NYCReview
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Frangos Peri Peri
Included In
Our friends at The Infatuation London are obsessed with a chicken chain called Nando’s. So much so that they once told us the following: “Anyone who doesn’t have a go-to Nando’s order is undercover police,” and, “The Queen couldn’t get a Nando’s black card if she wanted one, she’s too lemon and herb.”
We’re not sure what about 40% of that means, but we do know some basic facts: Nandos uses a South African spice called peri peri that’s also popular in Portugal, the restaurant is about as casual as a Panera Bread on Route 17, and it makes hundreds of thousands of families from Johannesburg to Ontario happy every single day. We also know that Frangos Peri Peri, a Portuguese halal chicken spot in the East Village, is absolutely a Nando’s knockoff. And like Nando’s, a saucy chicken experience here will vastly improve any night when you don’t want to spend more than $15 on dinner.
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
At Frangos, it’s all about the thick, chili pepper peri peri sauce. By comparison, the chicken itself is kind of like a background singer - it isn’t crispy enough to deserve its own solo. But Frangos can get away with quotidian chicken, because the delicious peri peri sauce makes up for it. There are six kinds, and combinations are encouraged. Our favorite involves the “hot” one (which is the color of the earth’s inner core or a devastating spray tan) paired with the lemon and herb one that should replace all salad dressings going forward. This combination isn’t just spicy - it’s complex with earthiness, acidity, and the lip numbing sensation of an effective chapstick. Also, you’re guaranteed to make a mess while you eat it, like a four-year-old child or a zoo animal during feeding time. That’s part of the Frangos fun.
But if you want to experience all of the peri peri sauces - and you should want that - order the chicken wing Russian roulette. To call this plate of ten mystery wings “a dish” would be a disservice to the sheer activity of eating it. It’s an exercise of free will, really. One that involves unidentified hot sauces, suspense, and enough napkins to nullify a lifetime’s worth of recycling.
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Frangos will leave you chasing a sauce high. You’ll start seeing apparitions of their hot sauce on every other table, only to realize they’re only feeble Tabasco or Sriracha bottles. Drake, Kanye, and Adele might not be namedropping this peri peri spot yet (unlike Nando’s), but if you’re wondering what you should eat for dinner on a Tuesday night after a sh*tty day at work, Frangos will mean the world to you. If only for an hour or so.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Half Chicken
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Chicken Wing Roulette
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
“Something Special” Sandwich
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Garlic Bread
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Spicy Fries
photo credit: Noah Devereaux