Nando's Bicester Pioneer Square — Restaurant in Cherwell District

A deeply disappointing experience at our local Nando’s

I’ve been a loyal Nando’s customer for over a decade, and this particular branch has always been our go-to place for family meals. However, my recent visit left me genuinely disappointed — enough that I felt compelled to write a review, which I don’t usually do, especially not for a restaurant we’ve admired for years.

I visited just after 9 PM, well before closing time, intending to place a simple takeaway order. To my surprise, the manager on duty (Ad…)— a lady — informed me they could not prepare any chicken because by the time it was cooked, they would be close to shutting. While I understand operational limitations, it was her tone and attitude that were truly unacceptable. Her approach felt dismissive and completely lacking in customer care or courtesy.

What made it worse was that no alternative was offered, and there was no genuine apology from her. In fact, it was one of the staff near the door who showed more empathy and professionalism than the manager herself. I strongly believe that someone in a managerial position should lead by example — and that includes handling customers with respect, especially regular ones who have supported the business for years.

I’m not writing this out of frustration for being turned away — I understand sometimes things run out. But the way it was handled was disheartening. As a manager, if you are unable to meet a customer’s request, the least you can do is communicate that with understanding and a willingness to help in any way possible.

I sincerely hope Nando’s management will take this feedback seriously and provide appropriate training to ensure this doesn’t happen to other customers. This was a genuinely upsetting experience, especially from a place we’ve supported...

So I went Bicester Village for the Outlets yesterday with a friend. After shopping all day, we were very hungry and wanted to end the day with Nando’s which is always a safe option for us. We called to find out the waiting time (as we’re both from London and we are use to long waiting times). The wait was 15 minutes which was great! They have a Sainsbury’s car park right opposite which you can use to park up until 10pm as long as you buy something from Sainsbury’s too (2 hours free parking). So we went in and sat down just before our 15 minutes was up. It’s a small restaurant with two floors, and we were sat just by the doors. The weather was freezing and it was pretty cold where we were sat. Each and every time someone walked in the cold would literally hit my back. We ordered our food as we got in because we both knew what we wanted and we were starving. I kindly asked if we could be moved and we moved a few tables down which was a little warmer. So we were waiting for our food for a good 45 minutes. I could see it was cooked and waiting to be dropped to us at least 10 minutes before we got them. There were enough staff and it wasn’t really that busy. So I don’t think their was an exception. The two tables by us also asked where their food was as the lady said all she had ordered was butterfly chicken and she was waiting for half an hour. The waitress checked and bought her food over straight away- the guy complained that it was ready and nobody bought it over. Which was also the case for us. I also realised they were very short on sauces- I also have a picture of this. I didn’t like the service here at all, I have been to much busier Nando’s and have always had a better service. The food and brand is what takes you there,...

Review for Nando's at Bicester High Street

I recently visited Nando's at Bicester High Street and, while the food quality met my expectations, the overall experience was disappointing due to the poor service.

The restaurant has a lively atmosphere, and the peri-peri chicken was as delicious as ever. The flavors were spot on, and the variety of sauces added a nice touch to the meal. However, the service left much to be desired.

From the moment we arrived, it was clear that the staff were overwhelmed. We had to wait a considerable amount of time before being seated, despite several empty tables being available. Once seated, it took an unreasonably long time for our order to be taken, and even longer for the food to arrive.

The staff seemed disorganized and inattentive. Several times, we had to flag someone down to get basic necessities like water and napkins. Our table was not checked on once during the meal, and getting the bill at the end was another exercise in patience.

Nando's at Bicester High Street has the potential to be a fantastic dining spot, but they urgently need to address their service issues. Better training and more attentive staff would make a world of difference. Until then, diners should be prepared for a frustrating experience despite...