Six spots, a drive across both sides of Lagos, and the one question these lists always skip.
Here is the short list, because nobody researches suya for forty minutes. Glover Court in Ikoyi, Zanzan inside the Lagos Polo Club, Akerele Supa Suya in Surulere, University of Suya on Allen Avenue, Agboju in FESTAC, and Belton in Gbagada. Where each sits is below, with the part these guides skip: what a stick costs, and when anybody last checked.
One thing before the list. The meat is rarely the argument. Yaji is, that red peanut and pepper dust the mallam throws on at the end, and more precisely how much of it he throws. Two grills can buy the same beef from the same market and come out as different as two cities, which is why a Lagosian will drive past four to reach the one they trust.
The Six Spots, and Where to Find Them
- Glover Court Suya, Ikoyi. On Glover Road, running more than two decades, and the name most people on the Island say first. Beef, ram, chicken, gizzard and liver, with masa and kilishi on the side. Evenings get busy, so send somebody ahead.
- Zanzan Suya, Ikoyi. Inside the Lagos Polo Club grounds, which sounds like a members-only problem and is not: tell the gate you are there for suya and they wave you in. Chicken and gizzard are the picks. Open 3pm to midnight, daily.
- Akerele Supa Suya, Surulere. 1-5 James Robertson, off Akerele Street. Grab and go, no seats, grilling in front of you. The inner cuts (shaki, liver, kidney, gizzard) are why the mainland rates it.
- University of Suya, Ikeja. Allen Avenue, open 10am to midnight, seven days. The name is doing a great deal of work, and the spice blend mostly earns it.
- Agboju Suya Spot, FESTAC. Over thirty years on the same axis, which in Lagos food terms makes it a dynasty. Tender, and the yaji arrives with a kick.
- Belton Suya, Gbagada. Pulls people from Somolu and Bariga, opens at 10am when most grills are still cold, and the regulars say order the chicken.
What a Stick of Suya Actually Costs
As at last year June, a stick of suya at Agboju was ₦500, ₦1,000 for the same stick at Akerele Supa Suya, and ₦1,000 at University of Suya. That is over a year old, and anybody quoting a 2026 figure to the exact Naira is guessing, because suya is priced by the stick, by the cut, and by whatever beef did at the market that morning.
So take ₦500 to ₦1,000 as the shape of it rather than the number, and expect the Island to sit above the mainland. The first stick is never the cost anyway: it is the three more you order while standing there, plus the one your friend did not ask for and is now eating.
If You Are Flying In for This
A fair few people reading this will land in December holding Dollars or stablecoins and a list much like this one. Every spot here is priced in Naira and paid in Naira, and nearly all take a bank transfer, because at this point everybody in Lagos does.
What wears you down is the arithmetic: working out what your money is worth before you order, again at the next grill, again when the ram costs more than the beef. You do not have to do any of it. The USD to Naira and USDT to Naira pages carry the live rate, and on Mular you pay the spot's account straight out of your USD or crypto balance. Naira lands in about ten seconds, and nobody at the grill hears the word stablecoin.
And if you are the sort who fully intends to keep track of what December cost you, Mular has already done it. Every payment sits in your history with the date, the amount and the rate it left at, which is more than your notes app managed. Rest your brain 🤲🏽
The Best Suya in Lagos Is Probably Not on This List
It is the one at the junction near your bus stop, run by a man whose name you have somehow never asked, who knows how you take your yaji and has the onions wrapped before you finish parking. Six spots is a map, not a verdict, and with a dish this loved the arguing was always the fun.
Eat Suya Without Doing Sums at the Grill
Suya is one of the few things in Lagos that has stayed cheap. Getting your money into spendable Naira usually has not. Mular is the part before the meat: Dollars or stablecoins in, Naira in somebody's account in about ten seconds, and a history that remembers the rate. Download Mular and sort that out before you reach the grill.
As always, stay Jiggy.
Love, Mr Mular.
Written from other people's reviews rather than my own evening, because work smart eh? The prices are old because old is what I could find.
Related reading: the amala spots list for when you want to sit down to it, and the IJGB guide to converting Dollars in Lagos for the rest of December.