Vasco’s Peri Peri restaurant franchise coming to Prospect Heights

A new location of the expanding Schaumburg-based Vasco’s Peri Peri restaurant is expected to open later this year in a renovated strip mall space on Rand Road in Prospect Heights.

The franchisees of the forthcoming restaurant at 1313 N. Rand Road, Unit A, are brothers Bhavin and Nikunj Patel, who own the property that already includes Naomi Sushi and a dental office as tenants.

City council members expressed excitement over the menu and glowing reviews of the original Schaumburg location at 927 S. Roselle Road, as they unanimously approved a special-use permit for the vacant 2,160-square-foot space.

“Start building!” Mayor Patrick Ludvigsen encouraged.

Bhavin Patel said construction is expected to take at least four months, leading to a possible early summer opening.

But Prospect Heights Director of Building & Development Dan Peterson said construction projects are continuing to take longer than they used to, and this is one creating a full-service restaurant where there wasn’t one before.

“It’s tough out here in the construction world,” he said.

With its distinctive Portugese-influenced cuisine, Vasco’s Peri Peri will offer a dining option unlike any other in Prospect Heights, Peterson added.

He told council members before the vote that he and the chairman of the plan commission had separately visited the Schaumburg location.

“Very nicely done and top of the line,” he said.

Patel further explained the menu offerings to the council members.

“The way this works is if you pick chicken, you get to choose a sauce, the flavor that you want on the chicken,” he said. “There’s seven different sauces that you can choose from, Plain to Dynamite. Plain is the most mild and Dynamite is the hottest one. So try them all out.”

Other menu items include platters, bowls, burgers, pitas, wraps, vegetable dishes, cheesecake and drinks. No liquor or gambling licenses are being sought.

Though the signature peri peri chicken is a traditional Portugese dish, its main ingredient -- African bird’s eye chili -- was imported to Portugal from Mozambique, according to the menu.

“Another thing is this is a healthier option compared to other fried chicken places,” Patel said. “We have grilled chicken, so it’s good for those seeking healthier options.”

The owner of Vasco’s Peri Peri in Schaumburg, Samir Ajmeri, could not be reached for comment.

But Peterson said he’d appeared before the recommending plan/zoning board of appeals and envisioned as many as 20 franchises throughout the Chicago area. With a second location already under construction elsewhere, Prospect Heights’ would be the third.