Finchley Lido - Marc Joss Review

The free parking right outside this branch in the Lido complex is a huge plus along with the cinema and bowling alley which allow for a great day or evening out. This does mean that the branch tends to get very busy and big groups usually have to wait for a table as the branch itself isn't that big.

Luckily, the 2 of us were seated straight away on a rather pleasant Thursday evening and there was a minimal queue to place our order. As the tills are very close to the entrance, the people waiting for tables and takeaways can be mixed in with people queuing to order creating a rather chaotic atmosphere but as there isn't much space, I'm not sure how this could be resolved without a branch refurb!
The staff in this branch all seemed to be from other parts of the world and I made the most of the international vibe by speaking to the Brazilian cashier in Portuguese!

Unfortunately the food did take longer than expected to arrive which is understandable as the branch was very busy. It was just over 20 minutes after ordering when my half chicken with 2 peri chips and grilled haloumi finally landed on my table and gosh, I was excited. The chicken was tasty but could have done with some more sauce and I don't remember it being spicy even alongside my mayo+extra extra hot sauce dip. The chips definitely needed some more peri salt but I was too engaged in conversation to request more!

As for the decor, if you look at the area above the raised section of the restaurant, there are some nice touches but I feel some more African art woulnd't go amiss. There are some white gaps which could no doubt be complimented by some extra eye catching artwork. I did notice the Nando's poster on the wall which referred to the marvellous proverb 'birds of a feather flock together' which once again made me think of the unique way Nando's exploits the English language's flexibility to its fullest. Keep it up!