Covent Garden (Average rating: 3.66)
Parking is considered N/A due to this branch being in Central London.
Lifetime Ratings (10-50 Combined Visits from 7 Nandoers):
| Friendliness of Staff | Speed of Service | Quality of Food | Decoration and Cleanliness |
Rating | 3.29 | 3.57 | 3.5 | 4.29 |
Meaning | Not bad. Did everything I asked of them | 5 - 10 mins - Some conversation had begun | Average but with lots of peri-spice | Very clean, newly furnished, impressive artwork and lighting |
Individual Ratings:
Submitted by: Hard
Date of last visit: Fri 09/12/11
How busy was it?: Almost full
Time of day? Weekday lunch
Number of visits?: 2-5
Additional comments: No forks, but we had some in time for the meal. | Friendliness of Staff | Speed of Service | Quality of Food | Decoration and Cleanliness |
Rating | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
Meaning | Not bad. Did everything I asked of them | 10 - 15 mins - Nando's average | Above average - noticeably tastier than normal | Very clean, newly furnished, impressive artwork and lighting |
Submitted by: Adam Nicol
Date of last visit: Sat 19/11/11
Number of Visits?: My first visit!
How busy was it? 10 - 25 minute wait
Time of day? Weekend dinner
Additional Comments: I only ended up at this branch because all my plans for the day had gone down the drain! (Obviously I intended to go to Nando’s, but it probably would have been a different branch) I had no idea where it was so I decided to ‘follow my Nando’s sense’ until I found it… A sneaky bit of iPhone googling always helps as well. Eventually I found it after about an hour of looking.
I expected it to be busy on a Saturday evening… It really was, we had to wait 20 minutes for a table, but this branch had a cool bar that I’ve never seen in any Nando’s before! My friend wanted to get a bottle of wine but I’m a real man and I don’t drink it! So I ended up just sitting until it was our turn to get seated.
While waiting I checked out the décor in the bar, it has the usual sort of artworks on the wall with one of the huge mirrors, It also had some impressive lighting hanging from the ceiling and a big spiral staircase that went down into the main restaurant area!
The wait dragged on with the bar getting more and more crowded, I understand why but it’s still annoying when larger groups come in and get seated immediately, grr. Eventually though we got told to descend town the spiral staircase, the area below is huge! I was surprised by the size, and the layout is awesome, there’s a little waiting area near the tills. It has these little separate little ‘cave’ areas with big tables which would be awesome for privacy when coming with a large group, and next to these is a big room with all the other tables in, we got seated on a table for 2 between other people, it was very busy!
The décor downstairs was good, and the layout just adds to this, the spiral staircase, the big spiral ramp and all the usual Nando’s artwork just add together to make a very memorable, awesome branch.
I struggled to find the tills again, you have to go up a big circular ramp thing that leads you back to the spiral staircase where the tills are.
There was no queue so we got served almost immediately, I ordered my butterfly chicken with chips and garlic bread, and a soft drink and headed to get my knives and forks, there was plenty of sauces there to choose from but only 3 bottles of extra extra hot, so I grabbed one and went back to my table.
The wait for the food was about 10 minutes, when it came it was pretty average, the butterfly chicken was lovely, and it was a bit piece but it wasn’t soaked in sauce enough but I had the extra-extra hot sauce so everything was fine. The garlic bread was good, half of it was burnt and it tasted amazing, though it was a bit cold. The chips were nothing special and were also slightly cold, I’m used to my chips being so hot I can barely eat them!
The staff were friendly here, though the Nandoca who served me was a bit hard to understand, I told her my table number was 32 and when she repeated it I thought she said 22 so some confusion arose when I checked to see if she had the right number, also a Nandoca did the thing where they sneak up on you while your mouth is full to ask you if your meal is ok! I panic and just nod my head.
So overall this branch, while not having the best food, has awesome décor and an awesome layout. A good branch to come to with large groups if you book it in advance I’d guess, though if you’re in a hurry best not to come here because the wait for the table could be quite long. Of course the bar earns it points because I’ve never seen one before and it’s a great addition to the restaurant! I would return here if I was in the area, so highly recommended branch to visit!
| Friendliness of Staff | Speed of Service | Quality of Food | Decoration and Cleanliness |
Rating | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
Meaning | Not bad. Did everything I asked of them | 10 - 15 mins - Nando's average | Average - just as you would expect | Very clean, newly furnished, impressive artwork and lighting |
Submitted by: Ryan 
Date of Visit: 29/05/2010
Number of Visits?: 2 - 5
Additional Comments: Very nice Nando's this one. As others have said about this on Rate YOUR Nando's, the upstairs/street level has a nicely decorated bar. I guess Nando's has to try and compete with the many other bars in and around Covent Garden - and it seems like they've done a nice job. A few beers and head downstairs for some chicken :-) The downstairs section is also very nicely done. Lots of wooden effects on the booths and walls. Very nicely laid out too - very cosy/romantic booths (if that takes your fancy) which adds a nicetouch to this branch. Good artwork on the wall too and nice lighting (inc the lighting in the booths).
Been here a couple times in a group of three and four - arriving early afternoon both times. No wait to be seated, to order and about 10 minutes for the food to come. Good chicken too - plenty of sauce and plenty of table sauce available too.
Staff were pleasant on both occasions too - seemed to be friendly to all the customers.
| Friendliness of Staff | Speed of Service | Quality of Food | Decoration and Cleanliness |
Rating | 4 | 3 | 3.5 | 5 |
Meaning | Good stuff. Very polite | 10 - 15 mins - Nando's average | Average but with lots of peri-spice | An exceptional Nando's! |
Submitted by: FOX
Date of Visit: 12/12/2010
Number of Visits?: 10-50
Additional Comments: An amazing location, right in the heart of london, just off of covent garden, and also next to trafalgar square! decorated beuaitully! includes two floors, with a bar on the top, and more quieter seating area on the bottom, with private rooms for parties or large groups!
feels like i've stepped into another country when i enter, as it is so well decorated
| Friendliness of Staff | Speed of Service | Quality of Food | Decoration and Cleanliness |
Rating | 4 | 4 | 4.5 | 5 |
Meaning | Good stuff. Very polite | 5 - 10 mins - Some conversation had begun | Great - Very tender chicken,piping hot,not at all burnt, dripping in sauce | An exceptional Nando's! |
Submitted by: Lauren Shipperley
Date of Visit: 4/2/11
Number of Visits?: They have visited this branch 2-5 times!
Additional Comments: The waitress was very rude on arrival and had 25 minute wait to get a table. But overall an ok experience. | Friendliness of Staff | Speed of Service | Quality of Food | Decoration and Cleanliness |
Rating | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 |
Meaning | Not bad. Did everything I asked of them | <5 mins - I had only just got back with my cutlery | Quite disappointing - seems rushed, may have some parts burnt, luke warm | Very clean, newly furnished, impressive artwork and lighting |
Submitted by: Elaine
Date of Visit: May 2009
Number of Visits?: They have visited this branch 2-5 times!
Additional Comments: No additional comments.
| Friendliness of Staff | Speed of Service | Quality of Food | Decoration and Cleanliness |
Rating | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
Meaning | Not bad. Did everything I asked of them | Some conversation had begun | Average - just as you would expect | Standard Nando's, nothing bad, nothing exceptional |
Submitted by: James Colom
Date of Visit: May 2009
Number of Visits?: They have visited this branch 2-5 times!
Additional Comments: Down near the Strand. A nice Central London Nando's that has good food and good decor like most branches there. Staff and service are average but this is to be expected when the restaurant is so busy. Has a very nice upstairs bar area where you can get a drink before the meal, before heading downstairs to the main restaurant.
| Friendliness of Staff | Speed of Service | Quality of Food | Decoration and Cleanliness |
Rating | 3 | 3 | 4.5 | 5 |
Meaning | Not bad. Did everything I asked of them | 10 - 20 minutes had passed | Great - Very tender chicken,piping hot, not at all burnt, dripping in sauce | An exceptional Nando's! |