Akara Restaurant
West African restaurant · Borough
Arch 208, 18 Stoney St, London SE1 9AD, United Kingdom
Highlights
Innovative West African dishes, Akara fritters, cocktails, fine wines
Innovative West African dishes, Akara fritters, cocktails, fine wines
"I opened Akara in Borough Market to celebrate the spirit of the black-eyed bean fritter that inspired it — akara — and to show another side of West African food: playful, approachable street food rooted in authenticity and diaspora influences rather than being a simplified offshoot of our fine-dining work. The concept honours the dish’s Nigerian Yoruba origins and its journey (including its Brazilian incarnation, acarajé), and the menu features original fritters and other items inspired by a wider span of West African and diasporic flavours, all intended to open people’s eyes to the breadth, perspectives and creativity of the cuisine." - Andrew Young
"This modern West African restaurant is in the gleaming Borough Yards development, a place that feels about as lived-in as an Apple shop. Still, it’s an excellent choice for families ordering no fewer than six of the light but bread-y fritters loaded with delicate crab meat. Not every dish is perfect, but the short rib suya is wonderfully tender and liberally dusted with yaji. Plus, you could do a lot worse than bringing a few friends here to lounge on the banquette." - jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna
"Akoko’s sister restaurant Akara, among the hustle and bustle of Borough Market, is similarly sleek, but more casual. The West African food is no less delicious, with a menu that tingles all the senses. Fried chicken bites lathered in a delicate hot sauce paves the way for the restaurant's namesake Nigerian akara. Our go-to filling for these simultaneously crispy and fluffy fritters is BBQ prawn. Ordered alongside a smoky efik rice or plantain, you could call it a day and be more than satisfied. But plates like short rib suya, BBQ chicken or cod, as well as BBQ king oyster mushrooms turn a brief lunch into a feast." - riaz phillips
"There’s a new stall, sandwich, or something or other coming out of every crevice of Borough Market these days, and not all of it is worthwhile. But Akara has something about it. The modern West African restaurant performs in fits and bursts, like a sputtering firework that shoots out glowing pepper sauce and golden black-eyed bean fritters. It’s located in the gleaming Borough Yards development, a place that feels about as lived-in as an Apple shop, and the restaurant itself feels too clean and characterless at times. Still, families pile in here at night and swaying couples wander in for the bar. The cacao Negronis go down a treat. The restaurant’s namesake—a light but bread-y fritter loaded with delicate crab meat—is the best bite you’ll have, while mains wander off a bit. A short rib suya is wonderfully cooked but its yaji and pepper sauce feel toned down. A BBQ cod collar is over and a grilled cabbage is a grilled cabbage. Depending on luck, you might be shoved in a spotlight-lit corner, or you’ll be in the middle of the restaurant lounging on a banquette. There are variables at Akara but, like its sibling Akoko, when it’s right, it’s making food unlike few other London restaurants. Food Rundown Crab KuliKuli Akara This black-eyed bean fritter will be a revelation at everyone’s table. The fritter is sliced in half, like a little doughnut sandwich, and stuffed with rich, velvety white crab meat. Do not order this to share. We repeat, do not order this to share. photo credit: Jake Missing Short Rib Suya, Charred Onion, Sweet Pepper Sauce Wonderfully tender and liberally dusted with yaji, this short rib suya is an irresistible plate. The stickler in us wants more: more chilli from the seasoning, more oomph from the sweet pepper sauce. But as is, it’s a great dish." - Jake Missing
"A restaurant offering a mix of West African and Brazilian cooking under the arches." - The MICHELIN Guide UK Editorial Team
