Little Lagos

In mid-2020, Sydney’s Nigerian pop-up Little Lagos found a permanent home in the former Wish Bone site in Enmore.

Owner-chef Ade Adeniyi has been an advocate for Nigerian food in Sydney for a while, operating pop-ups – most notably at Earl’s Juke Joint. Aside from Adeniyi, there are only a couple of others making Nigerian food – mainly home chefs operating backyard takeaway businesses. Nigerian food such as jollof rice does occasionally crop up on the menu in African restaurants, but apart from these little cameos, Little Lagos is one of the only places dedicated to Nigerian cuisine in this city.

The 58-seat diner is bustling with people and many of the dishes Adeniyi served during the pop-up. Ordering jollof – the East African staple of long-grain basmati rice cooked in tomato, capsicum, habanero chillies and spices – is a must. And it’s the perfect accompaniment to any of the aromatic stews on the rest of the menu: options include goat, chicken and a special mix of beef shin, tripe and skin. There’s also ofada stew, a traditional, spicy west Nigerian dish featuring habanero (a hot variety of chilli pepper), locust beans, egg, fish and meat.

Snacky sides include Nigerian meat pies and savoury-sweet fried plantains. Be sure to add a bottle of East African lager Tusker to your order – it’s the perfect sidekick to the punchy flavours on the food menu.

The space is warmly hued, painted an earthy shade of red with colourful, patterned curtains and an eggplant-coloured banquette seating. There are a couple stools at the front around a tiny bar. Adeniyi says he wants his restaurant to capture that feeling of West Africa, to be vibrant and noisy and to create a sense of community.