Our story
A Lagos kitchen, rebuilt in the dark of Soho.
Heat first.
spice as structure, not garnish, the way the markets taught us
Spice is not seasoning here. It is structure, memory and the reason the room glows.
Ikoyi began with a single question: what if spice led the plate instead of decorating it. We built a dark room around one open fire, stocked the shelves with chillies, peppers and aromatics from across West Africa, and let intensity set the pace. Every course is tuned for heat, smoke and the slow burn that lingers after the plate is cleared.
We grind the blends before the room ever wakes.
01
Heat with intent
We never reach for chilli to hide a flaw. Every burn is built, balanced and meant to be felt.
02
Sourced for fire
We buy peppers, seeds and aromatics from growers who understand intensity, and pay for the good ones.
03
A room that runs hot
Service moves fast and warm. We want you leaning in, sweating a little, asking for the next plate.
Folasade Adeyemi cooks the way she remembers Lagos kitchens, loud with aroma and unafraid of fire.
She trained across grill houses and spice markets before opening Ikoyi to chase one idea: that heat, handled with precision, can be the most tender thing on a plate. She grinds her own blends each morning and tastes for the burn before she tastes for the salt.
Folasade Adeyemi
Chef and FounderA short, hot history.
2017
Ikoyi lights its first fire in a single dark room in London.
2019
The spice room is built so every blend can be toasted and milled in house.
2022
The open pit doubles in size and becomes the heart of every service.
Now
A table chased by anyone who wants to learn how heat can be tender.
The hands that keep the fire honest.
Amara Okonkwo
Spice and FermentYusuf Danladi
Room DirectorSit close to the fire and let the spice do the talking.