Australia coming to Rancho Cucamonga

No, not the entire continent, but one of its “fast casual” restaurants.

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Oporto, an Australian restaurant with more than 130 restaurants throughout Australia, New Zealand, U.K., and China, is opening its first U.S. location in…wait for it…Rancho Cucamonga.

I guess you probably figured that out from the headline above.

The restaurant will open a week from tomorrow (February 25).

Oporto’s claim to fame is Australian-style food with a Portuguese influence, serving chicken burgers, grilled chicken, “rappas” (wraps), salads and sides including “chips” (fries).

Oporto, not coincidentally, is also the name of Portugal’s second-largest city.

Oporto’s chicken is fresh (not frozen) and grilled (not fried).

Oporto is also known for its signature sauces including Lemon and Herb, BBQ, Prego and Chilli sauce, which is a flavorful and spicy Aussie-style piri-piri sauce.

Oporto also serves “brekkie,” including egg and chicken or Aussie-style bacon burgers served with barbecue sauce. Australian bacon is made from the pork shoulder and has a distinctive, leaner taste.

It appears that the menu will change little from the Australian restaurants.

The restaurant will be open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

Two more locations, in Ontario and Glendora, are planned for later this year.

The Rancho Cucamonga Oporto is at 8220 Haven Ave., in the space formerly occupied by Pei Wei Asian Diner.

For more information, visit their U.S. website here or their Facebook page here.

Update: Business editor Rebecca U. Cho has written about Oporto’s opening for the business page. Read her article here.