The opening dates for the Riverina’s first two Oporto stores have finally been revealed. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
The Riverina can practically smell Portuguese chicken as information on the Riverina’s first two Oporto restaurants has finally been revealed.
“We know the community is excited for the opening of the first Oporto in Wagga Wagga and we’re pleased to announce the store is scheduled to open by the end of June,” Oporto CEO Therese Frangie told Region.
“We’re thrilled that the people of Wagga will soon have access to our fresh and crave worthy Portuguese chicken burgers and even more excited to be contributing to the local economy by creating around 50 new employment opportunities.”
This follows the news broken by Region earlier this week that an Oporto store will open in Griffith in July.
The first two restaurants will be on Hammond Avenue in Wagga and Jondaryan Avenue in Griffith, according to Kaipara Property Group, the applicants behind the two stores.
“The Wagga store will definitely be operating by mid-June, and we’re excited to bring Oporto to the Riverina,” Kaipara Property Group Asset Manager Matthew Woodroffe said in a brief statement.
The opening of the two stores means patrons craving Oporto’s unique style of chicken won’t have to travel to Lavington in Albury to get their hands on it.
While the announcement is exciting news for many Riverina residents, the development process of bringing Oporto to Wagga specifically has been a long and confusing one.
Plans for an Oporto in Wagga have been circulating since the beginning of 2023, when a development application for the restaurant first hit Wagga Wagga City Council’s (WWCC) website.
Hopes for the store to be opened by the midpoint of 2023 seemed all but certain, with initial plans for the restaurant given the tick of approval.
Alongside the new Oporto restaurant is the new drive-through coffee shop Kickstart Expresso. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
However, due to Kaipara Property Group’s plans to build a drive-through coffee shop, Kickstart Expresso, next to the Oporto at the Hammond Avenue site, fears arose that it would cause traffic congestion due to its proximity to the McDonald’s on Kooringal Road and rival drive-through coffee shop Fastlane.
The concerns resulted in the development application being halted, with new plans needing to be made addressing the traffic concerns.
For almost a year there were no updates by WWCC, Kaipara Property Group or Oporto as to whether new plans had been approved, until construction began at the former Masters Warehouse complex in November 2024.
The first Oporto store was launched in Bondi in 1986 by António Cerqueira, an Australian of Portuguese origin. The chain has more than 200 eat-in or takeaway restaurants in Australia and New Zealand.
It’s best known for its Portuguese-style chicken, which is cooked in a flavoursome marinade, as well as its chicken burgers.
