Portuguese Food in Newark's Ironbound District

Though it gets mentioned here every few years, it's been over a decade since anything specific was written about any restaurants in Newark's heavily-Portuguese Ironbound District (and even then it was only eight good sentences). That's a shame because it's a great eating area with food unlike what you'll find in Chicago. And it's easy to get to from Manhattan—the PATH train (5 stops and $2.75) lets you off at the edge of the neighborhood, so many of the restaurants are only a few blocks away.

Eating at the bar at Seabra's Marisqueira was a blast even if maybe we didn't do the best job of ordering.



There's a small dining room in the back, but the large U-shaped bar is where the action is. Neighborhood folks come for pitchers of sangria, bottles of cheap Portuguese wine and massive platters of food. Everyone has a good time. We chose the Portuguese classic, carne de porco à Alentejana, a stew of clams, pork and potatoes. A special of filetes de bacalhau fritos com arroz feijão sounded too intriguing to pass up.



The presentation of the bacalhao was a bit of a surprise—breaded and fried cod filets with a pot of rice and beans served separately. Although rather plainly seasoned, it was a very satisfying combination. The carne de porco à Alentejana was slightly disappointing (at least compared to the same dish at Sagres in Fall River), with somewhat chewy pork and flavors that just didn't meld. Still, I'd go back without hesitation to try more of the large menu.

After dinner we did shots of aguardente (Portuguese grappa; surprisingly good for an inexpensive bottle) and other Portuguese spirits with our new friends on both sides of the bar. Simply an all-around great time.

We also tried McWhorter BBQ, a completely different experience.



Both the bar and dining room are quite plain. Some would call it a dive.





The menu is pretty straightforward, heavy on the grilled meats.



The grill itself is interesting, mounted on bearings so it flips with only a gentle tap of the tongs.



The grill was in almost constant motion, being turned every minute. I wish I could say all that attention translated into spectacular meats, but both the chicken and beef ribs were merely good, their dryness suggesting they weren't straight from the grill.



This is another place I'd happily revisit, ordering a little differently and bringing a bottle or two of wine. I think McWhorter BBQ is BYOB, and the neighborhood has a few good Portuguese wine shops.

The Ironbound offers some excellent food shopping, with interesting fish markets, liquor shops and grocery stores. Unfortunately we were too late to visit many of these, but we were able to stop at one of the A Seabra supermarkets. This is a small Portuguese chain, with two stores in Newark, one in Fall River and others in the Portuguese areas along the east coast.



I was sorry that the meat counter was closed, the hanging hams and chorizos and the sign advertising a cabrito sale hinting that it would be special.



Likewise, the fresh fish department was closed for the day, but I still spent some time marvelling at the codfish selection.





How many markets do you know that have a dedicated bacalhao bandsaw?



Seabra's Marisqueira
87 Madison St
Newark NJ
973-465-1250

McWhorter BBQ Churrasqueria
104 McWhorter St
Newark NJ
973-344-2633

A Seabra Foods
multiple locations including:
260 Lafayette St
Newark NJ
973-589-8606

Are these places Portuguese? Or Brazilian?
Whenever I try to find Portuguese in Newark, I end up in a Brazilian place.
Admittedly my planning has been poor or nonexistent?

MLS wrote:Are these places Portuguese? Or Brazilian?
Whenever I try to find Portuguese in Newark, I end up in a Brazilian place.
Admittedly my planning has been poor or nonexistent?

I believe Seabra's Marisqueira is purely Portuguese. Have a look at their menu and see if you agree.

I think McWhorter BBQ is bit of a hybrid—owned by a Spaniard, modeled after a Portuguese/Brazilian churrascaria, patronized by a diverse crowd (including Portuguese).

From what I understand, A Seabra Foods is Portuguese owned (I don't know if the supermarket chain is related to Seabra's Marisqueira). Much of their stock is from Portugal though they also carry lots of Spanish and Brazilian items.

When titling this thread I actually tried to include the words Brazilian and Spanish, but space constraints didn't allow.

Which places did you visit in Newark? Any you'd recommend (or not)? Some of the Brazilian restaurants sound like a lot of fun.

Seabra's Marisqueira is fantastic. The portions are truly stupid, though.

Around the corner on Ferry are any number of bakeries and cafes cranking out exemplary pasteis de nata to round out your meal.

Very interesting post, Rene G. That salt cod bandsaw looks serious indeed. Did you happen across any Portuguese white bean pies such as those in Fall River? And what about broha ( I think they pronounce it "brew-ah") - that bread made with corn and wheat that has an English muffin-like texture? Ah, well. I hope to get back to Fall River some day.

Any chance you have more Newark pics to share?

Josephine wrote:Any chance you have more Newark pics to share?

Seabra's Marisqueira

If flying in or out of Newark Airport EWR terminal A, consider dining at Phillips Seafood Restaurant.

I had a crab cake chocked full of crab & over easy eggs for breakfast on Saturday morning at 5AM Eastern time & it was a terrific breakfast.

Airport locations: http://www.phillipsseafood.com/location ... s/airports

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