Restaurante A Forja — Restaurant in Lagos

Recommended in Lonely Planet, but hardly ‘buzzing’ (in October) and no need to reserve a table.

Had the vegetable soup with spinach which was OK - nothing special. If you wanted bread, that was extra, so we didn’t bother.

I had mussels and frites for mains - they should have come in a deep bowl, but instead were (incorrectly) served on a platter. By the time the frites arrived (inexplicably late) they were cold. No finger bowl provided, even though l asked for one - instead l was given a paper hand tissue, which is not the same at all! Had to ask for another bowl for shells and was given a small plate, barely large enough.

My brother asked for Squid and chips. These looked nice, but they had not removed the membrane which could easily choke someone who didn’t know about it. When this was pointed out, the chef/owner became aggressively defensive, saying ‘it was always served like that’, instead of apologising and saying he would take it on board.

The chocolate mousse was nice, but as they charged separately for the frites (which we noticed and pointed out, as they should have been included) we didn’t leave a tip and won’t return again.

Service was ‘over eager’ with young waiters who couldn’t...

The restaurant is close to center, cute and decorated with love. You can't sit outside, but its fresh and cozy inside, even on hot days.☺️

They bring you very nice bread and amazing cheese and some butter, even if you don't order it. But this is not included in the price of the main dish!! They want 7€ extra for this! Keep that in your mind. 🤯

About food : we have probably chosen the wrong dish, which is obviously not their favorite speciality. We have otdered cataplana. It had lot of clams and few crabs, chorizo, unfortunately no fish at all and unfortunately really a lot of pork, wich was not tender. The sauce could be OK but it was very very salty 😣 we had started eating, caise we were too hungry, but actually it was not good.

We told that to the waitress, but there was no attempt to improve something, not evem a glas of water or something. They seemed not to be pleased about our comment.

Even if they knew we were not happy, they let us pay their couvert 7€.

So i am sorry, but to warn other customers, i have to write it, even if i guess that the other dished are great and the restaurant itself is...

A Forja is a local gem in Lagos. Long lines outside say it all. We arrived around 8 and waited about an hour since we wanted to sit outside, so it is worth coming early. It was definitely worth the wait.

Portions are generous, the seafood is incredibly fresh and the desserts were good too. The staff were attentive and on the ball, making sure we had a great experience. We enjoyed the octopus salad and a few other dishes from the menu, all of which were excellent. Be sure to ask about their catch of the day to see what sounds good.

What stood out to me was how genuine they were. When we tried to order multiple dishes, they pointed out it might be too much and offered a smaller portion of the octopus salad. It showed honesty and they clearly werent just trying to sell us more food as you might see in many places where theres lots of tourists.

Another highlight was spotting an older lady busy in the kitchen. When you see Nonna cooking, you know it is going to be good ;).

We loved our time here and would happily come back. If you want fresh seafood and sincere service, this...