Nandos is not nice!

[biggirlknickers]

I had a voucher for £25 so took the kids. Thought I might actually enjoy it too as everyone seems to love Nandos, right?

Major disappointment. The only nice things were the halloumi strips starter (can’t go wrong with halloumi) and the ice machine next to the free water.

Chicken - don’t know as I’m veggie. DD ate hers.

Veggie options - v poor. Choice of bean burger or pea protein burger. I had the latter. Tasted of grey sadness with the texture of tripe. Partner had bean burger and said it was rubbish.

Chips - undercooked, underwhelming.

Hummus - cheap and lacking in flavour. No evidence of olive oil or garlic present.

Frozen yoghurt- synthetic vanilla frothy nonsense. Really unpleasant.

Service - ok but there were no actual menus and I was the only person with a phone so I had to read out the whole menu to everyone, with endless requests for repetition and clarification.

I went to Nando’s a couple of times pre-kids - maybe 10 -15 years ago - and I thought it was nice! Has it gone downhill? I’m sure they used to have better veggie options too.

Grump.

We like it occasionally. I like butterfly chicken medium spice, peri peri fries, macho peas (love them)
Dh has the butterfly chicken with peri peri fries, coleslaw & sweet corn.
It's usually a pre/ post cinema meal for us as there's one next to the cinema.
I like the fact that the chicken is grilled not deep fried like other chicken & chip shops.
Also I sometimes choose the rice instead of chips & it's a relatively healthy quick meal option of real food as opposed to fast food
I would far prefer it to kfc which I won't eat
We discovered it in Australia many years ago now & we loved it there!

I’m veggie- love a Nando’s! Find the beanie burger nice and also love the rice.
Most fake meat products are shit and I suspect Nando’s is no exception

Yeah I'm talking glass straight out of the pot wash, hot to the touch not just warmy

Choice of bean burger or pea protein burger. I had the latter. Tasted of grey sadness with the texture of tripe.

Well that'll teach you. No surprises there from me I'm afraid. It seems that ALL attempts to replicate meat with some fake food that didn't exist a few years ago end in grey sadness and the texture of something faintly weird and unpleasant.

Nando's chicken is generally excellent. It's odd to give a family of vegetarians a voucher for a restaurant that mainly only sells chicken though.

The chicken is the only point of going to Nandos.

I went for the first time about 2 years ago, it exceeded my expectations but my expectations were very low in the first place. It’s ok but nothing special, I would not choose to eat there again.

We weren’t impressed with Nando’s either, blaring music, it’s to DIY going to counter to order, getting your own knife & fork, very overhyped and expensive for a mediocre at best experience. Tried it once, wouldn’t ever bother again. It’s just not what I expect when I go out for a meal.

I am a veggie too and used to like it 8-10 years ago. Especially their bean burger, lugo beans and halloumi. Went again in August, as they have just opened where I live, and it was horrible. Nothing tasted the way I remembered, the cutlery and cups were dirty, staff were OK, but bored. I think it must have gone downhill, or maybe I have just changed my taste.

@YouJustFoldItIn

Choice of bean burger or pea protein burger. I had the latter. Tasted of grey sadness with the texture of tripe.

Well that'll teach you. No surprises there from me I'm afraid. It seems that ALL attempts to replicate meat with some fake food that didn't exist a few years ago end in grey sadness and the texture of something faintly weird and unpleasant.

Nando's chicken is generally excellent. It's odd to give a family of vegetarians a voucher for a restaurant that mainly only sells chicken though.

How is beans or peas fake food?

Surely no-one expects the food from a Fast Food restaurant to be anything other than mediocre? Personally, I prefer going to Nando’s over going to a McDonalds with DC or buying a Chinese takeaway full of MSG.

Clearly it’s never going to be high quality food because it’s based on high volume sales with low profit margins.

Presumably if you buy any supermarket ready meals, you willingly accept that it’s not going to taste as nice as the equivalent items freshly made (at home or in a restaurant)? Fast food restaurants and takeaways are no different.

This thread just made me order Nando's for lunch

It's a chicken place. It's always going to be rubbish for veggies. It's not great but it's better than McDonalds and teenagers seem to like it.

I always feel like a weirdo when I say I’m not keen on Nando’s, it’s utter sadness on a plate.

I have stopped going to Nandos too, the quality of the food has really gone downhill very quickly. Grilled chicken in most lebanese or turkish restaurants is far better, ask for garlic and chilli sauce to eat with and it is delicious.

My husband and daughter like the 1/4 chicken and the spicy rice.

I don't eat meat, but they used to do a fabulous Portabello mushroom and Halloumi burger/wrap/pitta which I loved and, as a pp said, it was a welcome change from normal 'beanie' or plant-based veggie options.

I have just had a look at an online menu and they appear to have stopped doing that so, to be honest, I probably wouldn't bother going in there any more.

They used to do a soya veggie burger which was great. Then they stopped it and are doing those minging pea burgers instead

We have been four times and the last time was disappointing. Tiny portion of cold, old, chips. Probably wouldn't chose to go again.

@raspberrymuffin yes! The mushroom and halloumi wraps were delicious

Your first big mistake was going to Nando's as a veggie.

Not sure if YABU as things are now since I've not been there for about 7 or 8 years... it was so horrible I never went back. Perhaps I was unlucky but food was undercooked so sent it back and they were pretty shirty about it, though replaced it but slowly, service seemed to be non existent.

I'm a veggie and I love it! Maybe the one up our way is just really good! I get an extra hot beanie pitta with chips and coleslaw as a side and a perinasie. I get halloumi starter and BF gets hummus and we share.

Agree it has really gone downhill.

@Grapewrath

I’m veggie- love a Nando’s! Find the beanie burger nice and also love the rice. Most fake meat products are shit and I suspect Nando’s is no exception

I tried the Burger King vegan royal last week, so, so good!

@CallMeRisley

I’m a vegetarian and I really like the beanie burger at Nando’s, because it’s an actual bean burger rather than these “fake meat” type ones that are everywhere now.

This - I'm veggie too and I also really like the beanie burger at Nando's.

@biggirlknickers You chose poorly. Give it another go!

Nando’s is where you go for chicken, if you’re vegetarian don’t go.