I want to apologize first because pictures didn't make it!!!! When the food came out my mind was telling me to take a pic but my heart was telling me to dig in. So of course I followed my heart ‍. This place was absolutely fantastic!!!!! My fiancé ordered shrimp in garlic and I ordered the chicken in lemon sauce. Delicious isn't even the word ‼ read more

First time at this restaurant and I enjoyed myself . I purchased a full pitcher of red sangria and then a half of pitcher of white sangria . Both were delicious however the red was the best ! For my entree i purchased the grilled red snapper that came with broccoli carrots and potatoes. The meal was very good and they had a homemade hot sauce to top it off .. I would definitely return to this restaurant !! There is congested street parking however it's a bank parking lot across the street from the restaurant so park at your own risk in there... FYI : some servers : waitress : busboys: don't speak no English or understand English.. read more

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Came here with a group of friends. It seemed to be hard to find parking, However, when I pulled into the bank parking lot across the street, a nice man in the lot asked are you going to the restaurant I said yes and he said we can park there. We started off with some sangria that was okay. The waiter brought some warm bread with cheese and olives, nice touch. Had the Chourico for appetizers, it was really good and cooked by the table. We decided to share the grilled seafood platter and we were happy we did. Fresh and cooked perfectly with just enough food to share. Will definitely be back! read more

Sol-Mar - Seafood platter - Portuguese Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

This was phenomenal! I wish this was my neighborhood place, because it would absolutely become a regular dining spot! Seven adults and five kids under 10. Chicken strips French fries and meatballs satisfied the weans. Two seafood paella, a halibut and shrimp DELIGHTED the adults! We were here for RedBu Charlotte MLS. I was joined by friends from Glasgow, Manchester, Charlotte and everyone was pleased! Service was first rate, expedited everything as traffic created a bit of a delay for our party assembling. Next time, I'll just order paella because it'll satisfy anyone who'll eat seafood! Oh, full bar service too! read more

Food is top notch. Great service, noisy atmosphere with patrons having a good time. Sangria is the best, but 50.00 really!!! Been here many times, never had an issue. Paella for 2 feeds 3 or more. Had the suckling pig great choice at a seafood restaurant. read more

Love this place. Reasonably priced food, good portion size, fresh and authentic Iberian food. Service is friendly. Place gets very busy on weekends during prime time dinner, so reservations are a must. Cocktails are big on the pricier side but the wines by the bottle are reasonable. read more

A great place! Flew up from Georgia, hanging out with the family and enjoyed a wonderful lunch. Had paella, octopus salad, and we drank some wine. Would love to go back. read more

We tend to go to Spanish/Portuguese places for our anniversary so we've tried many. For our 30th we tried Sol-Mar and WOW did we love it! Chorizo cooked table side for an appetizer, awesome sangria, chicken in garlic for my wife, and mariscada in green sauce for me... what a great meal! Then the brought us a complimentary dessert and sang happy anniversary. The waiter was great, we liked the ambiance, and the pricing was reasonable. We will DEFINITELY go back - and bring MORE family members! read more

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Cozy little neighborhood restaurant with amazing food. I ordered the Chicken and Shrimp special. It came with rice and veggies and thin fried potato slices that were so good. The Shrimp and Chicken had amazing flavor. The portion sizes are large. My plate was two meals for me. Servers were attentative and kind. Great experience overall! read more

My boyfriend wanted to try a new Portuguese place and this turnout to be an amazing choice. From the service to the food everything was exceptional. They have an outside dining area which we were seated immediately. We ordered a pitcher of red sangria which was pretty good got about 3 cups each. A few minutes later (I'm assuming he was the owner) a man came to check up on us which I think was a great touch. We ordered an appetizer which was the Portuguese sausage and it was incredible. You also get a couple of bread rolls and olives on the table. For a main course my boyfriend got the porterhouse steak which was very juicy. I got the the barbecue chicken which was great I loved the flavor of the chicken. The only downside was it came with potato chips which I don't like I prefer french fries but if I would've known I would've asked for fries. It was so much food we couldnt even finish it we had to take it to go. I would definitely come back here again in a heartbeat. read more

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Service and the ambiance of the place are fine, but the food was just so so. I had the broiled cod fish and I found the fish was a bit too fishy and texture was hard. read more

Sol-Mar - Broiled cod fish - Portuguese Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

I worked in Newark for almost 19 years and had never been here before. I had been to just about all the over Portuguese/Seafood places in the area but nobody had ever suggested this place until now. A former-coworker of mine and I met for lunch on a Thursday afternoon. She had been here many times previously and had really enjoyed it. We had the option of sitting outside or inside. It was 85 degrees outside and decided to sit inside. Bad choice. The overhead fans were not on nor was the a/c. Service was slow and we had to wait a while to order. The hostess did not know anything about the menu and advised we should speak to the waiter. We began with an order of the calamari. Bland. No taste. No seasoning other than the marinara sauce on the side. Very generous size portion. We each ordered the grilled sea bass. It came with boiled potatoes, carrots, and broccoli. Bland. No taste. Boiled potatoes? The fish had no seasoning nor did any of the veggies. The veggies might have been boiled as well. Bland. The bread rolls were fresh. Overall, I was very disappointed. I expected food that would have had taste. Everything was bland. The prices were competitive for the area. Service overall was slow. There was a big parking lot across the street that belongs to a strip mall. There were signs that advise of towing if you park there for any other purpose. read more

Bread came out cold Service was good and the ambiance was nice and cozy. Papaya.Plate read more

One of the worst dining experiences I've ever had. My husband and I arrived at Sol Mar with our 6-month-old at 1 PM. We were looking for a nice spot to eat lunch indoors with our baby during the Portuguese Festival weekend. We were seated at a table for four near the bar area. We ordered appetizers, entrées, dessert, and coffee. During our entrées, I had to take our son to the bathroom to get changed. That's when the harassment by the owner, Tony, started. He approached my husband and asked if we were ready for the check because he needed the table. My husband explained that I was in the bathroom and that I had not finished my entrée yet. Upon my return, my entrée had been packaged to go. We proceeded to order dessert and then coffee. During this time, the owner came back a second time to question if we were done. Mind you, we arrived at 1:10 PM, and the appetizers started coming out around 1:30 PM. It was not even 3 PM yet, and the owner was questioning us again if we were ready for the bill. We explained we were wrapping up with dessert and would be leaving shortly. He murmured that he was "losing a lot of money" because it was only two of us sitting at a table for four. Our bill ended coming out to $260. He was extremely rude and disrespectful, and the food was subpar. I understand very well that restaurants have seating limits; however, we were well under this limit. I will not be returning. There are many other restaurants in the Ironbound that provide better food and service. read more

My friend recently returned froma trip to Spain and when I asked him if he had Paella, to which he replied, "Every single day for 10 days straight." Keeping that sentiment alive and now with Paella on my mind, as I drove past Newark, decided to Yelp a decent Paella place and this restaurant came up. Luckily I found parking right on Ferry st, so it was a short walk to get to this place. The restaurant is actually pretty big, Heavy wooden doors lead you in and then it appears to be a more formal dinning area to the right and a more bar type seating on the left. There is even an outside seating which pretty much incorporates the sidewalk as you could see people just walking through that covered area. Since we only came for Paella, the lady at the bar suggested Paella for two, but added that it actually feeds four. Without much discussion we were seated and the waiter came and said that he understood we wanted Seafood Paella for two, to which we both nodded. They serve some bread and olives as starters which was a nice touch and the Paella appeared maybe 20 minutes later. Not only was the presentation very attractive, it was literally Huge! It definitely could feed four to five people, but since we were hungry that was the least of our worries. The seafood Paella was pretty aromatic, you could smell the saffron, and had a lobster, bunch of clams and mussels and shrimps as the main seafood items. My only complaint was that the lobster seemed overcooked and was dry, but the rest was very good. The service was pleasant, when we got done, we still had food left for four people, so I told the waiter that we could not finish it, to which he replied, "Because you didn't eat anything." We had a good laugh and made the rest to go. Overall the experience was good, food and service were both good Thinking of calling my friend and telling him, "Guess what I would now be having for the next 10 days? and I didn't even have to go to Spain" read more

One of our go to places for good Portuguese food! Been coming here for parties, birthdays, and or just eat out with family and friends since I was a child. There's a reason and thats because it is delicious! and the staff are friendly and remember us because we come often! read more

Updating my review as I've been back a few times and my experiences lately have been great! We recently came in without a reservation on a busy Saturday night and they were willing to accommodate us and get us a table within 5 minutes. How great is that? Not only has the service improved, but the food is great as well. I have had their shrimp in garlic sauce, Portuguese Sausage (Chourico), and fried calamari for appetizers. T he shrimp in garlic sauce was fantastic. So was the fried calamari, super fresh in a nice light batter. Their chourico is delicious. For entrees, I recently had the Bacalhau com Natas (Codfish in Cream Sauce) and Arroz de Marisco (Seafood Rice) and everything was amazing. Portion size is huge, enough for 2-3 people. There were 3 men in our party and none of them were able to finish an entire entrée by themselves. There was plenty of seafood in the seafood rice (and variety too, not just shrimp). The Codfish in Cream Sauce is my Top 3 in all of Newark. Make room for Sangria. It's on point and one of the best ones in Newark. I also recently tried their Carrot cake, which surprisingly, was very good. I'm definitely coming back for more. read more

Went there solo. Sat at bar for quick lunch. 20% tip in bill for only me. Usually reserved for 6 or more in a party. Not cool. Then receipt comes back w another tip suggestion. Wtf going on here. Tip is determined by patron not management. Got it?? May or may not return. read more

I came here for a birthday dinner. The food served family style & absolutely delicious. Everything was flavorful & cooked to perfection. My favorites were the shrimp, chorizo with veggies, soup, & grilled salmon. This was by far the best salmon I ever had. Fresh, juicy, & cooked perfectly. The waiters were excellent & I especially remember Leo for being so attentive & professional. I really loved this restaurant & look forward to visiting again. read more

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We love family celebratory dinners in Newark and Sol-Mar is one of our favorite spots. We made reservations for a party of 7 and were quickly seated. The restaurant was packed but the familial ambiance was great. We started with appetizers- calamari, garlic shrimp and grilled sausage. The sausage comes out in a little fire casserole and the server slices it up at the table. Everything was delicious especially coupled with a glass of sangria. Our server kept the pitchers of sangria coming and was attentive and friendly. The main courses came out and two couples ordered the seafood platter for two. I've never seen a platter so big and loaded with seafood! It's a dream come true for seafood lovers. I had the grilled ribeye with two jumbo shrimp and was equally happy with my meal. The steak was super tasty and cooked to perfection. The meals come with yellow rice and Portuguese sliced potatoes. The potatoes came out and where piping hot after being fried and they were a great compliment to our meals.As if we hadn't ordered enough food, we decided to cap off the meal with a creme brûlée. If you are a big seafood eater you have to go to Sol Mar and try the platter but even if you aren't, everything is so good! Great food and vibes in Ironbound section of Newark. read more

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This place is terrible I got a $60 crab stuffed with tuna fish terrible .the waiters places a cheese on the table as if it is complementary to the table along with breads and then charges for it .what makes it worse is she lies about it saying we ask and if you except we charge .she never asked.she just placed it on the table . the sardines are salty . The crab legs were super dry and the stuffed crab was straight tuna fish with mayo .never come here. It's a Portuguese establishment and no one's Portuguese all lies. Save your money you want good seafood . Go to seagulls in South Paterson.. this place is a rip off. read more

Great food, their rice and beans is some of the best I have ever had. Everything we ordered was great, huge portions. Great prices.

excellent food in price-quantity-quality ratio, very good service and pleasant atmosphere, I eat it widely, lo recomiendo ampliamente

The food and service was perfect. It was our first time eating at Sol-Mar and both of us were very impressed with our seafood entrees, the seasoning was perfect and the ambiance was delightful. Will definitely return with the rest of my family. read more

This place would have received 5 stars, but the waiter did not pack all of our food which resulted in food was missing from our takeout containers. Although, let me first explain everything we loved about this restaurant. My boyfriend and I came here on December 23rd to celebrate our anniversary. Right when we arrived, we navigated our way through the bar area to the Vila Nova do Sol Mar area where we were greeted and sat within minutes. The ambiance of the restaurant was great, it was a candlelit dinner, the music was not too loud and we could converse, and the space between tables was roomy and not crowded at all. After seating us and providing the menus, they quickly served us a basket of bread rolls and butter. We ordered drinks which were great by the way and put in our order for the daily special of Grilled Sirloin steaks which came with rice and beans. As seen in the picture below, we each received 4 deliciously flavored and juicy steaks. I had finished my first steak and decided to save the rest to take home. As for my boyfriend, he had cut his first two steaks into bite size pieces and only taken a few bites. When we asked for the check, the waiter took our plates and packed our food. Little did we know that once we got home to open our takeout containers, the waiter had threw away/did not pack my boyfriend's cut steaks and one of my steaks, only leaving us with two each. We were very disappointed to see that our entire meal was not present when we got home, otherwise we would have packed it ourselves instead of having the waiter pack it for us. We were looking forward to enjoying the rest of the delicious food that we actually paid for. read more

Sol-Mar - Grilled Sirloin Steak - Portuguese Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

Meat came burnt and had no taste, thay forgot my order so we had to wait extra,and the chairs and restaurant it self is old and disgusting. Of you are clumsy, I do not recommend either read more

My friend has been trying to get me to come eat Portuguese food with her for quite some time now and I finally gave in. Sol-Mar is a neighborhood landmark from what I understand and I would call it a family business. The staff was very kind and inviting and helped us with any questions we would of had. We decided to start off with the garlic shrimp appetizer that did not skimp on the garlic one bit and I absolutely loved it. The portion was HUGE and so flavorful. We both decided on ordering the filet. When it arrived at the table I was in awe of the size of this perfectly cooked steak. Shortly after our entrees arrived a man came over to our table kissed my hand and asked me how I was enjoying my meal. Little did I know that this was the owner of Sol-Mar. I thought it was really nice for him to come and check on our experience along with stopping by other tables to check on them as well. One thing I will say is the prices are great for the quality and quantity you receive. I can't wait to come back! read more

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Went to Sol-Mar last night. Maybe you offer options to serve with salmon. Not everyone likes boiled potatoes. My friend doesn't like boiled potatoes and she was served fake mashed potatoes. When we finished eating at about 8:45 pm, and our plates were cleared we sat there and sat there and nobody came to offer us coffee or dessert. I was upset because the restaurant was practically empty and five people were standing around doing nothing. I indicated to the waiter that I needed him and requested coffee. Post-Covid service, and menu options are fewer. I know there were more choices before COVID. What happened to the Sangria? No fruit. read more

Food was cold. Service poor. Mandatory 18% tip added for a party of four? Manager was very rude to all our requests.

I love finding gems in the neighborhood and was pleasantly surprised I haven't heard of this restaurant before. Let's get into it! Ambience: I love how the restaurant is set up. It's like a 2-in-1 restaurant where one side is more for cocktails and bar and the other side is for dine-in. Love the decor and all the tables are socially distanced to meet COVID requirements so I was impressed! Service: they have several servers assisting the main server which helps and keeps plates off the table to ensure that service is quick but also very attentive. Food and drink: We ordered the seafood platter which can feed 6 people but it says for two. The came with everything lobster, shrimps, cod, mussels, clams etc. The platter made me so excited! This comes with potato chips and rice as the sides. Price: the platter is based on market price so it was $99 which for the amount of food we got was worth it. Drink: We ordered sangria which was pretty good. I was it was more on sweet but I still enjoyed it! Parking: we found street parking. The area can be tricky when it comes to finding parking so keep that in mind. Overall the experience was great and the food was delicious. I will definitely recommend this place to anyone. read more

Sol-Mar - Seafood platter for two - Portuguese Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

I came here for the first time for my sister in laws bday and I must admit I was a little skeptical because I usually don't eat Portuguese food. The food, the ambiance and staff were excellent. The owner came to our table and greeted us which is awesome. I had the mash potatoes and shrimp in garlic sauce and for desert I had the creme brulee' and everything was delicious I definitely recommend this restaurant 5 stars read more

Sol-Mar - Portuguese Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

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Decided to try this place our cause another restaurant i intended to go to was closed. They had outdoor seating (COVID). They open up with bread and butter + the drink order. They have the basic drink needs. The go to is sangria in the ironbound section in Newark. I ordered the stuffed lobster. When my order came, it was just a regular lobster with the potato slice French fries (dee picture). A little language barrier with the server, she spoke only Portuguese, no big issue. $45 dollar plate and i still left hungry, it's kind of hard to justify that. My recommendation is that you don't get the lobster dish. There was nothing spectacular about he dish. read more

Sol-Mar - Portuguese Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

Four of us went to Sol Mar today. Two of the dishes were cold. Manager did not seem to care when we complained. Now when the check came was their sneaky surprise. They automatically add 18% gratuity AND also have a line labeled TIP!!!! If you don't check you will wind up giving a double tip. I have never seen this done at a restaurant before. Restaurants are suppose to clearly state on their menu when a gratuity or service charge will be added. They did not. Needless to say we will not be returning read more

We (4 people) had the most horrible experience at Sol-mar sea food Portuguese restaurant in downneck Newark. Leitão a bairrada was cold (yesterday's leftover). Roasted bacalhau Portuguese style was cold in the middle and vegetables was also cold. Service was the poorest we had ever experienced, the staff were unprofessional. They added a tip charge of 18% on a table of 4. If you going to charge anything, the restaurant should have posted about any extra charge in the menus. In Nee Jersey you allowed to add the tip on a table of 6 people or more We called the owner and he was very rude and had no manners, a bully person, he came out screaming at us in front other customers, he didn't even apologized for the cold food( the waiter assured us that the Leitão à Bairrada was freshly made) and told us to go find another place to eat. We gladly will never step into SolMar again. The place is going downhill since the father gave the management to his son, There are many good Portuguese restaurants in Down Neck PS :,the bathrooms were dirty, and nasty Totally unacceptable. Especially for a restaurant. They do not deserve even one star.o or I had an impression that, they double dip on the tip, they add the 18% without telling you. I was ready to add another 20%, luckily my wife noticed. It seems it's a comum practice ... and that's a fraud read more

All I have to say is WOW! One of the BEST Portuguese restaurants in Newark and that's saying something! First off just do yourself a favor and get everything I got. The wine was one of the smoothest I tasted and went great with the perfectly cooked and slightly aldente Octopus. Which is how you want it. The salmon was also very well cooked and very good. Next was dessert. Ask for the passion fruit Mousse!! It won't be in their little dessert cart we asked for it by name and they had it. It was so good! Come here and ask for either a table outside or in their Vila Nova back dining room. You won't be disappointed! read more

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I eat here EVERY time I have a flight out of EWR. It's become a tradition. Some of the best red wine, lovely complimentary cheese and bread, octopus served on a roof tile and the showstopper: the cowboy steak. I can't believe this place doesn't have higher ratings. The staff is friendly and fun, especially if you have a native Portuguese speaker at the table. Just a great family vibe. Two thumbs way way up read more

Sol-Mar - Portuguese Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

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Highly recommend Sol-Mar! The service was excellent and the food was beyond my expectations! I highly recommend the Paella, the portion sizes are excellent ( definitely worth the price ) and the service we got from the staff was top as well! All the staff was wearing the appropriate PPE which is a huge plus for us since we are still in a Pandemic. read more

Sol-Mar - Seafood Paella - Portuguese Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

Not happy with this Sol-Mar restaurant the food was salty and the picadiho is not worth the price no stars from me never again lost a customer read more

Sol-Mar - Portuguese Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

Omg this place was so nice and the food was extremely good! I stopped by before our drive back to DC with my partner and he loved it too!! They cleaned em very well since we are still dealing with the pandemic but I'm glad we went and experienced the food and great service! read more

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Great Authentic Portuguese food if you ask me! I came in with a few of my sorority sisters on a snowy Saturday night for dinner and left completely satisfied. It seems like this establishment also has a space right next door that seemed more 'inviting' but here the food speaks for itself. Most of us got the Marinera which is seafood in either red or white cilantro sauce that came with your typical yellow rice. The white sauce is definitely a lot lighter that the red sauce and each had a distinct taste. One of the girls got the Churrasco and honestly after tasting her piece of steak, we were all salivating wishing we had ordered the same! We even played with the thought of ordering one to go! lol Yeah it was really that good! Another girl did order the Camaron en Ajillo and of course I had to taste it..definitely had A LOT of garlic lol but she loved it. The Marinera definitely was good and even came with lobster tail all served in a pot with plenty of sauce that you can put over your rice or dip your bread if you choose too. We also had a pitcher of red sangria which I thought was okay but I think next time I would venture off to order some of their typical beer. The place was still packed despite the snow and you could tell this place had return customers. Great portions for sure and will definitely return to order the Churrasco! read more

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