A popular restaurant to experience authentic piri-piri chicken in London, Casa do Frango has three sites in the city: Victoria, Shoreditch, or Piccadilly. The menu is all about the tastiest dishes from southern Portugal, like juicy Algarvian chicken cooked over a wood fire, yummy Iberico pork croquettes, crispy Bacalhau fritters, and spicy piri piri garlic prawns. It’s made for sharing and enjoying together! Our restaurant contributor Adrienne Fung shares her honest review of Casa do Frango in Shoreditch here.
The other evening, I paid a visit to Casa do Frango’s Shoreditch location for dinner. Famed for their Piri-Piri chicken grilled over wood charcoal, Casa do Frango has quietly been making a name for itself with 4 locations across London (London Bridge, Shoreditch, Piccadilly and Victoria). Self-described as relaxed and un-fussy, the restaurant boasts a menu centered around Algarvian cuisine from Southern Portugal. You’ll find a mix of snacks, starter share plates and sides but the star of the show is the Piri-Piri chicken.
Walking into the restaurant at 7pm on a weeknight, the place is buzzy and loud. Casa do Frango’s contemporary space is filled with foliage, bringing the Algarve greenery to London. Décor is minimal chic with hardwood floors, earthy tones and a few accent lights, just enough to fill the room with a warm glow. It’s the type of restaurant that’s casual enough for a last minute walk-in dinner after running some errands around town, but just sophisticated enough to also bring friends from out of town.
We started the meal with a round of cocktails. I tried the Casa Negroni and my friend tried the Piri-Piri Margarita. Both were well prepared and tasty.
We were then recommended the Salgadinhos, Portuguese empanadas with kale, mushroom and caramelized onion to kick off the meal. Alongside, we also tried the Casa Rice, their signature dish made with Portuguese Carolino rice, chorizo, crispy chicken skin and plantain, as well as the Piri-Piri garlic prawns.
The Salgadinhos were my favourite starter of the evening. Hot and crispy pastry filled with a delicious savoury filling. Priced at only £2.50 each, this was well worth ordering. My friend, on the other hand, really enjoyed the casa rice. The crispy chicken skin was a particular highlight of the dish.
The Piri- Piri garlic prawns are usually a must order for me whenever I see it on the menu, but I think I can give this one a skip next time. The prawns didn’t seem particularly fresh that day and the dish didn’t have a lot of flavour. Quite simply, there are better versions of garlic prawns in London.
Onto the main course: the Piri-Piri chicken. Casa do Frango’s version is a woodfire grilled half chicken brushed with their secret Piri-Piri blend. We also got a side of chips, fire-roasted green vegetables and garlic mushrooms to accompany. The main course is where Casa do Frango shines. The chicken was seasoned beautifully, although I found it slightly overcooked this evening. The dark meat was juicy whereas the white meat came out a little dry. A few minutes less and it would have been perfect. Otherwise, the chicken itself was very tasty. You can definitely taste the mix of spices used in their blend. The garlic mushrooms were especially good- smoky and full of flavour. Mushrooms can easily end up watery or overcooked but this was not the case.
We also enjoyed the fire-roasted green vegetables which came with tenderstem broccoli, green beans and courgette seasoned with garlic, coriander & lime cornbread crumbs. Just like the mushrooms, you could taste the smokiness from the woodfire which elevates a boring vegetable side to one that could be good enough as a main on its own. Chips to go with chicken is a combination you can never go wrong with. The chips came out hot, crisp and well seasoned.
We were also recommended a nice bottle of Beyra Tinto, a lovely red wine that comes from one of the highest altitude vineyards in Portugal to accompany the chicken and sides. What I liked about the wine was that it was a light to medium body that didn’t overpower the chicken. The wine, Piri-Piri chicken and sides all complimented each other well.
Overall we really enjoyed our meal at Casa do Frango. There’s a lovely atmosphere and buzz in the restaurant that makes this a fun place to go. There’s a great drinks selection as well for those that appreciate a good cocktail or nice glass of wine. For any Nando’s fans, Casa do Frango is well worth checking out for a more elevated experience.
