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| - I was really excited to try Nando's, as I've heard great things, but recently tried it for myself and felt like they missed the mark a bit.
My party of 8 made a reservation and was told that if anyone from our party cancelled more than 24 hours in advance, there was a $15 charge pp. If anyone cancelled less than 24 hours, it was a $50 charge. A bit unusual for Champaign dining, but I know cancellations are a nightmare so I'll give this a rest.
My party came in around 7pm to the super lively and bustling restaurant. The atmosphere was nice, but it was hard to hear across the table with the volume in the restaurant.
The service felt a little stuffy to me. Our waiter visited our table so many times to ask us how everything was. When taking orders, the waiter quietly asked each one of us if we would like a salad with our entree. The way he phrased it almost made it sound like it was included. I believe 1 or 2 people from our large party ended up getting a salad without realizing they were the only ones to order them. One positive thing I will note, my water glass was ALWAYS being filled which I really appreciated.
After finishing our appetizers, we waited. And waited. Our waiter finally let our table know that our dishes were behind a large party and apologized for the wait. He offered free drinks for anyone at the table, but nobody was really interested in drinking at the time. Our food finally arrived almost an hour after the apps.
The food was good, but was missing something to me. While this is probably the best and most authentic tasting Italian restaurant in the area- I think they could be worlds better if they just cooked their pasta al dente. After tasting the entrees the owner that had been running around chatting with tables came over to ask how everything was. (Where was he when we were waiting for an hour?) Ok, ok, I'm being a little betchy, sorry Yelp. On another note, did I mention how dapper the owner is??? #swoon
Finally, we ordered a couple semifreddos for dessert. They were excellent, but quite small for $10.
All in all, Nando's is good. Check it out for yourself if you get a chance, because it really is the best Italian you can find in Champaign. However, don't set expectations too high. ;)
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