If you’ve come here as a seasoned fan of Nando’s you’ll likely have sampled their renowned peri-peri chicken on travels outside of Texas and you’ll be elated to hear it’ll soon be obtainable a lot closer to home.
On the flip side, if you’ve come here questioning what Nando’s is and why it deserves attention, let us enlighten you…
After opening its first restaurant in a small town outside of Johannesburg, South Africa back in 1987, Nando’s Peri-Peri has expanded to 24 nations and over 1,500 locations around the world ranging from New Zealand to Canada.
Famous for its spicy flame-grilled chicken that’s marinated for 24 hours, the fast-casual restaurant made its British debut in 1992 and now has a devoted following across its nearly 500 restaurants in the UK and Ireland.
It then reached our shores in 2008 with an inaugural US restaurant in Washington, D.C. and today has numerous locations across Washington, D.C., Virginia, Maryland, Illinois, and soon our very own Lone Star State too!
The South African-born restaurant has announced that it will be opening 3 Texas locations this year, two in Houston and one in Village on the Parkway in Addison.
“The beloved South African restaurant brand recognized around the world for its flavorful flame-grilled chicken, is bringing its spice and art-filled interiors to the North Dallas Corridor at Village on the Parkway in Addison” reads the press release. “Construction will soon be underway on a 2,800-square-foot space at 5100 Belt Line Road just off the Dallas Parkway, and a debut is slated for late spring 2023.”
A page on the Nando’s website preemptively devoted to the new Addison location is already urging the people of Dallas to “find their spicy place, one piece of flame-grilled PERi-PERi chicken at a time.”
The restaurant proudly sources its namesake peri-peri chile from a network of 1,400 local farmers in South Africa where it’s known as African Bird’s Eye Chilli and recognized by Nando’s as “the heart and soul of the experience.”
This, combined with its uniquely designed restaurants collectively displaying the largest collection of contemporary South African art on the planet, has earned the fast-casual restaurant an international following of devoted clientele.
The incoming Addison location will have its own unique design with earthy textures and vibrant colors reflecting “its sunny African heritage while retaining a sense of place in which it lives and breathes.”
Accommodating up to 90 guests and incorporating several large oak trees, it is being designed by the London-based architecture firm FUSION. Twinkling lights and colorful shad sales will decorate a 2,800-square-foot space with 64 indoor seats and an intimate bar while convertible shopfront panels allow the restaurant to merge its interior and exterior spaces when desired.
“We can’t wait to welcome Nando’s first-timers and the many North Texas loyalists who have rallied to bring the brand here,” said John Fisher, CEO of Nando’s PERi-PERi. “Dallas is an important city in our future, and we’re excited about opportunities for growth in this market.”
If you’ve never been in a Nando’s but can’t place why it feels familiar, Nando’s sauces, which are sold in stores across the United States, are also immensely popular around the world.
Sauces like Lemon & Herb PERi-PERi Sauce, Garlic PERi-PERi Sauce, Hot PERi-PERi Sauce, Extra Extra Hot PERi-PERi Sauce, and two spicy mayo sauces known as PERinaise, for example, have been available at places like Walmart, Whole Foods, and Kroger for several years.
Set to open in late spring at 5100 Belt Line Road, Addison, the restaurant will offer its staples of chicken and fries, chicken wings, chicken skewers, and chicken bowls as well as salad bowls, wraps, pitas, burgers, hummus, halloumi sticks, and various desserts.
The full Nando’s menu can be found at www.nandosperiperi.com/menu.
Read the full press release here.[Featured image from Shutterstock]