PortuCale Restaurant & Bar in Newark - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Great portions, and not just great value but amazing dishes, I was maybe the most full I’ve ever been after the appetizer platter and main pork loin dish. Way too much delicious food, in the best possible way. I was there before a Red Bulls game so appreciated it’s a true European football bar.

A dining experience is greatly enhanced by excellent food, a charming ambiance, and attentive staff. Restaurants that excel in these areas often become beloved spots for locals and must-visit destinations for travelers. They provide not just a meal, but a memorable experience that patrons cherish and share with others.

Had a great dinner here! The vibe was cozy, and the paella was super tasty. Our server was friendly and on point. There was a slight wait for the main dish, but the staff handled it well. Definitely worth a visit!

This is one of my favorite Portuguese restaurants. The food, service and place are all top of the line and excellent. I love the food its always fresh snd delicious. I had cod bacala with vegetables and shrimp with garlic sauce and flan for dessert . They have their own parking lot that is free. The place is very nice environment to eat dinner .I always enjoy coming here .

The location is nice for the area since it is close to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. I enjoyed the walk from the Airbnb I stayed at. It said the walk was 20 minutes however it really felt like a 10-15 minute walk to the destination. The atmosphere of Portucale is snazzy, eclectic and eye catching. The food is good and scrumticious, delicious and provides a good meal. If you're looking for a nice dinner on the town dont be afraid to stop by and see what Portucale has to offer while staying in Newark, NJ.

Stopped here on our way to Newark airport. Not disappointed in any way! The food was delicious and served in abundant portions! Service was top notch. Everything came out quickly and accurately. Nothing was left out! Will definitely stop here again! A+

Great food great place. Even though I'm Irish, I enjoy me some good Portuguese food. 👍 watching the soccer games on the TV at the bar. Had a nice time.

I asked for Welldone on two skirt steaks and it was still pink. The food was nothing to write home about

Great food , fantastic service, affordable price, clean and great ambience. A plus , come back again and again.

The owner wanted me to compromise to a smaller party room two days before my son’s communion so he could accommodate a friend that he himself told me had no contract and no deposit. 2 days before the party I had to scramble to find a new place to hold my guests. No professionalism, no morals and no respect for others.

Super friendly staff, cozy seating and yummy food.

The food was great & Apple martinis was outstanding !!!!

We use to frequent here a lot before Covid time. We have been here before with a group, but this was the first time we came as a small group. First it is one of the only places that is open late in Newark on a weekday. It wasn’t packed on this particular night. Even though it was past 10 pm the servers were very attentive and helpful. Everyone enjoyed their meals. My meat was moist and flavorful. It was perfect. My parents enjoyed their seafood choices as well. The sangria was perfectly missed. I forgot how much I enjoyed this place. We will back again.

AMAZING quaint restaurant Service is Top Notch very Personable, and attentive! The Food... listen I can show you alot better then tell you! I had the T-Bone Steak w Steamed Vegetables and Sauted Potatoes 🤌 My Husband had the Stuffed Salmon w Mashed Potatoes and Steamed Vegetables

Went with my wife and sister on a recommendation from a friend after picking my sister up at Newark airport. 14 minute drive from the terminal. Not located on the main drag. Parking was available off street around the corner. Walking to and from for a block and a half was safe and easy. The dining area in the front is not large. It feels like a cozy neighborhood place. Mario took great care of us. The Octopus and Clam appetizers were delicious, as were our entrees. Nice selection of wines. The locals at the tables nearby were very friendly and we shared a story or two of visiting Portugal. There is a bar area in the back which was pretty full on a Friday night. Accommodated my wife and sister's gluten allergies very well. Thanks Mario and Portucale for a lovely dinner!

Awful place. The food quality is nearly nonexistent. They redid my filet mignon twice and still didn't get it right. I ordered it 'medium' temperature, but the first time it was way overcooked, and the second attempt was just below rare. The chocolate cake dessert had a strong taste of alcohol, and it was ordered for a child. The service is slow, and the staff is unfriendly. One of the servers took a 'break' while serving our table. Don't waste your time and money going to that place!

Expired tomatoes, soggy desserts, flavorless tomatoes and absolutely basic food for the rest of the dishes.

Fantastic - the appetizer platter was a great dinner by itself. Friendly and helpful staff.

Very good good for a decent price. Nice restaurant for the area.

Delicious and fresh food...the attendants too professionals , friendly atmosphere, suggest visit this place to go with family or friends...

This place never lets us down! Food was delicious. I love the garlic shrimp appetizer.

Really good food, especially the francesinhas they only have on Thursdays, but the service is spotty to say the least. Some of the servers are super helpful and professional, but I have also been here sitting for fifteen minutes without a single person acknowledging my presence. I don't live close to Newark, so no matter how good their food is, I rarely come back to this place when I remember how bad their service has been in previous visits.

This place has great service and food. Ask for my uncle Tony he is the best server!!

I'm really enjoying it , food very delicious 😋, had my daughter's birthday 🎂 🥳

Amazing place, amazing food, service is excellent even if they get kinda busy. Food takes some time to arrive (+30 minutes) but it is absolutely worth it! Highly recommended!

Warm greeting, very attentive and kind server, good food served hot. I enjoyed my visit to Portucale restaurant. I ordered and enjoyed the Paella Marinheira. The dish was delicious. Seafood medley of shrimp, lobster, mussels, clams, scallops. Only area for improvement is to thoroughly clean the shrimp. I don't understand how some restaurants (more than some) do not clean the shrimp of the accumulations in the "spine". Meal and experience would had been Excellent if that had been done. Regardless, good experience.

This is an amazing place. We felt totally transported to Portugal and the food, atmosphere ambiance and wines were completely genuine. This is an exceptional authentic piece of Portugal. Go and see...

On 10/1/23, had a few hours to spend in Newark and my wife and I looked for a great Portuguese restaurant. Looked at the google reviews and chose PortuCale. I think 4.5 stars does not do this place justice. It should be 5 stars! We sat in the outside area which was beautiful, our server Mario was awesome. He recommended the dishes and was on point with it and his service. The food was outstanding. Every bite of the bread, the app and the main course was amazing. We will be back soon and so should you! You will not be disappointed.

Excellent! Such a great find! Great food and service! Doradinho with vegetables and potatoes. Baba de camello, the best desert.

Ate a perfect Portuguese meal before a show at Prudential Center. A short walk back. The food was amazing, especially the tiny mackerel! It's not often I get all the perfectly cooked seafood that I can eat. This place is great!

Carne preparada por portugueses, ¡¡tienen parqueo!!

I’ve been coming to this restaurant for a number of years, it has been nice, the food is not the greatest, but it is good, the atmosphere is low key, but this last time a came here, today Sunday, the restaurant was not as busy! I was treated by my friend, and as soon as we got in the restaurant, the service left too much to wish, no eye contact, unfriendly, and we had to wait too long to be approached, I noticed that we were ignored, and clients who came after us were taken care before we did, and so we had to wait for too long, and finally when we were serviced, the waiter was aloof, slow to attend to us when we required it, I noticed the prices were way steep, and the portions way smaller than usual! At these prices, and considering that the tipping has become almost like an extortion, considering the poor service! I give it a thumb down👎

Great meal at fair prices. High value!

I love the food here. The food is authentic Portuguese style. I really enjoyed the back view with the fountain. This is the second time I visited this place. It's a great time every time with family and friends. The staff really likes to please their customers.

PortuCale Restaurant & Bar provides an exciting mix of traditional Portuguese dishes and modern cocktails in a charming atmosphere.

I discovered this restaurant through a groupon a few years back, and have made this my place for the churassco. The food is excellent have had their salmon as well. The waiters treat you like they have known you forever. Highly recommend.

PortuCale is the go-to spot for me and my husband, we really enjoy the food over there!

I was very disappointed with the food. The octopus was tasteless and mushy. The Calamari was decent. The crab stuffed clams were disgusting. I had crab stuffed twin lobster tails. They were overcooked like a piece of rubber. The crab stuffing was imitation. Crab and breadcrumbs. The garlic white wine sauce of other dishes was horrible. They have no idea how to make a white wine sauce. The drinks sucked. The dessert was horrible. A huge disappointment and huge flies everywhere. I will never go back.

The food was okay, but the service was disappointing. They couldn’t handle small requests (such changing a side dish) and told us that they couldn’t pack our desert to go. It was strange and the waiter was rude.

I went to a party in the basement room. At the same time, there was a wedding at the main ballroom. The service was dismal. It looked like the waiters were more interested in the wedding than in the party that I was attending. We were without a waiter for long periods of time. I waited ages for one to come in take a drink order or to replenish the drinks at our table. On top of that, the parking situation was terrible. My brand new car was scratched by another person pulling out of his spot. Definitely not a great place for parties unless you’re paying for the main ballroom.

Food was okay. Disappointed that shrimp were not cleaned but sauce was good. Chicken was tough. Also, smoking is permitted outdoors which can be uncomfortable when trying to eat.

Good place with great food and very generous portions. Excellent place for a date night or cozy get together.

15 minutes for the guy to ask if we would like to drink. We told the guy we were ready to order when he began to take our drink and ran off before we can tell him. He came back once more and asked if we were ready we said yes and he said 1 minute. Took over 30 minute to put in a simple order. Don’t come if you’re not prepared to wait at your table over an hour for food.

Was at this place with a party of 5. This place is in a Portuguese neighborhood which was not the most pleasant neighborhood , right next a barbershop ..the bread they brought out was stale , the calamari sauce was runny and watered down..the steak on the menu said charcoal grilled steak but it was not at all charcoaled and a bit flavorless . The service was not any better either . I would not recommend !

The food was horrible! I ordered a ribeye and was served a Tbone. They advertised for charcoal grilled meat and serve you broiled cooked meat. Service sucked, took forever to get a glass of water and our drinks.

Great service, good food but over charge me mandatory “service fee” $143 food value, charge me $32 was unfair. You can find something better for the total price.

Excelente comida y muy buena atención

Quando vieres a Newark, recomendo, super agradavel, parking, preço bom, acesso a cadeirante!!!

One of my girlfriends and I got together for dinner. When I arrived I parked on the street in front. I walked in, and we sat at the bar. Roxanna was our bartender, and she was cool. I started with a red sangria and it was good. For my entrée I got the sea bass special for only $20. When it came out it looked amazing! The only problem was that it was full of bones. It was delicious though! My friend really enjoyed her garlic shrimp. The bill was super affordable! All in all we had a good experience.

One of the best takeout and paella experiences we've had. The portions are enormous and delicious. The staff were also very attentive.

This place was sooooo good! Great outdoor patio and the food was delicious! Prices were very fair as well. Hidden gem definitely be coming back

I made reservations a day a head of time and when I got there the next day they had no Idea on what I was talking about. My reservations was for the outside patio area and they attempted to seat me and my wife at an edge table area. We were asked did we want any drinks while we wait at the bar and we responded yes that's fine and went to the bar area. Once at the bar area we order and waited for our drinks for approximately an half hour and never recieved them and was told we would receive them shortly. I made the decision to leave there establishment and let them no I was leaving. As we were waiting I noticed certain people recieved special treatment which is fine for those who think that is the right way to run an establishment.

Excellent food, amazing service, and so reasonably priced!! The exterior doesn’t do this place justice. Also really nice parking right next to the restaurant entrance. The wait staff was beyond nice and so very attentive.

I was super excited about this place given the reviews but unfortunately the sea bass was dry and veggies were frozen. Would not recommend and will not be traveling back. Service was lovely and they were very kind.

Um restaurante sem pretensões ..nas com cozinha honesta .. recomendo . No coração de Newark comida de português para portugueses .

Our favorite restaurant in Newark. Nice cuisine, tasteful entries, reasonable prices, big portions, good selection of wines

Delicious steak! Nice service .

This place is great except for the limited parking

Our go to place for a Spanish/Portuguese meal. Great food and sangria for reasonable prices. Friendly and professional staff. Recommend the appetizer sampler (octopus and sausage are outstanding).

Service and food outstanding. All of us enjoyed every time we were there.

Food is as fresh as one can get. I love fresh cod fish, it's fresh and delicious.

Mario is a wonderful server/friend. He served us with his smile and gracious attitude.

Wow! Amazing place!! Delicious and fresh food, attentive service, great ambience. They have a wide variety of Bacalhau and the most amazing traditional Portuguese dessert called NATAS I think. All I remember the outside crunchiness with the cream inside... not too sweet and made to perfection!!! Our main dishes were Bacalhau com Frutos de Mar and Picadinho with a selection of prime meat and small square cut potatoes!! The sauce on both plates were outstanding!!!! If I could I would award them the best Portuguese restaurant in Ironbound, Newark NJ hands down!!!! Thank you!!!

Excellent menu. You’ll want to order way too much food. Generous portions. Easy stop on way to Newark. A few parking spots.

I’m from Newark and have eaten at lots of Iberian restaurants in town. The food here stands up to the best of them. It’s also reasonably priced. What really distinguishes this place is the cordial and professional staff. Each person who served us was very customer oriented, which is not always the case in Ironbound restaurants. I will definitely return and highly recommend.

Great food and service. Doesn't have Groupons any longer. A little pricey Had enough for 2 days worth

This place is the real deal. Amazing service amazing food. Parking was super easy in there lot. The squid is a must have at this great restaurant. If you happen to be in Newark NJ , def stop by this place. The prices are great an the quality of food is just fabulous. Great job guys

This is one of my favorite restaurants. The food is always delicious. The staff is very professional and friendly.

Really enjoyed the service here and they serve everything late at night. Clams are great, all over a great experience, thanks!

Everything was delicious! Staff was entertaining, professional, and knowledgeable about menu. Had yummy specials. Portions were huge and came timely. We (4 of us) loved everything we ate. Each thing better than the next. Red sangria was tasty, too. Would definitely go back and would definitely recommend!

Love to go here, food is delicious, the service is great and I love the sangria. Would definitely recommend it.

Service and food was top notch.

Excellent steak. Their goat special is always on point. They have some menu items you can't find in any other Portuguese restaurants ( i.e. Alheira ).

The food seemed to miss its mark. There didn't seem to be anything really special about the presentation and or quality of flavor. May have just hit the restaurant on an off day. Definitely a comfortable cozy surrounding. The inside of the restaurant is very casual and Charming

Wow, terrible experience. Found this place after an extensive online search. Got there with my family after booking an early 5.15 reservation before a show. Left at 7:00pm hungry and pissed. I don't even want to waste more time thinking about them but people should know.... * Service was terrible. Couldn't get waiters attention, when we did all they said was yes, but never actually did anything... * Food didn't arrive when at 6:15, ONE HOUR LATER, i got up and went to find our waiter, who was near the kitchen and the manager. He said he can't do anything and to talk to the manager/owner. And when I did, the manager said they are busy but "must wait." As i was losing it another staff member helped out and said its coming. * App platter came out, but nothing else as we were promised. I had to go back, and the manager again by the kitchen made it seem like it was OUR fault, we should wait. Only after this one kind staff member again intervened and went into the kitchen did they say will have in 5 more minutes. * 10-15min later food arrived. My grilled cod was so overcooked only 1/4 could be chewed, 'medium' steak was beyond well that it couldn't be chewed, net 3 of 4 meals were lousy. (Note that the app platter was pretty good). * The waiter only took out 2 meals that i paid (the whole meal should have been comp'd). In a loud voice I complained on how bad the service was, how long we waited, the bitter mood we were all in due to the situation, and how I would not be able to leave a tip as a result (which the waiter actually understood). * After my intentionally loud feedback in the pretty patio space, other tables starting talking and thanking us, as they all had been waiting, getting bad service, and were frustrated! I'm consistently told there are alot of great Portuguese restaurants in Newark. I'll be doing a better job of getting specific names of those places and visiting them instead. This place is done.

Have been to this restaurant on numerous different occasions and it never disappoints!

Little expenses food was good service was good

Food was great, service was excellent. The garlic sauce was amazing. We went before a concert and this located very close to the Prudential center. Would return if I'm ever in the area. The outdoor seating go area was amazing!

The food and service was outstanding!!

Pleasantly surprised with the atmosphere , relaxing outdoor seating.

I had a flight mishap at EWR and ended up staying the night. I almost stayed at my hotel and had a Caesar salad, but because I love Portuguese food I took the bus for 13 minutes, walked for 6 minutes, and ended up eating an absolutely spectacular octopus salad (recommended by a friendly local) and having a glass of wine for like $20. This place is amazing. Little did I know when I felt frustrated by an air travel delay that I would be getting a free trip to Lisbon out of it. This place absolutely rocks. Next time I’m going to get stuck at EWR on purpose.

Amazing food and service. Good traditional Portuguese food. Chef Filipe Morgado is really doing an amazing job. Keep up the good work.

Oh.My.God. This place is amazing. The food is incredible, great portions for the price and the staff is so lovely and warm. This is hands down our new favorite Portuguese spot❤️. Thank you PortuCale!

This place is really amazing. Huge, family-style dishes, great prices, and the kind of place you could spend all Sunday afternoon. Bring your family.

Excellent place, Excellent service and great ambient, Antonio was very professional , very polite

You can't go wrong by going to Newark for very good authentic Portuguese. There are so many of them. PortuCale is one of them. We went there for lunch and this restaurant and bar is a neighborhood favorite away from the many restaurants typically located on Ferry Street. They do have on site parking which, is great since street parking can be very challenging. When entering into the main entrance you will be in the bar with tables but, if you want you can request other rooms going from bar to formal, to casual to outside. Since it was raining we requested the casual away from the bar but, overlooking the outside. By the way the outside looks inviting with a waterfall, lighting, canopy, arborvitae, tables and flat screen television. Something we would try when weather permitting. We requested a pitcher of red sangria with little ice and made stronger than usual. We shared the Portucale Sampler. It is a sample of their most appetizers. It's served tapas style with grilled octopus in a garlic sauce, shrimp in garlic, roasted chorizo and roasted potatoes. This was a winner and easy serves 4-6. It's a meal alone for 2. The various breads made this appetizers taste even better. For our entree we had a choice of over 20 for the day. We chose the grilled pork loin with sauteed onions while I want barbecue baby back ribs. The pork loin was juicy and not overcooked. The onions gave it a nice touch with bread. The baby back ribs were moist and not tried with a nice charcoal char. Both entree were served with rice and fries. We barely finished our entrees since the appetizer was so filling. So it was brought home. The portions served are more than enough and you will bring it home. We finished with excellent cappuccino. We were served by waiters we knew who worked at other local Portuguese restaurants so it was nice to be remembered. We plan to go back again.

Was treated to a night out by my nephews. While they have been going here for years this was my first time. Everything was wonderful. The sangria was delicious. We had appetizers of chorizo and a salami and cheese platter. Very nice. The menu is pretty extensive. I ordered the pork loin with clams. It came with boiled potatoes and broccoli. The portions are huge! I did take some home because I couldn't finish it all. One of my nephews had the shell steak and gave me a taste. It was like butter. So good and tender. Afterward we had coffee which was really good as well but too full to try dessert. I will definitely be back. (PS I did not get our servers name, but she was excellent!)

It’s exactly what the photos show. Miss-match of style, quality and flavour. I mean you can be “retro”… but do you have to keep all of those carpet stains from 1970s? Also all of the flies crawling on the desserts… I am a massive fan of salted cod (lagareiro style). I got the cod, whipped egg white, paprika on top and some mushed spinach. It was just such a massive chaos… not worth it.

Great food and friendly staff as well as good atmosphere.

The place is big but from the outside you would never know. Staff is great, outside dining a HUGE plus, especially with the cascading fountain as the focal point. The food was tasty, a bit cold for me, but good. The drinks 🍸, piña colada & sangria get 5 🌟. All-in-all it's a fantastic place for a special event.

It's nice and beautiful restaurant

Food and service were excellent. We ate on the outdoor patio and it beautiful. Portions were more then enough for take home.

I have been at this restaurant many times. And the food and service have been always on point. This is why I chose it to celebrate my husbands bday. However, what a big disappointment this was!! The service… awful. We had to continually flag the waiter to tend to us. The food… was not fresh at all. By the time we got our food it was cold and the fish smelled like old fish. Utterly a disappointment all around.

Amazing Portuguese restaurant with a beautiful peaceful outdoor seating that has a wall fountain . I loved seating outside and the food is amazing as well . Everything from the cute waiter who helped us with bringing out my girlfriend’s birthday cake to bringing us everything in perfect order and the food is delicious no matter what you get on the menu . Definitely a restaurant in Newark you want to try out and probably will want to come back too. The chicken and shrimp dinner with artichoke’ and mushrooms in a wine sauce is out of this world & they give you gigantic portions . I ate in my leftovers 3 x ! Also the fish is good here too . I love the calamari & shrimp in garlic sauce. I use to only drink red sangria now this place had me at their white sangria . Its excellent and perfect taste to it .

First time there, had a butterflied sea bass, was done perfect! I'll go again, for the food and to ask the bartender/hostess to marry me! lol... Lots of traditional sea food dishes, and and other terrific specials every day.. don't miss this off the main street GEM!

Really amazing food!! The waiters were nice and polite...

This place serves a fantastic meal. Authenticity and taste are the main staples. The menu has tonnes of options of varied flavors, meats and fish. The food was cooked to perfection and garnished to not just taste but also look picturesque. To top it off the server Constantine was friendly, knowledgeable, expedient and accommodating and made great small talk and recommendations. I highly recommend to anyone looking to experience a bit of Portugal in Newark.

I went there with my boyfriend 🥰😍we both left the place amazed by the food. Highly recommend 💛 We are definitely going back soon.

We had a great time. The food was good.

Food was mediocre at best. We had the seafood for 2 and octopus appetizer to start. Nice outdoor space.