Nando’s Opens New Restaurant in Austin in Mueller | Eater Austin

"Opening Wednesday, November 13 on the ground floor of the Origin Hotel in Mueller at 1825 McBee Street, this restaurant brings the chain’s signature grilled chicken marinaded in a peri peri pepper-spices-herbs sauce (also spelled as “peri peri” or referred to as African Bird’s Eye chiles) to Austin. The poultry is offered in multiple forms — whole, wings, breasts, thighs, legs, and even livers — and the menu also includes chicken-studded rice bowls and salads, sandwiches, and platters with chips (meaning fries). Sides run from mac and cheese and roasted cauliflower to Portuguese rice and sweet potatoes, while desserts include Naughty Natas (Portuguese custards), gooey brownies, and raspberry cheesecakes; a variety of peri peri hot sauces (like lemon-herb and garlic) are available, and drinks include draft beers, wines, cocktails, and sodas. The physical space was designed by noted restaurant architect Michael Hsu and features yellow tiles, wooden details and furniture, pendant lights that look like Johannesburg’s skyline, and South African contemporary artworks on the walls through a partnership with the South African organization Creative Block; there is both an indoor dining room and an outdoor patio. The chain began in 1987 in Johannesburg, South Africa, and has been expanding in Texas — its first Texas location opened in Houston in 2023, followed by Dallas later that year and Katy in February 2024, with a third Houston-area restaurant planned for Montrose in 2025. The Origin Hotel opened in June 2022 and houses its own American restaurant, Blue Lacy. Hours for the restaurant are 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily; for now it is open only for dine-in service, with takeout and delivery to be added later." - Nadia Chaudhury