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Claim: A TikTok user shared a video of a restaurant, which he claimed is located in Abuja.
Verdict: FALSE. DUBAWA’s investigation confirmed that the restaurant in the viral video is called The Pods, a luxury dining spot on Bluewaters Island in Dubai.
Full Text
The past few years have seen Abuja’s restaurant and food-service industry expand phenomenally, with improved service delivery matching the city’s evolving aesthetics.
As of May 2025, data from Rentech Digital indicate 1,603 restaurants in Abuja, marking a 4.48% increase since 2023. Meanwhile, fast‐food outlets alone number 311, up roughly 3.65% over the same period.
Amidst this development, a TikTok user, iyke_doings, shared a video of a beautiful restaurant, claiming it is located in Abuja, Nigeria. In the video’s caption, he wrote, “Abuja has the best restaurants in Nigeria.”
As of September. 17, 2025, the video had attracted 2,666 likes, 236 comments, 1,288 shares, and 1,065 bookmarks.
The post drew mixed reactions in the comment section. Some users appeared to believe the claim. For instance, Queen Enangha, impressed by the visuals, commented, “Wow, where is it located, please?”
Similarly, Tia Homes.NG wrote, “Looks so beautiful, I would love to visit.”
However, others strongly disagreed, insisting the restaurant was not in Nigeria. Izuchukwu dismissed the claim with the comment, “Lmao, it is in Dubai.”
Another user, De Hanna, supported this correction, stating, “This is in Dubai.”
DUBAWA decided to fact-check the claim due to the conflicting opinions in the comment section. Such disagreements can confuse and mislead locals and tourists who rely on social media for guidance.
Verification
DUBAWA manually examined the TikTok clip, pausing several frames to observe details. The restaurant in the video features a neat row of rounded glass dining pods, black frames with clear glass panels, lined up on a wooden terrace, and potted plants placed between them.
Inside each pod sits a large round table draped in a white cloth, surrounded by cushioned green bench seating arranged in a circle, complete with decorative throw pillows.
A wider shot of the scene reveals a waterfront backdrop. This immediately raises questions, as Abuja does not have a seafront setting or such pod-style dining structures.
With these observations, DUBAWA took screenshots from the video and ran them through reverse image searches. The results led to multiple images of The Pods, a luxury dining restaurant on Bluewaters Island, Dubai.
Established in May 2022, the restaurant is co-founded by two Dubai entrepreneurs, Amal Al Marri and Deem Al Bassam.
Further checks using the restaurant’s official website and social media pages show the same distinctive glass domes, green cushioned interiors, and wooden deck walkway seen in the viral video.
In promotional images and independent reviews, the layout of the pods on the terrace matches precisely with the visuals from the TikTok clip.
To confirm beyond doubt, DUBAWA also used Google Maps and Google Earth to compare the location. The mapping tools revealed the terrace on Bluewaters Island where the pods are arranged along the shore.
The alignment between the pods, the deck, and the surrounding waterfront in these map images matched perfectly with the angles in the viral video.
Conclusion
The viral TikTok video claiming to show a restaurant in Abuja is misleading. Checks reveal the restaurant is not in Nigeria but in Dubai.
