Kada Plaza Benin City: Photos And Everything Else

Kada Plaza is  without doubt the coolest thing about Benin city. And I know this city quite well. You could go anywhere in the city and ask anyone what their go-to place for relaxation and recreation is in Benin and Kada Plaza would win the poll.

Unanimously.

They got most things right, if you ask me. Location is great, to begin with. The sprawling edifice at Sapele Rd is planted at a vantage point connecting Murtala Muhammed Way, GRA and is only about 6 minutes from the City’s by far most famous and connecting landmark: Ring Road.

It’s kind of like walking into Shoprite and having to constantly remind yourself you’re not at Shoprite. The Plaza itself is 2 floors high, with the cinema occupying the top floor. Funny that my first impression after getting on the floor from the escalator was “having a cinema here is cool and whatnot, but a pent suite here would be super awesome for the view“.

The walls on either side of the lobby – where you have the courteous attendants who sell you movie tickets and appropriate refreshments – are made of see-through glass and you can see the side of the city leading to ring road on one side, while the other reveals the top view of the now much less-appreciated side kick of the Plaza: Kada Fried Chicken.

More on KFC later.

They have these nice sofas at the edges of the lobby, set up nicely against the wall for people to sit and preen and stuff. You’d hardly miss the occasional group of friends taking turns to have pictures of them taken by the chairs at the see-through glass wall overlooking the city. They also have working wall sockets! So you’d see a few folks who just sit by and charge their devices like it’s an annex of their living  room or something. Smh.

The right wing of the first floor of the Plaza houses the Kung Fu Chinese restaurant, where they have a pretty big hall filled with tables with colorful chairs surrounding them. There’s also an out front arrangement at the balcony for those who want to eat and drink and look down at the sea of red buses and people going to and from Ring Road while feeling like they’re at some fancy place in Madrid. The setting is cooler and less pretentious at night though.There’s also a Glo World outlet on the floor, directly opposite the stairwell.

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At the ground floor, there’s a slew of workstation-like offices with people sitting and peering into computer screens. There’s also a room housing what seemed like ATM machines. I didn’t go in to confirm. And, if you’re nine or something, there’s a little hall where one could enter and have a bumper car ride. Pretty underwhelming floor for me.

The place is always buzzing with kids and their guardians – some of whom seem genuinely unfazed with being there. There’s also the occasional pair lurking in various corners across the plaza, whispering sweet nothings to themselves, oblivious to anything or anyone else.

The story of KFC (Not Kentucky) : Kada Fried Chicken was the place to go to just a few years ago, while grasses occupied the spot where the Plaza now sits. It is now the less famous pea in the pod as the Plaza now garners all the attention. But it’s not totally useless though, it’s still very much in business, in fact. There are still folks who frequent the restaurant and those who are much content with chilling at the balcony while they rendezvous with their loved ones away from the buzzing Plaza a block away. Not everyone likes Chinese anyway. Whether you’re at the Plaza or at KFC, the environment surely makes for a nice place to unwind. It goes without saying that it is more soothing in the evenings with most of the kids already gone.

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