We Tried Nando's New 2021 Sides And Salads And Here Is Our Gut Reaction

Superfood + Nando's = super YUM!

Listen up Nando's lovers!! The epic chicken chain have added a bunch of NEW things to their menu and needless to say, we are so STOKED.

Nando's

No one could accuse Nando's of being lazy during this latest lockdown! To celebrate indoor dining making a comeback in the UK next week, they've added a bunch of new stuff to their menu including sides, salads, extras, and dips, as well as four new South African wines from the Spier vineyard in Cape Town. And potentially the biggest new addition is a brand new spice level for the PERi-ometer – Garlic BBQ, which sits in between Plain and Lemon & Herb!

As two people who eat Nando's literally every week, we of course had to try out these new menu items immediately. Here are our thoughts...

Quinoa & Feta Salad

Nando's/Sam Cleal

Muinat: I usually get chicken thighs with peri salted chips and spicy rice (yes I’m a carb-loving queen). I hadn't considered getting one of the healthier options in Nando's before. This quinoa and feta salad bowl exceeded my expectations – it's well-dressed, with these amazing pitta chips that add a nice crunchy texture. It even has sun-dried tomatoes, which add a zingy flavour. I really recommend trying this!

Sam: This is a really flavourful salad for anyone looking to order something a lil' healthy. I love the punch that the dressing and the sun-dried tomatoes give it. Everything is really balanced and delicious! It’s got a bit of heat somehow, which Nando's connoisseurs will enjoy. The chicken was really soft and moreish, and I have to say, I really liked the PERi-Plant strips – they were kind of like bread-like with a slightly chicken-ey taste!

Overall rating: 8/10

Rainbow Bowl

Nando's/Muinat Abdul

Muinat: I’ve recently gotten into eating a more plant-based diet, and the rainbow bowl will satisfy veggies, vegans, and flexitarians alike. It's such a hearty meal chock-full of all the good veggies! I especially loved the seeds added onto the hummus – I'm a fiend for different textures in my food! The grains are absolutely delicious and the slaw is good. It truly is a feast for the eyes and for the belly!

Sam: This dish is super healthy but most importantly, it's tasty too so you don't feel like all you're eating is rabbit food. There's a little broccoli, a little ginger, a little coleslaw. I personally feel like it's the perfect accompaniment to some spicy chicken (I'm a carnivore), but even if I ordered just this, I would still feel satisfied because it's a big portion and it's packed with so many different things! Superfood + Nando's = super YUM!

Overall rating: 7.5/10

Rainbow Slaw

Nando's/Muinat Abdul

Muinat: The rainbow slaw is really nice to look at and it has a mild, zingy taste. I thought it would be packing more flavour, but maybe compared to the other dishes it just pales on the palate. I'm not a massive coleslaw lover, so maybe that’s why this side just didn’t ring my bell as much as the others.

Sam: This was a bit too "healthy" for my taste buds. I guess I like my coleslaw quite creamy, and this was not it. I could definitely see myself ordering it with chicken and chips, but eating it by itself is super odd – unless you're into that!

Overall rating: 5/10

Spiced Grains & Butternut Squash

Nando's/Muinat Abdul

Muinat: This side dish is loaded with feta on top, and anything with cheese on top has a special place in my heart! The feta adds a lovely creaminess to the soft grains and butternut squash. I'm not gonna lie, it was quite filling, so if you get this on the side of your pitta/burger. just one side may be enough (but you can always pinch your mate's chips!)

Sam: This dish was okayyyyy. It had feta – which is major points in my book – and is healthy, but it's a tad bland. I think if I ordered this in a restaurant, I'd load up on peri peri sauce to really pack some flavour into this dish. Then it would be a perfect!

Overall rating: 7/10

And finally, the new Garlic BBQ Spice!

Nando's/Sam Cleal

Sam: I was very excited to try this because BBQ and garlic are my middle names! This is a brand new flavour level on the Nando's PERi-ometer – à la lemon and herb, extra hot, and so forth – so you can order this on all of your classic Nando's faves. Honestly, the flavour is there – 10/10! The wings are delicious, I definitely could've eaten about A HUNDRED. It's not hot though, so if you love heat, you'll need to keep a bottle of extra hot sauce near you. But one thing you'll probably love is that subtle BBQ flavour – it is *chef’s kiss*.

Muinat: I'm gonna expose myself here, but when I go to Nando's I get Peri-Tamer on my chicken. This is because I like sauces that have a lot of different flavours, as opposed to just heat! So I was really looking forward to trying the Garlic BBQ spice on my wings. TBH, the new sauce does remind me of Peri-Tamer, but it’s an elevated, grown-up version! It tickles your tastebuds with garlicky goodness and smoky BBQ flavours. If you're not willing to change up your peri spice just yet, get a side of wings with the Garlic BBQ and you won't regret it!

Overall rating: 9.5/10

Here we are trying the stuff IRL!

@buzzfeeduk

@muinatabdul & @samcleal gave Nando’s new menu a try 👀🌶 #fyp #nandos #periperi #bbq #eatingout #healthy

♬ EL NOPAL - Goliath Flores

All of the menus items tested are now available in Nando's nationwide.