Nando's - Ottawa Elgin Street - Almonte

The restaurant offers a diverse and unique menu at an affordable price. The atmosphere is clean and enjoyable. I will definitely be returning.

We arrived in Ottawa early in the morning for an appointment at 11:00 and everyone was hungry. Luckily, we found Nando's and it turned out to be the best choice. We all loved the Jumbo plate and the sides - the chicken was well-seasoned and the staff were friendly.

The experience at Nandos on Elgin Street was not good. There was no obvious queuing system, causing a chaotic mess of people looking for tables, delivery app drivers, and other patrons crowding the entrance. It took 35 minutes to receive our meals, despite the restaurant being mostly empty. It felt like delivery app orders were prioritized over dining room customers, which was a disappointing way to treat patrons. Additionally, Nandos collected a tip with a prepaid card, even though there was no service to warrant it. The food was poor quality, with our chicken dishes lacking flavor and the vegetables being soggy and unappetizing. Overall, the experience was not worth the $50 we spent, and we would have been better off dining elsewhere for a better meal at a lower price. Nandos would benefit from improving their service, quality of food, and attention to all customers in the dining room.

When the waiter came to the restaurant, the waiter told us we came through the wrong door. We only noticed this door and we came in. We didn't see any other doors, even though we checked two sides of the building. If it's the wrong door, why is it there? It is no way to welcome customers. That bad vibes are coming. The waitress totally ignored the females and started talking to the males. This is just a respectful and rude. When the food finally came, the grilled chicken rancid and the chicken size was big, so it is not well done. I expected a restaurant known for grilled chicken to have smaller size chickens, well cleaned with vinegar and dipped with lemon and water the day before to dissolve the fat and bas smell.

Specializing in chicken, Nando offers considerable variations on the theme. I had a half chicken with fries and a house salad. The chicken was good though hardly outstanding; ditto for the sides. The prices are very reasonable. We sat on the patio in part because...the restaurant smelt as though somebody had burnt something. Nando's may be short-staffed; the space is less clean than a Nando's in Toronto which my sons liked a lot and to which I sometimes accompanied them.