There's a New Tex-Mex Restaurant in Lagos
The Public House
13 Kasumu Ekemode Street, Victoria Island, Lagos
NOSA: It’s been a two years, I think, since Bar Campione closed shop. In that time, we’ve seen Insignia give it a go and now, The Public House.
FOLLY: I wonder if each outgoing restaurants sells the lease and the restaurant assets as a package deal.
NOSA: On the surface, Public House looks like it has some staying power. The Marvel character mural is inviting and the arcade will kill it with the kids. In some ways, it reminded me a lot of Johnny Rockets.
FOLLY: It's also hella confusing. There's the arcade and the waitresses are dressed like Mario. There are also sombreros hanging from the ceiling and placards that are reminiscent of the American South.
NOSA: The sombreros on the ceiling, I can understand. It is supposed to be a Tex Mex spot so it makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is why it’s also styled like an American diner? I’d have no qualms with this if they didn’t push this “we’re a Mexican restaurant” agenda.
If you think that’s bad, it gets worse in the menu. In a ten page menu, there are only 6 or 10 items that you’d say are distinctly Tex Mex. There are more pizza and pasta options than there are Tex Mex options.
FOLLY: Since it was branded as a Tex Mex spot, we assumed that was their forte and decided to mainly stick to ordering the Mexican-ish stuff.
NOSA: To start, we had the nachos. The nachos worked for me, but they looked and tasted store bought. I could’ve walked into Delis, grabbed a bag of tortilla chips and some Tostitoschunky salsa, and I could’ve made this. In fact, I’m like 70% sure the salsa was Tostitos. I’ve been to enough Super Bowl parties to know.
FOLLY: It was a really good nacho bowl but it wasn't authentic.
NOSA: Now, look at the tortilla chips that came with the guacamole. Yeah, the nachos were definitely store bought.
FOLLY: For worth it's worth, the tortilla chips that came with the guacamole weren't nearly toasted/baked enough.
NOSA: Maybe they can get some tips from Toasties
FOLLY: The avocado also wasn't ripe enough (you can probably tell from the color) and needed salt.
NOSA: The fajita was the final straw for me. It was more a “beef” wrap than a fajita. For a place that claims to serve Mexican food, this is probably the biggest sin. Maybe the owners think Nigerians might be able to tell.
I mean, there’s an arcade. We should be grateful.
The wrap wasn’t the worst thing in the world, to be fair. It was definitely edible, but I could’ve spent that money on 5 shawarma and 0 lies
FOLLY: Nah it was bad because that was highway robbery. N5200 for a skinny wrap probably also made with local beef.
FOLLY: The escalope was a disappointment - I mean just look at it. I'm used to it being served with a more deliberate sauce and not ranch from a bottle. The breading also really tasted like cinnamon.
NOSA: The waiter brought Folly’s escalope without fries like the menu said. We had to argue with the guy just to get our fries, which weren’t very good either.
POSTSCRIPT
NOSA: The place is very mid. Like, the food is edible but this is like sugarcane all over again. Looks great on the outside but doesn't pass a piss test
FOLLY: Everything was so expensive and nothing was worth it except maybe the nachos cause I liked those. We paid over N5200 for a beef wrap and that really upsets me.
VERDICT
DAMAGE
Fajitas - N5200
Nachos - N4000
Guacamole - N2000
Chicken Escalope - N4500
Passionfruit Mojito - N3000
PARKING
Yes, both off street and on street. However, the parking lot is quite narrow.