Norwich - Red Lion - Ryan Review

Ryan's picture
How Helpful?: 
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Author: 
Number of Visits: 
This was my first visit
How Busy?: 
Half Full
Date of Last Visit: 
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Time of Day: 
Weekday Dinner
Rating: 
3.25 / 5
Friendliness of Staff: 
3 (Not bad. Did everything I asked of them)
Speed of Service: 
3 (10 - 15 mins - Nando's average)
Quality of Food: 
4 (Above average - noticeably tastier than normal)
Decoration & Cleanliness: 
3 (Standard Nando's, nothing bad, nothing exceptional)
Comments - Stand out in our monthly competition! What did you eat? Unique aspects? Parking/transport tips?: 

Got into Norwich at about 8pm with the intention of only fitting in one Nando's... but I managed to squeeze both of them in :-) It was still about 20 degrees in the evening and really muggy... so what better way to call down than a nice Extra Hot chicken!?

Norwich - Red Lion Nando's is, unsurprisingly, found on Red Lion Street and there are plenty of well sign-posted car parks in the vicinity. I parked at the Castle Mall. There's a few different entrances and exits for this shopping centre so entry and exit was very quick - and it means you are a very short walk from many of the different streets (including Red Lion Street). After 6:30pm until midnight (closing), it's also only £1.50, so great value.

I got to this Nando's about 8:10pm and was shocked to hear that they had run out of chicken on the bone! So I had a burger and chips and shoved that down my neck and headed to Norwich Riverside afterwards. There had been no wait to order and the burger came in just under 15 minutes.

The burger was actually really good. Crispy ciabatta, huge slice of fresh tomato and very tick breast fillet smothered in sauce. The chips were hot and crispy too. I would have really liked to try it on the bone... but since the burger was so nice, will rate it based on that.

The branch itself was sweltering. The front door was open to try and get some air in, but it just wasn't working. I spied a few air-con units, but whether they were broke or something I don't know, but it very uncomfortable to eat.

The layout is good. As you go in, there's an open floor infront of you by the checkout desk, so plenty of space to queue with a few tables around the outside. Immediately to your right are a few tables/chairs in the window and over to the left some further tables/chairs. The branch is deceptively larger than it looks from the outside, as towards the back there are plenty more tables/chairs and then the branch swings round and there's a further 10 tables or so with some booths. The toilets are also downstairs from here (which were spotless).

The decor is very average. I'd go so far to say it needs sprucing up a bit. Very few artwork pieces and generally just plain pale walls. Everywhere was clean though - just not very bright. The good layout averages it to a 3.

Staff were friendly enough, but nowt special.

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