1. Abeokuta
If you ever arrive in Abeokuta early in the morning, when the air is still cool, you’ll smell things before you see them. Smoke from open fires. Tomatoes frying somewhere in a corner shop. A woman stirring a pot with the kind of patience that tells you she’s done this for years. The efo riro here carries a depth you don’t find everywhere; it’s the smoke, yes, but also a sort of confidence in the way they cook. And the pounded yam Soft, steady, unfussy.
2.Ikare-Akoko
When you step into Ikare, the first thing you notice is movement buses, traders, bikes, people who seem to know exactly where they’re going. And in all that rush, the food stands hold their own. The pepper soup here doesn’t play. One spoonful and you sit back a little, maybe blink once or twice. The amala spots tucked into back streets are something else entirely. The portions are generous, the soups bold, the atmosphere warm in that slightly chaotic way that feels distinctly Nigerian.
3. Bonny Island
Bonny has this calm that sneaks up on you. The sea is always speaking quietly, but you hear it. And the seafood maybe the water does half the work, I don’t know, but the fish tastes unbelievably fresh. Roasted, peppered, or cooked in broth that tastes like it has absorbed the whole Delta. You sit by the shore, watching boats drift in and out, and the food feels exactly right for the moment.
4 Ososo, Edo State
Ososo sits up there in the hills, almost like it’s watching the rest of Edo quietly. The air feels cooler, cleaner, and somehow the food tastes like it knows it. Their peppery bushmeat stew is one of those meals you try once and then spend the next week trying to describe to someone. And the fufu? There’s a softness to it that makes you slow down or maybe that’s just the hills talking.
