Portugalia Bar & Restaurant

I was in the ironbound section of Newark to have my dog groomed when I decided to wander the streets and learn about the neighborhood. I saw that Portugalia Bar & Restaurant was rated well so I thought I'd give it a shot. I sat at the bar and got in a conversation with a local. He recommended I try the chicken and he was spot on! It was spiced just right and tasty, the olives were delicious and the cranberry juice was refreshing. The carbs were too plentiful so I ate them sparingly. The server was friendly and gave great service. Bottom line: This place is a neighborhood gem with fair prices and yummy food. The locals are friendly and down to earth. It's not fancy, but it was what I wanted and a perfect setting to experience the area.

Food here is always great. I've came here twice in the past couple months for lunch but have came many other times in the past. I had the squid lunch special one day and a fish dish another. The squid was great. Came properly seasoned with chunks of garlic and olive oil with potatoes that tasted excellent as well. The fish dish I had another time was good and had great flavor. I sat at the bar and both times it took about 5 minutes before I received service. One worker was talking to other customers about soccer and never came over. I had to flag down the other server that was at the end of the bar. Both times I didn't get bread until my food came out and I never got olives. (They're supposed to give you bread and olives before you get the menu.) Seems like mostly locals at the bar and they get the best service. I had an expresso and it was 👌. The dessert was also excellent, well presented, and tasted as good as it looked. Food is pretty expensive for lunch but you get decent sizes and it's always good. I wish service was better. The older Portuguese gentleman was the best server out of every visit. The younger girl behind bar walks around with an attitude. She walked by me twice without asking if I needed any help when clearly I had just gotten there since I had no drink or anything in front of me. (The mid aged server also had seen me walk in and sit at the bar and was the one having conversations with customers. He continued to converse while I sat over 5 minutes without help. Yes, I'll come back but I hope to receive better service and bread and olives before the meal like it's supposed to be done. O caralho!

Truly a special experience! Portugalia is not fancy nor does it give a sign of pretense. It is simply a genuine, awesome cultural experience in Newark! I live in the Bronx and come here because it's that awesome! You will hear mostly Portuguese spoken. Every time I go in the weekends, it's packed. The portions are very large so I would advise to order one entree to share and skip the appetizer or two appetizers is sufficient. Their bacalhau (codfish)!!! It take a while (over 30 min.) But it's so worth it when you get that juicy, charred cod!!! They have a full bar with a few beers on tap including one of Portugal's national beer, Super Bock. Their sangria is also very nice with good (strong) ingredients. Really good calamari too!