This place was recommended to me for their tasty chicken. We came on a Sunday evening before the dinner rush, at 4 pm. I Guess you order at the register, there should be a sign because the host stand is confusing. They also were out of lemonades for the almost two hours we were there, I recommend making a second batch on weekends so you don't have to worry about Thawing your lemonade concentrate in the middle of a dinner rush. There were many large parties dining so I can understand they weren't prepared, our food took over 45 minutes for 3 meals. So your system needs improvement, good is tasty. But service is important, too. read more

Nando's Peri-Peri - Portuguese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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Awesome family restaurant experience. Had the Peri Peri chicken with sides and all was delicious. Even my 3 year old picky eater daughter devoured her plate nice atmosphere and good service too. Would definitely come back. read more

Nando's never disappoints!! The chicken is very juicy and flavorful. If you're going as a group I definitely recommend the platters because you get so much for what you pay for. The garlic bread is my favorite side it's just perfect. Not to mention the natas for dessert!!! They they taste so much better when served hot! read more

Nando's Peri-Peri - Peri Peri chicken - Portuguese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

I wanted to like Nando's as the menu looks fabulous but our experience was terrible. The young woman at the counter was lovely but the expediting of orders was a mess. So much Food sitting, waiting to be delivered to tables, food coming out and then only to have the server turn around and bring the food back to the kitchen over confusion about orders. We waited 45 minutes while tables all around us who ordered after were brought their food. Only one server in the dining room. It was just chaos. And the food- average at best. Because our food was left sitting there undelivered for so long, everything fresh in my chicken bowl was soggy. The chicken thighs were just ok. I don't recommend the rainbow bowl. The ambiance was loud and sooooo many anxious diners wondering where there order was. read more

The food was so good! It was fresh and the chicken was so tender and the Caesar salad was the best part.

Everything about Nando's starts with their roots in South Africa. Though the PERi-PERi chilli pepper originates in the Caribbean, it's been transformed into a flavor base that brings out incredible heat and flavor. Even the decor of the restaurant brings out the colorful & spicy culture of the sub-continent and its colonial Portuguese influences. The marinated and fire-grilled chicken is AWESOME! You have 5 choices of flavor profiles from plain-ish (ho-hum), Lemon & Herb or Mango & Lime, Medium, hOt, and Xtra HOT! My wife went with the Mango & Lime, while I went with the Medium Hot, which was plenty spicy for me. There are also pour bottles of the different sauces that you can use to adjust the spice level to your liking. I got a grilled corn on the cob and spicy rice as a side and the rice was too spicy for me! My wife went safe (& smart) and ordered cole slaw to cool the heat and a small salad. Make sure to have the server bring you the bottle of tap water to cool your tongue. In our case, she brought a whole pitcher, bless her. I'm a fan of dark meat, so got the chicken leg quarter, which seemed small. Maybe next time I'll go for the half chicken to see how the sauce goes with white breast meat. For dessert, the Pasteis de Natas are similar to the Portuguese Egg Tarts back home, only better! The sugary tops are brulée'ed to char and caramelize the sugar for a smoky flavor. A must try! read more

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Nando's in Canada! I've only been to this chain once in Scotland so it was a big surprise to see it pop up in Ottawa. I really wanted Adam to try it so of course we stopped by for our last meal of the day. The location follows the same rules as the other chains. You still order in the front and they will serve you your order at the table. You get your own utensils, sauces, drinks, napkins. It was also decorated the same. The menu had most of what I remembered as well. I decided to try the sandwich and Adam got a chicken breast. Service is agonizingly slow. We waited over an hour for our meals and even then every item came one at a time. My sandwich was dry and the bread was tough but my side of corn was good. Adam got this tiny tiny piece of chicken but at least he enjoyed his side of mashed potato. I am sad that the experience wasn't as great as when I first tried it but at least we have a Nando's. read more

Nando's Peri-Peri - Portuguese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

I had the casa salad which was very decent and fresh legumes; coleslaw which was kind of "Kentucky fried chicken style, very generic and good; 2 chicken skewers and the flavor was exquisite, except that the chicken is a little dry for my taste. I also had the baked vegetables The flavor was amazing, but again, a little over cooked. This place has great food flavors and quality to be a chain restaurant, although they need to improve the quality of the product Customer service was ok, and the order took about 30 minutes to come out. read more

The wait time was horrendous due to how packed the place was but I'll cut the waiters slack because they did seem understaffed. The waiters were also nice but other tables got their food before we did despite ordering first. The wait time was worth it though as the food did not disappoint. The place itself was decent, nice interior design and cute lights, but the chairs lack lumbar support. I highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a good chicken cuisine. read more

I was looking at the reviews and got a bit disappointed. I think that even though it is not a Canadian owned chain, the food and service there is great. I have been to one of the Nandos locations in Toronto and did not really find any difference in food. There were several issues with the wait times at busiest times, but thats obvious, kitchen is not equipped with robots. If you are looking for a fast-casual place, then Nandos is a perfect place to dine out for a reasonable prices and great food. One thing for the owner, please start selling Mango-Lime Marinade or Sauce!!! read more

Nando's Peri-Peri - Half a chicken - Portuguese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

The seasoning on these chicken and frys is da real deal. Im in town for ten days and i have had it 4 times already. Definitely will be back when im in town read more

Nando's Peri-Peri - Half Chicken - Portuguese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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Horrible service Waited for 45 minutes for order to arrive. Had to remind them Quality of food below of other Nando's. Not recommended read more

We enjoyed Nando's in London last year, so we were excited to see them here on our trip to Ottawa on Sunday evening. This location is completely overwhelmed! SO many customers were approaching the staff, up by the kitchen area, angrily asking about their food. Average wait time (mine & most others we could easily hear complaining) was over 45 minutes. My husband's dinner was served after nearly an HOUR! Delivery drivers were milling about, also frustrated. They needed to stop taking orders to catch up! Also: We saw dirty silverware in the self-serve container, but when we showed them, they just added more to the container, instead of cleaning out the dirty ones. Gross! Avoid this location! read more

Nando's a nice family friendly casual spot for a hot meal where you order at the counter and they bring your food to you. And in the back you can grab your utensils, napkins, and optional sauces. By the registers, they have a fun wooden carving for receiving tips - don't forget, in Canada you've got your loonies and your toonies as coinage options! With 2 out of the 3 of us not into the whole spicy thing, we opted to order our chicken with the least spicy sounding iterations, so we shared: . PERi-PERi Sliders $8.50 PERi-PERi Chicken with Cilantro Dressing and Chilli Jam (Lemon & Herb) . 1/4 Chicken Leg $7.45 (Peri Tamer [a mild sweet base] from the children's menu) with one regular side $2.50 of PERi-PERi fries . Quinoa with Rosted Sweet Potato and Avocado Salad $11.25 (Freshly prepared quinoa on a bed of romaine and spinach with chick peas, roasted sweet potato chunks, cucumber, grape tomatoes, avocado and feta cheese, topped with our signature seed mix) The chicken in the sliders were a bit on the dry side. The quarter chicken was surprisingly tiny a portion, but when we inquired, we were told that it was because it was organic, which would explain the petite size and the not so petite price. But how odd that I could find no mention of "organic chicken" anywhere on their website... It was however a well prepared moist piece of bird. The fries were crisp enough and had a bit of heat. The salad sounded interesting and tasted fine. As I placed our order, there was a glass cover protecting a cluster of individual tarts with a scorched custard filling - Pasteis de Natas $2.50 a traditional Portuguese custard tart. It was just the right amount of sweet to end the meal with! read more

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Came in around 9:30PM, and was told they have no chicken left to serve. I understand it was 30 minutes before close. However I don't think it's good restaurant practice or professional to deny a customer just because you're doing closing chores too early. Sucks because I had traveled so far to get there! read more

Good chicken, tender, spicy in a good way but not juicy enough. Rice is not that satisfying read more

Nando's Peri-Peri - French fries - Portuguese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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Simple but delicious food. They actually had a power outage because of the storm (tornado warning). We got a complimentary meal because of the power outage. It was very nice of them. I had the plain quarter chicken with potato wedges. You can choose how hot the sauce is on your grilled chicken. I got the plainest because I'm not good with spicey. Hubby also had the quarter chicken but with coleslaw. We had garlic bread for an appetizer & chocolate cake for dessert. Nando's is just down the street from our hotel, the Capital Hill Hotel. So it was very convenient. If we were staying longer we would probably eat here again. read more

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This chain of South African origins recently opened off Elgin at Albert. Coming here for a late lunch one day, it was a warm vibe with an upbeat salsa-ish style of music playing, and a decent design that while still very chain restauranty, was different. A cool feature was a series of wooden slats hanging from the ceiling that likely serve the dual purpose of aesthetics and keeping the large room from getting too loud. We were seated quickly, getting a booth along the windows. Being Nando's newbies, we were given the run down on their process. You start off by choosing the menu item you want, the spice level you desire and then going up to the front counter to order. From there you can grab your own utensils, extra bottles of sauces, etc, while you wait for your food to be brought out to you. It's very much a fast-casual type of place, landing in between a fast food joint and a regular sit down, full service restaurant. Being a chicken-focused place, the menu skews heavily in that direction, with various cuts and preparations of the fowl. Some unique items on the menu include grilled chicken livers, a quinoa and avocado salad, and something they call "wing roulette", where you get several whole chicken wings of varying, unknown spice levels, one of which is the extra hot. University bros will be crushing the wing roulettes, I'm sure.  I settled on the 1/4 chicken meal with dark meat, medium spice, and sides of their casa salad, and potato wedges. They have several beers on tap as well, so I grabbed a 12oz glass of Sleeman Original. It wasn't long before our food was brought out, and my wife and I dug right in. The chicken was moist and tender, and had a great char flavour to it from the grill. The sauce had a good amount of kick to it, even with being someone who likes some spice, but I don't think I'd go any higher if I wanted to actually taste my food. The casa salad was much less fancy than it sounds, since "casa" is Portugese for "house", but the lettuce and greena were all quiet fresh, especially given the time of year, and the creamy dressing was a good counterbalance for the spice of the chicken. My potato wedges were reasonably crispy for wedges, although not the best I've ever had, and had a nice flavour to them from a dusting of the ubiquitous peri peri seasoning.  I remarked to my wife that Nando's was like an international version of Swiss Chalet, so that Canadian institution better watch out. Service was really good, with everyone being really helpful and very friendly as well.  There's not really anything you can hold against Nando's. The food is good, it has a fun atmosphere, and fills a certain little niche in the food industry. read more

Nando's Peri-Peri - 1/4 chicken with house salad and peri peri seasoned potato wedges - Portuguese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

I will keep this short. My friend and I walked into Nando's to get some takeout. He placed his order and I placed mine immediately after him. Here's the whopper; my friend gets his food and I am waiting and waiting like an imbecile for mine. The young lady who had a bloody rude demeanor (sorry if you can't handle the stress, find another job) comes and asks me "what are you waiting for?" and I responded "I'm waiting for my food." She walked over to the kitchen and it appeared they basically had forgotten to even cook the order. She didn't even have the courtesy to come and apologize for the crapshow that was going on. 25-30 minutes go by and I am still standing around and the young man who took my order came over and repeatedly apologized and I said "its not your fault but if you guys are overwhelmed then why don't you tell a customer how long it'll be instead of us waiting around because this is bs." Food comes out eventually (and that was a long eventually) and it was cold when I opened it up at my hotel room. HERE IS A WHOPPER TO THE WHOLE THING - THE STAFF WERE ACTING LIKE THE COVID POLICE ASKING FOR COVID IDs & VACCINATION CARDS YET THE KITCHEN STAFF WEREN'T EVEN WEARING GLOVES. COVID OR NOT, WHEN YOU ARE PREPARING FOOD, WEAR SOME BLOODY GLOVES SO YOUR GODDAMN GERMS DON'T GET ON WHAT YOU ARE SERVING!!! read more

Coming from the UK where 'Havin' a Cheeky Nandos' is part of the dialect, I was deeply disappointed to find out that there isn't a branch in Montreal. Luckily, Ottawa isn't too far! I was thrilled to discover that nearly (if not all) the branches of Nandos in Ontario are Halal, so on my last business trip, I grasped the opportunity to stop-by Nandos on Elgin Street for Lunch. I highly recommend to AVOID lunch hours if you can as the wait is super long... I must have waited around 30-40 minutes until I got my table. This branch is fairly small hence the long wait time. There is a patio facing the main road which did not look particularly inviting so I insisted on waiting for a place inside the typical 'Nandos' cosy interior, where the selection of delicious Peri Peri sauces and techy drinks-screen with over 100 drink flavours were at my reach! I ordered the Peri Peri Chicken Sandwich with Two Sides that did not take too long to arrive. Corn on the Cob was not in season so I opted for Peri Fries and Coleslaw. Both these sides were delicious and met my expectations. The Sandwich however, was extremely disappointing. The boneless piece of chicken was quite bland and very dry... the sandwich had barely any salad (just a thin piece of lettuce) and the famous bread bun was hard and difficult to chew. I ended up dismantling the entire sandwich and just picked on the parts that were eatable... I had to drench my entire chicken piece in sauce in order to enjoy it as it was very bland. Very disappointing for Nandos and definitely not comparable to its UK standard! I will not give up on Nandos however, I will be back again at another branch to try something different. There may still be some hope for it yet... read more

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Yummmmmmyyyyyy!!! This was a great find while working in Canada. I wanted something healthy but tasty and this shit the spot. When you walk in its very clean and relaxed atmosphere. I ordered the half chicken dark meat Hot with coleslaw and casa salad. It was very filling and yummy. The sauce wasn't inferno hot it was the perfect amount of spice and I used the garlic hot sauce it was spot on!! They offer wine as well. I had a sample of the olives OMG so good!!! I will definitely be back and order those olives too read more

Nando's Peri-Peri - Portuguese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

Would do 3.5 if I could. It's the worst Nando's I've ever been to worldwide, but it's still Nando's. I found the service there to very friendly, quick, and professional, but the food is just not up to par with Nando's in other places. No offense to Ottawans, but you don't live in a food mecca, so even a mediocre Nando's is still a Nando's. But, I wish they could get someone to come over from Nando's HQ and show them how to make the Macho Peas correctly (mix the mint in) and get the chicken skin nice and moist. read more

We are a group of 50 people. Wanted to order food for two days from now. Couldn't even get a price! I called five times over the course of an hour. Every time I called I would get "Nando's please hold" Wait 5 mins. No one ever comes back. This happened FIVE TIMES!!! Super poor customer service. I called another place and they told me they were busy but took my name and number and would call me back. They did. And the other place got the business. Sorry Nando's. You just lost two grand of my money and I won't be back. read more

So glad the one downtown is finally open! I have only been a few times since the one closest to me is pretty far away. When first arrived my friend and I were greeted and was asked if we have ever been to one which is nice especially since it's a new place I would assume they get lots of newbies coming in. In terms of food wise I decided to be a little "healthier" today... lol I got their quinoa salad with sweet potato avocado and other leafy greens and added chicken. Was abit dissappointed with chicken cause i only got like 4 little strips of chicken. For $5 i could at least get maybe a strip or two more but other than that it was delish. The pop machine was prettt kool to. I know its called something specific but it had a touch screen where you can choose your coke product. I choose sprite but then it gave me an option if I wanted to add a flavour to it. I assume if you like Vanilla coke you would be able to get it. I will definetly try it when I go back. Overall the service was good and the place is very bright and designed beautifully. read more

Nando's Peri-Peri - Quinoa salad with lemon herb chicken - Portuguese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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I've been here twice, and I enjoyed both times. The menu is chicken - there's really not much else. But, if you're in the mood for chicken, they have a really good roasted bird! The sauces/toppings are the highlights. They really add to the taste of the chicken. You order at the desk and they bring the food out to you, which tends to speed things up. Service tends to be friendly and responsive. We enjoy this restaurant! read more

You are seated and then told to order and pay at the counter. Food is brought to you, I see this as partial service. Decor nice and chicken taste great and tender, but the price of a 1/4 chicken medium spice (leg and thigh are small) for 8.95, side is extra. Coffee is from pods $2.75. Caesar salad has no bacon and Romaine not crisp. Overall serving size is smaller but expensive. Chicken is moist and tasty though. We won't go back to a place when you are only partially served and pricy. read more

Newest location in Ottawa, and has a patio right at Elgin/Albert. Food is consistent, the chicken is always delicious (but you need to put a lot of sauce on it for flavour). Good choice for the price. The fun part about this location is the soda machine! There are SO many types of sodas, and you can get free refills. read more

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For a chain this place isn't bad at all, on the contrary. I ordered chicken thighs which were tasty and juicy. The corn on the cob was delicious as was the mashed potato. The peas were so-so, too spicy and soggy. Service is good, friendly and fast. I'd recommend this place. read more

Worse nandos I ever been to. Service is terrible. They are understaffed so waiting for table will take ages and also getting your food. Even getting water to the table will take ages. Unless you have hours to spare here, do not come. Service is an absolute zero. Highly disappointed. This outlet Makes the franchise look bad. read more

Uncle Adamz cradling the sauce my boy is dripping We got the Familia, it was lit the sauce was hot and your boys tummy's full! The decor in this venue is very modern and the location is 10/10 being in the heart of downtown! read more

Nando's Peri-Peri - Uncle Adamz - Portuguese Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

No visit to Ottawa is complete without a visit here. Right in the corner of Parliament hill.this Nandos is perfect for tourists who want to spend no more than a day at the capital city. The staff are bilingual and so thats a great news of francophones. The service is fast and the food is great(duh!). Go by yourself or with a bunch of friends, this place never disappoints. read more

Love their food and was excited to have it again. Horrible service for three sandwiches took 40 minutes and screwed up order. no compensation only a sorry! Wont visit this one again! read more

Was visiting Ottawa on work with a colleague. And she recommended Nando's a whole lot. This was a decent place. Pretty funky decor. African/Carribean rhythms come thru. Definitely a plus on that. The food was ok. Guess the restaurant is known for its Peri-Peri sauce. The best one I liked was the garlic sauce. Awesome service for the one off Kent street! read more

Two of us paid them a visit during our stay in Ottawa because it was close to our hotel. In short, it is very over priced. I had to pay $41 (including tax) for us to get full. $15 each for a drum stick and a thigh, plus small fries. But the portion was so little, so that I had to re-order two chicken pieces for $11. The KFC would surpass by far in the regard of the cost performance. read more

I got the chicken legs, hot, with garlic mashed potatoes. The chicken was excellent and I would get it again. The mashed potatoes were pretty good. I think I would ha e liked them more buttery. My wife got the chicken sandwich, which lacked crispy skin and was disappointing. The bun was good. They have single toilet bathrooms so they should have been gender neutral. read more

Utterly underwhelming. Seats and tables were sticky. We were asked to fill out a survey even before we had been served. Ordering was confusing. The fountain drinks were flat. Waited forever for our meals. The fries were cold and the chicken was bland. If you enjoy mediocrity, this place is for you. read more

Not the best Nandos I have been to hit still delicious. As usual, I ate half a chicken covered in hot sauce. This location was really busy and their order at the counter system could use some work. All in all a good experience though. read more

Where to start. The food was pretty decent. I like that they serve chicken livers, that's tough to find at a restaurant. The menu started to actually hurt my brain after a while. It's layed out as if all the items are trying to distract you from the other items. Not very organized at all. Maybe creating a clear and orderly menu is an impossible task when everything you sell is simply a variation of chicken. Whatever the reason, my eyes jumped around the page seemingly forever until I just got tired of it and settled on something almost out of fatigue. The process of being greeted and seated then having to get up, go to the counter to order, and grab your utensils on the way back while you wait for your food is quite strange indeed. Pretty weird dining experience. I'd go back though because the food was OK, service was friendly and the prices did not seem crazy. read more

This place was amazing. Manager came by, brought us complimentary dessert. The atmosphere is cool and staff was helpful/nice/professional!

I liked this place a lot and used to come often. The chicken is tasty, juicy, has a nice smokey flavor and their hot sauce is really, really hot. Service is always good and the people who work here are very pleasant. I've brought friends from out of town here, and they always love it. Very safe place for a good chicken meal. My only issue is that once, a while back, as a friend of mine was biting into his salad he bit into a piece of glass which nearly cracked his tooth. We were both shocked at what has just happened. Luckily the glass didn't have sharp edges, it was more round (like a stone) but it was clearly glass. I discretely asked the waitress to call over the manager. When the manager came and I explained the situation, the manager apologized. She took the salad back, and brought us another one. When the bill came, neither the food or the salad was comped. They were still charging us for it. As someone who has worked extensively in the food industry, I found that pretty awkward. Other than that, I still think this is a decent place. I just hope they learned from that experience and improve their food handling practices. I haven't been since and am hesitant to go now. read more