Nandos - Who has been?

[HamZilla]

As a few others originally went to the Bayswater and then Luton ones many years ago but now they are all over and there are loads of clones who do the same for much less money. E.g. Pepe's Piri-Piri, Piri-Piri Original <-, Roosters Piri-Piri.
The major drawback of the clones apart from the establishments being firmly fast-food decor is that they don't do or even attempt to clone the unlimited supply of essential sauces. There's just a watered down garlic sauce and a watered down tamarind/imlee one.

 

[mithrandir]

Nando's here in the UK has always been crap for me. I was born in South Africa, which is where Nando's is from, and the experience was always far better. First time I had a meal here, it was chicken, with chips, on a plate and that was it. Given that they're trying for the restaurant experience here, I'd expect some garnish and something else for the price I paid. Second time, they brought us our food 40 mins after we ordered (I'd already complained once, they then started making it as they'd forgotten) and then when we got it, the food was still cold. Managed to get a free meal voucher for me and my wife, but when we went back for that meal a few weeks late the experience was very similar to the first two. Haven't been back since and that was about two years ago now. Don't think I'll bother either.

It was the complete opposite for my ex-South African (Madeiran) colleague (going back 10 years or so ago) She said Nandos is rubbish in SA copared to the ones we went back in the days (before they expanded rapidly). We used to go to the Baywater one then Bethnal Green as it was nearer to where we lived back then. We used to go 2-3 times per month. I went to South Africa about 6 years ago and only tried it once. Can't remember how it compared though taste-wise.