Akoko founder Aji Akokomi on the UK African food spots you should visit

Nigerian-born Aji Akokomi has created plenty of buzz around the food of his hometown, with restaurants Akara and Michelin starred Akoko.

But the UK hasn't always had as much African food at its disposal. When he moved to London from Ibdan in his 20s it was a lot harder to find any of the ingredients he was accustomed, and restaurants were often hyper-local and hidden within communities.

"It was a bit of a struggle. There was a lack of ingredients, and if you wanted to eat anything Nigerian, or authentic West African, you wouldn't get it very quickly," he says. "Lots of Nigerians...they left and got everything [from home], then brought it back. There were suppliers, you just needed to look, but now that's no longer true."

Aji Akokomi is founder of Akoko and Akara (Credit: Supplied)

In the 16 years he's been in the restaurant business, Aji says the landscape has started to change, and there are a bunch more shops and African eateries at people's disposal.

So, to round off Black History Month, we asked one of the stars of African food in the UK to showcase a few gems that he thinks you should add to your roster, whether cooking at home or eating out.

Ades Cash & Carry

Ades sells ingredients sourced from Africa (Credit: Ades)

"I buy a lot of things for my house and for the restaurant from Ades. They have multiple shops – one is based in Charlton and another in Plumstead.

"They have all the produce and ingredients you could ever ask for, sourced directly from Nigeria; directly from farmers and [African food] producers.

"You can get yam, black eyed beans, all of our spices, pretty much everything we need for Akara.

"Even if they don't have it in store, you could speak to them and they can help you source it. Since they opened it has been a game changer."

Enish

Enish does authentic African food in a casual setting (Credit: Enish)

"Enish is run by my friend, and it's a proper, proper African restaurant. He has one in Knightsbridge, one in Fitzrovia – there's about 10 branches in London.

"It's some of the most authentic Nigerian food I've had in the UK, with a big menu that just has everything [you could want]. Egusi, suya, yam... they've got it all."

Tasty African Food

Tasty African Food is a place to grab a quick bite (Credit: Tasty)

"At Tasty you can get Jollof rice, moi moi, fried chicken, stewed chicken... all of that!

"It's delicious and quick – pretty much an African restaurant for Africans, which have always been around, and they're great.

"There has always been African restaurants for Africans, but what I and Joké of Chisuru have then done is tried to open that up to the entire world, so they can enjoy the deliciousness of our food.

"This is different, though. It is basically African fast food, and it's delicious."

805

805 is one of the first places in the UK to do African fine dining (Credit: 805)

"This was pretty much the first place considered fine dining. It's been on Old Kent Road for over 10 years now, which is doing well.

"It was one of the first African joints where you had tables with a cover. They do traditional African dishes but served beautifully. They also do drinks. It's more formal than other African restaurants.

"I have visited it a lot. It absolutely inspired me. I saw it and thought, 'I want to do that in central London!'"

Alhaji Suya

Alhaji Suya is another quick Nigerian spot (Credit: Alhaji Suya)

"Alhaji Suya pretty much sell spices required for suya, which is barbecued meat. They also sell it as fast food and [there are several locations]. They opened about three years ago near me, and it's really good to see more and more African joints opening now.

"The more people hear about the food, the more they'll love it."

Featured image: Enish/ Supplied