I really like this place, the shrimp in garlic sauce, sangria and filets. The problem is, my husband and I like to sit at the bar and eat and every weekend when we try to get a seat at the bar they say it's reserved. I'm sorry, since when can you reserve the bar at a restaurant? So I guess don't bother trying to get a seat at the bar, it's all reserved!! read more

Well folks this is my 2nd time eating here or in truth, actually "not" eating after the first bite of a dish that tasted somewhere between baby food and old socks. Like the last time I gave it a shot over a year ago I knew that this was gonna be an epic experience. So if you want disgusting tasteless rest home quality cuisine or baby food quality bland entree's this is your place. Definitely NOT flavortown! read more

Had heard good things about this place and decided to check it out. Would definitely recommend. We started with a pitcher of white sangria which was fantastic. For appetizers we had the garlic shrimp and the chorizo. For dinner I had the veal special which was AMAZING. It was served in a reduction along with spinach risotto which was very flavorful. For dessert had the mar bello coffee (delicious, still have don't know how they make it....house secret ;)) and the chocolate soufflé. Both were fantastic. The dessert was especially delicious and was a chocolate lovers dream. The staff was very friendly and helpful and though it was a bit pricey, you definitely get a lot of food. The portions were generous. Would love to come back here when it's nicer out as Wel to enjoy their outdoor patio space. It looks like they did a nice job converting a space that would otherwise be a parking lot. read more

Mar Belo - Veal chop special - Portuguese Near Me - Long Branch, New Jersey

Lovely neighborhood gem. Solid Portuguese/Spanish cuisine. My husband had the New York Strip and I had the Mixed Picandiho, highly recommended. We ate in the main dining room which was lovely for a romantic dinner. The other dining room is well suited for larger family gatherings in addition to outdoor seating that would be ideal for summer dining. The wine list is impressive and the house wines were very good. We share an expresso cream brúlee, yummy. Our server was Carlos and he was very professional. Definitely returning. read more

Good Portuguese food. Felt very much like being on vacation it is a nice date nice place.

Had a business dinner here and the food was great. I had a NY stop that was nice and my wife had the salmon which was big and nice. The service was terrific. The room we were in was nice and had a great feel! read more

Food was excellent. Portuguese NY Strip was delicious, Paella savory, Halibut was perfectly cooked, and try the spanish meatballs and beet salad. Service was friendly and spot on. Very nice bars and beautiful wood details the room. And the chocolate mousse is a must have!!!! read more

Great food great service. I had my husband's repast there with more than 100 people and they did a wonderful job.

Food was good. Had some calamares for appetizers realll good and the chorizo portugués. Definitely will recommend.

A few people have recommended Mar Belo so we decided to check it out. We made reservations via OpenTable and were promptly greeted upon arrival. Seating was socially distanced and the restaurant took good covid precautions. We started with a pitcher of sangria and the shrimp in garlic sauce and sausage appetizers. They were very tasty and the portions were large. For dinner my husband had the Portuguese steak and I had the picanha. Both were very flavorful and tender. The Spanish potatoes were out of this world. The food and sangria were fantastic. We'll definitely be back with friends and family. We highly recommend! read more

Mar Belo - Picadinho de Vaca - Portuguese Near Me - Long Branch, New Jersey

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This place could easily be rated 4-5 stars but I must be honest and post an overall rating of 3 stars. Entry Host: 5 stars easy Dining Room: 4 stars Food : 3 stars Server: 3 stars The host was AMAZING, very welcoming and conversational the start of a visit can groom you for your entire visit as far as energy and attitude. The dining space was nice and clean and open which is always good all exits visible (wink). I had the sea bass and didn't want carbs due to my Keto lifestyle so I asked about leaving them off and extra asparagus which our server agreed to. My colleague had a filet with fried potatoes. Ooh let's not forget the sangria I had it was super yummy. Back to the food, my sea bass came out looking so yummy but when I tell you it was every bit of 3 oz I mean it . I couldn't believe how small it was and I'm not a far of FAT asparagus which is what was served. My colleague enjoyed his steak as Wednesday is Steak night so there are several steak specials. Our server Jorge was nice, however he took our cards for a check that was $80 and charged $28 to my colleague card and $78 to my card. How does that equal $80? He was able to fix it however if I didn't notice and pay attention it would've not been resolved. read more

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Spectacular! One of a kind Portuguese spot for fresh food. Seafood is off the chart and they have local beers too. Sagres beer a must try! read more

This place was awesome! Came here for an anniversary dinner with my girlfriend and we both loved it. We started out with a pitcher of Red Sangria ($22) and it was good and we got at least 6 glasses out of it. I had to Steak special - 16oz strip with bacon cheddar mashed, broccoli and onion rings. I picked the Bernaise sauce as my choice. It was medium rare as asked and everything was delicious. ($20) My girlfriend had the chicken in garlic sauce and she loved that too. It came with some form of fried potatoes and carrots/green beans. I tried hers and thought it was awesome. ($21) We went with the Serradura dessert and that too was great -- thick whipped cream like base with crushed cookies ($7). I would definitely recommend this place and already have to a few of my friends. The staff was so friendly and knowledgeable, the server had quick responses to what his recommendations were and we both went with his choices and were not disappointed. Kudos to him and all the other staff, I don't recall any names. Wednesday night is Steak Night (Strip, Ribeye, Filet) for $20 and you get a choice of sauce. You can't get that much quality food for $20 anywhere, we will definitely be back! read more

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Had a great time with my family. Service was great and food was great. I had the calamari app an the Mariscada Red for dinner. Wife and Kids loved their meals as well!!!!!! read more

Mar Belo - Mariscada Red & Red and Housemade Sangria Red - Portuguese Near Me - Long Branch, New Jersey

Had dinner last night around 4pm There was a large loud group of obnoxious people who were having a party why did the owner feel that people who were coming in for dinner think that was okay I wanted a nice quiet dinner not screaming babies andby the way they have too many boys standing around doing nothing i had to ask them to clear the table the couple next to me left too loud she said it grates on my nerves read more

Yesterday was one of the best Mother's Day celebrations I have ever had. Our party of fifteen were greeted at noon and escorted to two round tables (as requested) in the back of the room. We had our three year old grandson with us and the location was perfect for him to roam around. We were greeted by our waiter, Caina, who introduced himself and immediately provided us with excellent service throughout our visit. Special drink requests were made which he provided. He was always available with a friendly smile for any additional requests. We had a retirement celebration of 17 people at Mar Belo's months prior to Mother's Day and know that this restaurant will be our forever go-to restaurant for special occasions. Thank you to Paul and all the staff for your warm and friendly service. read more

We visited twice this month - the first time to scope out the place for a date night and then again early saturday evening. We always try the pulpo - polvo here. Outstanding garlic, oil and greens quick grill preparation. Classic and fine. Mar Belo uses many fresh seasonings throughout their old school Iberian menu. Featuring what may be the best Portuguese wine list south of Newark, the bartender Jose runs the show here. Multi-lingual, funny and charming, he presides over what seems to be a happy to be working together veteran staff. Attractive muted rooms, a fine and quiet outdoor space, and a lovely wine display round out a comfortable restaurant experience. We noted the many regulars Jose greeted, streaming in. Class operation, healthy food, good folks. easy parking too ! read more

Yesss I am a fan. Parking won me over you can park right up to the restaurant. Service was great. Food suggestions where spot on. I am a big fan of portugese and they did not miss a beat.. They have a private bar in the back if you want to just do drinks & apps... easy pleasy! or dinner in the main dining room. The Sangria is a mussssst! yummy and pleasing for sure. I will def do over! read more

I went to this establishment Mar Belo today for lunch. My girlfriend treated me out considering how much I love Spanish/Portuguese cuisine . The place is nice and seemed clean. But wait!!! There's more!! When we ordered a shrimp and garlic which came out fairly quickly.. Less the 2minutes. I was wondering why it came out so quickly. I tasted it and the flavors were good but the dish was warm. Not HOT! So I ate it and. limes the flavor not the temperature. After a break. I ordered a glass of house wine . When we were ready to Order we decided on chicken and garlic sauce with rice and spanish potatoes Again! It came out fairly quickly. When I started eating the meal. Once again it was warm and the potatoes we cold and mushy. Coming from Ironbound Newark. I know all about this type of cuisine. The food is NOT made to order. They have it sitting in the kitchen in trays like a wedding at the VFW. There's no way that dishes can come out that fast if it's made to order. The potatoes and rice were not good! Chicken was warm !! I would rather drive to Newark and get fresh hot food for HALF the price!! Wait !! There's more!! Remember the house wine I ordered? Well... it was $12 for a half of glass. Not knowing, I ordered two.. $24 dollars for 2 small glasses of house wine. This place is soooooo overpriced for pre prepared food. I can see tourists and locals getting ripped off all summer long . Will never go there again!! read more

Very good Portuguese food in Long Branch. Comfortable round table for party of 5 or 6. Pleasant interior. Enjoyed the filet mignon and shrimp shishkabob, garlic chicken, whole Bronzino for entrees and chorizo sausage, clams in white wine and beef empanadas for appetizers. Tues night bottles of wine 50% off is a good deal. Service was attentive. read more

Food very good . A S bit pricey baby Great service from the staff . Great relaxing ambiance read more

The restaurant didn't live up to my expectation of serving Spanish food. The only good thing that I'll recommend here is red wine sangria. Besides red wine sangria, we had white wine sangria, shrimp peri peri, seafood paella, and espresso creme de brulee. Shrimp peri peri was also fine. Paella made me sick with stale seafood, partially cooked rice where the chef didn't dry the water completely. Creme de brulee was another pathetic item. And to top it all, for a party of two, they added a gratuity of 20% to the check without any prior notice. This place is better to be avoided. read more

We used to come every Thursday and occasionally Wednesday for the specials. The service was always outstanding, actually over the top good. It was as if you had 3 waiters as every time someone passed the table they would top off your water, bring a refill, clear away scraps etc. You felt like you were at a 5 star restaurant.... However... since Covid the service has dropped dramatically, actually now on the bad side, and the prices have gone way up. We have tried going back a few times and each time it seems to get worse. It is actually crazy how dramatic the difference is. We are so disappointed as we enjoyed going. I am not sure why the difference, if it is a difference in management, or just a difference in staff motivation, but for now, we won't go back again. It's sad.... Hope they get back to the old ways. read more

I hate leaving a bad review especially during the cova-19 shut down. We ordered takeout yesterday, and the man on the phone was very nice, and had everything packed so nicely. The portions were huge, and it almost looked like we were picking up a catering ordering! We ordered the shrimp in garlic sauce for appetizer and that was good! For dinner we had the red snapper with shrimp risotto and the Bacalhau Minhota. The red snapper tasted fishy, but the shrimp risotto was ok/good. I would of gave this place 3.5 stars, but the cod in the Bacalhau Minhota dish was inedible! We had to toss it in the garbage! It tasted like someone dumped a gallon of salt on top of it! Believe me when I'm telling you I'm not kidding! The Spanish potatoes it came with were tasty. For dessert I had the flan which was just fair. I see others reviewers rating it much higher. Perhaps we came on an extremely off day! I don't recommend after last night's dinner! read more

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I had the paelha a valenciana and my wife had Octopus. Both dishes were very good. That said, two items the staff should consider: 1) the lobster in the Paelha was over cooked. 2) My wife is gluten intolerant and even though we tried to communicate this in English and Spanish, she was still served a desert with gluten. The upside; I had dessert for breakfast. The downside could have been a very sick person .... read more

Lunch on Friday. George and team are awesome. Go here. U won't be disappointed! Cant wait for the warm weather to sit outside. read more

Mar Belo - a person holding a bottle of mar belo - Portuguese Near Me - Long Branch, New Jersey

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Amazing food and sangria. Love the paella. Excellent service. Great for group or date night.

I won't say I agonized over my rating but I was torn between 3 & 4 stars. Thanks again, Yelp, for an unrealistic rating system. This is a nice restaurant and unfortunately my experience there that night wasn't up to 4 stars or better which I feel they are capable of. 4 of us dined and all 4 chose the prix fixe menu. So I didn't really order from the standard menu where I would think one would get more of a Mediterranean flavor (pardon the pun). I decided on the strip steak and for a prix fixe entrée they serve a substantial amount of meat. There were garlic mashed, broccoli, and a few choices of sauce for the beef. I chose green peppercorn. The meat was done correctly (medium rare) but nearly every bite was tough or gristly; very disappointing. Jim had the same entrée I had and reported the same thing, so it is probably the cut of beef. Yet the girls had the filet mignon and raved about it. The mashed potatoes were barely warm and the broccoli was cold. Cold veggies seem to be the standard anymore; a pity. Our service was excellent, indicative of a restaurant of this caliber. Next time I'll order something they specialize in like fish because Mar Belo is worth another shot. read more

Mar Belo - Portuguese Near Me - Long Branch, New Jersey

Loved the octopus appetizer. Very fresh and perfectly grilled. Paella was also very good. Portion sizes were very big, we ended up taking a lot home! read more

Top shelf restaurant for sure! You will not be disappointed! Just know you get what you pay for... That being said, go anyway

I have passed an advertisement for Mar Belo probably a hundred times while driving but had never eaten there. It is located in the strip of stores on Broadway across from Norwood Ave. Finally went with friends last night. The hostess was very pleasant, as was the entire staff. We asked to sit at a back table & they happily accommodated us. We ordered wine from the extensive wine list as it has a limited beer selection. I had an Argentinian Malbec & a merlot. Both were very good but I preferred the smooth merlot. We had no idea but Wed they have certified angus steak night with a price fix menu for $21.99. You can choose one of 3 different types of steak, rib eye, filet mignon & strip loin. You have a choice of sauces served with the meat, crumbled gorgonzola, green peppercorn & béarnaise. Dinner comes with cheddar & bacon mashed potatoes, a beer battered Vidalia onion ring & roasted garlic sautéed broccoli. That is a lot of choices for the price! We had warm bread delivered to the table served with a rosemary butter that we all enjoyed. I decided on the filet mignon with the green peppercorn sauce. I ordered it med rare & it came out exactly as I had asked. It was tender & delicious. The mashed potatoes were good as was the broccoli. There was plenty of food. For dessert we ordered a chocolate cake that was probably enough calories for the whole week but oh so delicious! That & a nice irish-ish coffee made for the end of a great meal. Our waiter was excellent in all areas including keeping our water glasses filled all evening never having to ask. When we were finished & getting ready to leave, every staff member we encountered wished us a good evening. I will definitely return to Mar Belo & hope to try one of their seafood dishes next time. As long as they don't tempt me with some other fabulous nightly special:) read more

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STOP with the Covid-19 excuses already, if you read my complaint WE HAD CONFIRMED 6:45 PM reservations already, you people called us and tried to change it to 9 PM its obvious your diner messed up just admit it accept responsibility but please STOP BLAMING COVID-19 ALREADY covid-19 didn't take my reservation, covid-19 didn't call me an hour before my RESERVATION to try and change it until 9 YOU DID...... NOT COVID-19 read more

All the staff and the ambiance was very nice. Our glasses were never empty and they were very attentive despite it being a very busy place. v We had a chorizo appetizer which was very savory. For a main dish I had the shrimp and scallops over linguini. It was delicious. To wrap things up we split a Mar Belo Chocolate Ecstasy. WOW. It was truly a decadent dessert. 10/10 and I will be returning benz.s read more

Mar Belo - Portuguese Near Me - Long Branch, New Jersey

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4 stars for food and zero stars for service gets me to a blended 2 stars for this restaurant. We were a group of 5 and sat in the second room. Initially service seemed ok. But we had to ask for the second bottle of wine 3x. A third bottle appeared without our asking and the waiter liked to do massive pours which resulted in us having to pour wine from our various glasses for those drinking more or those driving. Now we were still trending at about 3.5 stars until the hair in the dessert!!! Ewww. No comping or anything at this point. So... yeah 2 stars. Terrible service but definitely strong on the paella, red snapper, sea bass, and sausage appetizer. read more

We went for lunch after a morning at the beach and it was perfect. From the grilled octopus to the seafood paella everything was delicious. This is our goto place when in long branch! Service is great and the outdoor tent is just what is needed these days. Wines are delicious and plenty of dessert to choose from. Food is always flavorful!!! read more

Mar Belo - Grilled Octopus! - Portuguese Near Me - Long Branch, New Jersey

The food at this modern and attractive Portuguese restaurant is decent, but left me somewhat disappointed. I went for lunch and there were only three table with patrons out of about 30 tables. That concerned me. I started with the grilled baby octopus and found it somewhat overcooked and it tasted fishy. Did not like. Then for my entree, I had the pork and clams. It tasted great, but came with just three measly clams (cherrystones). So it was basically pork and potato chunks in a rich brown "Espanola" sauce. The sauce was very, very rich and savory. Tasted great but was probably a zillion calories. A note on service...it was very pleasant and the hostess/waitress was attentive, polite and very attractive! I hope this restaurant does well. It's an amenity to Long Branch, but needs some time to mature and develop. Final note...the is my 300th review. read more

A high end portuguese restaurant, the environment was super relaxing. I sat in the outside patio, and really enjoyed it. We only went to enjoy a few drinks, and appetizers. For appetizers we ordered mussels, garlic shrimp, fried calamari, and octopus. What we had was delicious!! The fried calamari had a homemade marinara sauce which was good. The garlic shrimp had a overly cooked garlic which was surprisingly super good, and different then any other time I've had it! The mussels were absolutely delicious, drowned in a red sauce, and the octopus was also delicious sautéed with garlic, olive oil, and lemon. The service was AMAZING, the waiter was constantly checking up on us and refilling our drinks. Super friendly environment. Excited to go back and have a full course meal!! Price: The food is relatively pricey, but expected for the kind of food and type of restaurant! read more

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We held an event in their private dining room and it was superb. Joe was great to work with setting everything up beforehand and dealing with all the minor details. The day of the event went off without a hitch and the food was amazing, the staff very attentive but not in the way. The room was the perfect setting for us with the private bar and the barn doors to keep out the noise. If you need to host an event, look here. You will not be disappointed. read more

Everything we had was delicious. Our party of 3 had a variety of dishes and we all agreed it was fantastic. I would highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Favorite place that we try to visit several times a year. Recommend reservations because it gets crowded quickly which speaks to how good the food is. Sangria is delicious, staff is friendly and the restaurant is very clean. Candlelight on every table and the prices are reasonable. read more