Thanks to champions like Nuno Mendes and, more recently, openings such as Bar Duoro and Londrino, London's Portuguese food scene is having a moment.
The latest restaurant to join the fray, is Casa do Frango, a joint venture from Marco Mendes, Jake Kasumov and Reza Merchant, whose shared love of the south of Portugal formed the basis for the cuisine.
Setting up shop on the upper floor of a Victorian building, adjacent to the Southwark railway arches, the dining room has been designed by London-based A-nrd Studio. The space's stand-out original features like the vaulted ceiling, large arched windows and the naked brickwork provided a good starting point for a look that takes its cues from Portugal's heritage. This includes gently whirring suspended ceiling fans, and details like the hand-painted motif on the bar and the slatted wooden vintage chairs inspired by Lisbon's famous trams from the 1900s. Meanwhile, a skylight overhead floods the room with light and lots of potted greenery brings the outside in.
The menu kicks off with an offering of shared classic like the grilled chorizo, or salt cod and chickpea salad, before pitmaster Lucidio da Fonesca Monteiro sends out the star of the show: tender Algarvian-style piri piri chicken cooked over wood charcoal.
Accompany this with a fresh tomato and onion salad, wash it down with a glass or two of Portuguese wine and finish off with a traditional pastel de nata (a custard tart) and your experience will no doubt trump that of a certain well-known chicken chain any day.
ADDRESS
32 Southwark Street
-
Modern masters: the ultimate guide to Keith HaringKeith Haring's bold visual identity brought visibility to the marginalised
-
Discover a hidden culinary gem in MelbourneTucked away in a central Melbourne park, wunderkind chef Hugh Allen’s first solo restaurant, Yiaga, takes diners on a journey of discovery
-
Nina Christen is the designer behind fashion’s favourite – and most playful – shoesShe’s created viral shoes for Loewe and Dior. Now, the Swiss designer is striking out with her own label, Christen
-
The most anticipated hotel openings of 2026From landmark restorations to remote retreats, these are the hotel debuts shaping the year ahead
-
The most stylish hotel debuts of 2025A Wallpaper* edit of this year’s defining hotel openings. Design-led stays to shape your next escape
-
Neo-Gothic grandeur and decadent martinis await at Hawksmoor St PancrasThe dining room at the St Pancras London hotel has proved to be a revolving door for big-name chefs; now, it's Hawksmoor’s time to shine
-
Form... and flavour? The best design-led restaurant debuts of 2025A Wallpaper* edit of the restaurant interiors that shaped how we ate, gathered and lingered this year
-
At last: a London hotel that’s great for groups and extended staysThe July London Victoria, a new aparthotel concept just steps away from one of the city's busiest rail stations, is perfect for weekends and long-term visits alike
-
French bistro restaurant Maset channels the ease of the Mediterranean in LondonThis Marylebone restaurant is shaped by the coastal flavours, materials and rhythms of southern France
-
Sir Devonshire Square is a new kind of hotel for the City of LondonA Dutch hospitality group makes its London debut with a design-forward hotel offering a lighter, more playful take on the City’s usual formality
-
This sculptural London seafood restaurant was shaped by ‘the emotions of the sea’In Hanover Square, Mazarine pairs a bold, pearlescent interior with modern coastal cuisine led by ‘bistronomy’ pioneer chef Thierry Laborde
