How to order at Nando… that’s a question brings lots of people to this blog. Let’s dispell uncertainty! Here we give a detailed rundown thanks to a friend.
…because as restaurant experiences go, we didn’t have a very good experience on our first visit to Nando’s. However, credit to Nando’s they seem to have taken on our and other customers’ feedback (we had direct contact with Nandos after our really confusing first visit.)
To read about our first, utterly frustrating experience here:
Nando’s is a chicken fast food restaurant, with elements of a sit-down restaurant, bit like an English pub. You order at the counter, but get waiter service. There are some nuances to their offering that’s worth delving into.
Now the whole experience is different, apparently. We’ve yet to go back, but I asked fellow blogger, Leanne, a self-proclaimed Nando’s fan about her experiences at Nando’s restaurants.
Nandos greets guests
Tell me about your first experience at Nandos
“I remember the first time we went in as a family. We were greeted at the door and asked if we had visited a Nando’s before.
On replying with a no, the server asked:
“Well, do you like Chicken?“
We were confused, but he explained that
Nando’s is essentially a chicken fast food restaurant (though vegetarian & ‘guest’ dishes are available).
He explained, that you pick your dish,
then pick the level of spice from the ‘Peri-o-meter’,
then place your order at the till– making a note of your table number, like you would in a self-order pub.
Back then I wasn’t very ambitious, so I opted for a Chicken Pitta with Lemon & Herb ‘spice’ and plain chips.
The children ordered from the kids menu – reasonably priced at £5.95. The ‘Nandinos’ menu includes a main, 2 sides and a dessert or drink.
We usually get a big jug of tap water for the table too. Our children aren’t really a fan of spicy foods, my son usually orders chicken breast fillet strips (plainish) with garlic bread, chips and bottomless frozen yoghurt. My daughter goes for chicken burger ‘peri-tamer’ with sweet potato wedges and corn on the cob side and, of course, the bottomless frozen yogurt.”
Leanne explained why Nando’s has become her goto restaurant:
“Since our first visit I’ve been back many times.
Nandos is always my restaurant of choice when catching up with friends or if we’re opting for a naughty Friday lunch at work. For work we always order online and have Nando’s deliver.
The children aren’t huge chicken fans so they don’t eat there as often as I do!”
What are your favourite foods at Nandos, Leanne?
“I’ve tried quite a lot of things on the menu but I always come back to the classic menu with a medium spice.
My favourite sides have to be the Creamy Mash (seasoned with peri salt) and the Peri-Chips. It might seem strange to have mash with spiced grilled chicken but I could eat that mash on it’s own it’s so delicious! All the flavours and textures just seem to work together.
Don’t worry if you’re not a chicken fan either – Nando’s always have a few non-chicken dishes on the menu.
If you’re going with a friend then there are sharing options too that include sides and drinks – a great way to cost save
And I NEED to tell you about the amazing desserts! As well as the frozen yoghurt and gelato ice cream they have such fabulous choices. My current favourite is the White Choc & Raspberry Dessert followed closely by the Salted Caramel Brownie.
What do you love about Nandos, Leanne?
Nandos is a fast food restaurant in a restaurant setting:
It’s not like McDonalds where you’re scrabbling around for a seat. You are seated and there are proper menus, knives and forks!
They offer bottomless soft drinks – I love that for £2.70 you can drink as much as you like.
It’s really easy to make healthy choices at Nando’s – there are salads, super grains and the chicken is always grilled.
All Nando’s chicken are British reared and meet strict quality standards. They have even been awarded the Red Tractor badge.
Peri-naise and halloumi – the greatest things on earth! I love the Nando’s peri-spiced mayonnaise so much that I buy it at the supermarket to eat at home too.”
Thanks Leanne for sharing your experiences!
They certainly trump our experience and I love to hear it when any service outlet takes on customer feedback. (Nandos was actually quite good at reaching out to us after our criticism in the blog post in 2015)
Well done Nando’s… here’s some background on them
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