ILE, "home" in Igbo, is a Nigerian dinner theatre and tasting menu in someone's apartment. Nigerian and West African food is not new to me, so my review is based on my familiarity with various regional and tribal dishes that I love - my experience is beyond simply the recent popular fufu and egusi. There are two menus and service times: 1. A four (4) course dinner theatre experience for $120 per person that starts at 5 p.m. and 2. A seven (7) course for $220 that's at 8 p.m. I made my reservation for 2 via Resy for the 8; they ask you to arrive and wait in the lobby, but you aren't greeted and seated in the apartment till 8:30, and don't start eating till 9 - rather annoying of a wait time. My original reservation was for December, however, I didn't get to go until January due to a COVID-19 outbreak amongst the team. I did get an e-mail with a 15% discount for the delay, however, I wish I had remembered to bring that up to the team at ILE when I paid because they didn't take it into account with my final bill. Also, note to everyone, there is a 25% service fee - they do clearly advertise this when you make the reservation. Ultimately, this experience is for extroverts as dinner is at communal tables - I did know that it was a communal experience, but ended up being seated with two rather loud and extroverted couples at a table, which dampened our experience. The dining tables are in two areas - when you walk in through the door, to the right is the open space kitchen-dining area and to the left is the second dining table. This is dinner theatre via storytelling; the chef introduces each dish with music and story of that ties back to the ingredients - really cool concept and I did appreciate the narration style & storyline, however, it was a drag after the second dish. This entire thing could have been a 1.5 hour event, tops; instead, it was ~4 hours long, with each dish being eaten in less than 5-10 minutes - far too much time between the dishes. It's a BYOB establishment with no corkage fee, and they do serve a Nigerian wine for a charge per pour. Zobo (non-alcoholic) is served gratis - you can have as many refills as you want; for those who may not be familiar, zobo is the same as sorrel or jamaica; it wasn't too sweet and perfectly tart-y. Here are the seven dishes we had: 1. Starter bread, hummus, and chutney: The sweetness of the charred bread was quite well-balanced between the creaminess of the hummus and the sweetness of the chutney. Enjoyed this very much. 2. Shrimp salad: Enjoyed the jollof sauce but we only got a medium shrimp and a half; disappointed with that quantity. 3. Goat pepper soup: Pressure cooked goat with pepper soup poured into the plate afterwards. I wish there was more pressure-cooked goat - the quantity was not enough; that's how the pepper soup I've had has been. Enjoyed this very much despite the quantity. The soup was poured out of an IKEA plant watering can - I have the same one. 4. Nigerian snail: A bit overcooked; larger than Vietnamese or French snails, and slightly earthy. 5. Fish, rice, jammy duck egg, corn, and micro greens: I forget what it represented, but for the price of the entire event, there was barely any fish or duck egg; served in a cute pot that reminded me of my childhood serveware. 6. Jollof & beef: The jollof was smokey, but not spicy enough, with ribeye on a separate plate - loved the suya dust. You can add wagyu for another $35 or 75; we opted out to not upgrade - can't remember eating my jollof with wagyu before. Enjoyed this very much. The chef did later let me know as we were leaving that I could've asked for more jollof but were trying to balance quantities; I do appreciate that they wanted to avoid wastage, so don't want to give too much upfront and have it end up in the trash, but would have been nice to know while being served. 7. Oil cake with "custard" with berry coulis: Chef Eros said this a custard, but it really was ice cream in texture and consistency; the presentation reminded us of a wedding table decoration. It was all not too sweet, so that was nice, but too much show. Every other dish was so-so and lacking flavour and/or quantity. Service is pretty good - the chef's brother, Cortez, was our server; very attentive but not hovering. Since this is in a home kitchen, there are 3 folks working constantly in the kitchen, Chef Eros wondering around, and 2 servers-of-sorts; there are only 6 burners. Parking is scarce - you can e-mail ILE and ask them to reserve a guest spot for you for $15, and it will get added to your bill at the end. It might be worth taking an Uber if you prefer. Overall, while it was an interesting experience, it's not for me; the dinner theatre, communal aspect, long wait to eat, small quantities, and the price being far too high aren't it. I'd rather go to Veronica's or my mate's house. It's *perhaps* a good starting point for someone unfamiliar with Nigerian/West African food in an intimate setting. read more

See all

Attending January 2023 ileishome is a much needed flavor in LA's tasting menu sphere. It is indeed in someone's apartment so I did have a little trouble locating it. There are two rooms and they both have communal table to sit at. The groups didn't really interact much when I went though Enjoyed all the flavors and the theatrics. The personal stories added an extra touch to all the food being served. That pepper soup was A++ read more

See all

BEST DINING EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE!!! My boyfriend treated me and my friend to a 9 course meal at Ile Is Home. I had already heard amazing things about chef Eros, but my experience was beyond all expectations! The restaurant is actually a loft, located in Hollywood, but on a quiet street away from the noise. Each dish was plated uniquely, paired with a story of the dish's origins. Every single dish blew my mind. I never knew that cod could be so flavorful. I never had pepper soup that delicious. Not to mention, the jollof rice was the best I've ever had! There were so many flavors on each plate, yet they all complemented each other perfectly! The chef's energy and storytelling during the dining experience is a treat in itself. You're fully immersed into the history of African cuisine, while eating the most delicious foods in your life. Chef Eros is a culinary genius. This dining experience has secured the #1 spot on my list, and I strongly recommend foodies of all cultures immerse themselves into this experience. You won't regret it! (I've already been back a second time!) Bravo! read more

See all

Ile has two servings. The one we did was the later one at 8:00 with a nine course Nigerian food experience. This concept kitchen is different from others as the chef passionately tells you a story of each dish and how significant this dish plays for him in his life and culture. You're seated at a table with seven other people. Talking cards are placed to strike up conversations with the folks around you which was a great idea as we awkwardly step out in to the world again. This place is a BYOB but the team does a great job informing you what bottles to bring to pair with each dish experience. From the Afro best music to the story telling to the food and conversations and the team taking shots and sips from their own private bar, you get a sense of home and family among strangers which can potentially be friends at one dining table. Compliments to the chef for this wholesome experience. read more

See all

I am writing my first yelp review because I can not stop thinking about this food. My partner and I went a couple weeks ago and were blown away not only by the quality of the food, but the atmosphere David curated. Everything complimented each other. Dreaming of that hummus... read more

Over priced, too much and unnecessary drama. If you are a fan of non home made Nigerian Cuisine then this is for you. This taste nothing like home. read more

This was a delicious, fun, and festive dining experience that is great for big or small groups. If you like unique flavors and a well curated meal at a common table, this is a really fun night full of laughs and delicious food. Each course comes with a short story from Chef Eros and we found the flavors to be really complex and delightful. There's no shortage of food, and the courses are parsed out nicely. The meal went over three hours, so tuck in and enjoy. The break, the soup, the short ribs, and the rice were the stand outs for me. I would definitely go back again. read more

ILE is a fascinating Nigerian pop up tasting menu located in an apartment complex. Chef Tolu Eros offers two menus, a five course for $120 and a nine course for $250. Dinner happens at a communal table. BYOB with no corkage fee. I did the nine course tasting. Food: The food was hit or miss, in my opinion. The good was REALLY good -- namely the PEPPER SOUP (I believe it is featured in both menus -- I loved this), the STARTER AOLI AND BREAD COURSE (solely for the inclusion of a specific Nigerian spice that I have forgotten the name of, but I felt the bread could've been less sweet), the POPSICLE PALLETTE CLEANSER, and the COCONUT DESSERT. However, the other more substantial courses fell flat for me. The JOLLOF RICE was notable for its inclusion of Nigerian, Ghanian, and Senegalese elements, but I found it a little dry and felt it could use more flavor. The chicken it was served with was more redeeming in my opinion. The FRIED BEEF was extremely dry and tough. This was my least favorite course. The CLAM AND YAM was plated well, but bland. Take this with the grain of salt that West African cuisine is not my favorite (at least when I last visited Ghana), but I found the most substantial courses left me wanting more. Service: Very eager team. I think not all the quircks are worked out (e.g., there were a few instances where our table was all served food and ready to start until a few realized they didn't have utensils) but these are minor. One kind of annoying thing was that the room was cold, because one of the patrons was bothered by the onion being chopped in the kitchen (in the same room) and requested the door be left open; I asked for hot water to warm up but this was not able to be provided. Experience: The chef introduces each course with music and a story of his family's cooking or the history of the ingredients. This was a very original concept and I love the inclusion of narrative in food, but I also found that it started to drag by the second half. The biggest issue here, I think, is that the team is working with a small home kitchen, not a commercial kitchen. There are only 6 burners, and the whole meal took 4 hours, when each course took only a few minutes to eat. There was too much time in-between courses, particularly when you are sitting at a communal table with strangers. At some point the chef brought around question cards to help with conversation. Overall: I was torn between 3 or 4 stars, but ultimately decided to go with 4, because: (1) I like the philosophy of elevated African cuisine and want to support underappreciated food cultures; it is not easy to start something like this in an American culture that traditionally has not seen so-called "ethnic" foods as haute cuisine. (2) The experience is truly unique, and there is something magical about the ambiance that the Chef creates -- intimate, personal, homely in a good way. (3) The standout dishes were truly standout, and it exposed me to some flavors that I have not experienced before. Great start ILE, and looking forward to following your success. read more

See all

Certain milestones happen once in a lifetime. I made the unfortunate decision of relying on Ile to make my milestone a positive one. After spending nearly $5,000, I have painful disappointment. I believe in the mission of Ile to bring West African food to the world. So much so, that individual attendance at this dinner was what I desired as my graduation gift from my guests; making the poor treatment they received even more painful. As others have mentioned this is an apartment--not a restaurant. This contributed to the inability to handle my dinner party with care.  I first contacted Ile back in March to ensure the dinner would run smoothly. When asked for photos of the event space I was shown an indoor lounge with no tables for dinner. When I inquired further into what the setup would be, I was told that my party would have to be seated outside...although there were no photos of the outdoor area provided beforehand. If I had not inquired, I would have been caught by surprise when my guests, some aged over 70 years old & others under 1 year, would be expected to be outside at night for their meal. Eventually my party was allowed to be held indoors.  I was originally given a time of 3.5 hours for the seated dinner. Over the months of planning for this event, Ile managed to change the time from the original 3.5 hours to just 2 hours, with no adjustments to the pricing to reflect the difference in time. When I asked for the original 3.5 hours back, I was not given a reason for the change but was told that I would get 3 hours for the meal. The morning of the dinner I paid the invoice in full for everyone meal, including the 25% service fee, to show good faith and prevent any issues. My dinner was for a graduation. Due to protests at colleges all over the world, there were changes in the ceremony from the administration the day of, and ultimately commencement ended late. As soon as I realized there was no way I would be able to get across town in time, I communicated this to my point person at Ile, many hours in advance of the dinner time. Instead of understanding and pushing the reservation back as most restaurants would, I was met with a message that my time was immovable. No matter how late I came my end time would not be changed. This meant that again, the amount of time for my dinner would be shortened; another reduction in the service for the near $5,000 dinner I paid for. I ran home after graduation to gather everything for the party as my guests started to go towards the venue. I was told my guests needed to arrive for me to even gain the possibility of extending the dinner time. I bought a graduation balloon garland among other decorations which never materialized due to everything being rushed.  Ile is upfront that no alcohol is provided. However as the dinner began, the nonalcoholic drinks included in the meal were not provided to my party, another reduction in service for the dinner. My guests were resigned to drinking either alcohol or water--no other options. By the time dessert came around, I was told that I had to leave. Just 2 hours after the meal started. I had bought a cake but was told my party could only enjoy this cake on the balcony outside. When I asked for plates and forks to eat the cake, I was told there were no plates or forks for me to use. Eventually, they handed my party paper plates and after some negotiation, they gave us a knife to cut the cake but no forks. As my party went outside to the area where we were consistently told we could lounge, we were shocked to be met with a space with no furniture and no tables. I had to find a ledge on the roof to place my cake on. As we stood outside on the other side of the rooftop we found one table and a few chairs, but not nearly enough to seat my party, leaving the majority of the group standing. My dinner party scrambled to find a late-night convenience store so we could enjoy the cake I got for my loved ones. I had to go down to the lobby to meet my brother-in-law to get the forks he had to buy for us. By the time I came back up, my guests were hurriedly telling me they were leaving. As I offered them forks on their way out they said they just ate the cake with their hands because they no longer wanted to be in the space. A member of the Ile team had talked directly to my guests in a rude and passive-aggressive way while I was away getting the forks, which I already should never have had to do after paying almost $5,000 for this dinner. Instead of talking to me directly about any issues, someone from the team went and caused fear and stress for my guests and loved ones who came across the country to celebrate. So much so that they'd rather leave altogether than enjoy the dinner event they paid for. It was unprofessional and rude. Dinner ultimately ended with my guests, elderly & very young alike, resigned to eating cake outside...in the cold...with their bare hands. This is now what I have as my milestone memory. read more

Excellent experience!! The best chicken I've had in LA , amazing flavor and tenderness.

It was a unique experience in a homely environment. The chef and staff were friendly, welcoming, and outgoing. The food was a total of 5 courses. We started off with the agege bread that was accompanied with some spread. The bread was decent but a little on the sweet side. Next was the peppersoup, which had great flavors. Unfortunately, it was all broth and lacked the hearty portion of meat that typically accompanies this dish. It was served with only one piece of shrimp. The third, ewa agoyin, was good. The jollof rice, which was served with a piece of breaded drumstick. was somewhat underwhelming. It was an amalgamation of the Nigerian, Ghanaian, and Senegalese versions. The tasting was completed with a puff puff dessert. The dessert was actually my favorite course of the evening. Overall, it was entertaining and worth the experience. The five course tasting was $120. This was really more for the experience. The restaurant allows you to BYOB, as it serves no alcohol. read more