Nando's Euston — Restaurant in London

20 years-old Google account, this is the first ever negative review from me - I don’t take this lightly. Been going to Nando’s for 17 years - other locations. The customer service at this place is awful. Avoid! I stopped here with 30 minutes spare to my train, restaurant is yards from busy Euston station, by main entrance. Just wanted a take-away quickly. I was a starving, looking forward to 1st meal if the day. The restaurant was almost empty, just a few customers, Saturday post-lunch crowd at 2 pm. Tons of waiters looking bored. Just one customer at the counter, ordering, lovely gentleman in tweed, obviously his first time at Nando’s. After about 10 minutes I start to get antsy. He’s picking beers. The selecting is huge. He can’t choose. Girl at the counter is running a demo of beer bottles. Now there are 4 people in the queue. At the other cash register, there is a manager and a staff member discussing shifts in a big book. Giggling, talking. They see and hear everything. 2 other staff members standing over their shoulder, looking bored, gawking. 4 people total chitchatting. Manager and staff are oblivious to queue forming. I make eye contact, multiple times, they look annoyed. More waiting. Lost my chance of lunch. I ask for the manager (oh that’s her… she still looks annoyed) and tell her that this is might not be the best way to go around about a queue and customers waiting. I’m polite, not yelling, no bad words. She looks at me with blank eyes. No apology. No “how can I make this right” No nothing. No answer. Do NOT go here if you’re in a hurry or you’re hungry. 20 minutes lost I’ll never get back. This restaurant could be popular in a sleepy village some place where people don’t mind waiting for 30 minutes, not in Central London. Manager, whoever she is, needs a re-training in customer service asap. To at least...

My feet grew tired in the torrenial London rain. At last; salvation. Both shelter and a warm meal, that of the descendants of the dragons of old, drenched in the spirit of flame.

Alas. Twas not meant to be.

Upon arrival, and being guided to my seat, I was hastily told by the server the rules of the game. They left me and my dear wife, love of my life, to find out meals with the magic rectangles that have an abode in our pockets.

We ordered, and quickly received our meals, and a glass for a fountain of eternal life - and cola. Upon returning, the object of my dreams informed me that she had been asked if everything was good, before even starting her feast. Before she could utter but a whisper, the rapid creature of the night took our server stick and vanished into the ether.

Less than 3 seconds later she returned. With the watchful eye of a warden keeping tabs in prisoners and the swiveling head of an owl, she watched us eat for no longer than a few seconds, then left.

Then she returned, and once more leered at me and my paramour for another few moments. Her eyes glazed and soulless. Her mouth agape and bearing sharp teeth. As if to threaten my bones then selves, they flashed their pure hatred at me. Then once more left.

This repeated until I had finished my meal.

Afterwards, as a warrior cut from the cloth of a germanic background, I required one thing.

Bitter hopps water.

I ordered my beverage, my mead beyond age.

It took them what seemed like days to finally bring the simplest request, a single can. What arcane foolery made them so incapable I have not yet seen. And then, as if to add a cherry to the proverbial iced dessert, it wasn't even the right beer.

However their sire brought me the correct one free of charge so you get an extra...

There was a rat in the kitchen which the staff saw (screamed and hit it with a broom), but they did nothing about- they didn't close the kitchen, they didn't close the restaurant. Personally I know rats are very clean creatures, but they frequent places which have food up for grabs for them- rats are also incredibly intelligent, and the first time you see a rat WILL NOT be the first time it's been there. This worries me how dirty the kitchen must be at this nandos for a rat to have been so comfortable there to let itself be seen. Also I'd have expected the restaurant to close the kitchen at the very least until they had removed the creature (they lost it under a grill). Also the disabled toilet did not lock. It's a radar key scheme toilet, which means anyone with a radar key (available to purchase online for a small fee and declaration that you have a disability) can let themselves into the toilet. Once inside you can lift the handle which locks the door- even to other keys. This lock however didn't stay up. So whilst the door remains locked to the public, anyone with a key can get in- and walk in on another disabled person using the toilet. This is unsafe, degrading, and frankly, not good enough. Even worse that the manager didn't even know that the radar key scheme exists, and asked me in an extraordinarily accusatory way why I had a key. If you're installing a radar key scheme lock, at least give your disabled patrons the respect of learning what the scheme means. Not having a working disabled toilet in a public building is against access laws under the ADA. The food was okay- it's nandos, after all. But the lack of initiative, food hygiene and disability laws disregarded, have ensured I won't...