Nando’s is bringing back its Christmas menu for the first time in years, and we tried all three new festive dishes before launch, including sprout-filled croquettes. Here’s what you need to know
Nando’s will be releasing their festive menu, which you can expect to see them do a Christmas twist on their Portuguese flavours.
Lucky for me, I had a chance to try the menu before the official release on 18 November, and if I’m honest I didn’t know what to expect. I personally never realised Nando’s ever had a festive menu, but they have.
The last time the high-street restaurant launched a Christmas menu was back in 2022. This year, they decided to bring it back with a launch of three new menu items: a starter, main and dessert.
At first glances at the menu I was sceptical. I usually stick to what I know and love at Nando’s (a medium butterfly chicken) but today I was going to try something new, and I’m glad I gave it a chance.
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To begin, we started off with ‘bubble & squeak croquettes’ – their twist on a popular Portuguese snack. But these croquettes were filled with Brussel sprouts, mash and red onion and served with a Caesar dressing for dipping. With this dish, Nando’s said they’re “so good, they’ll convert the most devout sprout hater” – and they aren’t wrong.
It was the perfect starter, so good I kept going back for more. Surprisingly I couldn’t even taste the hate-it-or-love-it festive Brussel sprouts.
Now for the mains, they’ve released a Total Sleigh Burger – a chicken breast decked with melted cheese, loaded with bubble & squeak croquettes, caramelised onions, lettuce and churrasco PERI-naise stacked in a rustic roll. To top it off, the burger is served with PERI-chicken gravy.
From my first bite, they converted me. I would usually shy away from Nando’s burgers, but this sold it to me. It was a great burger and every element was curated wisely. But I’ll be honest, this is a big burger – almost a struggle to bite into, but when you do, its worth it.
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Next on to a well deserved sweet treat. They’ve released a new warm chocolate orange brownie, covered in a layer of melty chocolate with a orange twist, served with vanilla gelato. This was the one I was least looking forward to, I’m not particularly a chocolate orange girl – but I do love brownies, so I was still intrigued.
I was shocked after I took my first bite, it almost felt like the orange should’ve been overpowering but it was far from that. They paired together really well; it was the sweet treat I needed.
Its safe to say I’m glad Nando’s decided to join in with the festivities this year. The menu will launch in the UK and Ireland restaurants on 18 November and will be available in store, collection or delivery.
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