Getting to Know ‘Black London’

Anyone who has explored London beyond its tourist hubs, or has at least glanced at the pages of a Zadie Smith novel, knows that multiculturalism gives the city its life. As a child, I accompanied my mother to buy ingredients for Nigerian dishes in Upton Park, an area of East London known for its South Asian community. And on neighborhood streets, Black hairdressers and barbershops are interspersed among halal butchers, traditional English cafes (called caffs) and Eastern European restaurants.

In a city so diffuse with diversity, where, then, is “Black London”? The community is particularly visible in places like Brixton and Peckham in South London, Hackney in the east and Notting Hill in the west. The rich culture of these African and Caribbean communities can be experienced in restaurants, bars and cultural institutions. Below are a few of those places.

Tasting Black London

On a street in the north London neighborhood of Tottenham, the greeting “Welcome to Lagos” is printed on the door of Chuku’s. Within its salmon-colored walls, staples of Nigerian cuisine take on a new life in sharing plates priced between 5 and 14 pounds (about $6 to $18). For instance, chin chin, a dangerously addictive fried dough snack, serves as the foundation for cheesecake, and suya (grilled and well-seasoned pieces of beef or chicken) is reimagined here as sauce-laden meatballs.

Two siblings of Nigerian and Grenadian heritage founded Chuku’s as a way to introduce the uninitiated to Nigerian dining, and as a way for members of the diaspora to connect with their culture. “We’re Nigerians, we’re loud, we’re verbose,” said Ifeyinwa Frederick, one of the owners. “We wanted a buzzy atmosphere that represented that kind of vibrant, boisterous nature.”

This year, recognition of London’s West African cuisine came in the form of Michelin stars for two restaurants near Oxford Street: Chishuru and Akoko. While less populist than Chuku’s, these restaurants also meld African flavors with Western traditions. On Akoko’s £120 tasting menu, plantain puffs have been served with beef tartare, and Gambian stew with Irish oysters. And at Chishuru, whose prix fixe dinner menu is priced at £95, egusi — a seed used in soup, usually served with pounded yam — flavors an ice cream accompanying a meringue sponge.