NANDO'S has built a reputation that few chain restaurants can match.
Known for its peri-peri chicken, iconic spice scale, and infamous 'cheeky' meme status, it’s a place many people return to time and time again.
Despite its popularity, I had somehow never tried it, so when Nando's opened its new location in Kilmarnock on January 21, I thought it was finally time to see what all the fuss was about.
I expected a fairly relaxed visit, especially at lunchtime, but that wasn’t quite what I walked into.
The restaurant was busier than I could have expected, with a constant buzz of noise and a younger crowd filling most of the tables.
As I admired the building which I'd seen be refurbished countless times over the years, I felt an appreciation for the interior which brought something modern and fresh to Kilmarnock for once.
As a first-time visitor, I was caught off guard by the ordering process.
I hadn’t realised that you either had to order at the till or use the app, which surprised me, as I assumed everything about this chain was similar to a traditional restaurant experience.
Once I got past that, I was faced with the infamous spice scale.
With no point of comparison, I dove straight in and opted for medium out of the five options.
I ordered a grilled chicken wrap with a side of chips and waited to see if Nando’s would live up to its reputation.
While the chicken was fine, the medium spice level barely registered as spicy at all, which was surprising given how much emphasis Nando’s puts on its heat levels.
The wrap itself was filling, but nothing about it really stood out, which was disappointing for the £8.50 price tag that didn't include a side dish.
By the end of the meal, the whole experience felt slightly overrated.
After years of hearing people rave about it, the reality didn’t quite match the reputation for me.
While I can now say I’ve finally tried it, I’m not convinced it’s somewhere I’d be in a hurry to return to.
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