A Health-Conscious Nigerian Chain Expands to Downtown D.C.

Eater

3 days ago

Nuli, the Nigeria-based, fast-casual chain, hopes to challenge misconceptions about African cuisine, one jollof super bowl at a time — through its first U.S. location opening soon in downtown Washington.
Scheduled to round out The Square food hall (1850 K St. NW) in August, the health-food restaurant's warm bowls and toasted wraps not only emphasize nutrient-rich African ingredients locally sourced from the DMV, but they also reflect culinary traditions across the continent's 54 countries, including its Mediterranean and Indian influences.
'We need to tell these stories of how, at the end of the day, we are one people,' said Ada Osakwe, the Lagos-based entrepreneur and founder behind Nuli. 'Broader than Africa, just we are one, and we need to break down those barriers for building this community.'
Nuli founder and Lagos-based entrepreneur Ada Osakwe. Gazmudu
The freshly baked naan bread surrounding the toasted wraps is a nod to the Indian diaspora on the African continent — its best sellers are the Naanini and Naan Pepper wraps.
Osakwe added couscous as a base option to some of Nuli's bowls because it's something she ate during the four years she lived in Tunisia and worked in development finance for the African Development Bank Group.
'When I lived in Tunisia, that was an eye opener for me,' Osakwe tells Eater. '…That for me was the foundation in terms of realizing that we had such diverse cultures on the continent. North Africans were quite different from us.'
Jollof-flavored pasta, called Pasta Magic. Nuli Foods
As for the West African influence, Nuli's warm bowls come in a smoky jollof version as well. Its fonio, couscous, and rice offer the red pepper flavorful spice that jollof is famous for, Osakwe said.
You can order your bowls with tandoori chicken, spicy prawns, or lamb meatballs, alongside vegan options that include avocado or veggie meat chunks. Osakwe highly recommends that you order sweet plantain fries as a side.
Fonio super bowls combine the ancient, protein-packed West African grain with fresh vegetables for a cold salad, or a warm, stir-fried bowl. Salad dressings and Tahini-like creamy spreads are designed around egusi, a West African melon seed that's rich in essential minerals and a valuable source of creamy, planet protein.
Items unique to the D.C. location include steamed bean cakes known as moin-moin, and nutritious moringa smoothies and parfaits. Moringa, also known as the 'miracle tree,' has become a popular superfood. Nuli in D.C. will also use gluten-free cassava flour for the naan bread that surrounds the toasted wraps, something that is not available at the Lagos locations. And in keeping with African culinary practices, Nuli's staff will make the menu items from scratch each day.
The Naanini Wrap Nuli Foods
The melted beef naan wrap. Nuli Foods
In Osakwe's experience, many people think of African cuisine as oily, too fatty, and visually unappealing. Or they think Ethiopian cuisine is representative of the entire continent. That's why she presents Nuli's cuisine in a familiar way — through wraps, bowls, and smoothies.
'I'm so excited about finally changing the narrative or perceptions on African food,' she said. 'It doesn't have to be this, sort of, 'What's that floating in the red sauce, I don't understand,'' Osakwe said.
Nuli comes from the female name 'Anwuli' and is unique to the Igbo ethnic group in Nigeria. It means happiness or joy — 'Taste Joy,' the company's tagline, is also Nuli's ethos.
Osakwe founded Nuli in 2016 when she was incorporating exercise and healthy food into her lifestyle. Her goal was making healthy food more accessible in terms of price and convenience. Beyond that, she wanted to build a homegrown brand on the African continent that translates globally and that she could eventually bring to the United States.
A 'berrylicious' smoothie from Nuli's smoothie lineup. Nuli Foods
'I was tired of the Burger Kings or the Pizza Huts coming into our countries and people paying huge franchise fees for those, and yet, we weren't developing and backing our own people,' said Osakwe, who also invests in underrepresented founders in Africa and beyond. 'So yeah, this is like a dream come true.'
Tunisia is where Osakwe learned how to back projects that push Africa forward, whether they're in the agriculture, infrastructure or food system spaces. In keeping with that mission, a portion of Nuli's sales support farmer cooperatives owned by African women, who make up more than 50 percent of the farming population.
Osakwe operates six Nuli locations in Lagos. In the past, Nuli partnered with Uber to deliver its juice to Lagosians. Google and McKinsey & Company have also regularly placed bulk orders for their workforces in Lagos.
Nuli marks the latest spot for The Square, which houses about a dozen eateries. Las Hermanas Coffee Shop, from sisters Keren and Nataly Moreno, arrived at the end of June. Before that, Donisima, the Latin-American pop-up doughnut shop from Miguel Guerra of the Michelin-starred Mita, opened earlier in the month.
Osakwe zeroed in on D.C. in part to follow the same trajectory of fast-casual chains Cava and Sweetgreen. Both of them launched their businesses in the area and now operate hundreds of locations across the United States.
With Chipotle Mexican Grill among the chains leading the way, the global fast-casual market is expected to grow by $181.6 billion between 2024 and 2029, according to Technavio, a global market research and advisory firm. It predicts that North America will comprise 43 percent of that expansion.
To that end, Osakwe hopes to spend the next decade opening 1,000 Nuli locations across the United States.
'What Chipotle is for Mexican-inspired food, what Cava is for Mediterranean-inspired food, Nuli is that for African-inspired food,' Osakwe said.