Mansfield - Ryan Review

This Nando's is on Mansfield Leisure Park which is also home to an Odeon cinema and a large Sainsbury's - and offers hundreds and hundreds of free parking spaces. The Stags' football ground is just a couple minutes walk away and Mansfield train station is half a mile walk away.

Arrived here at about 2pm and the restaurant was nearly full. It's a brand new Nando's so all of the staff were very chipper and eager to help, topping up people's drinks where needed and very friendly.

As you enter, there's a red lattice surrounding the door and then a good size waiting area to your left. The till/kitchen section in front of you is tiled in light blue. Over to right is all of the seating with a good mix of colourful banquette seating, tables/chairs and a few large circular red booths. The right hand wall is clad in wooden blockwork and also has a few very large, bright canvas paintings and the back wall - where the drinks/sauces are - is clad in e metallic yellow/grey. The real highlight is the ceiling/lighting which is made up of some 50+ large wooden lanterns in orange/green/beige, which nearly completely fill the ceiling. Toilets are also at the back and were clean, if not a little plain with some dark reclaimed wood and emerald green tiles.

The food for all five people came in under 5 minutes and my meal was absolutely superb. My last few Nando's meals have been mediocre at best, so this was a delicious improvement! I had a half chicken, chips and rice... and the chicken was fantastic. The size of the breast piece and leg was very large but also very meaty and caked in sauce with just the right amount of blackening on the skin. It was piping hot and moist and white meat right down to the bone. The chip portion was large and hot and crispy too - and the rice was fluffy, moist and hot too. Absolutely delicious.