Biazo - A restaurant with a taste of Africa and no alcohol - Edgware Middlesex, HA8 7AX

A new restaurant is bringing a taste of African culture to London. Biazo in Edgware which has only been open for seven weeks has all the markings of cool despite its unusual business ethos. The new spot serves up a rich cuisine reflecting the exoticness of African culture – the coastlands, deserts and rainforests, but takes a strong stand on being a family oriented restaurant and refuses to serve alcohol.

The absence of liquor, wine and beer is the policy of the owners, husband and wife team, Bola and Kemi Olukoya who are keen to provide a non threatening alcohol-free environment for guests.

“The emphasis is on the food we provide and the ambience of the restaurant,” says Bola Olukoya. “We are a family friendly restaurant and we want to create an environment that parents can bring their kids to. Biazo is hip and fresh and we pride ourselves on having a calm atmosphere that young and old alike can relate to. We have a fully licensed bar but instead of serving alcohol, we choose to serve non-alcoholic cocktails and wines.”

The 50-seater restaurant offers authentic African food in a modern African setting giving people the chance to try something different from the usual Friday night takeaways. Guests who have never sampled African food before will find a true taste of Africa in delicacies like the flame grilled suya (a tasty serving of spicy barbequed beef/goat cooked in local herbs and spices), the popular jollof rice, a mainstay rice dish in Nigeria, Senegal and Gambia, deliciously cooked in onions, tomatoes and pepper sauces or the Edikang-Ikong, a vegetable stew made with a blend of Pumpkin leaves and water leaves combined with traditional African spices.

Biazo serves up more than just heat and spices. Serving lunch and dinner at affordable prices, Biazo transforms from a vibrant atmosphere during the day to relaxed evenings with soft lighting, music and visual delights from around Africa to provide the perfect eating environment. “We launched Biazo because we felt that there was no real family oriented African restaurant in Edgware where we’re based,” says Bola Olukoya. “We wanted to create a hip and fresh restaurant where one could go and have a decent meal. We hope with Biazo, we’ve created that hip and fresh restaurant. It really stands out with regards to the ambience; we believe this is the best African restaurant in London, if not the UK in terms of ambience and our food.”

Bola believes there’s a need to add the African restaurant into the league of top restaurants and hopes Biazo will make the cut. “There is a need to have a top quality African restaurant where people from all cultures can feel free to walk into and not feel intimidated by the environment or the setting,” says Bola. “A place where they can have a meal and enjoy the ambience, the food and the music; a place where they can experience a true taste of Africa and this is what we are looking to provide. We want to put the African restaurant and culture on the forefront of western culture.”

Kemi Olukoya adds, “The Biazo experience will be truly unique for those looking for a homely atmosphere in which to dine and enjoy delicious African food so why not drop by today and judge for yourself?”