Restaurant review: Nando’s in Dallas

by Katie & Emily Garrett of The Dish On Dallas

New Veracruz-style restaurant from former employee of Gloria's.

Photo by Katie & Emily Garrett

Interior of Nando's

DALLAS — This week we decided to give Nando's a try. This spot is formerly Cava (also a Dish on Dallas reviewed location) found on Preston and Royal. The owner is a previous Gloria's employee and together with his mother, they opened up this Veracruz-style restaurant. We were greeted by the owner upon arrival and were seated in the middle of the main dining room. Our waiter immediately let us know of their happy hour prices -- $5 for the house red/white wine and margaritas. What a deal! Cheers!

We started with the chile con queso and chips and salsa. They offer the queso flameado as well, but we went with the plain and simple option. Nando's does queso right: Rich, creamy, and salty, this was a great start. The salsa had a bit of a kick, but it paired well with the queso and warm chips.

Photo by Katie & Emily Garrett

Guacamole at Nando's

Next, we opted for the cucumber guacamole. The plate was served with four heaping scoops of guacamole and tomato slices. Unfortunately, this dish was a letdown. The dish lacked flavor and it almost tasted just like it was prepackaged from the grocery store. Yikes.

Next up, we ordered the sopes. These are corn patties topped with beans, lettuce, tomato, and queso fresco. We were very pleased with this authentic dish. The flavors were great and the presentation was appealing. The fresh sliced avocado really made this delicious.

Photo by Katie & Emily Garrett

Diablo at Nando's

On to the diablitos. These were tempura fried shrimp served in a spicy jelly. The presentation was very pretty, but the dish was a tad spicy, and the shrimp were a little too chewy.

We ended the meal with sopapillas. These came three to an order with a dollop of sweet cream ice cream in the middle. How can you go wrong ending the meal with a sugary fried dessert? We were pleased we ordered it.

We enjoyed our trip to Nando's, despite our mixed feelings on the things we ordered. We would definitely give this place another shot. It has potential. Plus, the queso and happy hour specials are quite an incentive.