We dined here this past Saturday for lunch and were lucky to get a table because we didn't realize it's communion season. This was one of our go to places to dine at a few years ago, but honestly the service had declined and we stopped going. I heard it was redone inside and the food had improved so we gave it a try. Well let me say I was pleasantly surprised. Everything was on point. The food was fresh and delicious and the staff was amazing. It has now been added to one of my favorites again. They now have a small upstairs room for private events too. We ordered: -chouriço -Chanfana de cabrito -bitoque -chocolate mousse -tiramisu -espresso -brandy They have limited on site parking and some street parking. Call ahead on weekends to see if there's a wait. Add it to your list of places to try! read more

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Easily one of the best Portuguese food I have had in NJ. Cocktails we ordered were strong and tasted great. Food was excellent, good quality and quantity for the price. Would definitely recommend. We visited on a Friday night and the place was packed, even the bar seating was gone, so do make a reservation if you are planning to dine here. Staff were attentive despite the crowd, and the service was quick enough. Parking can be difficult as well, so plan accordingly. read more

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One of my favorite places (if not the favorite) for some picanha (top sirloin). The decor and vibe makes for a great place with a more formal dining room and a cool bar area. The staff is always polite and so nice, always with a smile, and the food... the best part! Their shrimp in garlic is probably the best around and their picanha made in the grill "rodízio style" is definitely the best picanha you can get when even compared to steakhouses. Very great place, would come back anytime for sure. read more

Minhoto Restaurant - Tábua de enchidos com queijo e chouriço - Portuguese Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

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I can't believe I have never reviewed my favorite Portuguese restaurant in Elizabeth! I have been going to Minhoto for over 15 years and it just keeps getting better. It can be frustrating at times going to restaurants over a long period of time and sometimes the recipes change, but Minhoto has remained consistent. They took care of the parking situation and now there is free parking around the corner at the church. Or you can always find parking on the street however that can be challenging at times. Since Covid, the restaurant has definitely gone to the next level in terms of ambience. You can now sit outside in a really cute and cozy terrace area or you can enjoy dining inside in the newly updated dining room. You can also sit by the bar, which always has several games going. Food as always was delicious. I always enjoy the complementary olives and bread that they bring. We always order the garlic shrimp as an appetizer or as the meal because it's so delicious! The sauce that comes with it makes your mouth water just at the smell. This time I ordered the steak on the tile and it was good however, I'm not sure if I would order it again. It wasn't my favorite. My friend ordered the seafood in green sauce and that was delicious. Every trip to the restaurant is always met with great customer service and hospitality. It goes without saying that I will be back. read more

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Heyyyyyyyyy you guys! Well what in the bad food and service is happening. The sangria excellent, the bread delicious and the entrees it went down hill. We opt'd for the linguine with seafood it fell flat on flavor. Then the paella this is a Portuguese restaurant the paella should be fire and it's def not. The seafood had no flavor, it was all over cooked-such a disappointment l. If I ever I go back it is strictly for the sangria. All else is an epic fail. 3 outta of 10 pick another place super disappointed. read more

Minhoto Restaurant - Portuguese Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

Portuguese Food was not bad, definitely was expecting more. Higher expectations. Asked for more crackers for the sapateira recheada and they literally just brought one cracker. The atmosphere was nice. Asked if a certain stew on the special was enough for 2 people, they said yes and definitely was not enough. They didn't have couple of desserts on the menu. Had to go with my 3rd choice. read more

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What a gem!! I was very impressed with this restaurant. It definitely remind me of Portugal, authentic Portuguese food very nice atmosphere and the service was beyond good! Will definitely be back read more

Had family visiting all the way from Florida and wanted to go somewhere special! This place was perfect. The outdoor area was so fun - reminded me of a backyard bbq at a friend's house or something. All the food was great - the lobster, garlic shrimp & exotic bomb dessert were some of my favs. Drinks were amazing too, my favorites were the peach sangria and the liquor 43 shot with passion fruit juice (that was literally the best thing I've ever tasted, who would've thought). They have so many sangrias and drinks to choose from. The service was amazing - the servers really made our dinner special!! Definitely will be back here for our next occasion :) read more

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Visited this restaurant with my cousin which was recommend by her friend. My meal was horrible and I only enjoyed the red sangria. I ordered the calamari which was average and the red snapper which was not cooked or grilled throughly and the taste was very bland (no seasoning). CON: 1. Waiter barely understood English 2. Pricey (bill $182) read more

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I got together with some friends to get food and some drinks. I made reservations for 6pm. When I arrived I parked on the street nearby. I walked in and the hostess asked if we wanted to sit inside or out and we sat inside by the bar. Claudia was our server and she was very nice. We all wanted the sangria so that's what we ordered. I wasn't feeling it so I switched to the red wine. The garlic shrimp came out and it looked great. I dug in and it was very tasty. The bill was very affordable. We definitely enjoyed our time and would return. read more

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Came here for dinner with my husband and my oldest son and are we glad we did! Parking is hard to find but you can park in St. Michael's church parking lot right around the corner. Be advised don't let the look of the building from the front detour. Once in the back it's like a hidden tropical oasis, who would think this place is in downtown Elizabeth. We called ahead for reservations and when we arrived our table was ready. Our waitress Crystal was attentive and gave us great service. The food was on point and fresh!!! Oh the SANGRIA off the hook We started with the calamari, Perfect! I ordered the picadinho mixto, my son ordered the steak on tile, and my husband ordered the house bacalhau. The three of us were very happy with our selection. Perfect flavor and huge portions., we all had leftovers. I hands down recommend this spot for any occasion. It will not disappoint!!! read more

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The food here is always amazing and good. No matter what I order everything always tastes fresh. The waiters here are very nice and I have developed friendships with some of them. The service is always amazing, the food gets here quick and even on busy days the food still tastes amazing as always. Not to mention the ambiance of the place is absolutely amazing. There is an outside and inside place to eat which are both beautiful. There is always nice music playing and the atmosphere is always a pleasure to be in. This is undeniably mine and my kids favorite restaurant to eat at. read more

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Loved the place will visit again. Wish I spoke Portuguese but not a necessity. If you love Portuguese food they are top notch read more

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This is the worst restaurant meal I've had in the past three years, and it was expensive! The chicken was rubbery, the texture of undercooked chicken. The other meat dish we got wasn't as bad, but it was bland (other than being oversalted). The fries were room temperature and soggy, as if they'd been sitting out for hours. On the plus side, the bread was pretty good. read more

Minhoto Restaurant - Portuguese Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

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I like this restaurant. I really like the grilled fish. I have been a costumer for years. It is one of favorite place in town. BUT the costumer service is not as great as it used to be. I ordered a grilled fish to go. BUT, they forgot to add my potatoes which I really like. I called to complain, the girl wasn't nice and lied about my order. In deed she did NOT care about it. She was irresponsible. Just MAKE SURE ur order is fine before You take it. TO GO experience has to improve! I still go back cuz the fish, but I won't leave without making sure everything is ok. I know what ordered and I paid for. read more

Minhoto Restaurant - Portuguese Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

Food was good but service was very very slow. Made reservations for group of about 15 celebrating a graduation. They got one of the appetizer order wrong but we took it anyway as we were starving. We ordered a couple of the family platters to share. Waited about 2 hours to get served our main dishes. All in all we were there about 4 hours. Not enough waitresses to handle the volume of people. read more

The service quality is spectacular felt like home and the food is superb. This is a find in the gem and I'll definitely be coming back read more

Minhoto Restaurant - BBQ Chicken - Portuguese Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

This was first time coming here and I must say it was a good experience. It wasn't really crowded at the bar area which is where we decided to sit. They have another room which is a bit more fancier. When we sat down we were immediately greeted by the waitresses. For drinks we started with sangria which was really good. We got a whole pitcher which felt like never ending sangria. For our entree i got the grilled shell steak which I was excited to try. My boyfriend got the picadinho. They both came with a side of rice and fries. I was not pleased with the shell steak. It was never fatty. But I got to try my boyfriends picadinho and it was great. Very flavorful. I wish I ordered that instead. They do give a lot of food. We had enough to take left overs of both meals. I would definitely come back but try something else besides the shell steak. read more

Minhoto Restaurant - Picadinho - Portuguese Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

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The food here is always amazing and fresh. Giving it 3 stars because the food took over an hour which is unusual for this place. We ordered 2 appetizer, 2 Paella Marineras, Fish Plate, Octopus, Salmon,ribs and dessert. I will recommend this place but maybe not on a Sunday. read more

We had the seafood platter. Enough food for 3 people, wouldn't push for a 4th unless it's a child. Tasty plate. The passion fruit sangria is a must try. Wouldn't recommend their cheesecake, I'm 95% sure it's packaged read more

Minhoto Restaurant - Portuguese Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

We were excited that they had outside dining set up so went for a late lunch. The service was great and we enjoyed our meals, as always. read more

Minhoto Restaurant - Seafood combination in red sauce - Portuguese Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

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Hidden gem. Great service, good food, excellent sangria ( with the headache ! ). Great atmosphere- I recommend that if you are only dining as a couple or A small group, sit in the front room, where the bar is. They have a jukebox and everybody talks to each other. I always order the salmon, fried calamari, and the grilled octopus. Never had a bad meal, except for when we went with a large group for a Christmas party, the fish (filet of sole) was very salty and overcooked. It happened only once, out of the many times that I've been there. The staff some of them don't speak English fluently, but they are so nice and accommodating and trying to explain the dishes, that it's really not an issue at all - it only adds to the experience. The area is a little crappy, but they do have parking lot in the back, so if you're worried about your car it's not a problem at all. read more

Great food and friendly staff! Loved the paella and grilled lobster. Great for a date or a birthday dinner :3

Been coming to this restaurant for years with the fam while we in town. Their sangria will have buzzzzzzed for real. The food is always good. Hot and fresh straight to the table. They just reopened but they killed they parking area with outside seating. It looks nice outside but the parking is ridiculous around there now. It says that parking at the church but the parking lot was closed over there. I will give them time to figure that out. read more

I've been going there a lot more lately. I love the great food and the live music that was added recently. Start with some warm bread and butter. Camarão a guilho (shrimp in garlic sauce is great) and their seafood platter on pasta. Finish with a galão coffee. Friendly and attentive staff. read more

This place was amazing! I ordered a meal and didn't realize it was breaded and the owner Ana exchanged my meal to steak eggs and potatoes. The steak was tender and yummy, the potatoes were like potato chips and the eggs were so good! The special sauce was so tasty! Writing this review is making my mouth water! The next time I am back in Jersey I will make a trip there! read more

Minhoto Restaurant - Portuguese Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

I have been to this low key restaurant a few times and the food is delicious it hasn't disappointed me yet...I had the skirt steak with shrimp and clam platter with rice and vegetables it was great enough to share with someone else...I just wish they had a website and menu with accurate pricing... read more

Worst experience ever I was waiting for an hour and 10 minutes I get up and asked the waitress for my food and for my surprise the food was not ready yet.When I got there I asked for a chicken empanada and a beef empanada and the taste was horrible read more

Ok I gave it another chance on Thanksgiving. I choose the veal chops. Absolutely on point! It was a family dinner with my father, wife and one of my daughters. Thank Job well done! I have been critical. But they nailed it and came through! Give it a try! read more

Minhoto Restaurant - Portuguese Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

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So good. From the moment we walked in, everything was perfect. The food here was amazing. They customer service was spectacular! Everything everybody has said about Minhoto Restaurant is true. It is excellent. read more

My friend and I had the opportunity to find this jewel. All of the known local restaurants in the area had over an hour wait, being that it was the Saturday before Valentine's Day. I was able to call and reserve a table and arrived there 15 minutes later to a table. The waiter was AMAZING. My friend had the ribs and chicken, while I had chicken/shrimp in a wine sauce. OMG....the wine sauce had my tastebuds twirling as I dipped my fries in it. The portion size was well worth the coins. I was able to get three meals from our new experience. The custard dessert made out of eggs with some type of cookie crumbs was a FABULOUS suggestion. I will definitely dine here again. read more

We came here for a ealry dinner. We are 6 people and only another table with 2 people. We order our food every ones food came out but not mine. I order a paella, which i know it takes a little longer to cook, but there is no excusefoe my food to come out when my table was done eating. The waiter which i know its not his fault didn't even keep me posted on when it would come out. I have never been to a restaurant that management didn't care either read more

It hurts me as a Porkchop to slam a native eatery, but this place is horrible. The service is always great, and my parents always get the royal treatment. They love the place, but out of the 2 times I've been there with them, I've gotten horribly sick off of the food. I ordered 2 completely different meals, yet each time my food came out super greasy and luke-warm. I'm honestly too afraid to try them a third time, so I say for Minhoto - approach with caution!! read more

We ordered rodizio. It took about an hour before our food came. Customer service is horrible. Our waitress didn't check up on us.

Love coming here! Such a great ambiance and authentic food! Had the BBQ chicken and my family order the codfish (bacalhau) with fries and sautéed onions. We had a delicious sangria pitcher which was a generous portion and not watered down like we have experienced at other restaurants. read more

First time here for lunch. Lunch menu is great. Large portions. Comes with vegetable side. Rice. And home made fried potato chips. I had shrimp on green sauce. Full size shrimp. Great taste. My wife had chicken in garlic. She said it was perfect. We will be back again! read more

Food was okay, nothing special and service could've been better. After we were seated, anytime we wanted to order something (apps, dinner, drinks, refills, coffee) we had to get the waitress' attention. She also ended her shift during the middle of our dinner and didn't tell us, nor give us the name of our new waiter. Not once were we checked on and at the end, the tip was automatically added to the bill- even though we were only 5 people. Not really planning to return. read more

Went here on Mother's Day eve for the first time with over 20 people. I called in advance for the table and we were placed in a very tight space. Place is very pretty inside. Wait staff was nice. Appetizers were good. Chorizo was delicious tasting but chewy to the point my cousin and I were afraid to swallow it. My husband and I had the very pricey porterhouse and it was good. My daughter and her boyfriend didn't eat their meal and were expecting doggie bags.....and were horrified to find out the wait staff threw out their meal. When we expressed how unhappy we were with that they came back with a small dish of rice and a piece of chicken. Overall it wasn't a horrible experience. We were happy they accommodated our large group. I'm not sure we will return. read more

Had the picanha and it was delicious - came with rice, delicious beans and french fries. Definitely going to go back 10/10 would recommend.

I don't usually give reviews for restaurants BUT my family and I celebrated a birthday here. The hostess were very nice but our waitress was rude and inattentive. She took so long getting our orders and did not stop by frequently to check up on our group of 9 people. One of my family members complained of the chicken being over cooked, dry, and hard. The waitress said and I quote, "this is how you ordered it." This was beyond rude and unacceptable! Instead of apologizing and offering to take the dish back, that was her response. We complained as well that my sister-in-law's drink had a dead fly in it. The same waitress took the cup and 15 min later gave my sister-in-law a "new cup" but we then realized it was the old cup because the dead fly was STILL IN THE DRINK. The appetizers were ok the fried calamari was my favorite. I ordered the linguini with seafood. The pasta was so over-cooked that it broke apart before I even got the chance to put it in my mouth but the seafood was ok. We got the bill and this part was so shocking. We were charged $10 for 5 orders of water and $5 additional to add lemon in the water. I just had a horrible experience here. This was my first time at the restaurant as well. My fiancé and mother-in-law have been going to this place for 3 years and have always loved it until this day. The service was horrendous! Food was over-cooked. Needless to say we are not coming back. There are so many other Portuguese spots in Elizabeth, NJ that have better food and better service. Take your business somewhere else. read more