What happened to this place? I have been going there for 20 years, but in the past 8 years or so it has gone downhill. I went one last time, as my daughter likes going there, and that will be my last time there. We split the fried Calamari and it was like eating a rubber band. for the main course my wife had the Filet and she couldn't even finish it. She actually brought it home to give to the dog, at least she liked it. Our dessert was good but we all had cappuccinos. They were ice cold! I took a small sip thinking it was going to be hot but i felt like a drank a Yoo-Hoo. The service was actually great, and the waiters were kind and friendly. The even sang happy birthday to my daughter. Such a sad day that this restaurant was once a staple and the place to go for any occasion; turned out to be so bad. read more

This place is absolutely the real deal! Killer sangria and the onslaught of meat aka Rodizio is enough reason to check it out. However, digging deeper into the menu, I've enjoyed everything else I've tried here. Last visit was the Shell Steak in Garlic Sauce topped with Ham and a Fried Egg.It was quite an experience. Reservations are strongly suggested. Also ample seating at the bar but that fills up quickly too. read more

Wow, just wow! Our son and daughter-in-law took us here for our anniversary dinner (the 2nd anniversary dinner they treated us to, see my review of Nizi Sushi from January!) - what a feast! They specialize here in rodizio, but my husband and I don't eat red meat. No worries! There are loads of seafood choices on the menu! We chose to sit outside in the big tent, and it wasn't too hot nor crowded when we arrived. We started with a basket of 4 warm rolls (evoo to dip it in, bottle said it was from Greece) and a small carafe of their red sangria which was really good, and of course I don't need much of that to be pleasantly buzzed, so perhaps my review is a bit tinted, lol! Our son's grilled skirt steak - grilled to order on a tile, tableside, a lovely little show - smelled fantastic and he savored it. I loved my mariscada in green sauce; shrimp, calamari, a few clams, some small scallops - and a good sized lobster tail. I was in heaven! Our DIL had a shrimp dish in sauce, I just am not sure which one. My husband had the stuffed shrimp with crabmeat. Each entree was excellent. I had no intention of getting dessert, but when that tray came around, the flan called my name, so my husband and I shared it. The kids shared the chocolate mousse. This was quite the delicious meal all around. We got there before 5 on a hot summer Sunday, and by the time we left the place was packed inside and out. I definitely recommend it! read more

Every time I come here Im always satisfied when I leave. I cant believe i didn't write about my previous experiences. I mustve been in a food coma or drunk from the sangria..... This place has thee best sangria around!! I dare anyone to say different. The rodizio meat variety is awesome. So many desserts to choose from afterwards. Their variety has increased since i was here last. My mom loved her meal. We asked to take bread home AND THEY GAVE US MORE!! The servers and staff are very polite and courteous.... Go here. No need to drive into Newark for a similar restaurant. Im already thinking of another reason to come back sooner rather than later...... read more

Me and my fathers favorite restaurant. We visit here at least once a month. It is great in all aspects to enjoy with your family. The space is a little limited so make sure to make reservations so you won't have to end up waiting too long. Make sure to try the rodizio it is one of their best meals. read more

Solar Do Minho always leaves something to be desired for me. I've dined here a few times and it's just not my favorite option for Portuguese cuisine. Came here with a friend for her birthday because she enjoys it here. We got lucky and found parking on the street because we came pretty early but that can usually be a hassle. We started off with a pitcher of red sangria. It was huge and priced at 28 dollars I don't think it's a bad deal, we got multiple glasses of sangria out of it and even ended up leaving some. Fresh olives and bread were served for the table. We decided on shrimp in garlic sauce as an appetizer. It's a good portion, runs about $15. The flavors are just off with it, tasted like it needed salt or some more seasoning. Wasn't as powerful as it could be. My friend decided on the crabmeat stuffed shrimp. She enjoyed it but I thought the stuffing was very artificial. Had a weird taste to it. I had gotten sick from seafood recently so I opted for chicken breast. When I asked them for chicken breast instead of the whole grilled chicken I figured it would be cooked in some type of sauce or grilled. It was literally just plain chicken breast and ended up being pricier than the whole chicken grilled. Made no sense to me at all. Everything is served with very dry rice and homemade potato chips. I'm giving it three stars because the service really is above and beyond. I didn't complain about anything because it was my friends birthday but normally I would have said something about the chicken. Highly suggest the chocolate mousse for dessert. read more

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I won't lie: for the prices they're charging I wasn't expecting the restaurant to be on some strange little side street.   You need to be Belleville Ave or Main Street or Joralemon St. if you're looking to put a dent in my wallet!   (Siri had me weaving in and out of all sorts of sketchy industrial parts of town and eventually I'm in a 'mixed use' block - some homes, some businesses and... Solar Do Minho that's sticking out like a sore thumb.) There's a small army of (polite) workers constantly milling about when I zipped inside to grab my order - the place looks great, the outdoor dining was starting to fill up, and I was definitely tempted to try and sneak a glass of sangria before heading home. We all know the drill when it comes to Portuguese food: they're going to stuff you silly with daunting portions.  (I could've used a weightlifting belt for support while carrying two heavy bags back to the car I had to park about a block away.) The food was excellent.  The garlic shrimp had that beautiful orange sheen with loads of sliced garlic swimming in that oily yumminess.  The one sandwich could (and did) feed multiple people.  The grilled chicken platter had well over a pound of white rice and those addictive sliced potato chip whatchamabobs.  (And let's not forget those soft-squishy-floury rolls that sop up any and all sauces with ease.) Would it have been nice to maybe swap out a hunk of white rice with some (steamed) veggies in our dinners?  Without a doubt. The one item no one dug: their french fries (not sure what happened but they were too hard on the outside, too chalky on the inside, and lacked any decent flavor regardless). The family was full and we all had another meal the following day from the leftovers.  Another solid restaurant I have Yelp (and fellow Yelpers) to thank for suggesting this one to me. read more

Shame this place was one of my favorite places. Service and sangrias were good but the food was definitely not worth the money. I had the garlic chicken and my wife had the filet Mignone it was not hot when it came to my table and the sauce was more of a thick mushroom sauce than a savory garlic sauce. The dessert was not good we had the lemon cake. This was the best place in Belleville at one time, definitely not worth it anymore. read more

We had dinner here on a Thursday evening with another couple that highly recommend this location for Rodizio. We all went with the rodizio, we were started off with some fresh rolls and butter and some olives. We were given side orders of rice, with fried bananas and French fries and then the meat parade began... I had some chicken, sausage, and multiple types of beef. In the beginning we were asked how we preferred the meat and we all said medium rare. Unfortunately many times we were served the first cut end of the meat so I really didn't get that many medium rare pieces. Also there seemed to be a slight communication barrier when trying to specify how we wanted the meat sliced or requesting a certain piece. None the less the meat I did have was very good. We finished off the meal with some of their delicious grilled pineapple with cinnamon. It was a nice dinner definitely check them out with a big appetite... read more

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Nothing was bad, but there are better Portuguese/Spanish restaurants to consider. Really was surprised that it was busy....They have a steak cooked in a tile-- the tile keeps the steak cooking, so order it rare. The chicken and mushrooms tasted like fish, so the kitchen needs to work on that. My friend didn't want fish. The service was good -- they are attentive....and the ambience is comfortable, but again there are other restaurants to consider. read more

Was such a great experience dining here. The food quality and quantity were above and beyond. Great quick friendly service. Would definitely come back again. We came earlier in the evening but it definitely got busier as the night progressed. read more

It sucks, to pay $47.00 for a Rodizio at this place and not be able to take your own leftovers already in your plate which you pay for. Sadly they prefer an upset customer, dump the food in the trash just because I couldn't finish it at the moment, on top of that they impose a mandatory tip on checkout $22 with out notifying the customer or having it posted on the wall for us to have and option to stay or leave. I don't mind tipping if service is good, but whats really unfair is that a waiter can do bad service and still get compensation equally from the waiter that goes above and beyond, but definitely not coming back and don't recommend this over price place with low quality service. That explains why employees there are so rude snd miserable looking. read more

I've been going to Solar Do Minho for about 15 years and was never disappointed. Always a big treat for me. For the food, I go for the rodizio and like my meat rare. When I ask them to make it rare, it comes out rare. That alone scores big points for me. Plus the meat is quality. As for the Sangria, fantastic. Then comes the dessert. Delicious. I usually get the chocolate mousse and it's always great. For the service, always warm and friendly. The staff can't do enough for you. So the service is great. For ambiance, you walk in and smell the meat being grilled to perfection. That's all I need to make me happy. If you need more the restaurant is decorated in a classic tasteful way. So Great ambiance. For anyone in the mood for rodizio my advice is go to Solar Do Minho. You will have a great meal. read more

Have been coming here for years, my favorite rodizio place. Serving sizes are very generous. Prepare to have the meat sweats after eating here because it's all meat, potatoes and rice. Their sangria is also amazing. Went there for indoor dining recently. We were the only ones there but the Sunday linch crowd started coming in not too long after. Not all staff was masked, and there were no skipping tables and it was a bit crowded. Guess that's what indoor dining is coming to now. Outdoor seating is also available but was empty due to rainy/chilly weather. Ordered octopus appetizer (a bit fishy, could use extra char), mixed meat platter (a sample of the rodizio meats, meh), and baby back ribs which was the best dish out of all the things we ordered. Main courses came with rice and potatoes. Metered street parking or valet. read more

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I don't even know where to start. I talked this place up so much and what a disappointment. First of all I had a reservation for 730 I called to say that I was 10 minutes late and then when I got there they told me I had to wait 15 minutes. The one thing I can say is the drinks were decent sangria is always delicious and we enjoyed their Portuguese beer. As for the food, I can't say much. It's sad when my favorite thing on the table was the bread with butter. I would recommend the calamari with spicy marinara sauce, and the shrimp with scallops and a creamy garlic sauce, by far top dishes of the night. We ordered the octopus and had to send it back. It wasn't even seared or charred. It was just thinly sliced with paprika very bland, flavorless and hate to say it but Disgusting. We had to send the octopus back and asked for the shrimp appetizer Instead. He came back and said that it would take 5 to 10 minutes and then it came back to the table in two minutes. It was overcooked chewy and not a better option. As for our main meals, we ordered the fillet and skirt steak on the tile. The skirt steak was thick chewy and flavorless by far the worst skirt steak I've ever had as for the fillet It was much better, but I wouldn't say great. Now for the codfish, the biggest disappointment of all it was absolutely horrible. There was no flavor to it whatsoever. It was overcooked overcharged and overly plated with peppers onions and carrots , and boiled potatoes. To be honest with you other than the fish everything looked like it came from a frozen bag of vegetables. It's unfortunate, but I will never come back, and I will never recommend this place. Chefs get it together back in the kitchen. Meals were priced like a upscale restaurant but felt like a Portuguese diner. read more

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Very upsetting experience I Just had. I'm a regular at this place for many years now due to the convenience of it being close to home and i sit casually by the bar to dine in. I always get the rodizio at this place and I've never been so disappointed at the service I got today. For the price of rodizio $42.95 which went up over the years. I was at the bar for 2 hours counting the time they stared delivering me the assortments of meat and got a total of 9 -10 re run of meat. It's a fairly slow day on a Wednesday but I wasn't satisfied at how quick the turn around was. I wish the bar maid took initiative to check on the servers since I was the only one getting Rodizio in the bar area and she knew I was getting a bit frustrated. Even the fat on my plate froze up for all the waiting that I did for todays experience. Overall, I wish someone could have attended to my expectation of " Rodizio" better. As a customer that was patient and eventually got quiet anxious to be constantly be waiting for the next course of " All you can eat meat" , someone should have taken initiative to retrieve the servers to have a better "Rodizio" experience. 6/10 for todays experience. read more

Service was amazing. So was the sangria. Should have had the rodizio. My chicken masala wasn't anything special but was edible. Super attentive wait staff gets the restaurant a good grade. Lots of selection and big portions for the prices. read more

The food is amazing and the sangria is even better ! There is so much food on your plate that there is enough to take home for lunch the next day . read more

My take on the food and service....my brother turned me on this restaurant ....i flew in from Florida to spend time with my brother and he took me to this restaurant, fantastic establishment....food was amazing, and service was amazing....i will definitely go back.... read more

I've been coming to this establishment for a couple of years as this is the place if one wants some delicious Portuguese /Brazilian cuisine without going into Newark. Parking can be a challenge depending on the time of day, but Solar do Minho does offer valet otherwise street parking. Reservation is highly suggested for a Saturday night which my partner, our friends and I came for dinner yesterday and luckily were seated inside the restaurant. They have a large outside tent with sufficient heaters for those cool nights. Our server was Victor. A large pitcher of white sangria was ordered and complimentary fresh rolls as a starter. We ordered rodizio (quality cuts of meat commonly local cuts of beef, pork, chicken etc.) on a spit, Paelha Vegetariana/ Vegetarian paella consisting a vegetables combination in yellow rice, Pasta à Primavera (pasta with vegetables in alfredo sauce), Camarão Recheado (jumbo shrimp stuffed with crab meat), Chateaubriand à Solar do Minho p/ 1 Pessoa (Fillet Mignon with White Asparagus in a Mushroom Sauce for One Person) and Bife de Lombo na Telha (Shell Steak Cooked and Served on a Portuguese Clay Roof Tile with Melted Garlic Butter). Unfortunately due to the tight space indoor, my meal which the steak is cooked on the clay roof tile couldn't be served at the table and was cooked and cut off to the side. The food was prepared very well and seasoned. The sangria is also amazing at this place for the table. You cannot go wrong eating here and highly recommended it. read more

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Great Spanish cuisine, along with attentive service, inclusive wine list. Valet parking

This has got to be my favorite spot for Portuguese food in Jersey. For the many times here I've yet to experience sitting in the bar. I have sat in both rooms upstairs and the downstairs room. In a few occasions we've come as a party of 8-10 and our experience has always been just as great. For starters parking can be difficult in that are. Yet, why bother when they have complimentary valet parking. A nice tip always goes a long way. I usually order Bife a portuegesa. This dish is known as Steak Portuguese Style. It's basically a sirloin steak mounted with ham, a sunny side up egg with home potato chips laid around it and topped with sauce all around. The rodizio is always a plus here. The consistently come out as needed. They don't rush nor take too long to bring out the following order. When a meat has been requested they'll promptly bring it and assure you're satisfied. Check out the shrimp and pasta. Half a bowl and I'm stuffed plus have left overs for the next day. Don't forget to add the caldo verde. They make it nice and thick. Just right! Until next time Solar. read more

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Took a 45 minute drive Dinner was overcooked waiter didn't care.. So disappointed ... Not coming back): read more

I love Solar do Minho when I'm in town. You can eat in or outside. It's a great date place. There delicious warm bread rolls to start. I've had a few things from here. The mixed meats that keep coming is great. Octopus is so good as well. Love that they serve a lot of food. Oh yeah don't forget Sangria. read more

This Rodizio does not disappoint. Price is $42.99 for Rodizio. Lots of meat options with the Rodizio, including chicken, sausage, garlic steak, cheese steak, ribs, roast beef, etc. friendly staff and good experience here always. They take reservations. Cappuccino and desserts at the end of the meal. Great place for a birthday dinner. read more

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My first time getting rodizio and W O W. For the price point, you get an incredible amount of food and great service. I came with a group of 5 on a Tuesday night and it was relatively quiet and I enjoyed my outing with good food, good drinks, and good service. First- the rodizio has an awesome selection of meats. For anyone who doesnt know (like how I had no clue what it was), rodizio is a Brazilian steakhouse AYCE restaurant. They skewer different meats and serve them by cutting them right off the skewer to your plate. Crazy part is they dont stop bringing the meats until you ask to stop! My favorite was the garlic steak and the top sirloin. Ill do my best to post images, but i cant remember all of the names to the images lol. The rodizio comes with sides including rice, fried plantains, fries, and black beans. A good tip is to order to vinaigrette and farofa on the side (free). The vinagrette has chopped onions and other veggies and its a great way to cut the grease and cleanse your palette after a tasting of meat. Also as a hot sauce snob, they did have tabasco which i enjoyed as a way also to cut some grease and add something to my meats. Also, the DRINKS. The red sangria is the best ive had around New Jersey and it definitely has a good kick- i was pink and happy after my second glass. Everyone at our table also ordered caiprinhas (Brazil's national drink) - mango, lime, and passionfruit. After tasting each, mango is the clear winner. It tastes like straight mango nectar. One imporant point to mention is that parking is valet or street only but come on an off day and its parking is reasonable. Needless to say, i'll be back and i recommend to anyone in town! read more

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Stuffed with meat, literally! We went for a family party and I had prepped very well that day, eating a light breakfast and "fasting" so I could eat Rodizio Style that night. Rodizio Style is where they bring various meats to the table on sticks and cut you pieces on your plate. And the type of meats keeps rotating throughout the night. I was so full after dinner just because there was so much meat. It felt like it was never-ending. They really get you because they move so fast, I felt a tad overwhelmed. And of course, being a first-time visitor to this place, I had to try everything! It was all delicious for sure, the steak, chicken, sausage, rib eye, just a few types of meat I remember. They did have some "sides" like fries, and rice, sauces, oh and pineapple at the end. Oh did I mention, we also got a pitcher of Sangria? It was honestly a delicious meal! read more

The service is exceptional and the food is very good. They're not stingy on portions either. I would definitely keep coming back here. The only bad part of my night is some parents let their children scream and run wild but overall this place is great. I dont take pictures of food but that's just me but it's great looking on a plate if that's your thing read more

This evening was our first visit and certainly not the last even though we live an hour away. The service was extremely attentive, allowing us to relax and enjoy without being rushed even though it had become quite busy. Sangria, ribeye steak, halibut special and dessert absolutely fabulous. Just wish it weren't so far for us. Ty for a great evening. read more

Tucked on a small side street in Belleville, parking is a little iffy here. However, they apparently offer valet. And here is where my troubles began. I called in advanced and asked regarding the cost of the valet, and was told it was free. So we had our dinner, and came out and our cars were parked exactly where we left them, so we told the attendant we could just get our own cars (cause technically I already parked it myself), however we WERE going to tip him when we got change in the cars, however before we were able to, the attendant got quite rude with us. He proceeded to get nasty with us and said "Next time, its $5 per car." he walked away, and came back 15 seconds later, screaming at us saying "I DON'T WORK FOR FREE!". So please beware. 2.5/3 Food For our apps, we ordered the camarao ao alho (sauteed shrimp in garlic sauce), which was very delicious. I would save the bread from the table and actually dip it in the garlic sauce, a total game changer! For our entrees, we ordered Entranha na Telha (Skirt Steak Cooked, and Served on a Portuguese Clay Roof Tile with Melted Garlic Butter) and the Filé Mignon na Telha (Fillet Mignon Cooked, and Served on a Portuguese Clay Roof Tile with Melted Garlic Butter). The meat was perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection on the clay roof tile. It was definitely lathered in butter and very rich. The side dishes were rice and beans, such we good filler items but nothing amazing about them. We got a pitcher of red sangria, and my my, it was delicious; a good balance of flavors without being overwhelming. We were a party of 2 and it could have easily been for 6, its a lot of sangria. 0.50/1 Service Our waitress was super nice, just not very attentive. There was probably only 3-4 other tables in the bar area, but it was a little hard to catch her attention. Everyone seemed as though they were prepping something for dinner service? 1/1 Price Pricing was pretty decent for the quality of food we got. Nothing more or less. After the fact as we were leaving, we did see a little friend crawling on the wall to top off my evening. You can let your imagination run wild. Will I be back here? Probably not. While the food was delicious, I can't get over the fact of my little friend there. Happy eatings! read more

This Brazilian restaurant was amazing! I loved everything about it. The food was soooo good and the service was fast and efficient. I went as a party of 2 and was able to get in immediately even though the place was packed and it was a Friday night. I tried the skirt steak, meat & seafood paella, and mushrooms stuffed with crab. For drinks we got sangria and beer. Everything came out quickly and tasted amazing. The food also came with complimentary bread which was so soft and delicious. It is in a pretty random location and parking was kind of weird but they have free valet parking so I didn't have to deal with that! I will definitely come back here and try some of their other Photos are glitching on my phone but descriptions of photos in second paragraph above ^ read more

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This place is awesome. It's my 2nd time here and I am never disappointed. The service is awesome- everyone is always checking in to make sure we are okay. The food is excellent. Each time I've come I've tried multiple items and they all taste so wonderful. The outdoor seating is really nice; from the table setting to the ambiance they didn't miss a beat. This is a cute spot for large groups as well as couples and families. They are very accommodating and it is always packed. The sangria is also amazing at this place I would recommend it for the table. You know that it is the place to be. They do offer valet parking. If you choose to park your own car you make need to circle around one or two times but nothing crazy. I will be coming back here for sure. Our server Elvis was great! read more

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I have loved this place since the first time I went there. I tried the Conquilhas á Solar , and it is so good.For my main course, I ordered Cataplana de Mariscos, and they're excellent for dessert I choose a Baba de Camelo .OMG service was outstanding, food 5 stars,and ambiance very cozy. Definitely, I will be back. read more

I loved it. Staff was great! Food was really good and the Sangria git the job done. I didn't kike the inside dining I rather be seated in the patio. read more

There's definitely pros and cons to this place. Food is pretty good overall so can't complain there. The sangria is terrible but i guess it depends what kind of night you are trying to have. read more

I ate here several times before, most recently Friday night. We sat at the bar, and started by enjoying a pitcher of sangria. It was made perfect, with just the right amount of booze/fruit combination. The bartenders were very friendly and attentive, and always made sure to top off our glasses. We opted out on appetizers this time around, but usually we get the clams. For dinner I had the paella and my mother in law had the salmon, clams and mussels in seafood sauce. My paella was amazing. Came out steaming hot so took a few minutes to cool down, but it is A LOT of food. I strongly recommend sharing this dish as I had more than half of it left. The salmon was also excellent and an extremely generous piece of fish. It was cooked great and the sauce was very tasty. The restaurant is actually pretty big. There are tables near the bar, another room behind the bar, then a separate room with more tables. In the summer, they cover a portion of the parking lot with a tent and tables under for a bit of some outdoor dining experience. Strongly recommend trying the sangria, and sitting at the bar. The atmosphere is inviting and a great place for dinner or to grab a few drinks read more

Solar Do Minho - Portuguese Near Me - Belleville, New Jersey

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I ordered a seafood Paella to go. Lots of Seafood. Not impressed with the flavors. Had better in the Ironbound section of Newark. Over rated. The only Portuguese restaurant in the area in Belleville. read more

Have come here before for drinks but this was my first time coming for food. Decided to go with the rodizio and I'm glad I did because the meats were all great. I never felt like I was waiting for more food to come out because the meat just kept coming. Also included in the rodizio were rice, beans and French fries. Ordered the fried calamari for an app and it was so big we couldn't even finish it. My only minor "complaint" was they asked how I wanted the meat cooked and I said medium but some of the meat came out a little overcooked for my liking. Overall great experience and will definitely go back. read more

Solar Do Minho - Fried calamari - Portuguese Near Me - Belleville, New Jersey

Catered a luncheon today from here. Chicken dish had no taste. Beef and pork also was tasteless. Disappointed as their are so many good Portugese restaurants in the area. Pricing was fair but that is not important if you don't like the food. read more

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This place has some of the best seafood in the NJ area! Indoor and outdoor (heated) seating available. The service was awesome and everything from appetizers to dessert is delicious and filling. It's best to make a reservation to avoid having to wait to be seated. They offer valet parking but street parking is also available. read more