Top Chefs Honoured at 2025 Awari Restaurant Week Awards

Awari Restaurant Week

Lagos's food community met on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at Rococo Restaurant, Victoria Island, for the Awari Restaurant Week Awards. This event is held yearly to celebrate the best cooking talent in Lagos and Abuja. Chefs, restaurant owners, and food fans came together to recognise excellent service, new menus, and customer interaction.

Now in its 11th year, Restaurant Week has grown a lot. It started as a small guide called ‘Lost in Lagos’ and is now known as Awari, a platform focused on improving the region's food culture. Awari founder, Tannaz Bahnam, said the awards are a tribute to the creativity and hard work that keep the city's lively restaurant scene going.

This year, 82 restaurants took part in the three-week programme, and several businesses won special prizes for their achievements. Mr. Panther took home both the Best in Service Award and the People's Choice Award. Z Kitchen was recognised for having the Best ARW Menu, and Lalas Bistro was named Top Performing Restaurant of the year.

More than just the prizes, the evening highlighted how important food tourism is becoming and the need to support local dining businesses. Bahnam explained that the event is part of a bigger effort to celebrate the region’s food innovators and build community through shared eating experiences.

With new restaurants opening and established kitchens trying new ideas, the 2025 Awari Restaurant Week showed that the dining culture in both cities is still growing and changing.