Barcelos Flame Grilled Chicken

I absolutely adore chicken, especially when it's roasted or grilled. I've had some leftovers from this restaurant before, but they didn't do justice to their delicious food after being in the fridge. Finally, I had the chance to visit the restaurant in person and try their dishes.

Barcelos Flame Grilled Chicken, a new restaurant located in the Market Crossing area of Burnaby, has a striking resemblance to Nando's. Upon entering, I couldn't help but feel like I had stepped into a Nando's. The chicken logo they use is eerily similar to Nando's, and to top it off, there is a Nando's restaurant just across the street. It was quite perplexing.

We are fans of Nando's, but after trying several of their outlets serving their famous flame-grilled chicken, we have decided we will only visit the Big Bend Crossing location. This is because we have noticed variations in quality between the different outlets, and the one in south Burnaby consistently impresses us. We were excited to see that Barcelos Flame Grilled Chicken, a competitor to Nando's, had recently opened a location at Market Crossing, a shopping complex near Big Bend Crossing in Burnaby. This new location has a fresh and clean ambiance, with a spacious waiting area at the front counter and plenty of seating for dine-in customers. Each table is equipped with a menu, salt, pepper, ketchup, and two bottles of Barcelos sauces: tangy lemon and veri peri. The sauces at Barcelos have a thinner consistency and a softer savoriness compared to the bolder flavors of Nando's sauces, and we preferred the Barcelos sauces. Like Nando's, we received a number after placing our order, and our food was brought to our table. We opted for water to drink, as the self-serve soda fountain had a small water dispenser next to the pop button, requiring the cashier to remind customers not to press the wrong button. We suggested having jugs of water at the front counter for convenience. We ordered the Supremo Family Meal at $25.99, which included a whole chicken, a large side, and a choice of Portuguese buns or garlic toasts. We chose the Tangy Lemon Chicken to add flavor to the chicken, which was tender and delicious. The Barcelos chicken had a more mild seasoning compared to Nando's. We also ordered Grilled Vegetables as our side, which was a generous portion of peppers, onions, carrots, and zucchini. The Garlic Toasts were light and crispy but needed more garlic butter for a stronger flavor. In addition to the family meal, we tried the Peri Fries, which were crispy but lacked the peri-flavoring we expected. The portion was smaller than what we have had at Nando's. Overall, we enjoyed our experience at Barcelos and found the service and food quality to be superior to Nando's. The prices and portions were comparable between the two restaurants, but the choice between Nando's and Barcelos ultimately comes down to personal preference.