PortuCale Restaurant & Bar

Everything was delicious! We almost felt guilty for the extreme discount we received by using a Groupon. We ate like kings… steak, balsamic glazed calamari, and a seafood mix. We will definitely go back. Oh and the sangria was top notch as well!

Great food!!!
Baked clams stuffed with crab meat and bacon!!!
Prawns as big as lobsters accompanied by some delicious sauce
Very family friendly atmosphere in the dining area does not intermix with a bar crowd that’s somewhat separated, even has its own entrance. Super attentive staff
5 stars all the way
P. S. Sangria is the way to go

They get 3 stars for being so hospitable and even open during the snow storm! The ambience was very warm and inviting however as the food goes I was far from impressed. I ordered Salmon with mashed and broccoli and got a side of grilled shrimp. The salmon was burnt on one side and the shrimp was tough and over cooked. The presentation was lovely, it just looked a lot better than what it tasted like. The sides were delicious but I wouldn’t go back just for sides. Because of all of the positive food reviews I do want to give this place another chance and maybe they just had a bad day. But for now I’m staying clear.

I live in NYC and took a chance venturing out to an unfamiliar area (got there by car) The area felt like a nice community, people were out and about enjoying the evening. The restaurant is not too big but was very clean and cozy with a bustling family atmosphere, lots of food, clinking drinks, and laughter. Our waiter was exceptional, the staff was very professional. We were given the recommendation to try the appetizer sampler plate (spicy shrimp, octopus, potatoes, and dried sausage), very good and got us excited for the mains. We then got the (recommended) codfish and stuffed lobster (came with two tails!) The food was fresh, very delicious, and AUTHENTIC! We had so much food we practically took home an entire meal,(it was still great the next day). For the price and quality, definitely worth the trip. Will be back!

If you think this place is anything but dreadful, you need to take a walk or drive around the Ironbound. Went there once, appetizers, main courses were dreadful. Friends who went feel the same. Avoid this place!

Authentic Portuguese food, always great food and friendly waiters!
Open all day, so come whenever you are hungry.

The place is nicely decorated, the staff is very friendly, most of the dishes I have tasted are delicious.

This place is a treasure for food. Really good, hight quality products and super reasonable prices. They have the best lunch deal around Ironbound, $ 13.95 a big lunch dish, always verity, with a drink, domestic beer, Portuguese or American glass of wine or soda with an expresso included.
No one can bit that.
Service is prompt and kind, so you can go back to work on time and not be late.
Their bacalhau is really amazing so everything else. Parking lot available.
A must try

Went to PortuCale on Friday for lunch with an out of town friend.
I was really pleased with the breadth of the menu — lots of great choices. I went with the bacalao and my friend ordered the salmon special… and we ordered calamari to start.
The calamari were massive and cooked perfectly. No only was the portion generous (in a ridiculous sense), but the rings themselves were huge and meaty. Really delicious tomato sauce with it as well.
My friend ordered the salmon steak special. It looked great, but the meat was w little off in texture. Taste was excellent, but seemed like the meat was maybe about to go bad (like in a day or so… So cutting it close). Let’s just say it wasn’t whole foods fresh!
I ordered the bacalao — salt-​cured cod that is let to soak to de-​salt several times. The piece I got was massive… and overall it was outstanding. BUT it still tastes a bit like the salt cure — more than any place I’ve had it in Brazil, Macau, and Portugal. I would have soaked it one more time to get the salt cute off it. But to each his own — it was great and I was ready for seconds afterwards!

Service was excellent, food very good. I had salmon w shrimp and scallops in a fish sauce, yummy.

I went here with a few colleagues from out of town on a business lunch. The food was lovely. I had some seafood and most of the rest had steaks and various meats. The meal starts off with bread and some of the best olives I’ve ever had! My meal was a fillet of fish and assorted clams, mussels and other seafood in a tomato based sauce with the perfect amount of lemon! The fish was cooked perfectly without overcooking it and so were the potatoes.
The lunch menu includes a beverage (bear or wine). I don’t drink but my co-​workers did. Even without the beverages and meal was delicious and flavorful and the portions generous.
I’d definitely come back again for lunch when I’m in Newark or when I feel like having some Portoguese food.

Finally tried this restaurant and my review is totally in line with all the others. Great food and fantastic service. Probably best service of any restaurant in the ironbound.

We split the Camarão de Moçambique and it was great. Good atmosphere and can catch Portuguese futebol games on big screen. We sat in the bar section. Have Stella on draft and good wine selection
Great service, great food. Will return.

Bad experience. Had take out and man, this is pathetic. Clams casino was burnt. The soup was stored into an unsecure aluminum container and it spilled in my car even though it was flat. Oh the paella was soupy. I don’t think I’ve ever been so disappointed. I am also a generally 4 star reviewer.
Man am I disappointed I just wasted money here.

5 Stars — with a Groupon! (maybe 4 without) The Calamari appetizer was perfect — crispy but light outside, tender inside. Same for the Clams in garlic sauce, very tasty.
Our group had 2 orders of the Twin Lobster tails stuffed with crabmeat, definitely top class seafood, cooked to perfection and the stuffing is yummy. I had the Gambas Mozambique, extra large prawns (not as big as those at Seabras — but that cost $ 10 more), cut lenghtwise and grilled, with this savory sauce to dip in. My son had the Chilean Seabass also, very well executed.
We ended up ordering a pitcher of red Sangria after the 4 glasses of wine from the Groupon — a little bit on the sweet side, but it complements the seafood. For dessert, crème brûlée and flan, both tasted homemade. A couple of espressos, so super strong, even with all the booze it woke me up from my sleep at 3am.
we also received 3 complimentary shots of Porto, courtesy of our Excellent server Tony, who was both very efficient, pleasant and a joy to chat with. He really made us feel comfortable and this made all the difference in our dining experience.
So for my little daughter’s lunch, we ordered the Lobster Ravioli to take home and everyone said it was delicious!
We will definitely be back — Groupon or Not.

Went here a few months ago because I saw they were offering a Groupon and after reading some reviews, I decided to give this a try with my girlfriend.
We were a little bit confused as to the entrance because we parked in the parking lot and walked to where we thought was the entrance. There was no one there but everything was set up really nice. We heard noise coming from one of the other rooms so after a few minutes of not being able to find any staff members, we walked towards the noise and that’s where the bar and dining area was I guess. We were sat immediately.
So glad we came here. the food was absolutely delicious. My girlfriend and I ordered the calamari to start off and it was fried to perfection. Crunchy and tasted very fresh. For our entrees we both ordered the filet with lobster tail and it was by far one of the best things I’ve tasted. Filet was tender and cooked to how we liked it and lobster tail wasn’t overcooked. The portions were big as well so it filled us both up. We were both satisfied when we left. I brought my girlfriend here on a date and it was wonderful. Noise level wasn’t bad and it was just a really nice atmosphere. I definitely recommend this place.

Went here with my fiancé with a Groupon and we had a very good time! no limit on the cost of appetizer/​entrée.

This is a nice little spot near the Portuguese area of Newark, with few parking spots available. The outside as well as the interior looked very nice and inviting. The service was excellent, and the wait staff was extremely attentive. I ordered the surf and turd lobster and filet mignon. The lobster surprisingly didn’t really blow me away. The steak was great but overall the food was on par. My girlfriend ordered the shrimp linguini from the chef’s suggestion menu and it was extremely delicious. The house wines were tasty, the service was exceptional and I wouldn’t mind coming back here. I would recommend opting to eat at their outside area as they have a very nice set up there, waterfall-​fountain included.

My husband & I frequent Newark restaurants AT LEAST twice a week. We were hoping to make Portucale one of our new «hangout spots». Boy, were we disappointed & taken aback on Tuesday!
I had the tilapia w/​shrimp (which tasted «frozen fresh», but, somewhat edible), and he ordered a Medium ribeye. The second he cut into it, we saw it was well done– grayish in color throughout. When we explained it to the waiter, he said we were mistaken & it was medium (We’re both meat eaters & know the difference between well & medium). He reluctantly took it back & when we got the 2^nd ribeye, we got the fattiest cut of meat we’ve ever had in our lives w/​the greasiest mushroom sauce. It was completely inedible (I posted the shot– my husband tried to find at least one good cut & there was none).
When we showed the waiter how it was inedible & asked to speak w/​the manager, we were told there was none present. No apologies were given, no, «since you couldn’t eat, let me take that off your bill», etc… So, basically, we were forced to pay for a dinner we didn’t eat.
With the numerous Portuguese restaurants in Newark… we’re truly surprised that this was our first experience at Portucale. After all, it’s about quality, not quantity & hopefully this serves as a warning to all!

I came here after reading the great reviews on Unilocal and let me tell you they were all right. We came in around 9 on a Thursday evening and Tony was our server. I got the house Portuguese wine which was very light sort of like a pinot grigio. We started with the shrimp in garlic sauce and it was good and very garlicky which I love. For my entrée I got the Mariscada in green sauce, which is like seafood in a garlic broth and it comes with rice on the side. My dinner companion had the double stuffed lobster tails. Both dishes were delicious however the lobster tails were delicious.
We finished our great meal with a passion fruit mouse that was so good I should have taken one home.
Everything here was really good and Tony was a great server, what really shocked me was the prices, where can you get seafood for $ 24?
I will be sure to come back and have the stuffed lobster tails.