Caesars: Halal Restaurant Review

If you work in my office then you must have heard of two restaurants; Ojuelegba and Caesars Restaurant; both highly praised for their amazing rice dishes.

As you can guess, I was craving rice on one cold and hungry afternoon and decided to check out the famous Caesars restaurant that my colleagues have been begging me to try for months.

I pulled out my phone to check the distance of the restaurant from my office and google map said it was 8 minutes away. I must say mobility and life in Abuja is sweet compared to the congested and chaotic Lagos. I wrapped up my work and set out for the restaurant to spend my lunch break.

Upon arriving at Caesars, I was very pleased that the restaurant had a huge name board fixed to its rooftop and thus unmissable for first timers. I immediately changed into my critic hat and stepped out from the car and began my videography.

The restaurant has a generous parking lot but I was taken aback by the number of cars that was parked outside; I feared I had visited the restaurant at the wrongest time in the day.

When I entered the restaurant I was surprised by the number of persons sat inside…it made me question who owned the cars packed outside the restaurant if it wasn’t their guests. The restaurant was pretty much empty. So usually before I visit these restaurant, I make the necessary inquiries and conduct my due diligence and find out if the food served at the restaurant is halal…but I hadn’t prior to my visit that day and so I had to make my inquiries upon arrival.

I tried multiple times to explain what halal meant to the waiter but it was one of those things he just couldn’t comprehend. I requested to see the store manager who they confirmed was Muslim and was better positioned to answer; but the store manger was not available to speak to me. Instead, I was introduced to the head chef, who at first mistook me for a Hausa lady and started speaking the language to me and I had to cut him off by saying ‘ba Hausa‘. His eyes widened with surprise and he confirmed to me that, yes their food was halal and the owner of the Restaurant was in fact a Muslim and went by the name of Abdullahi Gunda.

I carried out a mini investigation online to put a face behind the owner of the restaurant but found nothing. A mysterious owner. I liked that.

My best part of the restaurant has got to be the cozy area with the armed grey sofas and minimalist designs. It was an ideal spot to hold an informal meeting with a client or colleague.

The menu was brought to my table and I found it very pressurizing when the waiter towered over me and patiently waited for me to call out my order. I know I could have easily asked him to return but he had been so polite earlier and I just couldn’t bring myself to dismiss him. If you’ve ever eaten out with me then you must know that I can spend a good ten minutes looking at the menu trying to decide what to eat.

I glanced over at the waiter who glared back at me with his manic expression and so I turned to him and asked for his opinion on their best selling appetizer and mains. He recommended the hot wings and the Caesar rice my colleagues have sang a thousand time was the best. I glanced over at the menu one more time and made my decision.

Main Orders

Appetizers

I ordered the 6 Pieces Hot Wings (N1,000).

Mains & Drinks

I ordered the Caesars Rice (N3,500) and the Virgin Mojito (N1,500) and the Oreo Milkshake/Freezes (N2,500)

My oreo milkshake was the first to arrive and it was absolute perfection. I kid you not when I say it was perfection. Perhaps if I were to be ever sad and someone bought me their oreo milkshake, I would become the happiest person. Isn’t it amazing how food can greatly uplift one’s mood? Their complimentary bread roll was not as sweet as a brioche but it tasted just as good. As a matter of fact I had to limit myself to just one piece because I have not been busting my tummy at the gym just to add more rolls to my belly (pun intended).

If anything could top their oreo milkshake it would be their hot wings. I devoured those bad boys in lest than 15 seconds. I would happily volunteer for a mukbang challenge featuring their glorious hot wings. It’s funny because out of all the thing I ordered, their wings were the last thing I looked forward to trying but I loved it so much I instantly regretted opting for the 6 pieces instead of the 12.

My virgin mojito was more or less diabetes in a cup. It was way too sweet for my liking. I’m certain my sweet tooth readers would fancy trying this one out.

Alas, the famous Caesar rice was brought to my table and my eyes widened at the portion. I remember making a joke that the portion was big enough to feed the world, but despite its frightening portion, the meal looked and smelled delicious. When I took my first bite, my face fell instantly. Now, don’t get me wrong the rice was good; I genuinely could understand why people would love and praise the rice (the portion is huge, it contained shredded beef, shrimps, egg and two pieces of chicken and tasted really nice). However, the rice contained two ingredients I despise; egg and sesame oil.

I can stomach a meal that has a dash/almost non-existent amount of sesame oil, but the taste of the sesame oil in the Caesar rice was unmissable and far too overwhelming. My heart broke. I forced a few more forks of the rice to get some worth of my money but asked the waiter to pack the rest so I could give it to someone that could better appreciate it.

So one interesting incident that happened at my time at the restaurant was when I made my way out of the restaurant. Just before entering my car, I was approached by a man/driver who mentioned he had a message for me. I grew suspicious and asked what the message was and he mentioned that there was a man that was sat near me at the restaurant who was his boss and he was interested in me. His boss had instructed him to collect my number.

Is that how people shoot their shots these days? I am actually curious to know what you guys think? Was the man’s approach simply cowardly or borderline disrespectful and prideful? In what world did the man think any girl would actually give his driver their private number? I shook my head in disbelief and entered my car.

Otherwise, my experience at Caesars was quite lovely. Their customer service was truly amazing and the restaurant is an affordable place to mix business with pleasure. Will I go back again? Definitely. Next time I plan to explore their Persian & Grill menu.

Critique Hat Score: 7/10 

Food: 8/10

Ambience: 7.5/10

Convenience: 7/10

Service: 9/10

Price: 7/10

Recommendations (if any): I highly recommend their Hot Wings.

Restaurant Details:

10 Nile Street

Maitama,

Abuja

Contacts:

09095080516

Social Media:

Instagram: @caesars_restaurant

Opening Hours:

Monday – Sunday: 9am – 11pm

If you’ve never been to Caesar’s, you should definitely check them out. They recently opened a second branch in Wuse (at 28 Agadez Crescent, Wuse II) so be sure to visit the branch closest to you!