Exclusive Nando’s Restaurant Preview!

Nando’s eh? My advice is to Nando go there, it looks like an Indian version of California Tortilla.

Lots of hate for restaurants in PQ these days.

I for one am excited to have another option for a quick bite in our neighborhood.

Used to go in London years ago. Really delicious chicken and custard tarts.

It looks nice, from the outside anyways.

#1: Nando’s is a chicken restaurant based out of South Africa.. it has nothing to do with Indian cuisine..

Not another over-priced European chain…$20 for “fast” food? You’ll find me at Boston Market enjoying a hearty dinner for half the price.

Thanks for the preview of Nando’s. I’ve been to a Nando’s before and I thought it was great, especially for semi-fast food.

And when did Africa move to Europe?

How can people even judge this place as being not worth it without even trying it?

People can be haters. I will wait to pass judgment.

Chopt charges $10 for a salad, which I think is high, but the place has a constant line.

nando’s is in both south africa and the uk. plus, there are many many south africans of indian descent, so the south african palate is heavily influenced by indian cuisine. before you all start making comments, learn a little about the world.

#6: Let me know when you find the Penn Quarter Boston Market. Oh it’s in MD? You spent how much on gas getting there and back? And it took you how long? DEFINITELY worth the $10 savings. I heard that McDonald’s charges $0.10 less for a Big Mac in Kansas. Maybe I’ll go there for lunch.

#8: Hear, hear.

According to their own website, it’s more Portuguese than African or Indian.

#10- Don’t take offense to the hater haters, certain people don’t like to see any criticism of PQ on here.

That being said, I’m looking forward to more options, new places- I would love for a good dim sum place to open. Haven’t found one yet in Chinatown.

This blog seems to be full of people eager to pay for overpriced, mediocre food and other items because they’re so desperate to say they bought it in “the neighborhood.” Nobody wants empty store fronts, just reasonable prices and quality.

I went to Nando’s many a time in London and the food is great and at least in London was relatively speaking cheap. Great place for family dining and a wide variety of spice ranges to suit most tastes.

From my experience in London, it was billed as more Portuguese style than African, but I am no expert.

#8, people judging places as “overpriced” without even trying them first is pretty common on this blog. I wonder why these people who complain about this even choose to live here, because other than fast food, there is no cheap dining here.

The Penn Quarter is a hot area to live in and getting even hotter, which drives up rents, which drives up prices. Businesses need to make a profit, and with high rents, taxes and substantial investments, their prices are going to be high. This is pretty basic economics and I’m baffled why this eludes some people.

Tried it today for lunch, and it was really good. The chicken is very tasty, and the sauces are fantastic. While it’s not a table service restaurant, it’s not fast food either. They have some decent wines and nice beers too. And $3 for bottomless frozen yogurt! We’ll go back soon!

Group of four of us went to Nando’s for lunch today. We had the full chicken platter which came with choice of two sides, an appetizer of spiced olives, and four unlimited mango ice tea for about $36. It was delicious and a pretty good price for four people to have lunch in Penn Quarter. Best of luck to Nando’s…a great addition to the northern section of 7th street in Penn Quarter.

They also have a nice “to go” menu.
This is a great addition to the area.

It also appears, as previously stated by #14 FPS, that the menu is Portugese influenced.

I cannot believe the level of ignorance of people on this blog…..perhaps consider reading the Nando’s story on their website. As a person from the Southern African region, I can assert that peri-peri chicken etc. was created by the Portuguese in Mozambique! It’s a unique blend of peri-peri chilis, lemon etc. This is a specialty in Moz and while in the ‘American’ sense the restaurant is considered as fast-food…it’s quality is much better than you avg. KFC, Mcdonalds etc.
Also, quit complaining about the prices. The cost is almost equivalent to ordering at a regular place (incl. Boston Market).

@gpliving

What’s that drink in the bottom photo? Beer or iced tea? If it was beer the $20 bill should have less sticker shock.

iced tea

Went to Nando’s this week & got a whole chicken with two sides for about $20. Tasted great & the price was right, very excited to have this in the neighborhood.

For beer, I was hoping they’d have Super Bock (no luck), but they do have Sagres.

EDIT: 7-13-08
I’m not very observant. Went to Nando’s last night, and they DO in fact have Super Bock. I had two of them with my whole chicken.

I just spent the summer in the UK and got instantly addicted to Nando’s!! Imagine my excitement to learn a week before my return that its first US location just opened blocks from my house! As stated before, it’s Portuguese-influenced food by a chain that started in South Africa. After paying double the price with the awful exchange rate in the UK, I’ll be more than happy to pay the American price for it here

Nandos restaurants are generally very consistent. The food is always freshly prepared, and the quality is excellent.
They are very popular in the UK especially, and I have eaten there for several years.

I’m living in Florida right now, but am looking forward to traveling to DC for an excuse to dine at Nandos again. (yes, it’s that good.)

Fantastic menu variety. The price is towards the high end, but this is NOT fast food. The service is speedy… but it is meant as a very casual, dining experience within a nice atmospheric setting.

I’ve never seen so many people as passionate about a restaurant as this… I HIGHLY recommend it – and after trying it just once, I’m sure you will too.

Enjoy!