Abuja International Restaurant

I am a proud on again off again regular. I am not expert on African cuisine, but I like my food. Yes the beef kababs are tough, but I love it! Well seasoned, spicy, and boy does it soak up the liquor! The jollof rice is really good as well. I've had stew with chicken, beef, and goat and I have been pleased. I mainly go to drink (get a little slushed). The atmosphere is inviting, and I love the music and the people. You have to be a person who is open to different things, and loves different cultures. This is not the place for you if you critique every detail of dining. Its more like home. This is not fine dining nor are they trying to be. I'm good with waiting for my food while, watching African music videos (super funny btw), talk to strangers and drink drink drink. I love all the bartenders! Sheree is my fav! I don't have to tell her what to make. She makes a concoction and its always delish and after 1 or 2, can put you on your behind. I never thought I would do more than sit and drink, but I started going on party nights once in a blue, and get a little dancing in. Its a good time! I park on the street. Never too far. Gratuity is added automatically, so you are better off getting more, prices are moderate.

I gotta admit, I love Union.  It's a great town in which to live.  75th best in America, according to CNN Money or Bloomberg or Capitalist Oppressor Monthly.  Whatever big money magazine said we were a good place, they're right.  When we moved here, the big thing that drew us was the ethnic and cultural diversity: there's a decent sized Jewish population so I could fill my pickle and lox quotient, a big Brazilian/Portuguese population for some really awesome soccer and rodizio, and a big Caribbean and African population.  

Hell yeah, I thought upon moving in.  The Stop & Shop regularly stocks goat and all kinds of nifty guarana sodas.  This could be good!  And good it was.  We checked out the local stuff - Burnet BBQ, Tiff's for drinks and burgers, Van Gogh's Ear for dessert.  We were happy.  And then one night, we kinda looked at each other with a "hey, I don't feel like the usual takeout fare" on a lazy, rainy Friday.

Abuja it was, mostly because they had a website and we could at least get an idea of the African cuisine for which we had absolutely zero frame of reference.  Gotta start somewhere, might as well dive on in.  

The restaurant is a corner bar, and I was a bit concerned that it might be seedy-ish, but once I stepped in, the guy who took my wife's online order was all concerned since she'd put in her phone number wrong and he couldn't call us to make sure it was OK that we'd asked for dry fish with our ndolle.  It's good when someone's looking out for you.  I mean, it was no big deal, but nice of note.  He sent her an email, too.  Seriously, points for following up.  

Anyway, we ordered the ndolle, okra, and moi-moi.  Holy hell, what a huge amount of food!  I mean, we barely put a DENT in it.  We got some kind of potato flour chunk of glutinous stuff for soaking, thick dry smokey... chunks of green plantain-ish other stuff for further soaking.  It made great neutral counterparts to everything.  I gotta admit, the ndolle was very strongly flavored - it had a good kick of sharp bitter to counter the saltiness of the dried fish.  My wife wasn't a fan of the okra, it was a bit on the slimy side.  We'd only really been exposed to bhindi masala and okra in gumbo, so the sliminess really needed the glutinous stuff to help soak and balance it out.  

I really liked the moi-moi - it was like a spicy, peppery, oniony savory sponge.  I think next time I'm going for the peanut stew, though.  

The interior was definitely a bar - dark, flashy lights, well stocked.  I'd totally meet up with someone there for a drink and dinner if I got the chance.  

I can't speak for the other reviewers who had old dishes, but they were definitely freshly prepared for us.  I think I'd definitely go back and give them another shot!

This is the old West End bar from years back. As mentioned the food not very good. ALso the bar is very load and full of locals so not realyy a great place to eat ... better to meet up for drinks.