Nando’s PERi-PERi

Soley based on a group outing for a late night chicken run. Better than pollo loco on the West Coast. Trick… order wings if you want a flavor punch!

I ordered the 2 piece chicken thighs with a side of macho peas and was disappointed with what I got. The thighs were very small and fell apart when I tried to cut the meat. Flavorful, but dry. The macho peas on the other hand were alright, flavorful and plenty of it.

You can’t go wrong ordering the garlic bread and macho peas as your side. If you’re not feeling chicken but ended-​up here for a work lunch, try their wraps.
Also, this place is gluten-​free friendly.

I can’t believe I’ve never tried Nando’s until recently! This place is one of my top picks for chicken. I got the ¼ chicken (breast/​wing combo) and fries. The chicken was so flavorful– every bite was savory, juicy, and tender. I wanted to know how they marinaded their chicken because I’ve never had perfectly seasoned chicken before. I expected the breast to be somewhat dry; however, to my surprise, the breast was juicy and not dry at all! As for the fries, they were crunchy and crispy with the «real potato» taste. The cherry on top was definitely the plethora of peri-​peri sauces that were available. I tried every one of the sauces and honestly they are all so good. I would definitely return sometime soon!

I came here for my last meal before heading home, and it was quite good. I got the ¼ pound chicken breast with their hot sauce. The meat was quite tender and juicy, not dry at all. I got a side of mashed potatoes and that was good too. Not much flavor but I dipped it into the many sauces made available. A bit pricey for the amount of food you get, but not bad nonetheless. Get a table first, then go order, and they’ll bring your food to you! Recommend!

Nando’s was one place that I really wanted to visit, as I love South American food, especially the seasoned meats! I could tell I was going to like the place as soon as I walked in and smelled the chicken goodness. It’s not a fancy place, more like a fast food place where you order at the counter and go to your table with a number, but it’s all good for me as long as the food is grubbin!
We got the full platter (whole chicken) with sides of garlic bread and Portuguese rice, which was less than $ 25. We couldn’t decide which seasoning we wanted for our chicken so we were pleased when they told us that we could have half the chicken one way and half the other. Score! The chicken was nice and juicy and the seasonings were tasty. We both loved the Portuguese rice and I enjoyed the chewiness of the garlic bread. We were stuffed and still had chicken left over, which made our mini fridge smell delicious the next morning! Bonus points for the new style Coke machine that gives you so many varieties of drinks. I wish they had Nando’s in the SF Bay Area!

Nando’s may be one of my favorite restaurants that I’ve tried in DC. It’s not cheap but it’s not expensive either: you can get a half chicken with sides for around $ 15. The chicken is cooked so well, it’s very juicy and tender. The sauces are good as well but personally I didn’t think any of them stood out to my tastes. Like I didn’t leave Nando’s thinking I would ever crave any of their sauces. I would definitely come back though because the food is good.
We also got a pitcher of sangria, which seemed a tad small (the three of us for a little over a glass each). I don’t know if people usually do this with sangrias but we ended up eating the fruit as well, which were soaked in red wine. The fruit actually had a stronger alcoholic taste than the sweet taste of the sangria, so together it made a great combo

The food was good but the portions are really tiny for the price. The burger is the size of burgers from McDonald’s dollar menu. I would come again if it’s free.

Okay so let me just say that the food here is amazing! I don’t think chicken has every tasted so good. My friends and I are from Houston and we came during the week of the Cherry Blossom Festival. Our friends that live in Washington raved about how good Nando’s is and wow oh wow they did not over hype this place up. It definitely lives up to the hype. If you are a spice lover definitely get it HOT. It has such a good kick that you even when you feel like your mouth is on fire, you can’t stop eating it. We ordered a sangria for the table and it was an interesting mix. I saw her pour some red wine, sprite, and fanta orange into the pitcher. I did love that they had apples already in the wine and it was quite delicious.
So the only reason why I did not give this place a 5 star rating is that the wait to be seated was horrendous. The hostess at the door was just so extremely unfriendly and unhelpful. She gave us an attitude when we asked if the table would be ready soon. We were originally quoted a wait time of 45mins to 1 hr. We ended up waiting 2 hrs to be seated. There were open tables but still the people waiting still were not being seated. The hostess was on her phone the whole time and even walked out of the restaurant and disappeared for like a good 10 – 15 minutes.
Other then the hiccup of the service provided, this was definitely a great place to eat. They provide a variety of sauces that you can dip the chicken with but honestly, the chicken is seasoned so well that I really didn’t need any sauce.

Instead of Unilocal-​bookmarking all my foodie adventures on my East Coast vacation, I decided to just play it by ear and just go to places in the area that I’m in at the moment. Good thing I was near Nando’s!
For whatever reason, Nando’s is located in Chinatown. Yeah, that makes sense. A South African/​Portuguese restaurant in Chinatown. But, whatever, the food was on point, so I don’t care where it is!
As I mentioned, the restaurant is a South African joint. I’ll be the ignorant guy this time and say I don’t know much about South Africa. I know in Lethal Weapon 2 the bad guys were from there and also Chalize Theron is South African. That’s it. I’m always looking for new cuisines to try, so I was both excited and a little wary, because I had no idea what the flavor profile would be. Well, I still have no idea what kind of flavors I was eating, but I do know that the food is awesome!
Their specialty is the Peri Peri chicken, so I went with that. I got a 3-​pc combo meal with HOT sauce. Now, when I say hot sauce, it’s not just some Frank’s Red Hot throw on top of chicken. This is one of the variants they slather on their rotisserie chicken. You have 5 levels of heat when it comes to these sauces: Plain-​ish, Lemon/​Herb or Mango Lime, Medium, Hot, or Extra Hot. The hot was just the right amount of heat for me (I LOVE spicy food, but not the kind where you can’t feel your tongue after your meal). At first, I was scared because the first bite was really spicy. But, after the 3^rd or 4^th bite, it was perfect. In fact, I felt I could’ve even maybe went to Extra hot. For the table, we also got the Medium version and also some Plain-​ish wings. The wings led me to believe that the flavor wasn’t coming just from the sauce, because those were good, too. Now, most of our meals came with sides and we tried a few of them. That included Portuguese rice, Pea Smash, Mashed Red Potatoes, and French Fries. The Portuguese rice wasn’t overly spicy, but had a heavy pepper taste. The Pea Smash is a dish you don’t see very often, but I enjoyed it. But, I think you really have to enjoy peas to like it. The potato sides were good, but didn’t stand out.
Service was top notch. We were immediately greeted by a hostess/​waitress when we walked in and they explained to us how the ordering process is and what their signature dish it. The cashiers were equally as friendly. There is plenty of seating, however, when we walked in at 11:25, there was only 1 other party in there. By 11:40, the tables were ¾ full and the line to the cashier was about 5 deep. As for parking… good luck.

So good! Why is this place not in NYC?! The setup is that you order, grab sauces, then take a seat for your food to be delivered.
My friend and I got the half chicken with mango lime with two sides: peri fries and macho peas. We also got six medium wings to share. The chicken is out of this world tender and juicy. The fries and peas (!!!) were also fantastic.
Edit: We got all of this for about $ 25 back in 2015. I heard the prices have gone up recently and the quality has tanked :(Will check it out next time I’m in DC.

I’ve always wanted to try Nando’s especially after knowing that Beyonce eats there. Unfortunately and surprising there are none in New York, only in the DMV area… which is where I was. Friend and I split a dish of mango lime and hot wings with garlic bread and fries. Everything was so good. We need one in New York. The peri-​peri seasoning is so good. The chicken is so flavorful. We had others join us and they ordered a chicken caesar wrap and a chicken sandwich. Their food looked like it was amazing too. It’s one of those places I’d keep going back to until I tried everything on the menu. Let’s get Nando’s in New York.

Mint peas, so good!
A friend of mine from South Africa suggested Nando’s for a taste of home, to the betterment of our taste buds. Nando’s is one of those places I could eat at weekly, their dishes are on the healthy side and are not super heavy. You order, grab some sauces, and then sit down where your food is delivered. I really love the chicken livers, creamy and well seasoned with a hint of lemon, with a side of garlic bread. The atmosphere is warm, welcoming and vibrant. They also serve alcohol.

So I’m generally a huge fan of Nando’s — all around the world. My best friend came from NYC to have dinner with me – and Nando’s was «our spot» when we studied abroad together in London, so eating dinner here together was very nostalgic.
The décor is beautiful, and of course the menu is incredibly vegetarian friendly. Options ranging from wraps to burgers. Or even burgers in wraps. Plus, the fries are always cooked to perfection. They have a variety of sauces that are always fun to experiment with as well.
I had a bit of an issue this time when coming to the Gallery Place/​Chinatown location. I got a cup of the Honest Green Tea — but there was none left in their dispenser. I asked them to refill it multiple times before the service actually got someone to do so. I was super thirsty so I was getting very anxious while I was waiting for this to happen. It wasn’t until I was almost about to leave and done with my meal that they finally got around to refilling it. If I knew it would take that long I would have asked to get a different beverage.

I guess it’s over.
Nandos is one of those places I make a special trip to when I’m in town. My first Nandos was in Doha, and I was happy when they turned up in DC. The chicken was consistently good, and I especially like the different sauces. The lemon & herb and the garlic are two of my favorites. Service has been pretty good. No, service is really good. Take a bow for that.
Sadly, today the chicken was dry and overcooked in the leg and wing. Small, too. The garlic bread was delish, as was the hummus, but the vegetables on the side were dried out and faded. The carrots were so dry they had white edges. All that for $ 20. That’s a lot of money for half a chicken and a small dish of hummus, and then for it to be just meh, well, my infatuation is officially ended.
Bye Nandos, it was good while it was good. Then it wasnt.

For the past year and a half, I’ve been obsessed with Nando’s. Funny enough, the last time I was in London, I was told to check out Nando’s, but I went to a pub instead. (This chain is HUGE across the pond!) Instead, I had my first experience at this location.
Probably my favorite chicken items are the wings and the butterflied flame-​grilled chicken breast. Both are super crisp and flavorful! I usually order lemon and herb or medium. I also love dipping them in the various sauces available.
In terms of sides, they’re excellent. The sides are definitely not some after thought soggy french fry. Their fries are crispy and well-​seasoned, and to bump up the spice factor, splurge for the peri-​peri mayo (an extra $ 0.75). The macho peas are slightly mashed peas seasoned with mint, parsley, and chili. It’s slightly spicy and really refreshing. If you love peas and peri spice, you’ll love these.
However, the big surprise in my book is the garlic bread. I’ve had my fair share, and we can all agree that almost all garlic bread is really good. But this garlic bread is smashing! It’s char-​grilled and covered in an herbacious butter. In fact, the Nandocas’ Choice sandwich features a butterflied chicken breast with coleslaw between TWO pieces of this smashing garlic bread. It’s about 1000 calories but oh so worth it!
The restaurant is pretty large with a variety of seating choices. So whether you’re there alone or with a group, they should be able to accommodate you. Once you’re seated, walk up to the register, order, and pay for your meal. When it’s ready, they’ll bring the food to you. As you wait, head to the counter and grab your utensils, fill your drink, and grab some sauces to taste test.
This location can get pretty crowded on the weekends but waits are typically not too long. At times the crowd is rather loud and boisterous, but it’s all fun in love and chicken!

I have never heard of this franchise, and I am glad to have found it.
The selection is simple, and the restaurant pairs the laid-​back attitude of a more «fast» restaurant, while avoiding the uncertainty that comes with having to find your own table and waiting for them to call your name. They assign you your table, your go up and order and pay, and they bring your food (and clear it).
I got the half chicken, medium spicy, and it was delicious and filing. Definitely a place I could eat at regularly, if there was one near me.

My husband really loves Nando’s and I thought it was ok. We often catch games at the Verizon Center and this is a good choice nearby. The chicken is cooked well. The seasoning has a strong hint of lemon. It is kind of cool they have several different sauces you can choose from and also a sauce station if you want to try more. I think the spicy ones are probably the best. I tried the mango and also medium and the garlic which were ok.
The garlic bread was good and the fries were just ok (which is a shame). The rice is pretty good.
There is an ordering system where you order in the front after being seated and then then bring it out to your table. Place is clean and fun.
It’s not the best chicken I have had (probably just taste preference) but not a bad choice when in the area and it won’t break the bank.

This place is alright – definition of three stars for me. The knocks aren’t too serious and the food is pretty good. It is a tad on the expensive side for what it is, but all in all, it’s not a bad option for dinner in Chinatown.
Solid Peruvian chicken, decent choices in sides, generous portions. I ordered one of the milder spices, mashed potatoes and garlic bread. All were quite good and the flavors they are pushing work.
As a specific knock, they have glasses, but we were given paper cups. When we asked why, we were told only that there were no clean glasses. No one ever came over to replace the cups later in the meal. Though this isn’t a major thing, it’s emblematic of the type of service you should expect. No one is going to be rude or anything. Just that no one will go out of their way. And for this price point, a full service restaurant is probably a better deal.

We stayed at the Renaissance hotel around the corner and decided to come here for lunch. Really large restaurant with lots of seating downstairs and upstairs.
— Check in with the host, she’ll give you menus and a table number.
— Order at the counter, pay, go find your table.
— Don’t forget to grab the utensils, napkins and yummy bottles of sauces that they have right next to the counter! I think my favorite was the garlic one.
— We waited about 15 minutes for our food to be brought out and lets just say the half chicken & 2 sides of mashed potatoes and cole slaw weren’t enough for the two of us! (we were starving). I would recommend getting half a chicken and a side if you’re super hungry. I wasn’t a fan of the cole slaw, but it definitely seemed fresh. The mashed potatoes were… well, mashed potatoes! We ordered the MEDIUM PERI PERI SAUCE chicken & it was SO GOOD. Plus, if you feel like there’s not enough sauce, you could always add more (from the bottles).
Really good deal for great food and service.

Restaurant pour un midi qui est très recommandable.
Le poulet est bon et les «à côtés» sont très bons. Les filles qui placent et qui prennent les commandes sont sympathique et souriantes.
Le seul hic, les portions sont un peu maigres mais demeurent acceptables.
Très bon pour un 12h00.