Even with its booming restaurant scene, getting good food in Lagos is a struggle. Mostly because Lagosians tend to focus on aesthetics more than giving quality service but that’s an article for another day.

So getting good food in Lagos is a struggle, but even getting any food at all past 10 pm, damn near impossible, especially if you live on the Mainland. For a city that never sleeps, it’s surprising that there are so few late-night food options. But there are at least some options that will keep the hunger pangs at bay till morning, and won’t give you food poisoning.

Olaiya

109 Akerele Street, Surulere
Closes: 11:00 pm

I don’t know what heaven might look like to you, but any place I can get Amala 24/7 comes pretty close. You can’t get that with Olaiya but I’m pretty content with being able to walk in and by Amala at 10:30 pm. And if you are about to ask why anyone would be eating Amala at 10:30 pm, this is where I tell you to mind your business.
Even though their official closing time is 11:00 pm, on very busy days like Friday nights they can be open till about midnight.

The Place

Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase One
45 Isaac John Street, Ikeja GRA, Ikeja
Open 24 hours

The only place (no pun intended) with the most to offer in terms of variety on this list has to be the place. Not all of their outlets are open round the clock but I’m a hundred per cent certain their outlets at Lekki Phase and Ikeja GRA are open 24/7. I like how at least one outlet on both the Mainland and Island offer this service. Representation matters guys.

Midnight City

Online service
Open from 9:00 pm to 4:00 am

The whole point of Midnight City is to cater to Lagosians looking for late-night eats. That’s why they don’t even bother opening till 9:00 pm. Even though they have an address listed online, I only know them to be an online service. The great thing about them is that everything from Burgers to rice is on their menu. The downside though is that they only operate on the Island.

Drinking game idea: Take a shot every time you try to engage a service and they tell you they only deliver on the island.

Urban Fuxion

Food truck
Monday – Thursday: 11:00 am to 11:00 pm
Friday & Saturday: 11:00 am to 5:00 am

I’m such a huge fan of Urban Fuxion and if you’ve been reading these Chopist articles you’d know that. Urban Fuxion is perfect for those hazy nights when you stumble out of a club with way too much alcohol in your system and not enough food in your stomach. They are a food truck, so they are not always in one place, but you can find their schedule here.

Domino’s

Some outlets stay open till 12 am

It’s very interesting that I didn’t know this about Domino’s until I started researching for this article. Domino’s might not be my top 3 favourite pizza places, in fact, it’s not even in my top 10 but the fact that there is an outlet in almost every street and corner is beyond convenient. They’ve also changed the game with their new smallie pizza, which means you are not stuck having to buy a whole box of pizza when you are feeling peckish at 11:00 pm. You can find out when the Domino’s near you closes here.

Road Chef

Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1
4 Ologun Agbaje Victoria Island
Open 24 hours

Given that the phrase ‘best places’ is literally in the title of this article, I was torn about including Road Ched on this list. The first and only time I ate at Road Chef I got severe food poisoning. However it was one time, and I’ve never seen anyone else complain so I guess the odds of it happening to you are slim enough to risk it when you find yourself hungry at 3:00 am. I’d stay away from their RoadChef classic with cheese though.

Prime Chinese

860A Bishop Aboyade Cole St, Victoria Island
Open 24 hours

Prime Chinese is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They also deliver round the clock and delivery is free. Which is why I’m so bitter that they are only available on the Island. Even though delivery is free, they do have a 4,000 naira minimum spend for deliveries which you’d barely notice if you are ordering with a group of friends.

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