Back in February we reported that Nando’s was coming to Lavender Hill – taking over the short-lived Chicken Cottage site between Debenhams and Whole Foods (previously Wimpy).  It’s taken a while, but building work is now complete, and it’s up and running.

The old shop unit has had a proper tidy up, with new windows cut in to the side walls, a rationalisation of the inside layout to make a lot more space, and a smart curved glass corner window.  This is only a small branch with a few tables (and it’s a bit of an experiment for the company), as the aim is to do mainly takeaway and delivery orders, taking a bit of pressure off the ever-crowded Northcote Road branch.

In contrast to many other chains Nando’s rarely put a foot wrong and have seen healthy sales and good profits in recent years (with close to a billion pounds in annual turnover), even while funding costly international expansions. They’ve chosen a good spot here and have put in a good effort on the fit-out; we suspect this will do well.