Nandu Argentine Restaurant

I have been in nandu more times than i can remember and one thing i can tell you is that you get the complete package.
the food is awesome (no matter what ur in to)
the service is excellent (the staff make you feel at home, and is very fast)
the price is perfect for the type of servings you get
and the live entertainment make's the evening even more enjoyable.

Years ago there was an Argentinean restaurant on Fullerton one block west of Ashland called El Criollo. It was owned by a Puerto Rican bus driver and his lovely Argentinean wife and people came from all over the city, suburbs, towns and hamlets just to eat there.They cooked Puerto Rican, Mexican and Argentinean dishes that were wonderfully superb tasting. She made the best churasco steak in the whole city and nothing could compare to it. The churasco she made was a lean cut of beef that was wedge-shaped, seasoned and grilled to a red-golden color so that after the first bite you knew what heaven was like. When Nandu Restaurant opened a few years later I went there to eat and was not impressed by it. Unlike other critics who gave it rave reviews I found the food so-so and the wait-staff very haughty and bad servers. They brought us our food and never came back to check on us until I called them to get the check.Recently I went back again and to my surprise the place had gotten worse. My wife ordered the churasco and it was the most awful churasco I had ever experience. The meat was fatty and grizzledand the seasoning very bland. The most exciting thing about it was the grill marks on the churasco that I can get on my Weber grill.I ordered their milanesa and it was hard to find the thin, flat piece of meat that was hidden in the thickest breading I ever saw. Again the wait staff was bad and my coffee got cold by the time he came back.The Nandu restaurant is taking visitors both local and tourists for a ride and I recommend it only if you are a glutton for punishment.

I have been going to Nandu for a few years now and I will continue to go for many more. The food is fantastic and you have to try their Sangria. I love it that everyone there treats you like family and even know what you order and how you like it. Great to go with a group of friends or with that special someone. You will not be dissapointed!

I've been here twice in a group, and both times the owner treated us like we were long lost cousins of his. The whole place is cluttered with knick-knacks like you're in someone's giant living room. Once we ate there on a Tuesday night, and there was no use ordering off the menu. The owner/chef just cooked us whatever they had! It was truly like being in someone's home and we had a great time - definitely offbeat and a welcome change from the usual dining scene.

I don't know about other nights, but Thursday nights are filled with a live musicin's tunes, exquisite empanadas, and delicious Sangria.

I recommend ordering the empanadas first. These crusty, tasty items are available in spinach, shrimp, ham & cheese, and plain cheese. Top them with the famous Argentinian Chimichurri, and you will want more than 1 empanada!

The wait staff is fabulous and they are very friendly, and move around super fast.

PROS:
CONS: Gets very crowded on weekends