Abuja - Post Report Question and Answers
What typical restaurants, food delivery services, and/or takeout options are popular among expatriates?
There's online ordering and a variety of cuisines available. - Mar 2024
We have Indian, Ehtiopian, Lebanese, Italian, Thai/Japanese (even sushi!), and plenty more here. You want burgers, pizza or fried chicken? You got it. We even have a Cold Stone here. Delivery depends on where your compound is. We don't get much delivered here, because we're kind of far out. - Sep 2019
I think there is a Domino's but we've never used it. 355 Steakhouse is very good. Waki has good Indian. BluCabana has nice meals. The Fraser Hotel has the best evening buffet in town and is worth every penny. Transcorp HIlton has some good choices with Zuma Grill, Buka, and a poolside bar. Sheraton Hotel has a mediocre Italian place that won't give you food poisoning and also I decent bar for drinks and snacks at night. If you're new, you WILL get sick. It is only a matter of 'when'. That said, it's usually only because the bacteria is 'different' not because it's 'bad'. - Feb 2019
If you live in Maitama then you can order from many restaurants via an app. Route 66 and Aspen are out of luck on that. Dominos, KFC, Johnny Rockets, and Cold Stone are here. There are a handful of quality specialty restaurants that are good. - Apr 2018
Domino's, Cold Stone, and KFC are the fast food options. There are also a handful of decent restaurants: Italian, Chinese, French, Lebanese. - Apr 2017
There are many restaurants in Abuja, but their quality is variable and really not that good. However, some expats like them --- partially, I think, for the variety. The best are: Wakkis (an Indian place), Johnny Rocket's, and a brick oven pizza restaurant (that one is hard to find--as they have no sign!) Take-out food is available at KFC and Domino's, and they offer delivery service for a small fee. - Jun 2016
There are a few KFCs and a couple of decent frozen yogurt and gelato places, and their prices seem OK. There is a Johnny Rockets - you pay $50 for what you would pay $12 in the US, but every once in a while, it's worth it. I've heard that a Domino's and a Cold Stone just opened in Abuja. If they are anything like the ones in Lagos, they are probably US quality with similar prices. Lebanese food is good in Abuja, probably because there is a large Lebanese community. Indian food is also pretty good. There are a few Chinese restaurants (ranging from passable to good), one good Ethiopian restaurant, one Thai restaurant (hit & miss on different menu items), and a couple of Italian restaurants (also hit & miss). There is a place called Beer Barn that has a surprising variety of imported beer. - Aug 2015
No fast foods. A Johnny Rockets has opened up and is getting some business. But, it is very expensive. But, everything is expensive compared to the States. - Aug 2014
The only American fast food is KFC. The Nigerian shwarma and suya stands are good and cheap. If you like BBQ fish you can find a lot of that. There are a few good Indian and Lebanese restaurants in town and one place that serves an American or British style brunch (sometimes they even have coffee!) - May 2014
No US-brand fast food (no, not even McDonald's). Local equivalents are not bad, but are mostly chicken oriented. You can get pizza at many restaurants. Other restaurants are expensive, but have not-bad quality most of the time. Chinese/vaguely Asian (5 different places) tends to be the lowest quality, Lebanese the best (3 options). There two good Indian places. One Italian and one French that are very good (these are the extremely expensive places, think $100 per person easy, with wine). There is one place offering traditional Nigerian stews and dishes that expats tend to go to, but we most enjoy exploring the many roast fish/roast chicken/beef-on-a-stick/beer joints. You eat on plastic tables outdoors, and it's lovely. It can be very spicy, so be prepared. - May 2013
There is cheap, convenient, and good Middle Eastern fast food available. Chicken places are also in abundance, although quality can vary. Pizza is also readily available. There are also some sit-down restaurants that are OK, but they are expensive for what you get. It's easy to spend $50-$100 per person for a meal out. Some of the better restaurants are: Obudu Grill, Chow's (Italian), and Chase's. - Jun 2009
Limited. Very expensive. - Mar 2009
The two most frequented restaurants in town are Wakki's (Indian) and the German Life Camp. The Germans have a fairly large presence here because they’re doing a lot of construction for Abuja. The Germans all live inside a life camp, and they allow other expats to come and eat at their restaurant. The restaurant itself is beautiful…outdoors with a huge wooden shelter covering it. Pork is very hard to find here, and the quality of what you find is not up to American standards, but the restaurant at the German Life Camp has pork brought in from Germany along with sausage, good steak, etc. The portions are huge at an affordable price, and it’s arguably the best food in the city. It’s a redeeming place for a lot of people here and a nice “getaway” after a rough day. They even have one German beer on tap. Wakki's is an authentic Indian restaurant owned by Indian ex-pat’s. The food is good, and the scenery is fantastic. The restaurant building actually looks like it was built to be a restaurant, unlike most restaurants here that are inside houses that were turned into restaurants later. There are a few other restaurants, but as a whole, the food is just so-so for what you pay, and you will pay dearly. It’s unbelievable how expensive restaurants are here – especially when you take into consideration the quality of the food for the price. - Sep 2008
Almost no fast food -- there is a Portuguese chicken chain that's OK. And a Nigerian fried chicken franchise, with 2 restaurants, I think. Decent restaurants? Not really -- they are generally very iffy and very expensive. - Aug 2008
There are no Western chains here, however the fast food of choice here are the shawarmas, which are fantastic. There is also a Southern Fried Chicken that is kind of a knock off of a KFC.Beyond that, there are some wonderful restaraunts here with a variety of cuisines; Lebanese, Chinese, Thai, Indian, Continental, and Italian to name a few. - Jul 2008
