Alhaji SUYA Peckham
Grill · Peckham ·
Melt-in-your-mouth Nigerian barbecue with smoky tozo suya
Melt-in-your-mouth Nigerian barbecue with smoky tozo suya
"There’s no food in London that you should be more thrilled to eat on the pavement, at a bus stop, or leaning against the counter than Alhaji Suya’s. The northern Nigerian takeaway spot in Peckham is run by masters of grilled meat, who make delicious and fiercely addictive portions of lamb, chicken, and beef suya. The tozo—a fattier cut of beef—is our favourite. These days, the meat is finished on the grill (rather than fresh from it) which means you’ll have tougher chunks as well as dreamy ones. That said, it’s still the best suya in London, especially when covered with generous handfuls of Alhaji’s yaji. Once you try it, you’ll realise that some of the best restaurants don’t need waiters, table service, or anything extra at all." - jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, heidi lauth beasley
"Some foods open up parts of your brain you didn’t even realise were there. They react with your taste buds in eye-opening ways and, in the case of Alhaji’s yaji, eye-watering ways. The northern Nigerian takeaway’s homemade spice mix of chilli, peanut, ginger, and garlic is one of these foods. It covers their freshly grilled suya—get the tozo—and it’s the reason you’ll likely find a new appreciation for raw tomato and white onion." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, daisy meager, riaz phillips
"Nigerian food in the UK mostly represents a small part of the incredibly populous and ethnically diverse country. Alhaji Suya is representative of a different Nigeria, one even foreign to most of the UK’s diaspora, which hails from the south of the West African country. An homage to the shop’s Hausa tribe origins, Alhaji’s mainstay dish, suya, is a portal into the northern reaches of the nation. Fresh yaji spice mixes are imported from Kano state, where the owner is from, and the suya is unrivalled. Lamb, chicken, guinea fowl, or crowd-favourite tozo beef is fused with these spices, grilled to perfection, and neatly wrapped up for takeout. There are locations in Peckham, Greenwich, Brixton, and Walworth. The latter has some seating so the sweltering suya comes straight off the grill to your mouth." - riaz phillips
"After a fire forced the Peckham site to temporarily close, Alhaji Suya relocated to a tiny, takeaway-only hatch on an industrial park in Greenwich—near the big IKEA. The Peckham site is now back in business (plus a site in Walworth), and the Greenwich one has stayed put—which is a great relief because it serves the best suya in London. Hausa cuisine (from northern Nigeria) is the speciality here, specifically that suya cooked on the barbecue and finished on an electric grill for efficiency—and to provide a crust. Everything is done well but the tozo suya is the real reason to visit. Fatty chunks of beef are deeply smoky with a fierce whack of spice, while the accompanying yaji is incredible." - jonathan hatchman
"Alhaji’s yaji is takeaway only. Which is good because you aren’t going to want to share the food from this Peckham spot, and you’re likely to shed a spice-induced tear or two. Their homemade spice mix of chilli, peanut, ginger, and garlic covers their freshly grilled suya. You can choose from lamb, beef (get the tozo), or chicken—and it’s the reason you’ll likely find a new found appreciation for raw tomato and white onion. Both offset the fiery spice and savouriness that comes as standard from this melt-in-your-mouth Nigerian barbecue spot." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna
