Walthamstow - Ryan Review

Was travelling from Bury St Edmunds to Hayes - and seeing as though I was passing Walthamstow, it would have been rude not to pop in! I parked at The Mall which is just a few minutes walk away. This closes at 10pm, so be sure to leave before then! It's priced at £1/1hr, £2/2hrs, £3/4hrs, £5/8hrs and £10/8+hrs. Walthamstow Central train and underground station are both a couple minutes walk away.

Arrived here at about 5:45pm. It was about half full so quick and easy to get a table in this this Nando's. It's got quite a long layout in an L shape where it opens out more at the back to the right.

At the front there are two large black leather circular booths, a row of tables and then two more circular booths leading you up to the sauce/drinks station where the restaurant turns right and opens out a bit more. Running alongside these booths in the windows are a few tables - and on the other side in a recessed tea are three more square booths.

At the back where the booths stop, is a red leather banquette running in the window to the end of the restaurant making up about six tables. In the open bit to the right there is a blue and red leather banquette running around the outside walls making up around 10 tables.

Every wall in this restaurant is nicely and differently decorated. The wall at the front when you enter is patterned with a pale blue tiles, the wall by the till is purpley/black tiles (with red neon lights above it). The bit of the wall by the front circular booths is patterned with a beige/maroon zig-zag. The wall in the recessed booths area is clad in wood. By the drinks/sauces it's blue tiles with stars and in the open section at the back it's wooden clad again.

Lighting is varied too - all hanging down from the zig-zag ceiling running along the whole length of the restaurant. Brown flowery shades, clear and yellow spheres and odd brown/beige small cubes in the open section. Quite a few paintings in the back section too. Toilets are entered by the drinks/sauce station and are brightly tiled in blue, green and white tiles. Good stuff.

Staff did everything expected of them, including pointing out that this Nando's is currently offering a free half chicken with every purchase of a box of six sauces for £11.95!

Food came along in a little over three minutes. As this was going to be my first of two Nando's this evening, I went for the burger and chips. The chicken burger was fantastic - saucy, large - covering all the ciabatta - and thick and juicy. Smothered with sauce too. It came with a generous helping of chips but they were quite soggy...