Thurrock - Lakeside Retail Park - Ryan Review

Thurrock Nando's is located on Lakeside Retail Park, not to be confused with Lakeside Shopping Centre (also known as The Boardwalk). Between the two retail centres there is just about every shop, outlet, supermarket and eatery you can think of - with a cinema nearby too, so plenty of things to see. This Nando's is right by a Tesco, so head for that and you can't miss it - and thousands of free parking spaces right outside or within a few minutes walk.

The outside of this branch is nice. Full length windows in a curve meaning lots of light (not at 7pm) can get in. On the paving outside there's also the "Nando's" logos in large 3ft illuminated lettering and all the round from this are half a dozen or so tables for outside seating (giving a beautiful view of Tesco Extra).

Inside the decor is very impressive. All the way along the full length windows are 15ft high wooden stakes. Above this on the very tops of the walls all the way round are canvas paintings - right above the entrance there are some huge ones, spreading across the ceiling. Lots and lots of nice lighting too. A very nice layout as well. A good mixture of circular booths, normal booths, bench seating and tables/chairs allows for parties of all shapes and sizes, while still having plenty of room around your table. Toilets were spotless too.

The staff were very friendly and efficient. Always making small talk with people as the plates were collected - good to see.

Arriving at around 8pm, there was no wait for a table and no wait to order - followed by a 12 minute wait for the food.

The food was fantastic too. The chicken was hot, moist and saturated in sauce and the portion size was huge. The chips were hot and crisp - rice was a good size, too, but quite dry.

Overall a great meal, with friendly staff and very nice decor. 97 down! :-)