A new restaurant serving African cuisine has opened on Reading’s Oxford Road.
Run by husband-and-wife Adenike and Adekunle Kalejaiye, Avila builds on their experience running a catering business for the past three years.
Mrs Kalejaiye said: “When we started back in December 2019, it was more of a takeaway business, which, looking back was not a bad idea because three months later, there was a lockdown.”
Her husband said they hoped their restaurant would fill a gap in the market, offering somewhere for people to have fun and enjoy high-quality food.
Their future plans include live music events and karaoke nights.
He said: “Looking at the demographics of the people we cater to, there are very few options for people to go out, have fun, because most of the outlets are in London.
“That’s the gap we are trying to serve, so professionals in the Berkshire region have a good place to hang out, good company, good music, fun, and have a good time out.”
The cuisine centres around African cuisine, with some Caribbean influence.
Mrs Kalejaiye said: “We’ve created some fusion dishes where you can pair the jollof rice with lamb chops, barbecue ribs, barbecue chicken which is quite popular with a lot of people.
“Then we have the very niche dishes as well in terms of soups which are quite popular as well.”
The drinks menu features Nigerian beers including Star lager and Guinness Foreign Extra Stout.
“That is quite popular among our audience, and we’ve had people come in and just try it,” Mr Kalejaiye said. “It’s a part of what we’re trying to offer – a mixture of culture, food and drink.”
The Avila restaurant launched at the beginning of the month and is open seven days a week.
