Colchester (Average rating: 3.8)
Parking is right outside but expensive! Vineyard gate car park is 50p on Sunday afternoons but it's a bit of a walk.
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Lifetime Ratings 10-50 Combined Visits from 5 Nandoers):
| Friendliness of Staff | Speed of Service | Quality of Food | Decoration and Cleanliness |
Rating | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.9 |
Meaning | Good stuff. Very polite | 5 - 10 mins - Some conversation had begun | Above average - noticeably tastier than normal | Very clean and newly furnished, impressive artwork and lighting |
Individual Ratings:
Date of last visit: Sun 27/11/11
How busy was the branch?: Half full
Time of day: Weekend dinner
Number of visits?: My first visit!
Additional comments: This exceptionally well appointed Nandos is at the end of one of the main roads in Historic Colchester a small stones throw from the city walls. Parking is a great issue unless your disabled in which case Colchester has more then ample.
Parked at Vineyard gate car park which has a offer for 50p on sunday afternoons but is a bit of a walk.
The store has a good level of music and excellent artwork on walls and lots of pine which is illuminated by the right level of light. I love the long booth under the stairs and the range of seating, though some at the back of the store was a little too close to each other and i had trouble squeezing through. At the back are large patio doors which open up to a paved garden area which seems like it has seating and parasols during the summer and is a nice touch.
Two sauce areas which were both clean though only the front has a beverage machine and there were no forks at this area. The Toilets are upstairs and very light and airy though also very beige and bland.
The chicken was spot on just as I love it with plenty of sauce and well cooked good size sides so we were very happy with dinner and it had a favorable impression on my mate and we were both satisfied at the end.
No one came to check on us during the meal to see if food was ok nor to see if we wanted dessert which is a shame as had decided to get cheesecake if they had. Can recommend this store and the people of east Anglia are evidently well served.
| Friendliness of Staff | Speed of Service | Quality of Food | Decoration and Cleanliness |
Rating | 3 | 4 | 4.5 | 4 |
Meaning | Not bad. Did everything I asked of them | 5 - 10 mins - Some conversation had begun | Great - Very tender,piping hot, not at all burnt, dripping in sauce | Very clean, newly furnished, impressive artwork and lighting |
Submitted by: Shmack
Date of last Visit: Sat 24/09/11
Number of Visits?: 10-50 visits
How busy was it? 25+ minute wait - come on Nando's!
Time of day? Weekend Lunch
Additional Comments: The Colchester branch is an old favourite of mine, not only because it's my local but because of all the good times I've had there! We've been trying to back for a while now and things keep messing up our plans! So, today, I was looking for the very best of Nando's.
It was a Saturday lunchtime and I was expecting a wait. We had a big group (4 adults, 1 child, 1 highchair) and while the Colchester branch has a lot of 2 and 4-person seating, they don't have very many tables for large groups. The staff were friendly and took our name and we went away for a bit, and they did indeed have our table a half-hour later as we had been told and we didn't have to wait longer than that.
The restaurant was very busy but the queue at the tills to order was not terrible, and moved quickly. The staff member who served us at the till point was very patient as two of our party (including myself) gave orders for 6 people, and then helped us take drinks back to our table.
By the time we'd taken our trips to fill up soda glasses, get tableware and sauces, our food was already arriving. The orders were all correct aside from one of the children's sides (garlic bread) having been put on an adult's plate.
Everyone was very happy with their food. The chicken was well cooked and juicy, and the two vegetarians in the party enjoyed their beanie burgers immensely. The sides were well-portioned and tasty. Everyone left satisfied, happy, and full.
This restaurant is tightly packed but even on a busy day it was not uncomfortable. Though, it was a shame the garden area wasn't opened as it was a decent day for it! We sadly didn't get to sit in my favourite booth- a very neat long booth that sits under the stairwell to the upstairs bathrooms in a low tunnel-like arch. The back of the restaurant could use with a touchup- the front has had one recently and looks amazing. We did not use the regular bathrooms but the member of our party who used the handicapped/family bathroom said that it was not up to scratch and was very dirty, with some facilities being broken or nearly so.
Parking for this restaurant is not far but can be a bit expensive. However, almost all the busses that serve Colchester town centre stop within 50 metres or less. The Odeon is also almost directly adjacent and there are a few good pubs nearby for drinks afterward.
We had a great time, and I'm always happy to go back to Nando's Colchester!
| Friendliness of Staff | Speed of Service | Quality of Food | Decoration and Cleanliness |
Rating | 4 | 5 | 4.5 | 3 |
Meaning | Good stuff. Very polite | Under 5 mins - I had only just got back with my cutlery and sauce | Great - Very tender, piping hot, not at all burnt, dripping in sauce | Standard Nando's, nothing bad, nothing exceptional |
Submitted by: Shmack
Date of last Visit: 17/8/11
Number of Visits?: 10-50 visits
How busy was it? A few tables occupied
Time of day? Mid-afternoon or late evening
Additional Comments: Put Speed and Quality on average for this visit BECAUSE-- we intended on eating at Nando's today (17-8-11) but when we entered and answered the standard Nando's questions, we were told that they weren't making any grill items (chicken on the bone, etc) because their grill was broken. The staff were very apologetic and friendly despite this, and did not seem annoyed when we decided not to eat. A shame, as I had a free chicken to redeem! I will have to go back another time (and I will, because I have had no other problems with this Nando's).
| Friendliness of Staff | Speed of Service | Quality of Food | Decoration and Cleanliness |
Rating | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
Meaning | Good stuff. Very polite | 10 - 15 mins - Nando's average | Average - just as you would expect | An exceptional Nando's! |
Submitted by: Ryan 
Date of last visit: January 2010
Number of visits?: 1st visit
Additional comments: The Nando's in Colchester is located just off the High Street - a minute walk from the Odeon cinema and is also close to the heart of the town centre shopping, so anytime of the day you can expect it to be busy. It's also not very big inside at all so expect to wait for a table. I was in a group of four and had a 20 minute wait to be seated - which was fine for me! It was about 7pm, so more than expected really.
We parked on the edge of the town centre and walked in - maybe a 10-15 minute walk from the car park, but it was a much more reasonable price than parking anywhere within the town centre.
Walking around the town centre, you get a feel for just how long some of the buildings have been around. Not quite from Boadicea's time - but certainly a while. As a result, there isn't much room for to expand shop fronts and all of the first/second floors above shop fronts cannot be altered - meaning blink... and you'll miss your lovely Nando's! Inside was up to the usual standard though. Nothing spectacular (as there isn't a massive amount of wall space) but the usual hung paintings.
Once we were seated, there was about a 5 minute queue to order followed by a 10 minute wait for the food - so no problems there. The food was as you'd expect - enough marinade to give a peri-peri fix, but as for the table sauce... no Extra Extra Hot in sight! | Friendliness of Staff | Speed of Service | Quality of Food | Decoration and Cleanliness |
Rating | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Meaning | Not bad. Did everything I asked of them | 10 - 15 mins - Nando's average | Average - just as you would expect | Standard Nando's, nothing bad, nothing exceptional |
Submitted by: Nick Walker
Date of last visit: 21/03/10
Number of visits?: 10-50
Additional comments: Always top class . Can't wait for me next visit .
| Friendliness of Staff | Speed of Service | Quality of Food | Decoration and Cleanliness |
Rating | 4 | 4 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
Meaning | Good stuff. Very polite | Some conversation had begun | Nando's fit for a King - The very best | An exceptional Nando's! |
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