York - Monks Cross - Elliott Waters Review

This Nandos, which is officially known as York - Vangarde, was at the time of the visit, a brand new Nandos, and as such this was my first visit. A Sunday afternoon would be incomplete without chicken, so the new Nandos in York was chosen as the location.

From the outside, the outlet looks a little plain. The typical steel building cladded with wood and big windows. There is a small outdoor eating area too, which has a few bushes around it. The way in is on the right hand side of the outlet, and entering, you arrive in to a small, open, waiting area, facing the till point and grills. I was immediately shown to a table by a helpful member of staff, letting me pick where I wanted to sit (which is like gold dust in some Nandos!). I decided to sit on the left hand wall of the outlet, looking over the restaurant towards the grills. A short while later, it was time to order. There was a slight queue at the tills, despite it being relatively empty, as it seemed that everyone had decided they wanted Nandos at the same time! Ordering was quick and simple, with the server complimenting my ordering skill, at being able to reel off the order and answer each question without being pre-empted! Maybe a sign of too much Nandos?!

Returned to my table, and waited for the food to arrive. It wasn't long before the food arrived, around 5-10 minutes. The food was excellent. My meal was a 1/4 chicken Mango and Lime, with Chips and a Side Salad. The chicken was lovely and warm, moist, with plenty of zest on it. I'm not normally a chicken skin fan, but this was crisp, but not too crisp, and added to the experience. The chips were hot and soft on the inside, helped down with a side of Lemon and Herb sauce, with the salad being cold and crunchy, with no soggy tomatoes! Overall, an enjoyable meal!

The outlet itself is quite big in terms of floor space, but not overly big in terms of tables. There's a lovely array of weaved woodwork suspended from the ceilings and around the supporting columns, with some booths in the middle. Nice dividers are around the outlet, which split the restaurant up, so you're not sat on someone's knee. The walls were textured, with a few Nandos artefacts dotted around the place. A nice history of Barci adorns the wall by the entrance. As to be expected with a new outlet, it was incredibly clean. The cutlery and drinks area is located at the rear of the store, next to the door to the toilets, which is a little grouesome, and my only downside to the interior.

The outlet is located on the Vangarde shopping park, which is located near Monks Cross Shopping Park. The Vangarde is a new park, and shares the area with a John Lewis, Next, M&S Food, Costa, and other eateries should you not fancy chicken tonight (You must be mad?). There is a very large car park, which is actually quite difficult to get in too. I couldn't find the entrance, despite being a native Yorkie, and as such parked across the road in the sports centre. Behind the outlet is the Monks Cross Park and Ride (Silver line), which links the City centre (ironically stopping very close to the city centre outlet) with Monks Cross every 10 minutes.

Overall a good visit to this new Nandos. Impressed with the decor, quality of food, speed of service, and the staff. Looks a little dull from the outside, but much much more on the inside!