Casa do Frango
Portuguese restaurant · Southwark ·
Wood-grilled Portuguese chicken with piri piri, sides & cocktails
Wood-grilled Portuguese chicken with piri piri, sides & cocktails
"You don’t really want to take this to the next level but it sort of feels rude not to. And nothing really says ‘dating you out of boredom, but giving it a fair go’ like a roasted half chicken for £9.50. Casa do Frango is a cheap and cheerful Portuguese spot in Southwark that does your classic piri piri chicken, as well as the option of an oregano or lemon and garlic glaze, and some very affordable small plates. It’s all quite lowkey, but the cocktails are decent, the exposed brick look is cool, and the African chorizo rice is tasty enough to distract them with when you accidentally call them your ex’s name. Perfect." - heidi lauth beasley
"London loves piri-piri chicken and you can still get Casa Do Frango’s to your door. There are plenty of fish and vegetarian options as well. Order from their London Bridge location here." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, rianne shlebak
"Casa Do Frango is a Portuguese restaurant in Southwark that’s tired of being compared to Nando’s. But yes, you do choose between a piri-piri, oregano, or lemon and garlic glaze to coat your juicy chicken. Bacalhau fritters, chorizo rice, and fresh slaw-style salads all make this way better than a trip to Nando’s. It’s very satisfying and solid stuff, plus they’ve also got a selection of cocktails if you’re looking to transform your casual school night chicken-fest into something a bit more boozy." - sinead cranna, rianne shlebak, jake missing, daisy meager, heidi lauth beasley
"Being different, and trying to be different are two very, er, different things. The former is Bjork. The latter is every member of One Direction discovering bleach and tattoos. When a restaurant tries to be different it doesn’t bode well. It sets off a terrible process fuelled by Instagram pictures and below the line Guardian comments. It’s deranged culinary whispers. ‘So, it’s a zero-waste, foraging-first, seasonally-led, plant-focused, meat-respecting, revolutionary restaurant’. Eh? You what? Native appears to be one of these sort of restaurants on the surface. As in, literally, it’s all of those things above. It sets off alarm bells. We can’t help but think of Zayn Malik in their Southwark kitchen, gyrating over micro herbs, bleaching his hair with whey extract. It is not a happy image. Native isn’t like that though. It’s trying to be different, and it’s good at it. For a start, they have a zero waste approach. Zero waste is very in these days, although we know dogs that turn their noses up at an Ocado order. But at Native, no food product is sniffed at. Their pre-meal zero waste snacks - eco-canapes, if you will - are lovely. What’s in them? We couldn’t tell you. It changes depending on the menu. But they’re tasty. If that hemp blanket guy from university halls - the one who would eat Bombay mix topped tomato pureé on a Ryvita - went to Cordon Bleu, these are what he’d be making now. In general, the menu here is a bit like names at a friend of a friend’s party. You’ll recognise two things, but have to surreptitiously get your phone out for the third. Tomatoes, good to see you. Salsa verde, long time no see. Graceburn, nice... to... meet... you? It all tastes really quite good though, and is certainly a bit different. This difference features in pretty much everything we’ve eaten at Native. From pigeon with yarrow (ya know? no, us neither) to veal with strawberry. There’s always a tasty unknown. Native used to have a place in Covent Garden that we liked. This space is something else though. It’s bigger, brighter, with more choice bits of trademark foliage. It feels a bit more proper. Not in a fancy-Dan way, but in a ‘we made it’ way. The food suggests something a bit fancy, but the price (£42 for three courses) and atmosphere say otherwise. Don’t bother with the full tasting, unless you’re locked out of your house for three hours. This is a textbook six months into a relationship restaurant. It’s the kind of restaurant you take someone to because you want them to know that you’re a bit different. Food Rundown Snacks Look, you’re not really gonna know what you’re eating here. Lots of different colours on different crackers made from different things you’ll eat later on. They all vary in being fine to pretty good. Focaccia And Garlic Oil We’re suckers for good bread. This is good bread, and even better oil. Fermented Tomatoes With Yesterday’s Bread The tasty freshness of this starter is counteracted by the day old bread. Ingenious. Wood Pigeon With Cherry Hoi Sin We know, we know. It’s got a ‘I Googled Jackson Pollock for a GCSE art project’ look about it. But it tastes excellent. Veal With Peas And Strawberry This may read like a particularly bad bag from blue team on Ready Steady Cook, but it’s a lovely plate of food. Ainsley wouldn’t need to put any salt and pepper on this. Grouse And Sweetcorn We were lucky enough to be here during grouse season. This, with sweetcorn two ways and black pudding, is truly delicious. Wild Nettles And English Grains Imagine nettles and grains in your mouth. Not ideal, is it? This doesn’t taste as bad as what you’re imagining, but it’s not all that either. Sunflower Seed Cake And Brandy Ice Cream A no nonsense boozy and cakey dessert masquerading as something a little bit dainty. Very nice." - Jake Missing
"Peri-peri chicken specialists Casa Do Frango are now coming straight to you with their marinated half chicken, bacalao fritters, and hand cut fries. Delivery is available from both their London Bridge and Shoreditch locations." - oliver feldman, heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, rianne shlebak
