Nando's only location in Brighton city centre is located on Duke Street, despite having three…read morelocations in Brighton and Hove (one in Hove, one at the Marina) this is probably their main and most central location in the city, which is within walking distance of the Pier, Railway Station and main shopping area (Western Road and Churchill Square)
One thing which sprung to mind straight away on seeing this store is how cramped it was, the store was tiny on the ground floor, with a larger area with the traditional Nando's open kitchen being on the upper floor with one or two stairs separating them, which for me makes this one of the most poorly designed Nando's stores as you walk into the store, to reach the waiting area straight away, meaning when busy it can feel so cramped especially for the tables sat on the lower floor, and there isn't too many either.
The bar to order is also pretty small, again when busy and there's queue it could cause many issues with the surrounding tables and waiting area, the whole design of the store isn't thought out well, especially when it is busy, and considering I visited on a weekend after watching Manchester City lift the Premier League trophy with a 4-1 win over Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium, it was busy so felt really uncomfortable for me.
The staff seemed friendly enough and accommodating, but I felt the wait for a table was too long, especially considering they seemed to be sitting down people who had just walked in ahead of me. They did offer me the chance to come back, which I declined hoping it would only be 10 minutes as they promised, it was slightly longer.
My food quality again was poor, I ordered my regular Nando's order with a twist
- Medium chicken butterfly (chicken flavours were good with the medium sauce as always from Nando's, but the chicken tasted worse than normal as it was a little chewy and a lot tougher)
- Peri-salted chips (could have been cooked for a little longer for more flavour and crispiness
- Corn- I'm sorry but it was dry as fuck, it was like biting into mini yellow balls of sawdust on a stick, added to the fact it was underseasoned and a little undercooked and they had forgotten the marinade I'd asked for.
The staff were too busy to come over during my meal too, which was a disappointment.
Nando's is a chain I love and I'm a regular at, but again this is another one of those chains I noticed on my recent Brighton May 2019 visit, which doesn't follow regular standards and it is a real shame to see a store constructed so poorly, with food which doesn't meet expectations too. I'd even say a relocation to a larger branch with a focus on improving the food quality is a must for Nando's in the future, but with this branch open for over 10 years based on previous Yelp reviews, I sadly doubt that is a possibility, despite the fact Nando's has been hyped up and grown so much of late.