Years ago, while visiting Washington, D.C., a friend instructed me to meet her for dinner at her favorite restaurant. When my GPS led me to a counter-service chicken spot, I was confused. Surely this was a mistake. Yet there she was, ready to dig into some peri-peri chicken and “chips” (fries). This was Nando’s , a South African chain started in 1987 in Johannesburg. With 1,200 locations around the globe, Nando’s has accumulated a cult following for its quirky, on-the-nose messaging and fresh, flavorful food. Now, Atlantans can join in the madness with the opening of the first Nando’s in the state on August 27. Located in Dunwoody’s High Street development ( 120 High Street, Suite 210 ), it serves flame-grilled, preservative-free chicken, bowls, salads, and sides in a casual yet bespoke atmosphere.
The key to Nando’s legendary status may be its signature peri-peri, a spice known as the African Bird’s Eye Chili. It’s grown in the African soil in Mozambique and is still farmed by locals. Rich in capsaicin, it has been said it’s a mood-enhancer. Depending on which level of peri-peri sauce you choose, it can definitely get your blood flowing. Diners can opt for plain, lemon and herb, mango and lime, medium, hot, and extra hot (which Nando’s says is “like tackling a ferociously fiery dragon.”) The spice is mixed with salt, garlic, lemon, onion, oil, and vinegar to make the sauces, which are available complimentary with every meal.
“It is a truly authentic cuisine of Southern Africa. The food is unique,” says Nando’s chief marketing officer Sepanta Bagherpour, who grew up in South Africa.
Celebrities like Ed Sheeran, Bella Hadid, Prince Harry, and Drake swear by Nando’s, with some claiming to hold its mysterious Black Card, which supposedly grants the holder and four guests to free food for a year. Nando’s representatives, for their part, deny the existence of such a prized possession, further contributing to the rumors. “I’ve never seen one,” Bagherpour says.
Nando’s also uses its platform to encourage embrace democracy and equality. “We owe that to where we come from. Abolishing apartheid, the opening of borders, and consequently, the spread of Nando’s around the world is burned like an imprint into our DNA,” he says. “We’re from Nelson Mandela’s South Africa, where everything is possible. The spread of equality and love of mankind made an impression on us. We act and communicate with that surging through everything we do.”
In the last election cycle, Nando’s led a promotion called the “ Undemocratic Meal ,” in which it served surprise, unusual food combinations (think brownies served on rice or a chicken burger without the chicken) at extremely low prices. The meals weren’t meant to be good, but rather, the goal was to fight voter empathy. “If you don’t make a decision, a decision will be made for you,” Bagherpour explains. “We hold the right to vote incredibly dearly and want to encourage everyone to participate.”
Every Nando’s also partners with community organizations to distribute food to those in need. The charitable partners for the Dunwoody location have yet to be determined.
Like Nando’s messaging, the 68-seat Dunwoody space is decorated to reflect its heritage. It features curated Southern African contemporary art, woven rope light fixtures made by small crafters in Cape Town, and a clear view of the grill “where everything happens,” Bagherpour says.
It is on that grill that spatchcock chicken is marinated for 24 hours and flame grilled to order in the Afro-Portuguese style of cooking. It’s then served as quarter- and half-chicken platters with a side (peri mac ‘n’ cheese, fried Brussels, corn, cole slaw, honey sweet potatoes), and as sandwiches, wings, wraps, and more. Appetizers include hummus with peri-peri drizzle, grilled halloumi cheese sticks, and garlic bread. All Nando’s locations feature the same menu.
Another Nando’s location is in the works for the Forum at Peachtree Corners.
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