People will tell you Nando’s Peri-Peri serves delicious Peruvian-style chicken. Not so. It serves delicious Portuguese-Mozambican-style chicken that is marinated in a magical spice known as African bird’s eye chili—or peri-peri. Founded in Johannesburg in 1987, Nando’s has expanded across Africa and Europe, arriving in D.C. in 2008. Offerings range from appetizers like mixed olives and peri-peri nuts to chicken platters and wings to intriguing salads, including one with chicken livers and feta. Sides go beyond chips (aka fries) to butternut squash and grilled corn and Portuguese vegetables. Desserts include dulce de leche cheesecake and bottomless frozen yogurt to cool your burning mouth. Located near the University of Maryland, Baltimore and the Hippodrome and Everyman theaters, Nando’s is a great addition to the burgeoning genre of restaurants offering quick, tasty meals that are decidedly not fast food. 421 W. Baltimore St., 443-681-3675, http://www.nandosperiperi.com. —Laura Wexler
