Nando's PERi-PERi — Restaurant in Oak Park

I am a regular patron of Nando's. I love the food, the atmosphere, the service, the whole experience. This was my first time going to this location, in Oak Park. I am not sure if it was because it was a holiday (4th of July); but the mood of the workers was sullen. There was no visible joy or excitement, that is the norm at other locations; nothing welcoming about this frontend crew. My order was taken, and the young lady went to assist with prep. She put on a glove, to retrieve the eight(8) Natas that was on the order. There were only five(5) in the crib, so more had to be retrieved. I had a guest with me who had never been there. So, I asked, "do you all have samples like the other locations". She went and asked the manager. He's frowning and gesturing negatively. He was way too animated for such a simple question. She return to the register with the expected "no". I said, "okay, may I please have a six(6) piece order of plain-ish. Mind you, this is on top of my order that had already been cashed out.

Once this second order was cashed out, not 60secs later, he brings out this half cooked, unseasoned, grayish flat in a paper dish and plops it down on the counter. I am yet holding on to my emotions, as this has not been a pleasant experience thus far. He "commanded" an associate to go get three(3) more pies for the order. As the new guest is tasting the chicken, with utter disgust; I asked to cancel the extra order of wings. The cashier called for the manager to come and do the cancellation. He was none to please with this request. At the same time the associate came from the back with a crib full of Natas. He began placing them on the grill. I noticed that he did not put on gloves prior to handling my food. I immediately spoke up, in a very calm, almost endearing manner... "baby, please can you put on gloves?" He spins quickly to show me and says very gruffly, "I am holding it by the tin!!" I asked again, "can you please put on a glove?" This young man responded emphatically, "you don't come up in here telling me how to do my job!!" The was the end of my tolerance. I said, in a somewhat elevated volume, "cancel my whole order!" The young man is continuing to mouth off. The manager had to tell him three(3) times to go to the back. It took the Holy Spirit of the Living God, to control all of this neatly packaged crazy (compliments of the United States Marine Corps) to keep that young man from an experience unlike he has ever had. The manage gave an obligatory "sorry". No genuine apology or any attempt to right this egregious wrong. Once my cancellation was complete in the register, that was it. He was done. I walked out, appetite ruined for the day! I will never ever again patronize that location. I will never ever recommend that location. Such an awful...

This Nado’s peri peri location lives up to the 5 stars hands down such a rare rating these days! Ask for poppy the host she’s a sweet heart always attentive and supper helpful ! And Ashley was so chill and helpful ,she really knows her menu and got us right with our food ! The kitchen staff her is above and beyond clean and fast always hot ready food !The food quality is beyond compare the rice was seasoned so well and delicately delicious the mash potatoes have a nice smooth texture savory in every bite the fries were absolutely delicious, seasoned so well supper addicting. This place has a very nice palette of seasoning flavors and spices for the chicken that meets everyone’s preferences, we had the lemon and herbs chicken and the nice roasted skin and juicy hot seasoned chicken was perfect. Some of the cleanest well prepared chicken , definitely a fan favorite. There is a sauce bar of such creative flavors that made the dishes extraordinary. That lemon and herbs is just nicely light yet a punch of flavor as well as the medium nados sauce and that garlic herb sauce. They serve in extra clean decorative plates and give you glasses for fountain drinks how lovely, it elevates the experience of eating. The place is absolutely clean tables booths all the floors are POLISHED! The cashier and staff were had AMAZING moral great customer service and a happy staff makes a place SHINE! The manager checked on all tables to see if everything was fine and I felt so BEYOND welcomed the moment I entered to the moment I left. The bathrooms smell and look like they clean them frequently, supper comfortable restrooms and having the dinning music in the bathrooms elevated the privacy for one’s use and I absolutely love this. Truly appreciate a place that lives up to its greatness the staff deserve all the best especially the manager and cashier. A place that puts love into the food and environment is hard to come across. The decor is beyond romantic trendy supper cozy yet flattering it definitely suits all crowds of all sizes. Even has a big hit for take out! Such an extensive menu selection...

Nando's Peri-Peri seems to get fine reviews online so you should take my review with a grain of salt. The main fare at Nando's is chicken. Their claim to fame is their preparation of the meat which is why their prices are so high for this inexpensive meat. That is a fair rationale. My experience was so poor for the following reasons: The host had to explain the menu to me, and even admitted that the section on "sides" was mumble jumble and difficult to understand. You have to place your order at the register, pour your own drink, pick up your own flat ware and napkins. They are happy to assign you a table. The restaurant had four other customers in the very large room. I was seated right next to three of them. The host, who just explained the menu to me, took my order at the register. I ordered a chicken burger for $8.99. She asked me what sides I wanted with the burger. I requested two sides which I assumed came with the burger until I saw her ring them up. She tried to explain the "sides" to me again. I ordered the cole slaw as a side. It was a third of the price of my chicken burger. The music is very loud and annoying. It was a blend of something or other that didn't quite work. Within 30 seconds of sitting down at my assigned table, my food was laid in front of me. Special preparation? Don't think so. A six bite chicken sandwich and a bowl of cole slaw for a family. The chicken was dry and woody, topped with their "special preparation" sauce, a slice of tomato and pineapple. Every bite produced a handful of juice...from the pineapple. The tomato could not maintain itself on the sandwich. I suspected the chicken was prepared for the previous day's customers because the man standing at the grill was standing over what appeared to be a brand new grill. I didn't even see a hint of a flame.

I wouldn't go back nor would I recommend this restaurant, but as I said above, it gets great...