Hidden gems in Lagos
Skip the tourist circuit. These Lagos spots are the ones locals actually send their out-of-town friends to.
Top spots in Lagos
Tarkwa Bay Beach
OutdoorsLagos Island
Sheltered cove reached by boat — calm water, beach bars and surf school.
Lekki Conservation Centre
OutdoorsLekki
401-metre canopy walkway through swamp forest with monkeys overhead.
Nike Art Gallery
CultureLekki Phase 1
Five floors of contemporary Nigerian art curated by Nike Davies-Okundaye.
Lekki Arts & Crafts Market
CultureVictoria Island
Wood carvings, adire textiles and bronze — bargaining expected.
Computer Village
CultureIkeja
West Africa's largest tech bazaar — phones, parts and repairs in a few crowded blocks of Otigba.
Murtala Muhammed Airport Gardens
OutdoorsIkeja GRA
Quiet, tree-lined GRA streets — colonial bungalows, embassies and easy morning walks.
Lufasi Nature Park
OutdoorsAjah
20-hectare conservation park on the Lekki-Epe expressway — kob antelope, ostriches and forest trails.
Ajah Market
CultureAjah
Sprawling roadside market off Addo — fresh fish, peppers and the cheapest fabrics on the peninsula.
Where to eat
Yellow Chilli
$$Nigerian · Victoria Island
Modern jollof, egusi and asun in a polished setting — order the goat pepper soup.
Nkoyo
$$Pan-African · Lekki
Cross-river kitchen — afang stew, edikang ikong, peppered plantain.
RSVP
$$$Modern Mediterranean · Victoria Island
Buzzy date-night spot with rooftop bar and Sunday DJ brunch.
Bature Brewery
$$Brewpub · Lekki Phase 1
Nigeria's craft beer pioneer — pizzas, peppered snails, mango weizen.
Terra Kulture
$$Nigerian · Victoria Island
Bookshop-cum-restaurant — soft-yam pottage, theatre on weekends.
The Yellow Chilli Lekki
$$Nigerian · Lekki Phase 1
Island outpost of the modern-Nigerian classic — goat pepper soup, ofada rice, jollof done right.
Cactus Restaurant
$$Cafe / Brunch · Lekki Phase 1
Pastel-pink waterside brunch institution — pancakes, milkshakes and shawarma by the lagoon.
Sky Restaurant & Lounge
$$$Continental · Ikeja GRA
Rooftop dining on top of Sheraton — skyline views, grills and slow Sunday brunch.
The Place
$Nigerian Fast Food · Ikeja
Mainland favourite for asun, jollof and peppered chicken — fast, cheap and always packed.
Address Home
$$Indian · Ikeja GRA
Long-running GRA Indian — butter chicken, biryani and a calm courtyard away from Allen Avenue noise.
Eric Kayser Ajah
$$French Bakery · Ajah
Croissants, sourdough and proper espresso — the go-to breakfast stop on the Lekki-Epe run.
Bungalow by Eric Kayser
$$$Mediterranean · Ajah
Garden dining inside Novare Central — wood-fired pizzas, mezze and weekend live music.
Frequently asked
- Locals' under-the-radar picks include Tarkwa Bay Beach, Lekki Conservation Centre, Nike Art Gallery. These are the places that don't show up on the first page of mainstream travel guides.