve looked past the interior had the food been at superior level and if the restroom wasn’t in ruins. Overall, meals were overpriced and it was an unpleasant experience. Sad to say I am reluctant to try...

Today was my second time going to Little Lagos. My daughters food came out first- Nigerian fried rice and fried chicken. Rice came out hot and chicken stew( not fried chicken was lukewarm. We were told that food is made in advance so that’s why it wasn’t hot. I ordered Asun and pounded yam. My friend ordered Egusi and pounded yam. The meat dishes same out first one at a time. One serving of pounded yam came out after 10 minutes. By that time the Egusi was warm and so my friend asked for it to be warmed up so she could eat it hot. She got it back after 15 mins. Her pounded yam wasn’t hot anymore. I got my Asun but no pounded yam. The waitress told me it would take 10 minutes. My friend then tried to explain to the restaurant manager that it didn’t make sense how everything was coming out one at a time. We were told that this doesn’t normally happen and that I would get my pounded yam in 10 minutes ( by this time it’s been 25 minutes). When the yam did finally come out, the manager pretty much threw the plate on the table and walked away- no apology nothing. My friend was just put off she stopped eating and I tried to eat but I couldn’t so I got a takeaway container. The first time we were only given 1 hour reservation but it took 35 mins to get our food and we had to eat it quickly then they were asking us to leave. We spent $120, food was lukewarm and received really bad customer service. I won’t be going there again and for those considering it- try your luck!

My friend also wrote her review according to her opinion. What I wrote is true and what occurred on Saturday night. Kindly remove my name from her review. People should be allowed to write their review in peace and not feel harassed. I should also let you know that I have a degree in hotel management as well as a postgrad degree in business so I know food safety as well as customer service. This is only written so you can do better next time not to name and shame me for someone else...