Most people pass the Brutalist building on the Strand without giving it a second look. The architecture is angular and frigid, giving the impression that it is more of a statement than an invitation. This makes it somewhat fitting that Ikoyi, a restaurant that recently won the title of world’s best, is located behind its doors. For almost ten years, Ikoyi has resisted every attempt to be clearly defined.
Chef Jeremy Chan and his schoolmate Iré Hassan-Odukale founded Ikoyi in 2017. Initially marketed as a Nigerian restaurant, which the founders have had to repeatedly clarify was never quite accurate, the business had a rough beginning. However, it found stability when the two agreed to a tasting menu format and received their first Michelin star. In 2022, there was a second. The restaurant relocated to a much larger location at 180 The Strand in 2023 from its modest location in St James’s Market. That move seemed to be a turning point in terms of ambition as well as physicality.
You can’t quite get rid of the slight dissonance you feel when you walk in. The elegance of the room is calm, almost harsh. Conceptually speaking, there are no overt cultural markers on the walls that indicate your location. Instead, the food does that. Officially, what is served is referred to as “spice-based cuisine”; the founders carefully selected this term, most likely because all other labels encourage misunderstandings. The kitchen blends West African ingredients that are uncommon in London, such as long pepper, tiger nut, ogbono seed, and grains of paradise, with British produce, including in-house aged meat and fish. There might not be another kitchen in the world operating in a register quite like this one.
The dish that people discuss in quiet, slightly incredulous tones is the signature jollof rice course, which is smoked with oak chips and covered in a shellfish custard. On paper, it’s the kind of thing that shouldn’t work. Jollof rice is a type of food that is prepared in big pots during festivities all over West Africa. It is also a street and home dish. It appears here as something exact and almost respectful. However, it doesn’t seem like appropriation or parody. Reframed by someone who has truly considered the implications of all of this, it feels like a memory. Suya spice, the nutty mixture that covers Nigeria’s most famous street food, first appears in a dish of smoked squab and then, subtly, inside a chocolate ganache. That level of self-assurance is either earned or careless. It reads the former at Ikoyi.
For its Tastemakers Awards, Food & Wine polls over 400 chefs, travel experts, writers, and wine professionals annually. The results are reviewed by a Global Advisory Board, which then compiles rankings from restaurants, bars, hotels, and other establishments. Ikoyi’s victory in 2026 is noteworthy, not because it isn’t worthy, but rather because the eatery defies nearly everything that the world’s fine dining community typically rewards.
A single-nation narrative does not exist. There isn’t a single soil-based terroir mythology. Perhaps the most cosmopolitan restaurant in the world’s most cosmopolitan city, Ikoyi was founded by a Nigerian front-of-house operator and a Hong Kong-Canadian chef. It serves West African-inspired dishes made with British ingredients. In this way, the award reflects the direction of taste, which is shifting from purity to true complexity.
It’s difficult to ignore the fact that eateries like Ikoyi are opening at a time when there is intense debate about what food truly represents, including its origins, who owns it, and what it means to cook across cultural boundaries. It appears that neither Chan nor Hassan-Odukale is very interested in settling that argument. They appear to be more passionate about cooking. To be honest, it’s worth sitting with whether that’s evasion or confidence.
Quietly, the meal concludes. No theatrical farewell, no fireworks. Only petit fours and the gradual resumption of regular conversation. Beyond the Strand, the Thames sits heavy and gray, and the city continues as usual: apathetic, vast, and plural. Ikoyi is a perfect fit inside.
FAQs
1. Where is Ikoyi located?
Ikoyi is located at 180 The Strand in London, England, inside a Brutalist building near the Thames.
2. Why did Ikoyi win the World’s Best Restaurant title in 2026?
Food & Wine’s Global Tastemakers panel of over 400 experts selected Ikoyi for its singular point of view — blending West African spices with British seasonal produce in a way no other restaurant does.
3. How much does a meal at Ikoyi cost?
Tasting menus at Ikoyi are priced between £200 and £320 per person, not including drinks or wine pairings.
4. Does Ikoyi hold any Michelin stars?
Yes — Ikoyi currently holds two Michelin stars, first earning one after switching to a tasting menu format and receiving its second star in 2022.
5. Who are the founders of Ikoyi?
Ikoyi was co-founded by chef Jeremy Chan and Iré Hassan-Odukale, childhood friends who opened the restaurant together in London in 2017.
