A Bar Called Paper — Restaurant in Maitama

To be honest, I had a good time here. I would have given this place 5 stars (or more sef), but for what happened at the end of our stay here. But before I get into that, let me give a brief description of this place. A Bar called paper is one of those out of time / out of place restaurants you stumble on. My friend and I were just driving through Abuja, in the mood to visit a new restaurant when we came across a bar called paper. I fell in love with the friendliness of the security and the hostesses, they were really welcoming and even took us on a small tour. But the bar hadn’t properly opened then, so I decided to come back another time.

Fast forward to the next time I was here, which was Friday, June 18, 2021. I met up with a group of friends and we honestly had a great time: The Live Band! I loveeet The Ambience of the place (it’s not a very great date place - if you’d want to talk to your date without having to scream - lol, a friend mentioned it and I agree. But if you’re cool with a relaxing evening just listening to good music, you’d like this as a date place).

I had to leave by like 9:30pm, so my friends covered my bill. But when the bill was sent to me so I could pay back, I was honestly stunned. First of all, it was handwritten (which clearly points to something shady) Secondly, for every single thing (apart from the harmattan cocktail) we had ordered, the cost had been multiplied.

I have proof, so I’d post it here.

On the menu, shawarma was stated to be 2k. According to the handwritten bill, the 3 shawarmas we bought where “9k” (so extra 3k was added here) Also, plantain, a side dish that one of us decided to take as a main meal was stated as 1500 on the menu, but according to the bill, it was 2k Lol, I don’t even want to complain about the fact that water was stated as 1k on the bill, because that’s understandable since it’s a “big Abuja” restaurant But the one that weakened me was the fact that VAT (Value added tax) was stated as 2050 naira! So a bill that was supposed to be about 22,500 was now about 29,000. I was honestly really disappointed at a place that I hoped to refer people to. I would have gone back to complain, but it never occurred to me till someone mentioned I could do that and by that time, a number of days had already passed. So this is why I’ve come here to give this review. Please do better guys, I really like A Bar...

A very nice and cosy spot for a hangout. I went there with a couple of friends at night and we really had fun chatting. The lighting has a way of relaxing your muscles and the drinks was breathtaking. I had one of their milkshakes for 2500 naira while one of my friends had a long island for 3500 naira and the other one of their signature drinks. The colorful presentation of the drinks coupled with the lights made it an ideal place for an evening date. Some of the spaces are reserved while some spaces has minimum spend rate of 100000 naira. All in all my experience was good. I won't mind to go back there. Did I remember to mention that the background music was also very good and it made my Friday evening seat...

The ambience is good. Nice setup, ventilation and air conditioning system. Good music and environment. The mocktails & cocktails were slacking. I will like to believe it was just one night of miss. Long Island Tea is probably the most popular cocktail worldwide. However, the one served was iced-out & watery. The Mojito & Milk Shake tasted like they were straight out of the sugar factory. They have a large collection & variety of drinks. So if you're in groups, I'm sure there are bottles for everyone. There are several sitting areas including bar side stools. They have a lot of staff but service could still be quicker. The staff are courteous though....