Thursday, December 8, 2016

Review: Nando's

In honor of our brand-new baby niece and her London-loving mama Tiffany, I'm finally reviewing a restaurant that Tiffany recommended to us. Tiffany loved spent a year studying abroad in London, so when she heard we were going to England, she had tons of advice, recommendations, and tips for us. I think she was most excited for us to try Nando's, a restaurant that she'd really loved. Once Jeff started planning our trip, he discovered that there's a Nando's right here in Chicago, so off we went to check it out!

nando's west loop
Nando's is a peri-peri chicken place: they serve a kind of spicy marinated butterflied chicken with various sides and (in our case) sangria. The food is served family-style and you specify how spicy you want your chicken, so it's best to go with someone who has similar taste to you. Jeff and I are both fans of spicy food, so we ordered the second-spiciest sauce, which was perfect for us.

nando's chicago reviewI I used the little paper flag to mark my chicken territory.

For sides, we went with the mashed potatoes and mushy peas. The potatoes were good, as mashed potatoes go. (I think mashed potatoes are one of those foods that are basically impossible to screw up or revolutionize the world with, but Jeff really likes them and they make a good side for spicy/saucy foods.) The peas were my favorite thing about the entire meal, including our giant pitcher of sangria, and that's saying something. They had exactly the right herbs and a hint of spice, and I definitely ate more than my fair share of those peas.


We ordered a carafe of white-wine sangria to share, and it came with plenty of mango and peach slices. Yay for surprise dessert!

The chicken itself was super delicious. The skin was crispy but not greasy, and I really liked the peri-peri sauce. I'm looking forward to going back and ordering a large mushy peas just for me. Apparently there's a Nando's opening right in our neighborhood in early 2017, and I'm super excited to have a new last-minute dinner option.


I wore this new-to-me Evelyn dress from Pinup Girl Clothing, even though I had slight misgivings about wearing anything fitted for a trip to a restaurant, but happily, it wasn't too tight even after I housed half the food pictured above and dessert from the nearby French Market! The fact that I'm wearing short sleeves in this photo should tell you how overdue this review is. If I can find the long-sleeved blue cardigan I used to wear as my winter layer in LA, though, I'm going to winterize the bejeezus out of this dress!

Thanks for sending us to Nando's, Tiffany! We enjoyed it a lot, and hope we'll be able to go with you one of these days!


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8 comments:

  1. Nando's is soooo popular over here in the UK but I just don't get the hype haha! I've been twice (to two different restaurants) and each time the food has been served cold and I've been distinctly underwhelmed by the quality! I'm glad that your experience was a lot better than mine!

    Absolutely love that dress too, I always admire your pin-up stylings!

    Abbey 🎄 www.abbeylouisarose.co.uk

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  2. I have never been to Nando's but I've heard so many people talking about it! The food looks amazing, especially that mashed potato dish!

    Sarah | What Sarah Writes | Giveaway

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  3. Ooh I love Nandos! I very rarely go even though there are so many here in the UK! All the food looks delicious that you had :)

    Tiffany x www.foodandotherloves.co.uk

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  4. I used to love Nandos when I was younger (and not a vegetarian). They're everywhere here in the UK so it was a convenient place to go for food whenever we went out anywhere. I've not been in years now because they're veggie options are awful aha

    Emily http://puttheworldtowrites.co.uk/

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  5. Nandos! Everyone is obsessed, mostly One Direction fans, and they are all over the UK. I tried it once and it was okay. I love the logo because I'm Portuguese and it incorporates a Portuguese Rooster. :)

    S .x http://ramblingsofayoungprgirl.blogspot.com

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  6. I had no idea Nandos was so popular! We have one here in Sydney...I order delivery from them entirely too often. Haha. But it's so good! Gosh I'm hungry now...I might have to go there tonight!

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  7. So great that you were able to find a Nandos locally. It sounds like it was super tasty and that sangria looks so delicious! Love this dress! It's one that I've long admired but never got. I hope you will be able to find your blue cardi. I'd love to see this gorgeous dress winterized! <3

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  8. Sounds like a fun place! I love this dress and genuinely don't remember it on anyone else! So vibrant! XO

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