Nando’s

We had a lunch catered from Nando’s on Elgin and the food was fantastic. The service was even better — they didn’t have any bags for us to carry items back to the office, so one of the servers actually helped us carry the food back. She was so happy to help and a delight to be around. The supervisor/​Manager who handled our catering order was wonderful, he promptly replied to my email confirming the order and also emailed the receipt right away. They went above and beyond with their customer service, and the food was just as amazing.

Been hearing about Nando’s for the past few months from co-​workers. I work in the Rideau Center and I have been hearing all these fellas excited about going to Nando’s. Nando’s this, Nando’s that, so obviously, I needed to give it a try.
Famous for its chicken, Nando’s is a Portuguese inspired restaurant. Located very conveniently downtown on Elgin, it is a good choice for lunch. Their garlic mashed potatoes are a must have. If you are into spicy sauces, their selection is wide and SPICY!!!
I got the least spicy sauce for my chicken sandwich, and even that one was a bit spicy for me.
Did I mention it was spicy? So if you are looking for flavor, nice ambient and good food, go to Nando’s!

Friendly staff, updated restaurant technology, nice place to grab a quick bite to eat. Spicy chicken is spicy to keep caution when picking and you can add extra if you need once the food has arrived

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 ¼ 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.

Great new spot. Walked in to try something new, and we we’re pleasantly surprised. Doesn’t look like much from the outside, but inside you’re greeted with a warm décor, fun music and good service. I highly recommend the roasted red pepper dip!

My experience sitting near the window was a bit chilly. One of the employees noticed and recified this for us. All the employees were attentive to the tables. They need to work on the timing of the plates to ensure all the plates come to the table at the same time. Their ‘medium’ was warmer than inticipated. The chicken was flavourful due to the marinating process.

This establishment is city of Ottawa’s most inefficient. I rate it 1 star: 3 for the food and –2 for the service.
I went on a weekday night when it was not crowded. We waited a few minutes before the hostess finally came around to show us to a table, only to tell us that we had to get back up to order and pay at the front. There are three different cash registers and three different lineups — not a good recipe for busy days, especially when you’re lining up with people ordering takeout. I ordered the ¼ chicken with mashed potatoes and a drink — about $ 16 including tip.
Upon sitting back down, we realized that you must self serve your own cutlery. I went to grab utensils, only to find that the two remaining forks were dirty. Shameful. A waitress eventually came by to fetch more.
The one positive thing up to this point was the drink machine. It’s one of those electronic ones with tons of choices. Free refills too.
Our food came rather quickly, but we were served at different times. My ¼ chicken was the smallest, most sad looking serving I could have imagined — others had noticeably larger pieces and I regret not complaining. I had already been fooled into paying the tip and was not happy. Maybe it’s because the chickens are treated humanely. Nonetheless, at this point I was really crazing a McChicken. Overall, I managed 5 or 6 mouthfuls of chicken.
The final testament to this establishment’s horrible service was when the waitress came to take our plates. She cluelessly left dirty cutlery and napkins behind.
Now, if Nandos were a fast food restaurant, I would have rated it 4 stars. The service, on that standard, would be pretty good. But it’s not fast food — it’s a ridiculous hybrid between that and a proper sit-​down restaurant, and they’ve put together a horrendous system to that respect. Either remove the «self-​service» components or turn this into a fast food restaurant and put the menu up on the wall. If this model is consistent with how every other Nandos is now run, the business is going to fail quickly. It’s too expensive for cheap takeout and the quality of service is too poor for it to warrant a sit-​down meal.
And please — don’t fool me into paying a 15% tip when I order.

I like the chicken and fries but wont recommend the veggies as they are not good value. It was a small portion for $ 3.50 and they mostly onions. I also found the veggies greasy. Service was good and quick.

Because I live in Centretown, I was excited to finally have this Nando’s open. Upon entry, my partner and I were greeted and promptly guided to a window booth. It was around 2pm, past the lunch rush and well before dinner, but Nando’s has huge windows so I have also passed by it when it has looked full.
I ordered a ¼ chicken dinner, medium spice with Peri Peri wedges, perinaise (a dip for the wedges), and spiced rice. My boyfriend got their Wing Roulette. My chicken was moist and the marinade was delicious. The rice was OK, but I’d probably get a different side next time. The wedges with the perinaise were also very good and paired well with Nando’s extra hot sauce. I also tried one of my boyfriend’s wings and they were also great. The food came out pretty fast, but the restaurant also wasn’t full or very busy, so I can’t speak of what the wait would be during those times. It’s also pretty neat that Nando’s has a station where you’re able to pick and choose what sauces you want and literally just carry the bottles to your table. They also have one of those Coke freestyle machines where you’re able to make a custom pop for yourself. I’m not much of a pop drinker, but this is definitely a plus if you are.
The servers on the floor are friendly, accessible, and ready to answer questions about the menu. When my boyfriend and I went to order and pay (you do so at the front cash, no ordering at the table) the cashier seemed super frazzled and confused when my boyfriend went to ask about their beer selection, particularly a microbrew they appeared to have. My boyfriend also remarked that the same cashier seemed really confused when he went up to pay for an additional bill for dessert. I also saw another cashier staring into space when another customer was ordering takeout. The woman waited and said «hello?» several times before waving a $ 20 bill in order to get the cashier’s attention. That isn’t very promising, but considering they are still very new, hopefully the service on the cashier-​end will improve. Furthermore, the sinks in both of their washrooms were not installed properly and very broken. Thus, I had to wash my hands in the hand wash station at the front of their restaurant.

Wow fabulous loved it! The vibe was cool and casual… service warm and authentic. Pricing was as good as swiss chalet and far better. Ordered whole chicken with fries and slaw all really good. You’ll get so much garlic bread you’ll be full before Neal hits table lol. The sauce selection was really impressive too. Portuguese tart was delicious. leave room!

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.