Very lively restaurant, on busy Crooks Ave. We were warmly greeted when we arrived. All the servers…read morewere very friendly and helpful. The decor is pleasant and the tables are comfortable. You are given a very nice complimentary salad before the meal. The menu is very extensive with many specials. I ordered the Sirloin Cap with Pineapple. The dish is enormous! The steak was served with broccoli, rice, and potatoes. The steak was well seasoned and cooked. There were two large slices of delicious grilled pineapple. It was enough for two meals! I had the Passionfruit Mousse for dessert which was fine. I would recommend the Orange Cake instead. This was a perfectly good meal, and I would return.

For us, this restaurant is a nice alternative to traveling into the Ironbound section of Newark (…read morewhich we love, BTW) and has a loyal following from what I've gathered hearing about this place for many years. For us, a bit of a hit-and-miss experience: steak very good, paella - not as good. Given that both types of dishes are staples at Portuguese restaurants , we were a bit surprised. Worth another visit? Yes - want to try their other paella to learn if maybe this was just a fluke experience tonight.

We had high hopes for this spot. The menu had a lot of great-sounding options. Unfortunately,…read moreultimately even mild hot was too hot for us, and we can generally take a lot of spice. Lamb rice had potential, but it was too hot to finish. My medium wings were good but also too spicy. We liked the yucca fries and jalapeño poppers.

We went here on Saturday night around 8 pm. Placed an order, and order came out shortly after…read more Chicken was good ( although i confirmed several times that i wanted 1.5 chickens a medium spice and 1/2 chicken mild, he did 1 chicken medium and 1 mild, but we didnt care and just added more sauce). I went to the counter and requested they bring sauces with the food but the person at the register said to please just take it myself because they are busy :/. Then we got the perimayo corn, literally a drizzle of peri mayo with boiled corn under. We had to request more sauce, and mix ourself. Lastly we got the salad ( tribos) and seeing it was $8 i assumed it would be a nice salad. Literally a basic salad made with ice berg, and a few kalamata olives on top wish i got a picture because it was such an unfortunate salad. Ive had their salad before and its been good . Anyways -overall chicken and rice 9/10 Customer service and sides/salads need work for sure. Them being busy should not ever be on the customers cost and im always very generous with my reviews. But if you are giving a tip option, there should be some service involved i think.

Wow, this place is just off the hook, I moved out of NJ 8 years ago, and I was back today, this…read moreplace is still off the hook and the cost is reasonable for what you get. They have these little lights hanging throughout lthe ceiling, like it's Christmas, and even though it's not, it made the experience clearly more magical. As it always was, and still is, the staff are great and very attentive. The food is as good as ever. They made me a pulpo planca to start, and it was just as I recalled. Not even sure it was on the menu then or now, but they still made it for me, and this dish can't be had anywhere these days. I looked for it all over, even in Barcelona, and although I found Octopus, none of it was like this; the oil, the crispy pulpo with the garlic, is just a great place to start. The next dish was a twin stuffed lobster dish which looked picture perfect, and the picture was not lying, these guys have a great stuffing and the lobster was tender and moist. Couldn't ask for more. My wife had a Mariscada in green sauce and it was good, also garlicy, but I am a red Mariscada fan so even though it was good, it wouldn't scratch my itch for Mariscada. If you're in the area, give this place a go.

Very disappointing experience. I ordered scallops that tasted and smelled strongly of ammonia,…read morewhich is obviously extremely concerning for a seafood dish. I immediately brought the issue to the waiter's attention, yet no one from management came over to speak with me or apologize for what happened. What was even more disappointing was that I was not offered another meal or given the opportunity to order something else. When a customer is served food that is clearly unacceptable, I would expect management to take the situation seriously, check on the customer, apologize, and make an effort to correct it. Unfortunately, none of that happened. The food itself was bad enough, but the lack of concern and customer service afterward made the experience even worse. I expected much more from this restaurant.

First of all the food got that yummy yum....consistently good and fresh especially before the…read moreevening rush. Even more the servers are so sweet and polite and professional. If you speak Spanish or Portuguese they got some specials that ain't on the menu, ya tu sabe!????!!!

My boyfriend and I have been to Portugal and we've tasted the chicken there. The food at this…read morerestaurant imported us back to Portugal!! It was absolutely delicious and tasted super authentic. Everything was 10/10 and I can't believe this gem exists here around my town. We are so happy we tried this place out, the service was also great, our server was attentive. The ambiance was a cute little vibe! We also had the small pitcher of red sangria and it was more than enough!

Everything is delicious and the service is exceptional and i like that they offer valet parking. I…read morehad the rodizio and my date had the chichen both were excellent

Wow, I cannot stop thinking about the seafood paella at Solar :-p Honestly, it's like a little…read moreocean party on your plate! everything tastes so fresh and perfectly seasoned and the seafood is so generous that you might need a bib (just saying). Every bite made me smile. The service was fantastic, too! super friendly and attentive without hovering. They made me feel welcome, like I was part of some secret, delicious club. Super cozy, relaxed, and perfect for lingering over a meal without feeling rushed. It's the kind of place where you can sit back, savor your food, and maybe even have a little conversation with your paella before it disappears. If you love seafood and a good laugh with your dinner, this place is a winner. Seriously, go hungry.

I've had the pleasure of working with Rui and his team at Valenca in Elizabeth, NJ for over a…read moredecade and they are truly exceptional. Rui is quick to respond, always accommodating, and very mindful of our time. They genuinely appreciate their customers and ensure complete satisfaction with every order always on time, every time. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a top-quality Portuguese restaurant and a reliable vendor. Outstanding!

Everything was honestly sooooo good. Beef empanadas with the peri peri sauce was really good and so…read morewas the pasta Pasta was a little soupy but still good The tartufo and the upside down cake were both really good Overall no complaints for the service and ambiance too

Lovely Brazilian restaurant in the heart of the Ironbound district in Newark. On Fridays, they…read morebring DJs to play vinyl. I enjoyed the contemporary design of the restaurant and the food was amazing. I had a dish that I normally don't make and don't see it in restaurants across the US - beef parmigiana. The meat was very tender, and the tomato sauce was well balanced without a lot of acidity, which I liked. It's a good size and you will probably take some home. Luis, the owner, is very proud of their vinyl equipment and says that the music selection of the DJs is very diverse and upbeat. This is a son and mother business and mom is in charge of the kitchen, menu design, produce purchase to keep everything fresh. I would definitely dine here again and I recommend it.

I did not expect to enjoy this restaurant that much! It's unfortunate that it's located far into…read moreNewark, but I'm so happy I was able to try it. They had a wide variety of food, all ranging from beef, pork, chicken, seafood, and some vegetarian options. They had an extensive wine menu, and my boyfriend joyfully enjoyed a glass of wine. I got the brazilian fried chicken, which was extremely flavorful, and i was surprised there wasn't any breading on the chicken as typical fried chicken does. I much preferred the no-breading style, which I think is the Brazilian way. I would have preferred a boneless dish, as there were quite a few pieces with bones, and it was pretty oily at the bottom of the dish. It came with two very large sides, and totaled around $25. 100% would recommend this dish, but I do think at a lower price point, this could make do with just one side, instead of two, as the main dish was quite large enough to fill me up. My favorite part of this meal was the garlic butter bread that they provide for free. It comes out extremely fresh with lots of chopped up garlic, which is my favorite part of garlic bread. It was a great way to start the dinner off. The service was great and the waiters were extremely attentive. They regularly checked up on how we felt about the food and filled up our drinks. The restaurant was pretty empty while we were dining, but the space was laid out very nicely and the decor was beautiful. Would come again if it wasn't so far!

Fantastic! Everything we ordered was so yummy and perfectly seasoned. The service was awesome. I'm…read morestill thinking about the cabbage, it was so tender and light. Will be back for sure to try out the paella! First place I've seen do a ticket system for picking up leftovers at the end of the meal. Cool idea.

We had a very enjoyable dinner at Lita, but what really elevated the experience was the staff…read more Pricey yes, but... The service was outstanding from start to finish -- warm, knowledgeable, attentive, and genuinely enthusiastic about the food. The restaurant has a very open kitchen, and several of the chefs took time to show us what they were doing and explain the preparation. They were excited to talk about the paella pans, the saffron and sofrito rice base, the wood-and-charcoal fire, and the way the dishes were finished. They clearly take pride in the food and enjoy sharing that with guests. We had the pão with cardamom-chile butter, roasted oysters, garlic shrimp, picanha, the meatball paella, and olive-oil tres leches cake, along with Alvarinho wine and a draft beer. The paella rice itself was excellent, with a very good socarrat and a strong wood-fired character. The pork-and-beef meatballs were good on their own, though for me the combination was a little unusual and I would choose a different paella variation next time. Always changing paella of the day. Seafood would excite me when available. The picanha, oysters, shrimp, bread, and dessert were also all very good. The whole restaurant operated as a team. That added a lot to the experience because the people serving the food really understood how it was prepared. Even small details were thoughtful. Our leftovers were kept at the host stand and we were given a numbered claim disc to retrieve the bag on the way out -- a simple idea that avoids having takeout bags sitting on the table or floor. I had never seen that done before. Overall, Lita delivered very good food with exceptional hospitality. The open kitchen, wood-and-charcoal cooking, and interaction with the chefs made the meal feel personal and memorable. We would definitely return, especially to try another paella variation.

I have ordered from this restaurant a handful of times already and each time the food is delicious…read more The chicken has a charcoal grilled taste and is very well seasoned. The rice also has great flavor. This was the first time I ordered their garlic shrimp and I was a bit disappointed in the size of the shrimp but it was provided with a sauce and it was very good. The shrimp also came with ample rice. This was enough food to feed four adults. I will continue ordering from this restaurant. Very good!

Great Portuguese spot…read more 1) I got the special order of pork ribs, beef ribs and chicken. If I can do all over, I would just get the beef ribs with rice and fries. 2) The inside is comfy, which I liked. 3) This spot looks mainly for take out. 4) Will for sure be back for only the beef ribs with rice & fries.

Honestly my fav thing in this spot and found myself craving yesterday are the cassava fries with…read moreperi peri salt. I ordered a three piece tender with lemon herb sauce. The tenders r steamed first then grilled with the sauce. Tenders were rather large felt like a half of a breast or so, I ate one and a half and packaged the rest of the tenders and fries to go. Now I gotta a cheat meal stashed in my freezer for the next time I have a crave. The service is always kind and patient. It's a big clean casual spot.

My friend suggested this spot, so we came here for lunch on a Friday. Once we entered, we placed…read moreour order at the register. I got their leg-and-thigh BOGO special (before 5 p.m.). I chose the Lemon & Herb flavor for one and the Medium spice for the other. It took a little while for the food to come out, but it was worth the wait. The chicken had a nice grilled and roasted flavor, and it was juicy throughout. The Lemon & Herb had great flavor, while the Medium spice had a nice little kick to it. I also ordered a large Peri Fries ($5.95). They were lightly battered, seasoned with peri salt, and crispy on the outside. Solid fries that I really enjoyed. Overall, I enjoyed my meal, and the BOGO deal made it an even better value. I would recommend this place if you're looking for tasty grilled chicken with plenty of flavor.