• African• Mayfair
Ikoyi is located alongside similarly acclaimed restaurants like Aquavit in the gleaming St James’s Market development on the border of Mayfair, St James’s and Soho. With floor-to-ceiling windows and chic interiors, it’s got a destination feel without drifting into opulence.
The restaurant comes from chef Jeremy Chan – formerly of The Ledbury – and restaurateur Iré Hassan-Odukale. It was set up with the aim of celebrating the flavours and ingredients of Nigerian and West African with forward-thinking cooking techniques and a creative approach to plating.
The restaurant won a Michelin star shortly after opening, which should point to the fact that food here is artful and contemporary-feeling, built around a huge range of spices imported from Africa but made with seasonal British ingredients. The tasting menu is the best way to experience all that Ikoyi has to offer.
It’s a place that’s absolutely worth trying once or twice, and we’re excited to have it in London.
With West African-inspired flavours and British ingredients under a roof of minimalist fine dining, Ikoyi may not be authentic, but it’s puzzlingly innovative
West African-inspired food cooked by a Chinese-Canadian chef in a restaurant named after a prosperous part of Lagos that was home to the Nigerian business partner installed in a soulless West End precinct where other catering operations have all the allure of a fridge with the door left ajar is a fairly quick summary.
The chicken was like doing a shot, but of meat'
Ikoyi’s take on African food feels like a thrilling anomaly even in London’s diverse food scene. Let's hope it's the beginning of a proper trend.
It’s a sleek space, in keeping with the futuristic surroundings of the newly done-up St James’s Market. Inside you’ll find whitewashed walls, mustard banquettes and an intimate 6-seater bar, separated off from the rest of the restaurant and the grand open kitchen at the back by a wall of cascading plants.
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