First Look: Nando’s Peri-Peri Brings South African Flavor to North Dallas

Debuting in 1987 in Johannesburg, South Africa, Nando’s Peri-Peri restaurants are now in 24 countries across five continents. The restaurant’s first foray into the U.S. was in Washington, D.C., in 2008. Since then, restaurants have popped up in Virginia, Maryland, Illinois and now, finally, Texas, with locations in Houston and as of December 2023, Addison. Two more Texas sites are expected to open later this year, one in Austin and the other outside Houston.

The star at Nando’s is grilled chicken that has been marinated for 24 hours in herbs and spices, including the namesake peri-peri hot sauce. The name comes from the Swahili word for pepper, and its spread around the world arose from its introduction by Africans to the Portuguese explorers and colonizers of the region hundreds of years ago.

Nando’s honors this South African heritage both in the ingredients used in its dishes and in the design of each location. Every dining room is unique in floorplan, furniture, staging and décor, incorporating pieces from South African artists and designers throughout.

The Addison location has South African art throughout, with hand-woven pendants, paintings and a complete terra-cotta wall that spans the length of the dining area. Even the menu covers present art from South African artists.

We were invited to a media event to show off the new location, and we jumped at the chance, having missed the pop-up earlier in the fall. In an attempt to try a little bit of everything, we ended up ordering an appetizer, a sandwich, a chicken plate and four side dishes.

We started with some grilled halloumi cheese sticks, a cheese with a high melting point that makes it perfect for grilling. The firm cheese arrived with a perfectly browned exterior and a warm and chewy interior and came with some chili jam for dipping. It provided a heavenly eating experience and a great beginning.

Our sandwich selection was the Nandoca’s Choice: a grilled marinated chicken breast served on garlic bread and piled high with coleslaw. The peri-peri sauce marinade is created with peri-peri pepper, garlic and other ingredients, but one can specify the spice level of any chicken ordered, from plain to “xtra hot.”

Along this continuum, options such as lemon and herb or mango and lime are also available, both with a hint of heat. We went with a medium spice level, and that pretty much describes the heat level we received. Those wanting a bit more spice should probably go up the scale a bit.

Chicken can be ordered in various combinations such as half, quarter, breast or leg, just thighs, wings or a boneless breast. We went with a quarter chicken breast at the high spice level. This was perfectly grilled: a nicely charred exterior with a crispy skin and flavorful interior that also was not overly spicy. We might have to try extra hot next time.

These can be ordered with or without sides, which include mashed potatoes, peas and garlic bread, but we settled upon some peri chips, Portuguese rice, peri mac ‘n’ cheese and Brussels sprouts, all of which were good. Our favorite was the crispy Brussels sprouts drizzled with a bit of peri ranch dressing. The mac topped with peri breadcrumbs was rich and cheesy, and the rice seasoned with turmeric and peri peppers and fries seasoned with peri salt were also successfully prepared and presented and in pretty good portion sizes. No one can say we were shortchanged in the peri-peri department on this visit.

All in all, a very successful and delicious outing.

5100 Belt Line Road, No. 728, (Village on the Parkway), Addison. Daily, 10:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.