Plymouth - Old Town Street - Ryan Review

Ryan's picture
How Helpful?: 
No votes yet
Author: 
Number of Visits: 
This was my first visit
How Busy?: 
Half Full
Date of Last Visit: 
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Time of Day: 
Weekend Dinner (Inc Friday)
Rating: 
4.25 / 5
Friendliness of Staff: 
3 (Not bad. Did everything I asked of them)
Speed of Service: 
4 (5 - 10 mins - Some conversation had begun)
Quality of Food: 
5 (Nando's fit for a King - The very best (Please tell us why)!
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?: 

This restaurant is located bang in the middle of the city centre shopping area - meaning it is within all the shops etc. You're also only about half mile walk away from the sea front, the barbican and the Hoe! This also means Barbican Leisure Park, which has a Tenpin Bowling Alley, Vue Cinema and Nuffield Gym (and the other Nando's) is also about 15 minute walk away. The aquarium is also here.

Plymouth train station is about half a mile walk from Nando's as well.

There are several well sign-posted car parks all very reasonably priced. For example, I parked at Mayflower East Car park which is £1.20/1hr, £2.20/2hrs, £3.30/3hrs, £4/6hrs and £8 for over 6 hrs. Most of the car parks operate these prices, except Drakes Shopping Centre which is about 20% more expensive.

This restaurant is located over two floors, with a very good mix of seating on both floors. In the middle of the downstairs is one long table seating about 16 but separated into sections by moveable sauce holders. Three booths behind this just in front of the grills/tills and further bench/tables/chairs.

Upstairs, there is colourful bench seating running along a lot of the back wall. Also three large circular tables seating at least six, in bigger comfort chairs. Also, full length windows letting a lot of light.

Together with a further six tables outside, it takes it up to about 45 tables overall, so multiple large groups are easily accommodated.

The decor is also very nice. lots of different styles of lighting, including shades looking like lotus flowers, big conical red metallic lampshades over the downstairs booths, empty sauce bottle lights in a spoked effect on the walls.

The rest of the decor is good too. The left hand wall downstairs is completely red and made to look like frilly rose petals across the whole wall. The wall running along the stairs and also as you get to 2nd floor is also well decorated, with several large colourful canvas paintings. The till is also covered in crushed soft drink cans (or they may just be bottle labels) of Sprite, Coke etc. Toilets were immaculately clean as well.

I arrived here at about 6pm (on a Saturday) and although there was a long queue at the till (about 20 people - which was a bit crammed at the entrance), the whole restaurant was less than half full. I think everybody had just gotten up to order! :-)

Even with all these orders going through at once, the food only took 9 minutes to come... and it was superb! A really good couple pieces of chicken: big, meaty, hot and moist - well marinaded with just the right amount of charring on the skin. The portion of chips were also big, hot and crispy - and the rice portion was also generous and hot and moist. It was delicious!

Staff were pretty busy so doing what was expected.

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