Croydon - High Street - 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: 
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Time of Day: 
Weekday Dinner
Rating: 
3.38 / 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: 
3.5 (Average but with lots of peri-spice)
Decoration & Cleanliness: 
2 (An old Nando's, needs some investment)
Comments - Stand out in our monthly competition! What did you eat? Unique aspects? Parking/transport tips?: 

So within 3 minutes of leaving the car park, I had a man start urinating at me in the street - another ask me for my ****ing money (he didn't get it) and also got to see a fight breakout on another street corner... ahhhh, we must be in Croydon proper. On this occasion I was glad I was in a Q-Park (Surrey Street) and was surprised it was reasoanably priced (£1.50/hr up to 6 hours). I left at the Surrey Street Market entrance but found there is a secure gated entrance taking you right to the door of the Vue cinema.

Also West Croydon and East Croydon train stations are less than half a mile walk away from the High Street and George Street and Church Street tramstops are just a couple minutes walk away.

First impressions of this branch were that, on this occasion, it stank. Real bad. It was the strongest around the drinks machine which was pretty much coned off completely with a big puddle on the floor. Maybe somebody had thrown up there - but either way, the puddle was there for the whole hour I was inside. The toilets (downstairs) were also coned off and everybody was using the disabled toilet which was also partly flooded... so has to lose a mark for being so dirty.

Apart from that, this Nando's was a very standard Nando's. A couple of large canvas paintings on the left wall as you enter and a what looked like a big pottery vase banister right at the back. There was a large circular booth as you enter with more booths towards the back and the rest made up of bench/table/chair seating. There were also 8 tables or so folded up inside by the entrance - presumably for outdoor seating, but why anyone would want to sit in Croydon High Street is beyond me.

The restaurant was only half full, so it meant no wait to be seated and the food came in under four minutes and was cooked to perfection. Sadly though, the actual portion of chicken, although cooked nicely, was real scabby and all bones - barely any meat on it. The chips were hot and crispy though and the rice was a towering portion, so maybe just above average overall.

Staff were pleasant enough but did the minimum... and why didn't someone mop the puddle(s) up?? :-)

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