Portugalia Bar & Restaurant

Stopped here unplanned and it was truly such a great experience! My husband and I shared the lunch special of thin steak with sides, and it was delicious. We will definitely be back when we are back in the Ironbound area. Great lunch today.

I ordered a whole barbecue chicken for $18 over the phone when I went to pick it up. It seemed like and I asked if it was a whole chicken. I was told yes when I got home one hour later, I had two wings two drumsticks and a neck bone. Horrible horrible experience. I live over an hour away so there was nothing I could do about it but I paid for a whole chicken and I got not even a half ..no breast meat at all. The pan looked like someone had eaten chicken from it. . It is not right. I highly discourage anyone from ordering takeout from that restaurant.

Nice place for a drink at the bar accompanied with famous whole BBQ chicken or fried calamari. Pale in color French fries did not impress, dirty half-full ketchup bottles were disappointing. Cod fish Portugalia style and seafood rice were very good. The atmosphere of the place was average overall but food is mostly delicious.

Great place for dinner. Sit down side and bar service side. Well staffed and excellent Portugese food. Many seafood options. Prices are reasonable. Eaten there a dozen times will on the way to Newark airport.

OMG the stewed Bacalau was huge and delicious! The grilled grouper was a bit bland so I asked for a garlic sauce; the potatoes and veggies were very good. Tres leches cake was most más not too sweet.

A buddy of mine frequents Ironbound often so I asked for his advice on a nice place that serves great seafood, but not as formal as Forno’s, so he recommended Portugalia. We had a knockout dinner in the dining section, which is right next door to the bar. It’s a smaller space, they have a TV on the wall and of course, soccer was on. It was an early Saturday dinner for us and the weather was gorgeous for mid-October. We didn’t make reservations- just walked in and were seated. Everyone in this restaurant seems Portuguese, patrons and waitstaff, and although this may not be the case - it is an authentic experience. Knowing a few dishes beforehand will help to navigate the menu. We went with the following: for apps, the cottage cheese (fresh and creamy), garlic shrimp (famtastic) and chorizo (flame grilled table side, robust and smoky sausage goodness). My wife is a super finicky eater and I tried to convince her to get a Cod dish but she was boring and got a filet mignon. I was disappointed because you come here for the fish, it I didn’t say anything. It wasn’t t a petit filet either, she had plenty to bring home. Also ask for the red chilled house wine, it’s nice and smooth. Now for my dish: I got a grilled seafood casserole in sauce. It was $90 and could have fed 4 people easily. Why did I order so much food? Because this is one of my absolute favorite dishes. It’s like a bouillabaisse or a chopping. It had clams mussels scallops prawns shrimp and fish - everything was fresh, perfectly prepared.and not overcooked. It came with plenty of rice on the side. I brought 80% of it back home with me and will have some more of it again, tonight. It’s so good. We didn’t stay for desserts and espresso and aperitifs because our stay was getting long as it was and our waiter kind of disappeared after they wrapped all our food, so I was getting impatient. The atmosphere is a little lacking in the dining room, you might have more fun in the bar side, where you can also dine. But definitely, without a doubt, these guys take seafood seriously.

My parents and I visited this establishment yesterday afternoon! Boy, what a great place to eat! Everything was good! From the appetizers, main course, even the salad! I truly appreciated the waiters customer service and willingness to make sure my family and I had a great dining experience!

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.

Great service and a very humble establishment. The food is your cozy and regular traditional Portuguese bar. Great service and very cozy. I would definitely recommend this place for you and your family.

As I walked in, I see your food bar a few tables for 2 to 3 peoples,looks fun and active with service men and bartenders moving in pace with great smelling food drinks, and a joyful ambience.... But in the back, it's almost like a secret dining room that is elegant private seemingly upscale back there..lol.,after a brief waiting period ,my group of 4 are seated , it's like I'm in another place from when I first walked in... Wow food was amazing!!! Had the shareable barbecue chicken that came along with french fries a house, salad and rice or some garlic shrimp as appetizers along with the stuff portobello which was out of this world. There were so many other dishes I would like to try, but from dishes ordered by other people there was steaks on fire ,Steam capsules of seafood, another great Portuguese dishes finished off with an espresso.. We was a group of four with drinks 200 bucks pretty awesome. I definitely recommend this hidden gem

Great food especially the BBQ chicken and piri piri sauce. Authentic Portuguese food! Friendly staff! Have been going there for a while and no disappointment. Reasonable prices!

I live in Queens, and it didn't disappoint. I got the steak it comes with rice and fries; it was delicious- well seasoned, juicy--filled with flavor. Red Sangria was flavorful and paired well with the steak. We also had the garlic shrimp, cooked well, and the sauce is good. This is a spot where you dine, watch the game, chill, and eat good food minus the frills. The staff are attentive and give great recommendations.

Great food. Generous portions. Attentive wait staff and the prices are very reasonable. Loved it. Small but cozy dining room. It can get packed and you may have to wait a bit for a table.

I have been here many times and their bbq chicken was amazing but this time it was horrible, no marination only salt also their caldo verde was salty and we left it ( they charged me for it anyway)

This place is a hidden gem. A lot of locals come here to eat. This is high-quality food at a great price. If you have never had Portuguese food, this is where you should try it. Order one dish for two people, maybe even three. The portions are huge. And try to order the specials of the day when they appeal to you. Sometimes they sell out of addition you can no longer get it for that day. We try to go as a family once a quarter. Here is our order from the last time. Aros con camarones, Veal and the Bacalaõ special. Highly, highly, highly recommend. Enjoy it! @mspickynyc

Love this hidden gem! The paella. Get it. Service is always good here and the food is always fresh and very filling!

Authentic Portuguese food! Great local spot! I've actually never dined in, but usually get take out about once a week. I like their frango churrasco (chicken bbq, Portuguese style), but if you are used to eating Portuguese BBQ, just letting you know that their frango looks a bit different. I'm not sure where they order their chickens from lol, but these chickens are smaller.

Kind of disappointing. Came for birthday dinner after hearing good things about the restaurant. The good: red sangria very tasty, rice in the paella was flavorful. Service was adequate The bad: shellfish in paella did not taste good at all. Lobster overcooked and dry. Mussels and clams not very flavorful, nor fresh tasting. Requested Medium rare rib steak and served medium. Good size portion but not done to my liking. Sorry but cannot recommend.

Not satisfied with service. Customers that arrived after I did were served earlier sooner.

Food always consistent. Good selections of meat or seafood. I have been there twice. First time I tried chicken grilled. Very tasty. Second time grilled snapper that was delicious. Friendly staff , when in the area it is a good choice. Price very fair.

I've been here 4 times, and I get the same thing: shrimp in garlic sauce and grilled salmon steak. The portions are huge - definitely enough for sharing or saving for a second meal. The food is very tasty and fresh. I didn't give 5 because the parking is very limited.

My suggestions: Grilled Pork Chops, Yellow Rice, BBQ Chicken, Mini Prego Steak Sandwich w/Cheese. All very good.

All right here we go! I went there today for lunch with my husband with I have previously been there many times BEFORE, and love their bolinho de bacalhau..... however I had a horrible experience, right before we left I went to the ladies room and there was a RAT , I'm talking about a RAT, I was horrified and I ran out and told the waiter in his ears because I didn't want to cause any inconvenience OR DISCOMFORT TO OTHERS PATRON. The waiter looked at me with a smirk and said, "oh yesterday another customer made a huge complaint and walked out""" with a smile on his face, like it's was just normal****** I was furious and left after I paid my bill and left my gratitude..... however, think about if those creatures are the in bathroom, Imagine what they are doing in the kitchen when they close at night. I'm not talking about a mouse!!!!!! ITS WAS A RAT . I will never go back and I will report to the health department which I'm really close to them.... Please tell free to reach out.. 9173921177. THE WAITER WAS LIKE NO PROBLEM, ITS ALL GOOD, hell to the NO!!!!!!!!

Great place. Authentic, non-pretentious and delicious food. Our waiter Rafael was courteous and knowledgeable and all three dishes we had were outstanding. The suggested Portuguese white wine was delicious. When the bill arrived we were even more surprised - very reasonable indeed. We will be back if we ever pass through Newark again

We got there at noon on Sunday when they opened. Thought we hit a goldmine based on food reviews and the large number of locals that were there. Ordered by 12:05 - and by 12:45, still had no food. Everyone that arrived after us (all locals) received their food. They said "2 more minutes" for 10 minutes. At 12:55, still no food - paid for food that we didn't get and left. Cost me $50 for absolutely nothing. Have no idea what the food is like. BUT, unless you're a local, don't bother. Customer service was terrible.

What a joy! This place is like being in Portugal. Simple, unpretentious, but solid European flavor. The food is delicious and the service is excellent. Do not expect fancy; this is not the goal. The very well reached purpose is an experience of Portuguese food, and culture.

anyone who goes and use this restaurant be very careful to check your credit card statements because they try to overcharge me on a tip. I tipped 20% but they charged the credit card 50%

How good can swordfish/espadarte/peixe -espada be? Wonderful! You need to try this combination at Portugalia! Excellent service, fresh food, great cultural experience and environment, do not miss the chance if you're in Newark to have this opportunity.

I feel like in Portugal The food is very authentic and 90 percent of people here speak Portuguese

Found this place on accident. It is across the street from the electric car charging station. Holy moley the food is outstanding. And this place is authentic Portuguese family style. Our server barely spoke English, the food was unbelievable, and everybody in the restaurant or at the bar was super friendly. I got the seafood in red sauce and he got the pork with broccoli. Wow!

Bacalau Assado and shrimp app both misses May come back for some chicken or rabbit

Whenever I visit home, Portugalia is the restaurant my family goes to for our meal out. The food is authentically Portuguese and delicious. If you dine at the bar or restaurant while there's a soccer game, you'll even get a side of Portuguese guys yelling at the TV. I love the Mini Prego: a thin slice of beef on a mini bun. With such soft bread, and juicy, tender meat, it's my go-to appetizer. You can't go wrong with the daily specials. If you're coming with a bunch of people, you can order a bunch of entrees and share. There will likely still be leftovers because their portions are MASSIVE. Dessert leaves something to be desired. They prepare everything in the morning and then keep it all refrigerated. It's not bad, but it won't blow you away. I'd skip dessert here and just grab a Pastel de Nata at Teixeira's around the corner.

I live in the Ironbound and found this place through a Portuguese friend of mine . Many, many places to eat in Ironbound . Most are overpriced and mediocre . Portugalia is exceptional . I prefer to sit at the bar and grab some cold red wine and their "frango" ( roasted chicken) which is the juiciest best seasoned that I've had around here . The prices are more than fair and the service is awesome . They have a separate dining room if your with a group and the other food items are just as good . Great spot!!!!

Authentic Portuguese food and atmosphere. You can't beat sitting at the bar while eating a steak and watching a soccer game. There are much fancier Portuguese places in the Ironbound, but this is my favorite.

For a portugues place was good not amazing. Small dining room, nothing fancy. Waiters were a little slow. Food was average. Nothing special. Ordered the grilled bronzino, husband ordered grilled salmon. We started with a shrimp with garlic. Wich was good. Spicy and crunchy garlic. Good bread. I ordered a veggie soup- they forgot to bring it. Husbamd mentioned it to the waiter, who brought it out but directly followed by our main course. :/ i didnt want my fish to get cold so asked for the soup to be packed up to go. Fish was fresh but basic nothing amazing again $18. Husbands salmon same, fresh, basic nothing to drive out of your way for. $15 We both agreed we probably wouldnt eat there again with so many other portugues options in Newark.

So many better places to eat now. Under the old management it use to be a great place but now things have taken a turn for the worse.

Walked in and sat at the bar and they greeted me only 10 minutes after I had sat. Ordered a to-go order and it took 30 minutes for a bbq chicken. I also found pieces of hair one in the chicken and in the salad. Good luck in here.

The skirt steak from here is EVERYTHING! The rice is well seasoned, the fries are also fresh. We also ordered the BBQ chicken combo- you had a choice of a half or whole chicken. Since I'd be sharing with my daughter, I got the whole and figured I'd still have some leftovers, BOY WAS I WRONG! The chicken was cut up into bite size pieces. That's the reason I'm giving this place 4 stars. The tiny bit of chicken I had was very good though! The sangria was to die for! Must have the sangria, wasn't watered down like most places. It was amazing. Ordered creme brûlée for dessert, not good at all.

I've been coming here for years and never disappointed. The staff is very friendly and goes out of their way to learn frequent customers' names. Service is fast and food is affordable along with very authentic to traditional Portuguese style food.

I've been going to Portugalia restaurant for quiet some time and always enjoyed their food and the warm friendly ambiance. I always go to the bar, but last Night I was pleasantly surprised. I wanted a heart meal, so when checking the specials listed on the board I saw "Prime Rib Steak" which I found out is a Ribeye. The steak was juicy and big, and it came garnished with the most amazing glazed potatoes you could ever imagine!

This is simply the best Portuguese restaurant in the whole ironbound area of Newark. The daily specials consist mostly of traditional portuguese dishes with an authentic home cooked flavor. I recommend the rabbit stew (usually on the saturdays specials), the grilled codfish and their bbq chicken is the best I ve tried on the east coast.

We ordered from this restaurant for the first time today based on the Google reviews. We were so excited to receive our food, since we really like Portugese BBQ and haven't had it in a while. The Portugese BBQ was a MAJOR disappointment. The fries looked and tasted undercooked when received - we ended up putting some of the fries in our air fryer, which made them taste only slightly better. We've had much better Portugese BBQ elsewhere and will not be ordering from this restaurant again, unfortunately. I question the veracity of these Google reviews because the BBQ chicken at this restaurant does not live up to the hype in my opinion. I suggest ordering elsewhere or lower your expectations because you will likely be dissapointed when you taste your food.

Love this place! Love coming here with my pals for a beer and ordering their enormous bitoque (grilled steak topped with a slice or two of ham, fried egg in a wine sauce surrounded with french fries). It is one of the best bitoques I've ever had and I've had many here and in Portugal. The sauce is perfect the round fried potatoes are perfect and the beer is perfect. Thumbs up to the owners and to the chef!

We yelped this place and we were so very happy that we did. The bar area was full of World Cup fans watching the Brazil national team win their match 4-1, very cool! In the back there is a smaller room, maybe 10 tables, providing more of a dinner ambiance apart from the bar - table cloths, full place settings, etc. The food here is absolutely perfect. Seriously!! Chicken grilled to perfection, filet mignon like butter, and paella that was truly the best I've ever had. I had leftover paella the next day, too, as the portions are large. My small kids enjoyed the garlic shrimp with rice. If you are in Newark and are looking for amazing Portuguese cuisine that is very reasonably priced, give this place a try. You will not be disappointed. Tips: - Be prepared to wait a minute for the paella. Soft bread made specifically for Portugalia will tide you over. - Try the Portuguese wine recommendations of your server. They were spot on!

Excellent service. The food is well served, and will fit for 2 , easily. Good fish, good wine and reasonable price. Woth it trying.

Sitting here waiting for the food to be served for the last 40 minutes! Now empty restaurant and requested three daily meals which have previously been pre cooked. What's wrong with this picture??? Am I an idiot?? NEVER AGAIN and I don't care how good it is.... No one ever came over asking if we need anything else .... They completely disappeared from dinning room.. The food was delicious!!!

Great place very friendly people working there.. nice food not expensive.. its one of my favorite s in nj

Great food, portions and service. I recommend it to anyone, but BE WARNED the portions are enormous. Sharing is your friend. The food is delicious, though a little salty in some spots. It was occasionally unevenly seasoned, but it was rare enough as to not ruin the meal. I think someone found fishbones in their food, so also keep an eye out for that. They have bread on the table when you arrive, the Sangria is divine and it's overall a great restaurant!

Fantastic place. Delicious food. Very small restaurant and gets full really fast! Get there early!

Portugalia is the "REAL DEAL" every time I go to Newark I always go to PORTUGALIA to eat. The Food.........its like your Portuguese mothers in the kitchen. The Specials of the day are more traditional dishes. Never had a bad meal in this place. If your in NEWARK you MUST CHECK THIS PLACE OUT!!!!

It's not fancy. It's not big. But, my word, it's gooood! A busy local place, expect a little wait for initial service. Believe me, worth your wait though. The staff are super friendly as are the locals hanging out at the bar, sharing great stories and lots of laughs. The portions are HUGE. We has the BBQ Chicken and the Paella Valenciana. I swear the paella was multiplying. We ate and ate and still had a to go bag weighing about 5 pounds. It was stockpiled with lobster, scallops, shrimp, mussels, and more. Don't miss the red sangria either. It's delish! Oh, and we had tons of food, a small pitcher of sangria, a mug of wine (yep - it was served in a chilled mug - just go with it), soda, the garlic shrimp appetizer, bread, bread and did I say bread?, and more food than I've ever seen all for - hold on to your hats - $65!!!! CHEAP AND GOOD! EAT AT PORTUGALIA.

It was OK. I felt like an outsider. Not much English spoken. The BBQ chicken was dry and boring. The French fries soggy. Maybe they sent the outsider the stuff they wouldn't send the regulars? Very good price brought it up to 2 stars.

Service was great! The food was delicious. The best place to have authentic Portuguese food in the Ironbound.

Friendly staff. Excellent garlic shrimp. Grill chicken is outstanding. Location is honest and unpretentious. People go there because the food is great at reasonable prices.

Went for the first time after reading Yelp reviews that were positive. Had a very disappointing lunch. My grilled porgy was very overcooked and the vegetables were cold My wife's barbecue chicken arrived cold along with the french fries which were limp. There were two chicken wings and a chicken back. This is billed as half a chicken on the menu. Are you kidding me? Service, all the friendly, was dead slow. Won't be back.

If you want AUTHENTIC Portuguese...this is your place. Everyone around us only spoke Portuguese and the food was fabulous. I ordered the Portuguese steak and omg was it delicious. It was tender and in this sauce that was outrageous. The wine was also very good. Would definitely be going back.

My wife took me to this place and the food was absolutely excellent also service was great old school place. Feels like eating with family. I recommend this place 100 % True authentic Portuguese.