Arike Restaurant

This is a hidden gem in the West End. Sunken below street level, you would not know that there is a Michelin featured restaurant on Davie street, if not for word of mouth. The space is unassuming and there is a small patio that would be nice to sit at in the summer.

The cuisine is not like anything I've had before and it fuses different flavours like masal and jerk spices. They have a five course tasting menu with a vegetarian version to come back in 2025. The menu changes every six weeks. The five courses are artfully presented. On their own, each dish doesn't seem like a massive portion. But by the end of the five courses, really by the end of the fourth course, I was stuffed. All the items were interesting and different, but the flavours worked. They were not things I would have conventionally thought to put together oe methods I would have thought of e.g. salt baked pineapple, but somehow it all ended up very tasty. Standouts for me were the coconut encrusted plantain, the granite palate cleanser, and the chicken liver pate with bannock.

The cocktail list is likewise unique. It is tea inspired and organized by elements. The bartender came and explained all the drinks for us. There is an excellent cocktail flight which you can pair with your dinner and I would recommend that to try the most drinks. The presentation on the drinks was also well done, and the cocktails were all very well balanced. Nothing was too spicy or too sweet. The flavours were very harmonious.

Service is really great. Everyone is so nice. It was my birthday and they def went the extra mile. All the dishes are explained. The bartender, who is really a mixologist more than a bartender, came to the table to explain each cocktail. If you are a wine person, they also do wine pairings. All the wineries are from BC, and the majority are boutique vineyards.

Highly recommend. I'm not a fan of all the restaurants Michelin picks, but this one is definitely deserving.

Cute modest restaurant with big flavors! Best meal deal in Vancouver for a 5+ course prix-fixe with an inexpensive wine flight option! Reservation-only in advance (no walk-ins) that is best described as modern African fusion. If you were like us, you weren't sure what to expect but I can tell you that Michelin got this one right. French and Japanese inspired dishes with African/Nigerian pops of flavors. Chef-created cocktails with local organic wines only add to its unique charm. Shout out to Joel for wonderful descriptions and service!

We started with the homemade nut/seed wheat/date bread with an amazing shallot butter/anise gastrique--they need to package and sell that butter! The African-inspired "potato salad" with lightly-dressed fresh flavors followed. The crispy eggplant in mushroom broth with smoked guanciale was so awesome!! Very japanese-influenced flavors that my not-an-eggplant-lover wife described as amazingly delicious and incredible. Following the guava/yuzu granite came the amazing duck leg confit with spicy peanut sauce that can only be described as so uniquely delicious. The ribeye was solid but the accompanying leek tart was so good. The African chai tea helped clear the palate for the tasty and whimsical "pancake" dessert. This was such an amazing meal and even more amazingly, they change the menu every 6 weeks and never repeat dishes. We will def return!!

A fantastic spot that opened in 2019. Excellent, high quality cocktails that will hold its own against any hipster cocktail bar, and really, really excellent food and service.

The flatbread is hands down the best I've ever had anywhere. Crisp, thIn, topped with just the right amount of deliciousness. Their wings are FANTASTIC. Everything is quite good. I introduced my brother-in-law to this place, and now he is a regular. He swears their steak is the best in the city, so I definitely must try that on my next visit!

I wasn't sure what Nigerian food was going to taste like; however Arike had been mentioned as "top new restaurants to check out" in some food blog so I thought this place was worth trying. I went with my food squad which was perfect because we got to try a good variety of dishes. I highly recommend going with more than 2 people or fast all day so you can order a ton of dishes lol.

This place is located on Davie street, super close to Denman street. There is no restaurant parking but there is a paid parking lot behind the restaurant. Our server/owner of Arike was very friendly and gave us recommendations on dishes and took the time to explain how the dishes were made. We were told that their concept was more of a modern twist with authentic flavours (which is different from the homestyle curries/stews that typical traditional Nigerian cuisine consists of). I'm personally not a fan of those hearty/stew type dishes so I was happy with their innovative Nigerian menu.

We ordered the following:
-fried habanero corn fritters
-free range chicken wings (had a subtle kick to them)
-cassava fries
-pulled oxtail & cured pork belly flat bread
-fried jollof rice (sooo good, apparently it takes hours to make...they create a chicken broth from scratch which takes hours and then they slowly cook the rice in this broth)w/ grilled beef striploin skewers (the meat was very tender)
-spiced goat dumplings
-milo icecream
-pof pofs

All the dishes were presented beautifully and were seasoned well. The highlights for me were the corn fritters (they were these mini fritters but full of flavour with a little bit of heat), jollof rice, and the milo icecream. The pof pofs were like little fried mini Tim bits which was good to have with the icecream. If it's just you and another person I would say just get the icecream because they give you a huge scoop. Between the 5 of us we didn't even finish it because we were pretty stuffed.

I would go back again if I was in the area and I would recommend this place to friends. Food was interesting with bold flavours and I appreciated the great service. The only draw back for me was that it can get pretty loud...we were next to a rowdy table where they really loud (think busy pub noise level). At times our group had to yell and had to repeat what we were saying. However we came on a Friday evening so that's understandable. So maybe come either earlier in the evening or on a week night if you are concerned with noise level (thinking for the elderly/people who don't like super loud places).

All in all a great new place!

This is a very interesting and unique restaurant. Currently, There's no other restaurant in Vancouver that serves high end Nigerian cuisine. It was hard to get a reservation here but we made it. Most dishes we had here, we loved it. They serve all local wines and ciders; which is always great. I would love to come back again!

This new West African inspired restaurant on Davie was a pleasant treat on a Thursday night!

First things first (I'm the realest), the food was delicious. I went with a friend whose family is Nigerian, and she confirmed that although not authentic, the dishes were scrumptious. The jollof rice came with really tender suya beef skewers, but be aware that the rice has a kick of heat. The cured pork belly and pulled oxtail flatbread had a beautiful thin crust, and was balanced by creamy bites of soft cheese and mild cherry tomatoes. The cassava fries came with a few nice sauces; I really enjoyed the ata din din pepper sauce.

We had pof pofs for dessert, which came with a ginger honey sauce, mint leaves, and cinnamon sugar. It was a nice sweet treat, but I don't know that I would order it again. The texture on the inside was a borderline mushy.

There was only one server for the whole restaurant, which definitely affected the speed and attentiveness of our service. He also went out for a smoke break in front of the restaurant for a few minutes around 9... not too sure how I feel about that. Bill came out to just over $60 including tax and tip, and I left full but not stuffed.

I think I'd come back again once or twice more to try some other flatbreads, but it'd be nice to get another front of house staff member so as to reduce the workload!

Nice chill vibe on a Friday night. We made resos but there were smaller tables still available.

My friends and I ordered a lot from the menu. We started with the jalapeño frittatas. They were these little Smalls of fried dough. The waitress said they are freeze dried jalapeños ground to a powder and incorporated into the dough. Tasty little things when you get a hint of chili at the end.

Oxtail flatbread was tasty though a tad on the greasy side. The fried rice with suya beef was tasty. It's cooked in chicken broth and a tomato base. The beef I found quite thin and expensive at $4 per skewer (we added extra so each one of us had a skewer. The goat dumplings have a unique flavour that I am not sure I love. The dumpling wrappers are nice and chewy though.

The milo ice cream is creamy and smooth. They want really well with the pof pofs. Just wished they were bigger. They are the size of a quarter of a Timbit.

Excellent! The vibe, the service & the food. Girlfriend even said, "best onion rings I've ever had" and the Oxtail Boudin...OMG. So good as was the goat dumplings (did not photo). We came for the Dine Out Vancouver experience however their main menu looked so yummy. I'm glad we decided to sample a few items off the menu and shared everything. I believe that's the best way to go with their menu.

We're already planning a double date night as we want come back here soon. Definitely check it out as I believe it's a hidden gem.

Considering how much food we ordered including a drink each, the bill was under $85.

I was surprised we had the whole restaurant to ourselves even though we arrived at 19:30 on a Wednesday.

Wow! This place is fantastic. When I heard a Nigerian cocktail & food bar would be opening up in this spot, I had no idea what to expect - I'd never tried Nigerian food, and any new restaurant is a bit of a gamble. But Arike turned out to be everything I hoped for and more - it's the chance of finding gems like this that make me always want to try new places to eat.

To start with, the place blends classy restaurant style and nice bar vibes, so it feels like it would be a great place for both fun drinks with friends and nice date nights. All the staff were super friendly too; apparently it's mostly a family & friends business, and you can tell the folks all know each other and get along well. The bartender whipped up a nice dark & stormy that was on the lighter side in terms of alcohol punch, which was good for a weeknight!

I really came here to try out the food, though, and this is where I was very nicely surprised. Unlike a lot of places, all the portion sizes here are modest - and yet I did not leave hungry by any means! The food portions meant it was easy for me to try a whole bunch of things at once, and let me tell you, they were all delicious.

The goat spoon? It's literally a spoon with tender, flavourful, braised goat meat, and a deliciously complex sauce dabbed on top that had a hint of something very intriguing that I couldn't quite figure out. Habanero corn fritters? They may be fried and crispy and quite small on the outside, but they're creamy and flavourful on the inside, and they're sprinkled with the perfect amount of salt too.

I went for one of the most unusual-sounding flatbreads, the leg of lamb with suya and onion sauce, because I love trying new and different things, and I was rewarded. The sauce on the flatbread was really fantastic - you don't see onion sauces often, but this one perfectly complemented the cheese that went along with it. The crust was light and crisp, and the meat itself rounded out the whole thing with that umami taste people love.

And even after all that I had room for dessert, so I went for the pof pofs. These things are like the grown-up version of timbits - crispy fried shell powdered with sugar and cinnamon on the outside, creamy and gooey dough on the inside, and a nice honey sauce to daub them in as you eat them.

I could not have been more impressed. I love places that give you room to try a variety of dishes, and the atmosphere was perfect for the kind of timeslot and crowd they're aiming for. Arike is a fantastic addition to the neighbourhood - welcome, and best of luck! I'll definitely be trying to drag friends here with me soon!

My sisters and I stumbled upon this place while vacationing in Vancouver and looking for a place to eat near the English bay beach. We were super excited to go since we come from Nigeria and its a Nigerian cuisine inspired menu. First of all, although the food is inspired by Nigerian cuisine, the actual taste was not much like what you'd get at an authentic Nigerian restaurant. But for what it was, the food was delicious. Our favorite was the suya wings by far! Jollof rice was good but had too much palm oil for my taste. Also tried the goat dumplings but that was not as impressive as the wings. For dessert, we had the puff puff and they tasted more like timbits than the airy yeasty Nigerian puff puff.
The ambience of the place was really cool with nice music and drinks. Staff were also very nice. I'll be back, but mostly for the suya wings! :D