We stopped by early afternoon on a Thursday for lunch and it was quite empty. By the time we left it was full and busy. I haven't dined here in about 5 years, because when I did a few years ago I was not impressed. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the food this time. Our server was friendly and very attentive and the food was hot and fresh. We ordered: - doubrada - bitoque - bacalhau - espresso I will definitely be returning. read more

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Went on Easter. Place was packed! Managed to snag the last 2 topper. Service was good considering how busy they were. No mistakes on the food or drinks. Had our meals had some coffee afterwards and paid. Food quality was good. Ambiance was your typical Portuguese restaurant on a weekend. Had a good time and a good meal. read more

Simply love this place, food, prices and service are great. A bit off the main restaurant strip but that may be a +.

Most of our friends that we dine with often know how much we love Portuguese food. Our trip to Algarve, Portugal a few years ago was completely inspired by all of the amazing food we've had in the Ironbound section of Newark. That being said- we're always up for trying new recommendations and our server at one of our favorites told us about his favorite, so we tried it out. Of course we started with a pitcher of sangria, and it was recommended that we try the suckling pig- which was very tasty. Looking forward to going back and trying some other new dishes. Who knows- maybe our next trip to Portugal we'll visit Coimbra. read more

Coimbra Bar & Restaurant - Happy People with Sangria - Portuguese Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

Their Leitão rissois is the main reason to come here. They are so good, very delicious. Husband says their bacalhau is very good. Don't do any meal with the crab stuffing - mainly breading. Typical Portuguese wait staff service. They get the job done. read more

We had a great dinner before a show at NJPAC. It is not walking distance but they have a parking lot. We had delicious sangria and wonderful meal. All of our favorites on the menu plus some great specials. Seafood was very fresh and delicious. Wait staff was very friendly. read more

Taking a leap of faith we decided to sample another of the Iron Bound's many Iberian/Portuguese restaurants and Coimbra was it. Mainly lured by the promise of Suckling Pig just to find that it is served only on weekends we decided to keep our reservation for lunch anyway and see what Coimbra had to offer. This place is seriously old school with a facade that would look at home on a busy street in Porto and the interior all dark woods and faded romantic pictures on the walls, a bit dark and dusty but looks good so far. Sangria and a passion fruit Sumol with grilled sardines and Pulpo salad to start. The sardines was as authentic as you could get,crispy,oily with ample salt,sweet onions and a side of {of course}boiled potatoes.Excellent. Pulpo salad was a colorful mix of apple,onions,oranges,garlic,tomatos,green peppers,parsley with a refreshing, bright dressing....... but held nothing but 2 thin tenticles and 2 small cubes of pulpo. The table played a game of "Let's find the Octopus"and all lost. Very disappointing. Mains were Pealla Marinara. Huge and brightly colored with a decent sized lobster,fat clams and mussles this dish was also excellent with all the elements coming together in what was a huge serving, Rice was so succulent from soaking up the briny,deep seafood stock. Pork with clams. My favorite and this one arrived with an abundence of savory, fatty pork cubes,potatoes and the sour crunch of a house made giardiniera with a fair amount of tender clams in a subtly spicy gravy with just a sprinkle of chopped cilantro, This version was good but I've had better just a couple blocks away. Next was the Grilled Picanha and it was done perfectly medium rare with a beautiful fat cap served with fries,rice and very good black beans.The beef was tender,salty and with that fat proved to be even better than it's Brazilian counterparts.The beans was a good addition to the rice and worth ordering with other dishes as well. Dessert and expressos were a blur but tasty, service was good, prices are up there and portion size was just below the average for Newark. This would be a 5 star review if I didn't have to pay $15.00 for a Pulpo salad that basically bacame a very expensive fruit salad,the venue was more inviting and prices were in line with the area. It was a good meal but I think I'll remain loyal to Seabra Marisquera...... read more

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Came here with several friends for the first time. I was looking forward to the meal. Everything was excellent except the roast pig. The skin wasn't crispy. The flavor was good, and the meat was very tender. We had the paella, Portuguese steak, clams in Spanish sauce, and sausage. Those dishes were excellent. The desert we had were also excellent. Service was a little bit slow. The live music was too loud. However I know I will be back again, because the price is very fair, and I want to give the pig another chance. read more

I was invited for a birthday party at Coimbra Bar and Restaurant on September 6th 2022. This review will cover the atmosphere at the restaurant and also the food that was provided during the event. Let me start by saying the appetizers on itself we're amazing and I was already full before ordering an entree. The appetizers consisted of clams in white wine sauce, shrimp in garlic sauce. Fried calamari, a variety of small empanadas like shrimp cakes codfish cakes meat cakes, Portuguese sausage, shrimp with a head on, soft cheese with an array of breads. You could just come and order a bunch of appetizers and share with everyone and be done with it. This restaurants is big enough to accommodate parties up to 150 people in the main dining room.The atmosphere is a traditional Portuguese style the waiters are very attentive with that old-fashioned fight that I used to be a customer during the '80s and '90s . Everyone ordered different entrees which I will list the pictures and put some comments on each one overall very tasty and very well plated. One item that was not on the list and it was the only item I had prior to this experience today the suckling pig "Leitao" which they are known for they do it really well and it's only available during the weekends. It is very good and my recommendation to you if one day you want to order a suckling pig to celebrate with your family make sure you pre-order it because it will be gone like cupcakes. Overall great place to plan your event great atmosphere the food is very good I was happy to be there. read more

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I'm glad we gave Coimbra a second shot after a horrible experience a few years back. The food is as good if not better than 10 years ago. No frills, real deal, massive portions, very reasonably priced. A private parking lot on Somme Street is a HUGE PLUS!! read more

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They are known for their leitão (suckling pig), but they serve lots of other dishes. If you ever need a whole leitao, this is the place to go. At times, the prices might seem expensive, but the portions make up for it. I've gotten take out from here countless times. I've dined in a couple of times (pre-covid). I've eaten lasagna and other Italian/American food here, but since it's a Portuguese restaurant, I would recommend sticking to the Portuguese and Iberian dishes that they have. Not that the lasagna wasn't good, it's just not what they do best. Parking is on Fillmore Street (just need to cross the street, walk a few feet, and it's on your left). read more

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Best pork and clams around. Service is straight to the point and the ambiance makes u feel like you're at an old restaurant in Portugal

Busy Sunday afternoon. Had a wedding and birthday party going on. Service was slow because of crowd. Portugese bread was tasty . Enjoyed the stuffed crab appetizer. Sausage was fatty . Seafood paella is enough to be shared. Had the goat which was seasoned perfect. Ambiance is ok inside. Has bar area or dining room to eat in. read more

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This is a portuguese restaurant with amazing meals. The last time I went i got a traditional portuguese dish called a "francesinha", which was absolutely delicious! The dish comes with a egg, cheese, bread, sausage, ham, and beef. The sauce poured over it gives it an amazing touch, and it's become my favorite dish to eat there. The service is very good, they brought us out a two free plates with appetizers, as well as some cheese on the house. The sangria was strong but very tasteful. read more

Coimbra Bar & Restaurant - Francesinha - Portuguese Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

I have bin to this place many times and I love it. They have great food This is the best restaurant read more

Just FYI: the restaurant and the bar are "separate" (differente entrances and rooms). Not sure if menus are the same or not. The restaurant looks nicer, it has white table cloths and such. My review is for the bar which also has food (a big menu). In terms of value, this place is a bargain. Prices are not low but portions are ridiculous. My roast pork was $12 and could have easily served 2. Appetizer prices are the same as entrees which discouraged me from trying one. Compared to other Ironbound Portuguese and Spanish restaurants, this is definitely one of the better (if not the best) bargain. Service was really nice. They didn't bother me, but the waiter kept stopping by now and then to refill my sangria cup (they don't have glasses, just big or small pitchers). He also dealt with the language barrier nicely, offered me complimentary soup, and was attentive without being bothersome. Olives and bread were pretty good too. I think I made a mistake in ordering the roast pork. It wasn't very good and had kind of a 'smell' to it, almost reminding me of turkey. It had a pretty nice gravy under it which went well with the potatoes it was served with. I was disappointed with the pork but happy with the potatoes, gravy, broccoli. I would probably come back and stick to the specials and other stuff next time. The atmosphere was nice. A little loud but very homey. Can't stress the value. Small pitcher of sangria=$12 (probably 4+ glasses). Fruit in the sangria was terrible but sangria itself was aite. Not the best but nice for the price. HUGE (see my picture) entree of pork with potatoes, carrots,, broccoli, and complimentary soup=$14. Desserts were all around $4ish. I look forward to coming back and trying other menu items. My roast pork wasn't great but hopefully other menu items will be. read more

Coimbra Bar & Restaurant - Holy shit! This was about $12! - Portuguese Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

I was very interested to go this restaurant , the food ( quarter small pig ) was really good but COLD ...the dressing for it ...was super salty. all the others things was ok ....Never again !!!! read more

Great place! The shrimp in garlic sauce appetizer was very good. Red sangria - definitely enjoyed. The reason I couldn't give more stars is the clams casino. It was all filler and not a clam to be found. I don't even think the clams were minced with the bread crumbs. No clam flavor. Such a shame... read more

I ordered two roasted pigs for pick up. The service was amazing. They came out to my car to help with packing it. The food was sooo good. Everyone at the party loved the roasted pig. The vibe at the restaurant looked very vibrant and busy. Busy in a great way. Would definitely go back to eat inside. read more

Ive been to ironbound many times but never heard of this one til recently. My mom swears by it. The baby pig sorry guys but its AMAZING! I also had the pulpo, octopus salad and it was also to die for and smaller pieces for those who prefer that. The drinks are crazy strong, no complaints there but a bit too much for me so i switched to sangria, yum! I recommend read more

Authentic Portuguese food and excellent service! Sundays are my favorite for leitão (suckling pig)

Always superb. Service on point. Only place I ever received 5 shrimp for dinner and took some home...they were HUGE. Beat advice: Come muito fome! read more

If I could have given zero stars I would have. $48 for an overcooked seafood paella ....seafood was awful...... Terrible service.... Waiter managed to provide water and sides to every other table but ours....only positive was the sangria. I won't be going back read more

Zalp review Food: 4 stars, had a great ny strip for $23 Service: 4 stars, quick and attentive Decor: 3 stars, a bit dated old school Portuguese decor but I give it a pass There is always plenty of seating available for those last minute planners read more

Coimbra Bar & Restaurant - New york strip in newark! In your face ny! - Portuguese Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

Honestly, one of the best authentic Portuguese restaurants in the Ironbound! I've been eating here since I was a kid. They remodeled the restaurant about 2 years ago (pardon me if I'm incorrect on the dates). They have two big dining rooms, and a room for private parties downstairs. Service was good, although it could have been better. As soon as we walk in, a waiter attends to us and sits us down. He immediately hands us the menus and brings out fresh bread, goat cheese, bolinhos de bacalhau (codfish cakes), and rissoes (shrimp patties) to the table, compliments of the house. I ordered the leitao (roast suckling pig) served with French fries. Don't be fooled by other reviews: their pig is roasted in a brick oven (trust me). The roast suckling pig was delicious! Skin was extra crispy and the meat was juicy and tender! Don't forget to ask for the garlic/pepper sauce that comes with it. My mother ordered the roasted veal in wine sauce, served with rice and roasted potatoes. Again, it was pretty darn good! Portion size is huge - both my mom and I had lots of food leftover! Overall, I'd recommend Coimbra to anyone looking for good Portuguese food and a cozy atmosphere. read more

We were looking for some place different to try. So we took a drive and then checked out yelp. So in this area there were a number of good choices but the yelp reviews for this place seemed the most interesting to me. Anyway thanks again for everyone who reviewed this place you have excellent taste! We started with the house made flaming sausage. And eating it on a fresh roll was the bomb! In fact my husband had to tell me to stop eating it to save room for the entree. Since the portions are huge we split the veal chop special. It was very nice. This was my husband's choice since the app was my selection. There were lots of interesting specials which appealed to both of us. So we will.be back to check out a few others. The service was excellent. The owner it turns out was enjoying a cup of coffee nearby and pleasantly chatted with me when my husband stepped out for a cigarette. Normally we skip dessert but a table near us was voicing all kinds of yummy ohhs and ahhs over their desserts that I just had to try one. Oh boy was that a smart decision. The creme brule was amazing! read more

Coimbra was my next step stop in the search to find great Portuguese food in the Ironbound. In a word: Good. - Shrimp in Garlic Sauce (A-) - Steak Coimbra Style (B) - Chourico (C) read more

I ordered veal to go And as I was chewing it it taste kind of weird and it made me sick that night. So at first I did say maybe it was me so I ate some again the next night and I was in the bathroom all day the next day We call and so call manager had the nerve to say maybe I was sick when I got there. Naw it was the veal. Your know when your get sick like that your know what is from Some customers service. I don't even think that was the manager if so get another job read more

I love this place! My fiancé was looking for authentic Portuguese food and she found La Coimbra. We've been about 7-8 times over the last year. It's a comfortable place to bring friends and family. We can be a little loud, the kids can be a little boisterous without any notice. There's definitely a family vibe here and I enjoy that. All of the servers are friendly and we've had a good time chatting it up with the locals. I come here for the roast suckling pig. It's fantastic. The skin is crispy and perfect and the sauce that goes with it is scrumptious in its salty, garlickyness. It's only available on Friday, Saturday and Sunday after six I believe but it is well worth the trip. My people have said that the salmon is fair to middling but I've had the lamb stew also and I thought it was fantastic. read more

Coimbra Bar & Restaurant - Portuguese Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

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This is my first time here. I came here because I have many Portuguese American friends who have suggested this place. So I ordered a special which was the Vitela Estufada e/Puré Aka stewed Veal with Mashed Potatoes puré. This is a dish that your grandma would make and or if you have (had) a Dad that can cook, he would make a meal like this. Great find! Reminding me of home cooked meals! read more

Coimbra Bar & Restaurant - Portuguese Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

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It hurts me to write this. I've never had such a bad meal in the Ironbound and I had such high hopes from the recommendation of a friend. The night became a night of jokes because we had such a bad experience. I wish it had been something that was NBD, but it was the FOOD. Appetizers We had calamari. Could instantly taste that it was kind of old and had been sitting around. It tasted stale and could be recognize immediately. We also had the Portuguese sausage, which I know is typically kind of dry, but this was beyond what I'm used to. Just really hard, dry sausage. Presentation, of course, with the flame on point. I wish it had lived up to that initial impression. Entrees My father ordered the pork cubes with shrimp and chicken. The portion is ginormous. I mean he didn't even put a single dent in the dish. Not only because he didn't really enjoy it. Everything is just super dry and bland in favor. My partner got the fried chicken in garlic and white white sauce. Again, some dry ass flavorless chicken with sauce buried in the bottom. So disappointed. Mine was the BBQ - Believe it or not, I've had better at Iberia (which doesn't have such a good reputation these days. Ouch). I think it might have been the best dish on the table. My mother's pork cutlets had a really funky smell. I tired it and have a high tolerance for terrible food. I didn't enjoy the little bite I tried. I'm not sure what is happening here. Poor mom. Sorry, if you're reading this. The only thing that was amazing was the service and the portion sizes. My boyfriend's mojito also a no go. Although, my caiparinha was pretty awesome and really strong. Two of them had me buzzin', but not enough to enjoy this meal. Fail.com. I have no idea how this place has maintained a 4-star rating. read more

Coimbra Bar & Restaurant - Portuguese Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

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We were hoping to have a big pig roast to celebrate my father turning 70 and well... COVID! I found this place and ordered a whole roasted suckling pig, Spanish fries, rice, salad, and bbq chicken. The food was delicious... this is coming from a family that has eaten leitao in Portugal. They definitely did it justice! We frequent our favorite Portuguese restaurants in Newark, and now we have another to add to our list. Thank you for making a old Portugal pirates birthday special! read more

Awesome spot! Especially if you are looking for Leitao bairrada style! We came on a Saturday night. It was 6 of us and we really enjoyed our food, sangria, and waiter. We started with the chourico, 2 stuffed salmons (A++), 3 steaks, ( if you enjoy Medium well ask for Medium), and the shish kabobs (A+) Very authentic portuguese food and delish! read more

Never disappointed, food,service,staff...I love this place. Variety of the daily specials are amazing. All food is excellent .

Coimbra restaurant means to me ,Delicious authentic Portuguese food, good wine and drinks ,great atmosphere equals a great dining experience!!! Each dish crafted with the finest fresh ingredients make a awesome authentic Portuguese dishes, portions are very generous, I've been coming here many years from Astoria ,NY and it's worth the ride. The service is flawless, the restaurant ,elegant and cozy! Prices are modest, it won't break your bank. Overall , this place caters to the community and all who knows good food. Make sure you end the nigh with a good Port wine ! read more

Food was good but I expected better. The service was slow and the restaurant was not busy other than the bar. No plans to return any time soon. Very disappointing read more

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Horrible! I asked them two suckling pig and it cames cold. I don't recommend them and I won't be back there. They need to improve their service. I waste my money read more

Not a bad place, always full, however the tricks they play... good and expensive stuff comes later. Also, too salty to be healthy...

We visited this restaurant in the Iron Bound district for a birthday celebration, six suburbanites finally making the ride to Newark in search of a great dinner. And it indeed was *great*. The dining room as others have written is loud and filled with people of all ages: hipsters, old folks and young kids. It's like a big wedding with long communal tables, altho that evening there was no live music and I've rarely seen a soccer game on TV at a wedding! While waiting for them to clear and set our places we spotted several plates of flaming sausage coming out, never saw an appetizer served flambee before so right there that made the first decision easy :) We ordered pitchers of Sangria and Heineken. Be careful of the Sangria, it's not just wine in there; we speculated maybe quite a bit of Calvados was along for the ride. After devouring fresh bread, cold fried fish cakes and other mysterious goodies that came compliments of the house, we started with scallops in bacon, stuffed crab, shrimp and naturally plenty of the flaming sausage. We had time to polish those off and chat for a while, then we received our roast suckling pig, veal chops and baked cod dishes. All were delicious, enormous and extremely reasonably priced at $17-20. The pig came with a very interesting garlicy sauce in a little gravy boat. I have to say the roast pig is a bit of an acquired taste, it's absolutely nothing like a Christmas ham. The chops came with a huge platter of white rice *and* french fries. Cod was baked in a tomato, onion and pepper sauce that was just plain great. I think it's utterly safe to say that each entree can feed two grown men but of course we didn't know that when we ordered. Our waiter was totally friendly to us, men who barely know how to say thank-you in Portuguese (it might be "obrigado"), and did his best to explain the menu but between his accent and the volume of the room we didn't understand too many details. No matter! Service was attentive despite the large number of other customers. While uneasily surveying the vast amount of food we had not managed to finish we noticed that nobody was leaving .. all the tables seemed to have settled in for the evening. We finished with a bit of dessert and some hilarious moments ensued as our waiter tried to explain the difference between Sawdust (really that's the word on the menu), Grandmother's dessert and the house dessert ("it's the same as the other one, but different!"). On the way out we finally saw the bar area (didn't visit) and while walking back to the car we noticed their parking lot, we had parked on the street. In short I thought was a great family place, fairly priced with yummy food, nice service and very friendly to English speakers. read more

The seafood with green sauce (about $20, feeds two, and comes with a whole friggin' lobster in it, people) at this unassuming Portuguese (not Spanish) joint makes me more excited than a teenaged girl getting her first cell phone. The sauce, despite its moniker, actually looks a bit like reconstituted condensed chicken soup (Mmm!), but it has the savoriness of a rich stock, the sweetness of shellfish, and the silkiness of oxtail. And, of course, plenty of garlic. Naturally, I refused to wash my hands after eating, so that I could sniff my fingers for the rest of the evening (sexy, I know). Also a hit was the pork with clams ($14 or so, also feeds two), which turned out to be a pretty good combination. The sharpness of the clams cut the richness of the pork very well, although I wish the pork had been slow-braised so that it would have come out more tender. A close third was the grilled chicken--moist, charry, and smokey pieces of butterflied leg and thigh that were perfectly cooked. The few other dishes we got were fairly lackluster. The grilled calamari was a bit tough for me, and the linguica should have had more spice and a lot less salt. The house red wine is very good; the sangria is boring. Skip the dessert. read more