Wazobia

Put aside your preconceptions. Wazobia is a bar for people who like to relax and chat with their neighbors, most of whom are of African descent. The beer is totally run of the mill, but only $ 2 a piece during happy hour. If it’s out of your way, good. Otherwise, swing by. Nadine will welcome you with a smile and a nice chat. Also — try the beef shish-​kabobs.

Wazobia is a mixture of words from different Nigerian languages that mean «welcome». The allure of this place is, um, hard to explain. For one, it helps if you have lived in West Africa, and strangely miss the bars you used to find there.
If you were to go to the recently closed Ghana Café, for example, you would get a bar set up for people from the US who want to experience a little bit of Ghana while still feeling like you were in the US. Wazobia, does something different: you will feel like you are in a Nigerian bar that happens to serve Miller light.
That being said, this place is so West African, it will make you feel right at home. It has glasses hanging behind the bar that look like they have never been used, though your drinks will come in a plastic cup. Sometimes. Depending on when you come in, the TV might be running some Nigerian hip hop, Coupe decale, or sagacite, or perhaps just some high life. One time I came in and got to here the women tending bar click disdainfully about something George Bush was talking about on TV.
Also like a West African bar, this place is rarely hopping. I came in on a Thursday one night and had to go find the bartender (who has since been let go), another feeling that just brought back memories.
They also serve the holy grail of West African bar food: gristly meat on a stick rolled in Maggi (or whatever local bullion equivalent was your fave from the past. If this isn’t your scene, you may be able to negotiate with the owner to let you bring in Ethiopian from the take out two doors down, which frankly also deserves a Unilocal write up (aside from passing the «follow the taxi drivers for good eats» test).
So to sum it up: Wazobia is not the hot spot to go if you are looking to impress a new girlfriend who is interested in your BMW. But if you are dating an ethnomusicologist with a focus on the history of Dahomey water drums, the cultural experience you get by going to Wazobia can’t be beat.
«TANTIE!!! Je Veut un Beninoise, mais en bouteille, pas en joup»