Alhaji Suya

Some foods open up parts of your brain you didn’t even realise were there. They react with your taste buds and do the tango with your receptors in eye-opening and, in the case of Alhaji Suya, eye-watering ways. 

The northern Nigerian takeaway spot in Peckham isn’t somewhere you pitch up. Its slender counter, white lighting, and tiled walls scream in-and-out, grab-and-go. But boy does this suya stay with you. Choose from lamb, beef, or chicken (the tozo is our favourite) and prepare to enjoy some of London’s most expertly barbecued meat from wherever you choose to wolf it. The pavement, the bus stop, the car. It doesn’t matter, what matters is getting it.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Alhaji’s yaji (a homemade spice mix of chilli, peanut, ginger, and garlic) is one of those foods that gets your brain going. It covers all their freshly grilled suya and it’s the reason you’ll soon likely have a newfound appreciation for raw tomato and white onion. These slices of raw fruit and vegetable accompany every box, and both offset the fiery spice and savouriness that comes as standard from the meat. Though, really, you don’t want respite from Alhaji Suya. You just want more.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Tozo Suya

On Alhaji’s board you’ll see a different part of the animal you’ve chosen to eat highlighted and, in the case of tozo, it’s the cow hump. Cooked in a suya marinade and then topped with yaji, this meat is ludicrously tender. It’s crisp on the outside from the grill, but melts in your mouth the instant you bite into it. One bite is all you need to be hooked.