Lagos TSQ
African restaurant · Midtown West ·
Creative international fusion bites, Nigerian dishes, and inventive cocktails
Creative international fusion bites, Nigerian dishes, and inventive cocktails
"Newly opened in Midtown, Lagos Lounge is already cementing its place as one of the best Nigerian restaurants in New York. A little more upscale than most other spots on this guide, this place brings the fun of Lagos nightlife with a groovy atmosphere, elaborate cocktails, and a DJ playing popular Nigerian music like Burna Boy, Davido, and Wiz Kid. The jollof rice with chicken, moi moi, beef suya, and the small chops appetizer that comes with various light snacks like meat or fish pie and akara fritters are all delicious. And while we haven’t tried them yet, we’ve heard excellent things about their lamb chops and Lagos smash burger (at least, according to one of the restaurant’s security guards). Open for brunch, lunch, and dinner, it’s also great for late-night drinks and group dinners as they have plenty of seating in the back." - jiji ugboma
"This Nigerian main-floor bar and restaurant and second-floor nightclub is the highest profile West African establishment Times Square has seen. The premises is glitzy and the fare runs from meat-and-potato American food to accurate versions of West African fare — including fufu, joloff rice, and goat pepper soup that’s appropriately spicy." - Robert Sietsema, Eater Staff
"I tried a smash burger at this Nigerian, nightclubby spot in Times Square and it upends the flat, easy-to-fit smash concept: the patty shares a bun with American cheese, tomato, spicy tomato jam, plantain fries that tumble out the sides, and a fried egg — a $20 riff that feels playful and over-the-top." - Robert Sietsema
"Set on Seventh Avenue near Forty-eighth Street, a block from the TKTS booth and across from the enormous M&M’s store, this three-story Nigerian restaurant–cum–nightclub has an overwhelming, partylike energy: a ground-floor dining room wrapped in royal-purple panelling flecked with gold, an unexpectedly long bar lined with gold stools, a faux-greenery photo wall for influencers, enormous TVs showing soccer, cricket, and football, and an upstairs scene with guest DJs, bottle service, sparklers and a bouncer on party nights. The food often skews authentically West African rather than bland Times Square concessions: a note-perfect pepper soup arrives as a thin, opaque, sultry broth with tender goat—spiced with things like uda pods, grains of paradise, uziza and a whisper of bouillon—prompting Komolafe to say, “This is the real thing.” There’s proper suya—grilled beef tossed in a nutty peanut spice and served with raw onion, cucumber and dressed cabbage (our server promised it would burn but it was milder than expected; Komolafe’s own recipe is hotter)—and a thrilling jollof rice, sunrise orange and sweet-smoky with tomato and pepper, served with enormous hunks of tender, saucy goat. An enormous ofada stew is thick, caramelized and aromatic with peppers and irú, slicked with red palm oil and studded with stewed beef, tripe and chewier pieces I guessed were cow’s skin; sides of sweet plantain and a good moi-moi soften the heat. Drinks include Nigerian beers like Gulder and Star, an Ikoyi frosé, bottled Chapman and a Suya Margarita rimmed with a peanut-based spice blend. The menu does offer non-Nigerian items (cheeseburger sliders, fish tacos, Colorado lamb chops), but if you go for anything slider-like, the Akara version—fried black-bean cakes with a pot of red stew—is the smarter choice. Dishes run roughly $12–$90, and by about 9:30 p.m. on a weekday dinner can abruptly become full-on nightlife, complete with strobe lights, hookahs and a chorus of “wooo”s." - Helen Rosner
"Named after the cultural capital of Nigeria, Lagos TSQ is a glitzy combo of restaurant, nightclub, and sports bar that recently opened at the northern end of Times Square. The menu from chef Ayodeji Adeosun runs from standard tourist fare to some very serious updates of Nigerian dishes. The menu lists jollof rice with red stew chicken and a super spicy goat pepper soup, alongside a smash burger and an excellent chicken shawarma sandwich." - Robert Sietsema