Legit, spicy piri-piri chicken
Telmo Faria and Khalid Mushasha take on fiery Portugese flavors with Piri Pica, a fast-casual restaurant
Piri Pica is the first fast-casual restaurant in San Francisco specializing in piri-piri chicken, a flame-grilled celebration of the African bird’s eye chile that’s grown all over Portugal and Africa. It also has some hefty culinary chops behind it.
Located in the Mission District, the modern, counter-service restaurant is a collaboration between Uma Casa chef Telmo Faria (formerly at Tacolicious), who grew up in Portugal’s Azores, and Khalid Mushasha (Lolinda, Black Cat), who is from London, where he had all kinds of access to the fiery piri-piri.
Here’s what you’ll find inside.
THE VIBE >> For a fast-casual restaurant, Piri Pica is pretty stylish. The former Frjtz space on Valencia Street is now decorated with oversized vintage Portuguese travel posters recalling the lazy streets of Lisbon and boats bobbing in Porto, plus large midcentury lighting, yellow picnic stools and gray leather and steel banquettes. It’s so very chic-southern-Euro, it makes you want to pop open a bottle of fizzy vinho verde and sunbathe.
THE FOOD >> You can order mild or lemon-and-herb chicken, but why would you, when the chefs in the open kitchen are flame-grilling spicy chicken with crushed cilantro, pulverized red chiles and other fresh ingredients? Choose the spicy, or piri-piri, by the quarter, half or whole bird ($8-$26), or go all out with chicken plus two sides ($12.95-$32.95). It’s available as a rustic roll sandwich ($8.95) or whole-wheat tortilla wrap (also $8.95), too. Pica! Pica! Pica! is the extra-spicy version, but we didn’t find it that much spicier than the piri-piri.
Our favorite accompaniments were the ones that cooled or sweetened the palate, such as the Cabbage-Herb Slaw ($3.95 for a single serving or $7.95 for a grande) made with shredded green cabbage, carrot, cucumber, fresh herbs and roasted garlic vinaigrette, or the simple grilled corn ($3.95). You’ve heard of an ugly cry? Well, this is an ugly eat. The sauce is all over your lips and the corn is stuck in your teeth, but you wash it down with a chilled passion fruit Sumol ($2.95), a Portuguese soda, and it’s heaven. It’s also a rare affordable Mission District meal.
PERFECT FOR … >> Sating those wicked spicy-chicken cravings, a high-quality lunch on the run or a late dinner.
DETAILS >> Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily at 590 Valencia St., San Francisco; piripica.com.