where does nandos come from

Nando’s comes from South Africa , where the brand was founded in Johannesburg in 1987, but its style and flavours are rooted in Portuguese- Mozambican peri-peri chicken culture.

Quick origin story

• Nando’s started in the suburb of Rosettenville, Johannesburg, when friends Fernando Duarte and Robert Brozin bought a small Portuguese-Mozambican chicken restaurant called Chickenland in 1987 and renamed it Nando’s.

• The food is based on peri-peri (African bird’s eye chilli), a chilli and marinade tradition tied to Portuguese explorers and Mozambican cuisine, which is why the brand feels both South African and Portuguese at the same time.

Is Nando’s Portuguese or South African?

• Officially, Nando’s is a South African company with its headquarters and original restaurant there, and it grew out of South Africa’s large Portuguese community.

• Culturally, the branding, menu and sauces lean into a Mozambican‑Portuguese vibe, mixing African peri‑peri chillies with Portuguese-style grilled chicken and sides.

How it went global

• After the first Johannesburg spot, Nando’s expanded across South Africa and then overseas; by the 1990s it had opened in the UK (Ealing and Earl’s Court in west London) and later in many other countries.

• Today there are over 1,000 Nando’s restaurants worldwide, and the UK in particular turned “a cheeky Nando’s” into a pop‑culture phrase through social media and forum chatter.

Fun peri‑peri detail

• The word “peri‑peri” (or “piri‑piri”) refers to the same chilli; “peri” is the spelling common in South Africa, while “piri” reflects Portuguese usage, both meaning “pepper.”

• Nando’s sources much of its peri‑peri from small farmers in Southern Africa, especially Mozambique, tying the modern chain back to the regional chilli-growing and sauce-making traditions.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.