This Nando's location is in a good location on Saint George's Way, right by one of the entrances to Eldon Square Shopping Centre.
The main part of the restaurant is upstairs, there is also lift access for those who require it, the downstairs seemed empty so I guess they will only use it at peak times as the kitchen and the majority of seating etc is upstairs.
I did find the overall layout of the restaurant to be straight-forward, the upstairs had nice views overlooking Old Eldon Square.
I did find the food expensive for what it is, as of September 2024, my meal came to £15.20, which I find to be rather expensive for fast casual, and that doesn't include extras such as drinks and Perinaise. The prices also seem to be rising out of control, even in the current climate they seem to be putting their prices up every couple of months, much more frequently than rivals. Despite being a chicken restaurant, they don't offer regular mayonnaise, so you'll have to choose between their vegan alternative or pay extra for their Peri-naise (mayonnaise mixed with peri-peri sauce).
I ordered a Medium Chicken Butterfly with Peri Chips and Spicy Rice, which is my go-to Nando's order at the moment. My food was pretty good, the chicken was cooked well and had a generous amount of sauce, I would have liked a touch more rice though, and seasoning on the fries, which were a little bland.
I did have some difficulty ordering on this occasion - Normally, I'd just head up to the counter, ask for a manager to take my order so the manager would note the allergy and advise the kitchen team to be careful and wipe down the drill but he insisted on giving me a tablet to look through, even though I advised I dine at Nando's locations regularly and have checked on the app myself.
A few other annoyances about my experience were the shaky table - which would make it difficult to cut into my food without drinks going everywhere, and the fact they would only supply me with a small cup of water, with no pitchers provided, I had to keep going back to refill my water.
PRO TIP: They are only open until 9 pm between Sunday and Thursday but the other Nando's locations around the city do tend to be open an hour later, so if you do fancy a Nando's later on in the day, one of the other options might be better for you.
3* - The food was OK, certainly not the best not the worst experience I've had at Nando's. read more