While visiting friends in Southport, U.K. we decided to try their chicken so we went.
Nando's seemed disorganized and hectic. You have to wait to be seated only then to be told you have to walk up to the counter and order your own food. Huh?
Anyways, our table was sticky and moist. The whole restaurant had that sticky and moist feel but it was nonetheless very busy (5:45PM). The menu wasn't well laid out in that it didn't read very easily. My eyes kept darting from one section to the other.
So after deciding what we wanted to eat we had to stand up and order at the counter. You'd think they'd have the menu up above and behind them for you consult but no - for there on the counter lies the same table menu for you to look at again.
If you order soft drinks they hand you empty glasses for they're self-serve. However, if you order alcohol they hand you full glasses of wine and open beer bottles on a tray that they ungracefully lift over the full and cluttered counter and basically say "here you go". A customer (woman) in front of us had to hoist her tray of two wines, two beers and two bowls of olives over the counter and walk back to her table. All this a bit unfair when there's a tip jar next to the register!
The chicken is grilled behind the counter and the finished plates of food at placed underneath heat lamps. Some plates sat there for 5 minutes or more. The food server that sat us at the beginning of our adventure brought our food from the lamps which I must confess was tasty. Sitting in plain view of the counter, kitchen and heat lamps I couldn't detect any basic concern to get the food out in a timely manner. A table behind us were miffed at the wait and voiced their grievance.
I had the 4 boneless thighs (extra hot) with peri-peri fries and coleslaw. Fries could have been crispier and hotter. The chicken was good and properly grilled though.
In spite of the ordering logistics and expediting of food I would return to Nando's but I'd have to have a good reason in doing so read more