Nando’s Peri-Peri

Justin is right, the peri peri sauce does have cumulative effects. I had the extra extra hot, which is not really that hot. But later on, my lips literally burned for hours lol. It wasnt unbearable, just a mere observation; I have a high heat tolerance though.
Listen, Ive been using peri-​peri sauce for years and I had no idea it was a restaurant until this most recent trip. I was delighted!!! But the sauce is the star, and its really just a bare bones flamebroiled chicken joint. The sides are meh. It hits the spot though, and its cafeteria style – you walk up and place your order at the counter, someone will bring it to you. The kitchen to table timing is short, you can enjoy a good meal relatively quickly. The décor is cute. For alcohol they have three beers on tap, and 5 – 6 bottle options. Me likey!

There is nothing at Nando’s that I don’t love, but my particular favorites are the flame-​grilled chicken with medium sauce, garlic bread and chips with perinaise. On top of the great food, the atmosphere is really unique and pleasant.

A word of warning:
Peri-​Peri hot sauce has a cumulative affect on the palate. There is something distinct and particular about how it coats your mouth and sticks to your insides. I guess most oil based hot sauces might have a similar effect but point is, it’s very easy to overdo it. The burn will stay with you a while longer than you might expect.
While they offer XTRA XTRA hot bottles of Peri-​Peri you should avoid at all costs. The regular old XTRA will do you just fine and can very easily be over done. That said, it’s something you need to try out if you haven’t already. It is absolutely delicious and goes great with chicken, the highlighted protein at Nando’s.

I guess I just don’t really get this place. It was basically $ 40 for two of us to have dinner here, and we got what was essentially a Jewel roaster chicken and some sides. I could’ve paid $ 12 for more food at a grocery store hot bar. I don’t think the sauce and rubs are anything to write home about – some of the sauces are outrageously hot and others just have bad flavor (like the lemon and herb sauce). On the plus side, the décor is cool, and the staff was gracious. But I probably won’t be back.

The cachet of this franchise seems to be that the modern city dweller may not know how to apply certain spices or how to roast chicken. Insofar as that is the need being fulfilled, Nando’s supplies the demand. For those of us who do know how to roast chicken, we’d be better off purchasing a bottle of Nando’s sauce (at the spiciness level of your choosing), and roasting our own chicken (parts) at home and saving a lot of money. The chicken was fine, but not worth eating out for, although we were fans of the peri-​peri nuts and the macho peas. But again, both of those concepts could also be easily replicated by the confident home cook.
If you’re stranded on West Randolph and everywhere else is too full or too expensive, Nando’s is a fine option to get fed.

Great service. Great food. Great environment.
The garlic bread was soo good. I’m definitely coming back.

I’m glad there are so many Nando’s in Chicago now! We’ve had Nandos in a variety of cities, and it’s so consistent. I always like getting the wing platter — with the garlic sauce and then some sort of spicy sauce. For sides, you’d be amazed but the peas are sooo good! They’re semi-​mashed and are marinated with some sort of spice to give it a nice kick.
Great for any occasion and much healthier than fried chicken :)

Solid Peri-​Peri Chicken!
I love that there is a fast casual spot in the West Loop which the neighborhood greatly lacks. The chicken is juicy and full of flavor, the sauces are great as are the sides. I have dined in as well as ordered for take out and so far I have not been disappointed. I wish we could get more fast casual spots in the neighborhood.

Nando’s is everything. This casual sit down joint is just what the west loop needed. The décor and ambiance kind of transports you to another place with bright colors and wood décor. This place is good for groups; they have a lot of large picnic tables, and some smaller ones that can be pushed together. This is not a full service restaurant; you’ll have to order and pay at the register, and a server will bring your food to your table, but everyone is friendly and very helpful.
Definitely try the chicken, the mashed potatoes and the peas. Unless you’re completely against spicy food, try the wings and make them hot. If it’s too spicy, try cooling it down with the lemon sauce. Actually, on second thought, try every sauce that is stored in large bottles near the soda machine. You can easily feed 3 people for under $ 40, and it’s worth every penny. I haven’t tried the dessert recipe but it’s on my to try list, along with some interesting beers. Like I said, this place is everything.

Thrilled to have Nando’s open up in Chicago. Great casual spot for a group lunch or a casual hangout with friends.
Can’t go wrong with any of the sauces. I would recommend ordering a chicken dish rather than a sandwich: wrap; that way you get to taste what this place is really about, those sauces.
The peas side dish is so good. Tooo good! Hard to stop eating it.
And the best part, in my opinion, is the olives! I don’t know what they do to them but they are just so flavorful and delicious! Don’t be afraid to bite into the garlic pieces they have mixed in there too. (They are pickles and have no garlic-​ey flavor in them at all)

Had a great experience at Nando’s. The hostess greeted me right away and explained how things worked since it was my first time there. I went for the half chicken and Portuguese rice. Decided to have the chicken done plain-​ish so I could try the different sauces. The chicken was flavorful and moist. I tried the garlic and mango sauces, which were tasty. But to be frank, the plain-​ish style still delivered a lot of flavor. The rice was fine, wouldn’t call it a stand-​out item.
It noticed they had pasteis de nata and had to try one. It brought back memories of traveling through Portugal. The ones in had in Lisboa were bigger and a little more dense than the one I had, but it was tasty all the same.
The staff are super friendly and the interior and music made for an overall good experience. Would try it again.

Very good food. Think corner bakery (order at counter with number plates), with better quality focused on meats.
Located in the west loop, it was a perfect brunch location post-​Brooklyn Boulders climb. But like most west loop places, the price mark was Just a dollar or two higher than comfortable. That being said, my dining partner and I both got chicken and it was damn good.

Cheeky cheeky Nando, I’m so glad I got to experience you. The 5 star rating is due to food quality, service, menu choice, and ambiance. Nando’s may be quick, but it’s packs a big punch. The fiancé and I, growing tired of our same quickie spots in the West Loop, decided to be daring and carry out from here on Wednesday night. I immediately fell in love with the décor! It’s so fun and colorful… and the servers there couldn’t be any nicer.
The menu is bigger than I thought it would be: salads, chicken, sandwiches, wraps, and sides-​a-​plenty. The boo and I went with the full chicken and three sides: coleslaw, Portuguese rice and garlic bread. We decided on the medium sauce for the chicken and it had great flavor… not spicy at all, yet not boring. BUT WAIT, there is an entire sauce/​condiment bar that you can go nuts on if you so choose to add to your bird. There were about 4 – 5 different sauces, all delicious… especially if you mix and match:) The sides were equally great. I’m still craving that coleslaw two days later. It was creamy, yet not overwhelming. The garlic bread made this meal complete… pro tip: don’t skip out on the bread. Now what’s the kicker is that all of this food was only $ 32. You won’t find that anywhere on Randolph street — trust me!
Nando’s is absolutely going to be put in our rotation. I am anxious to try the chicken wraps and sandwiches after being blown away. Stay tuned Nando’s, you will be seeing much more of me soon!

I didn’t even know this was in Chicago now, have only eaten at one in D.C. before.
A friend from England reports that the American spots appear to go a little less spicy on their hot sauces as he found them all not to be as hot as he remembered from back home. I also am a fan of spicy food, to a degree. I found their ‘extra’ hot sauce was all I really used and it was not too hot at all. Everything else was not really hot at all.
The food was on par with what I recall from the D.C. visit last year. Half chicken and sides (peas and fries w/​the special mayo) were all excellent.
Service, a little bit of a mess but they did just open at the time. My wife and I arrived on foot and asked for a table for 4 while waiting for the other half of our party to get there. Once I heard our friends were still 15 minutes away we then asked the hostess to switch our request to a table outside, since we had to wait a bit longer anyway. When our entire party was there we checked with the hostess again and they had somehow managed to cross out our name of the list for inside but never put us on the list for the outdoor seating, so then we were told it would be another 20 minutes for a table, after we had waited that long as least. They were able to quickly accommodate us inside after making a point that we’d already waited that long and most everyone else in the restaurant was seated within 5 – 10 minutes.

I found out this is a chain and I nearly cried cause it didn’t feel that way. Lol. This weekend though I saw two other locations… oh well though cause the food was delicious!
I had the chicken burger and ordered a side of fries. The chicken was delicious and although I love pineapples I had to remove it from the burger cause warm pineapples don’t work for me. Lol. My friend ordered the vegetarian wrap. I snuck a piece and it was soooo flavorful that you don’t even mind there’s meat missing. Fries were perfect and for $.75 more I got the mayo dipping sauce for them and it was 100% delicious.
The thing I like most is although your food comes perfectly seasoned you can dress it up with a lot of different sauces. Our favorites were the extra spicy and the garlic mayo. Prices were reasonable and service was excellent. I will be back!

My love affair with Nando’s is proof that absence makes the heart grow fondest.
When I learned of Nando’s existence in West Loop, I made a beeline there the same day and doubled back in the same week. Nando’s has my heart. There’s no denying it. I could not have made it through my UK study abroad program more than ten years ago had it not been for Nando’s. It’s flavorful and spicy bites helped me to survive the otherwise bland cuisine. Before being introduced to this place, my friend would carry a bottle of Tony Chachere’s in her bag every day and would sprinkle it on every single cooked food item there. Nando’s cured her of the need to do so and pulled me out of college budget dining out blues.
The chicken dinners ($ 8-​$ 15 per person) include your choice of one or two side items. Once you select your chicken type, you are then asked to select the sauce. If you are undecided about sauce (mild, medium, hot, garlic, mango), you can request no sauce and pour your own using the bottles over in the condiment section. As for the side items, I have not tried a side that I did not enjoy which is the very reason I always opt for two. Quite honestly, selecting two sides is never an easy task for me and I have been known to order a third. My third selection is always the garlic bread. While $ 2.75 sounds like a hefty price tag for bread, it is seriously worth every penny. It’s so frickin’ delicious. Once you try it, you will better understand my obsession. Some say carbs are not your friend, but I think Nando’s garlic bread is an exception.
Nando’s specialty sodas are very good and reasonably priced. I have tried the sparking orange mango (12 oz) and the ginger lemonade (9 oz). Liked them both. If you are looking for an adult beverage, Nando’s has that too! Beer, hard cider, sangria and wine. And for the kid in all of us, it has a freestyle Coca Cola machine which allows you to mix all the flavors your heart desires.
I can’t believe Nando’s is only in two US states, but I am happy to reside in one of them.

Nando’s is an international chain of fast food restaurants that serves peri peri chicken. My sister subsisted on Nando’s when she studied abroad in London, so I once traveled from Seattle to Vancouver, BC, to see what all the fuss was about. I wasn’t overly impressed with Nando’s in BC, but I must say the West Loop location must be what my sister was raving about.
My friends and I came on a Saturday night, and the restaurant was bustling with families and friends. Nando’s has a XOCO-​like set-​up: We were greeted by a hostess, who gave us menus and a table number. We ordered at the counter, and the food was brought to our table. There is a table where one can pick up utensils, napkins, and bottles of peri peri sauce and salad dressing.
We ordered the peri peri chicken in both medium and hot spice levels, the peri chips (cajun fries), garlic bread, Portuguese rice, macho peas, and naughty natas (egg tart). The rice was flavorful (if you love garam masala spice, this is the side for you), the fries were crisp and had the kick of cajun spice, the garlic bread was grilled and a surprisingly good complement to the chicken, the macho peas were peas with a minty fresh twist, and the naughty natas was flaky and not overtly sweet.
At approximately $ 12 per person, we each enjoyed ½ chicken and two sides, which was filling and spilled over into Monday’s lunch. Overall, I would recommend Nando’s if you’re craving peri peri chicken and looking for a casual meal in West Loop.

As did many others, I first fell in love with Nando’s when studying abroad in the UK. Imagine my excitement when I heard they were opening a location in Chicago.
I was a bit worried it may not live up to my expectations but I am happy to inform you that Nando’s USA does not miss a beat. Same great chicken, sauce and sides.
The peri peri medium sauce is perfection. Just the right amount of spice. Has a little something something that I just can’t explain but always leaves me wanting more.
I think the service is great for what you pay for. I personally like the concept of ordering first, then serving yourself as far as drinks and silverware go, and then going back to your preassigned table.
Whatever Nando’s is doing as far as food and atmosphere, they’re doing it right.

When I lived in London, I didn’t go to Nando’s much. But when I heard they were opening locations in Chicago, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the chicken. (You always want what you can’t have, ya know.) Finally had a chance to check out the West Loop location a few Fridays ago. Stopped by around 9pm to find the place bustling, but with open tables still available. We chose to sit outside and enjoy the soon-​to-​be-​gone warm summer evening.
For those who don’t know: you’re given a table number by the host, then stand in line to order your food and drinks at the counter, then sit at your designated table and wait for the spicy deliciousness. If you need to order more after sitting down, the staff person who brought you your food acts as your server from that point on.
My husband and I both opted for sandwiches rather than just the chicken. I had the chicken breast pita (hot) with a side of the Portuguese rice. It was really big, really good, and quite spicy. I’m glad I didn’t choose to get it «extra hot» to be honest. The Portuguese rice was good, but not a must have. My husband ordered the Nandocas’ Choice sandwich (also hot), which was delicious and also spicy though less so thanks to the coleslaw it was topped with. The sandwich was also quite large and came with fries, which were good. We probably could have saved half of each order for leftovers, but you know, hunger and gluttony and all that. I also ordered an 8oz glass of rose and they do not mess around with the pours. Definitely an overall great value for your money, especially in this neighborhood.

I’ve been a fan of Nandos for over 20 years, both as customer and as a supplier of their unique, interesting and fabulous signature sauces, which is their schtick.
Not the cheapest or fastest Fast Casual concept in town so for me the value offering is still not optimized but I suspect that will change as they build scale and go through the various stages their start up phase.
The food is uniquely flavored with bold, umami style spice combinations that are not indigenous or totally familiar to North American taste, so in that respect it is refreshing and original. The space is hip and stylish in West Loop bohemian loft style with great light and a cozy outdoor rear garden in addition to sidewalk seating if you prefer to see and be seen. Others can better describe the food itself, which is good.
Excellent blend of unique African traditional and contemporary music so tune in and enjoy.