Chesterfield - Ryan Review

Ryan's picture
How Helpful?: 
Average: 5 (1 vote)
Author: 
Number of Visits: 
This was my first visit
How Busy?: 
Half Full
Date of Last Visit: 
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Time of Day: 
Mid-afternoon or late evening
Rating: 
4.25 / 5
Friendliness of Staff: 
3 (Not bad. Did everything I asked of them)
Speed of Service: 
5 (Under 5 mins - I had only just got back with my cutlery and sauce)
Quality of Food: 
4 (Above average - noticeably tastier than normal)
Decoration & Cleanliness: 
5 (An exceptional Nando's! (Please tell us why) )
Comments - Stand out in our monthly competition! What did you eat? Unique aspects? Parking/transport tips?: 

Stopped off at this newest Nando's on my way back from up North. Chesterfield is only 6 miles or so off the M1, so is easily found. This Nando's is on the Alma Leisure Park which is also home to a Nuffield gym, a Cineworld and other eateries. There are plenty of free car park spaces, but it even at 4pm on a Saturday they were almost full, so I imagine it gets very busy on an evening. The Crooked Spire Church is half a mile walk away and well worth a visit. Chesterfield train station is just under a mile walk away. Hardwick Hall is a 6 mile drive away back towards the M1.

Being the newest Nando's, expectations were high and it certainly didn't disappoint! You first see the big illuminated Nando's sign on the outside wooden fascia, where there are also 8 or so tables outside with brightly coloured chairs enclosed by a long running planter. Inside it's very open plan - with a very high wooden clad ceiling with the real centre piece being these 10 or so very large multi-coloured lightshades hanging down in the middle of the restaurant, above five circular booths all in cream/yellow leather. The back-right wall from the entrance also has a few square booths with wooden slats on the windows here. The back wall is painted bright orange and yellow/brown and has a large circular banquette running along it which is also bright orange leather. All of this seating is very open with lots of space. The only ill-thought out seating is immediately to the right of the entrance in the window where there are 10 or so two-seater tables which are pretty close to one another...

There's plenty more different lighting styles too - there are different coloured paper shades, clusters of pink/yellow glass vases and lots of spotlights all over the very large and high ceiling. Plenty of artwork dotted all around too, including in the little hall running to the toilets (right in the back corner of the restaurant). The toilets are also brightly decorated, with bright green/yellow and other patterned tiles - along with reclaimed wood panelling in the walls, reclaimed metal frames for the mirrors and a huge deep slate sink. Very nice indeed.

The food came in just under five minutes and it was a great standard. I was claiming a free whole chicken and had a portion of chips too - and it was a very generous sized piece of chicken - piping hot throughout. There was plenty of white meat on the bones but it did need some sauce to it moisten it up on some of it - even though it was caked in sauce on the outside. The chips were also plentiful and hot and crispy.

Staff were polite but doing as expected duck!

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