West African kitchen IBILE has opened a three-month residency at Freight Island, the food hall and events venue near Manchester Piccadilly station, from 24 October 2026.

According to the Manchester Evening News (26 October 2026) and Taste of Manchester (19 September 2026), the concept is founded by Irish-Nigerian hospitality entrepreneur Tolu Asemota. The Manchester kitchen is led with operations manager Doyin Adegbola and chef Deji Jibona.

IBILE is a Yoruba word associated with tradition and belonging. Taste of Manchester and MEN report that the brand grew from family-run pop-ups in Ireland into festival catering and bespoke dining, including work with Google, Soho House and Diageo, and festivals such as Big Grill.

The Manchester menu was curated by Nigerian-British chef Soliat Bada. Press coverage lists dishes including prawn akara (black bean fritters with prawns in seafood bisque), beef suya, jollof rice and plantain pudding with sticky toffee sauce. Freight Island's published IBILE menu also lists suya beef or mushroom skewers with jollof rice, flame-grilled chicken with banga sauce, ewa agoyin dip with plantain chips, and other small plates and sides.

What the founder said

Asemota told MEN the food is "a contemporary take on West African flavours, so it tastes the same but looks different," pointing to Nigerian-style jollof rice, banga stew, curry-style dishes and vegetarian options.

He also said: "Opening a new kitchen for IBILE feels really special. We've come a long way from our first pop-ups, and it's been incredible to see so many people connect with our food and our story. Manchester feels like the perfect place for this next chapter, and we can't wait to welcome people to Freight Island and share what IBILE is all about."

Mancunian Matters (21 October 2026) reports that walk-in diners are welcome Thursday to Sunday, with bookings available through Freight Island, and that a limited number of four-course tasting-menu evenings with wine and cocktail pairings were planned before the end of the year. Supper clubs and collaborations were also flagged for October and November.

Details and the kitchen page: escapetofreightisland.com/food-and-drink/ibile. Hours, menu and availability can change — check with Freight Island.

Sources: Manchester Evening News (Jenna Campbell, 26 October 2026; opening, team, Soliat Bada menu highlights, Asemota quotes); Taste of Manchester (Rhiannon Ingle, 19 September 2026; 24 October start, three-month residency, Google/Soho House/Big Grill); Mancunian Matters (Cristin Proctor Rooney, 21 October 2026; Thu–Sun walk-ins, tasting evenings); Freight Island IBILE page and published menu PDF. This article was produced with the help of AI tools and checked by an editor against the sources above.