The story of Nando’s starts hundreds of years ago with the first Portuguese explorers who set sail for the East in search of the legendary spice route. And so they landed on our shores and discovered the African Bird’s Eye Chilli or as we know it (and love it), PERi-PERi. Today, many years later, you can find Nando’s restaurants, our delicious, addictive sauces and our world-famous grocery range around the globe.
PERi-PERi is the heart and soul of Nando’s. Its story is our story. For centuries the people of Southeast Africa have used PERi-PERi to bring fire to their food. It is in Mozambique’s rich soil and blistering sunshine that the African Bird’s Eye Chilli grows into its fiery best. When Portuguese explorers arrived there, they were enchanted by its flavour. They added a squeeze of lemon and a kick of garlic and turned PERi-PERi into a very well-travelled spice. Which is how, many years later it ended up in Rosettenville, Johannesburg.
One afternoon in 1987, two friends went for lunch at a humble Portuguese eatery. As their meal drew to a close, they knew they’d tasted something that had to be shared. PERi-PERi was about to make one more journey – from Rosettenville to the world.
When you say howzit, heita or hello at a Nando’s, the one thing you’re guaranteed to find, besides our legendary chicken, is a warm South African welcome and a smile to make you feel at home.
Each one of our restaurants has its own unique design, but they all have earthy textures and colours that remind us of our sunny Afro-Portuguese roots and feature original, local South African art and unique design touches that make it the perfect place to sit down and enjoy the best food you’ve ever tasted.
Afro-Luso beats and friendly service add to the vibe, and then there’s the secret ingredient – our flame-grilled PERi-PERi chicken.
We’ve set the eating experience on fire and we can’t wait for you to join our table because if there’s one thing we love as much as PERi-PERi, it’s lots of people to enjoy it with!
