Holborn - Nando's Review

Holborn (Average rating: 3.66)

Parking is N/A snce this branch is in Central London!

Lifetime Ratings (10-50 Combined Visits from 4 Nandoers):

Individual Ratings:

Submitted by: James C

Date of last visit: Tues 25/10/11

Number of Visits?: 2-5

How busy was it? Almost full

Time of day? Weekday lunch

Additional Comments: The last few weeks it's turned out that I have had a free whole chicken. As a result, my colleague and I have been heading to Southbank branch for very high standard Nando's. Southbank wasn't convenient today so we were hoping the experience there would be replicated at Holborn.

Firstly, the decoration is obviously not going to be as good as the best decorated Nando's in the country. However, the branch still earns a deserved 4/5, and retains its new feel despite having been open a couple of years now.

In a rare occurence for a visit during lunch hour, we were seated immediately, and there was only one person infront of my at the till. I soon ran into problems however, when I attempted to order our usual whole chicken, half Medium and half Extra Hot & Mango and Lime mixed. The server had a very limited grasp of English, and when he clearly did not understand what I was saying, he simply said 'No'. I said 'Yes', and he went to get the manager who promptly approved my order. This only made the language barrier more apparent, since the till worker had to explain the situation to the manager in his mothertongue (I think Italian) since he was not able to in English. The manager and till worker then spoke to the griller in this language, while I was left feeling out of place and quite uncomfortable since I did not understand.

The food came within 10 minutes and was actually brought over by the manager himself. However, the order was wrong. We had been brought a half chicken with half Extra Hot, quarter Medium, and quarter Mango & Lime. Clearly this was not what I had requested, and it was sent back and corrected very quickly.

With the order now correct, we tucked in. Unfortunately the standard was not up to that of Southbank (who may have been spoiling us), and we both felt disappointed. The sauces on my chicken were not very well combined due to the mix up, and my colleague complained of slightly dry chicken around the thigh. This was topped off with somewhat dry rice, though the chips were up to scratch.

Overall, slightly disappointing and reminiscent of my visit to Elephant & Castle where a language barrier meant my order was mixed up and brought over with completely the wrong sauces. I have absolutely no problem with foreign workers in Nando's stores, but it would be nice if they were left to simply cook or hand out the food until their English is good enough for a non-standard order, without the manager having to get involved.

	Friendliness of Staff	Speed of Service	Quality of Food	Decoration and Cleanliness
Rating	2.5	4	2.5	4
Meaning	Not bad. Did everything I asked of them	5 - 10 mins - Some conversation had begun	Average but needs more peri spice	Very clean, newly furnished, impressive artwork and lighting

Submitted by: Ryan

Date of last visit: 04/02/10

Number of visits?: 1st visit

Additional comments: Visited this branch before heading back to Brum at around 7pm on a Saturday - and was surprised at how quiet it was. There were two of us and we were seated right away, with no wait to order and just over 10 minutes for the food to come.

Good first impressions of the branch. In a nice location near to the Tube station. Lots of other bars and eateries aorund here too so am sure it's always busy at other times.

We were seated over to the back right on a table of two right next to another table, even though there were dozens of tables not next to someone else available. Was fine though! Nice layout of some tables and booths. Plants/beds are raised with booths being separated by them, so it does make for some good privacy if you get one of these. The toilets are downstairs and the wall that hides the stairs is a sort of lattice effect with some painting directly on it which was a nice feature.

The chicken was average but did have an extra bit of sauce on it - and there wre plenty of tables sauces on offer too, so the peri-peri fix was had!

	Friendliness of Staff	Speed of Service	Quality of Food	Decoration and Cleanliness
Rating	3	3	3.5	4
Meaning	Not bad. Did verything I asked of them	10 - 15 mins - Nando's average	Average but with lots of peri-spice	Very clean, newly furnished, impressive artwork and lighting

Submitted by: FOX

Date of last visit: 12/12/10

Number of visits?: 10-50

Additional comments:

In a nice location just out of holborn station, however it is on a one way street so is easy to miss this gem of a nandos, well planned out so while you eat and talk others can't snoop in on your conversation. Very nice place to eat.

	Friendliness of Staff	Speed of Service	Quality of Food	Decoration and Cleanliness
Rating	5	4	4.5	5
Meaning	Wow, I feel incredibly welcome! Recognised if you are a frequent visitor	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: Marc Joss

Date of last visit: 19/07/10

Number of visits?: 1st visit

Additional comments: The decor was impressive and fits the lush location in central London. Although the branch itself is relatively small, that was not a problem on a weekday evening and there was no queue at all. The main problem was the staff's reluctance to serve my friend's half chicken which arrived in quarters, the second of which had to be asked for on 3 separate occasions. The food itself was of a high standard and we all left fully satisfied. The staff seemed friendly enough but such forgetfulness should be eradicated if this branch is to reach the higher end of the rateyournandos rating system. The location is excellent, a 1 minute walk from Holborn underground station and the surrounding area is full of bars, clubs and other attractions.

	Friendliness of Staff	Speed of Service	Quality of Food	Decoration and Cleanliness
Rating	3	2	4	4.5
Meaning	Not bad. Did verything I asked of them	Where is the food? Might have asked a member of staff by now	Above average - noticeably tastier than normal	An exceptional Nando's!