Nando’s

Good points: buzzin, food, seating, friendly staff, lighting.
Not so good points: cappuccino, cleanliness, not quiet.
Overall had a good meal, was very busy and had run out of two main dishes. If you like a quite restaurant where the staff make a fuss of you don’t come here. If you like a lively place with half decent food then this is your place.

Your usual Nandos — chicken in peri-​peri sauce.
Can be a bit dry but just get some olive oil and douse some sauce.
Tends to get busy at weekends and had to queue about 5−10mins to get to the counter.

I seriously heart their chicken caesar salad. Jeffrey is right, I always thought this place was Portuguese and I can tell you it is anything but Mexican. I really, really, really wish they would bring it to the west coast because this place would squash other similar restaurants like Stonefire Grill, etc.
The peri-​peri sauce is good (except for the lemon and herb… a bit blah) and I recommend the medium if you are a bit of a sissy like me. The ¼ chicken meal is good, esp when you get it with their tasty fries. This place gets a bit crazy around lunch rush with all the huge families coming in, esp during the weekend, so I would recommend waiting till around 2. Love it though and the staff has always been super friendly. Can’t wait for another fix when I go back for a visit!

I keep seeing reviews listing Nandos under everything from Mexican to American, however they advertise and have branded themselves as being Portuguese, so I’m sticking with that. As a yank, I really didn’t know what to expect. Chicken places have come and gone in the U.S. Kentucky Fried Chicken [KFC] still survives, the Boston Market came and went. But Nandos makes the common chicken stand far out. The flame-​grilled chicken is served via a number of ways with a gradient list of hot levels which is fantastic. Though the sauce is a little sour for my taste buds (I’m used to a slightly sweeter sauce), it’s great none-​the same. This chain promises locales across the UK, but to me, it tastes nothing like the fast food crap which is normally served at U.S. establishments. I wish Nandos would start marketing more than just their Peri-​peri sauces here in the U.S. (even though it’s a South African company!). So far there’s two places in Washington, D.C. Alas, with all of our laws, acts and preliminaries, they’d probably f*ck it up if it went too big.
NANDOS update: It’s AFRICAN, not Portuguese. Their «Peri-​peri» sauce is of African origin. Considering it’s a South African company, I should’ve figured that out. Doh!