4-4.5 stars, the food was great and the service was even better. First, they have is complimentary black bean and veggie soup, very nicely done. We started with the garlic shrimp and cod croquettes with a bottle of white wine ($22not bad). The garlic shrimp were great but could have been salted a bit and the croquettes were perfectly fried and well made but could have used a dipping sauce. We each had the marisciada, mine red, the wife had the green sauce. It was literally 2-3 pounds of seafood, all perfectly cooked and delicious. We had a hard time eating everything but we are flying out to Park City tomorrow so no doggy bags on this trip. Their red sangria wasn't excellent but it didn't matter, everything else was. They gave us two complimentary glasses of port wine too. Great experience here read more

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I have only eaten at Casa Vasca for lunch. All the times I've been here for lunch it's been quite excellent. For $11-$20 there's enough food to take home the leftovers for another meal. Before your meal you get a large bowl of soup. The bread is delicious, as well. On my most recent visit I had the octopus and shrimp with garlic sauce. Communal rice and fresh potato chips are brought to the table to go with your entrée. read more

Let me start off by saying I live in NJ and have been to practically every restaurant in the Ironbound, We came to the restaurant very excited to eat paella and drink sangria in celebration of my birthday. What a disappointment! The sangria obviously was lacking ingredients such as brandy and triple sec and had barely any fruit. The soup they serve as an appetizer was ok but it was pea soup and I have had much better. But the paella was the blandest, most tasteless paella I have ever had in my life. It was obviously cooked without a single seasoning, including salt! I had to add sauce from my friend's mariscada to be able to eat any of it. The peas were hard and undercooked too, but thankfully there weren't too many. Intererestingly enough, the owner comes around and asked if we were satisfied and when I explained why I wasn't, she immediately began to chastise and berate me for not having said anything earlier. I told her that we were there with young children and it would have taken too long for a replacement meal. More yelling at me. When I said it was my birthday and I preferred not to deal with the drama, she brought out the dessert we ordered, sang-yelled Happy Birthday and left. I had the flan and the kids had chocolate mousse cake....all tasted store bought. I will never return to this restaurant.... there are many restaurants of higher quality in the area, especially Fornos, which is amazing. read more

When I first entered the restaurant, there was a bar and it felt extremely sketchy. One of the people pointed to a door and surprisingly enough, there was a restaurant. Although the setting was very strange and I wasn't sure if I was in the right place, this restaurant is a hidden gem in the rough. Thankfully, when we were seated, the waiters were extremely welcoming and the menu was very extensive. I was very pleasantly surprised with the entree. We ordered a calamari as the appetizer, and it was very soft. The ambience was very nice, as it was not very loud, and I could enjoy the meal in peace. I ordered the salmon with crab meat, yet that was mediocre. A friend of mine ordered the octopus and shrimp in garlic, and that tasted amazing. The suckling pig was amazing as well, as it was both chewy and tender. This lunch truly was a pleasant surprise and a great first taste of Spanish food. read more

This is old world food and service as it should always be. Food was excellent and top notch service. Sangria was also made as it should be, without all the mixed sweeteners. Just a great place. Highly recommended! read more

Service, food, & ambiance great. Very friendly, neighborhood type atmosphere. Great place to take a family.

I was in the Ironbound section of Newark and though I'd have Portuguese and settled on visited Casa Vasca after reading the reviews. Very charming place with a truly authentic feel. However the food didn't quite live up to the reviews and was just average. Definitely didn't take me back to my time in Porto but certainly worth the visit at least once read more

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Great food and service with a relaxing atmosphere. If you enjoy good and authentic Spanish cuisine, this is the place to go. Would highly recommend. read more

I've been coming to this restaurant since my childhood so this place is filled with a ton of great memories! Regardless, their food always extremely fresh and flavorful. There's nothing on this menu I wouldn't recommend. I tend to go for the Ternera A La Vasca, which is about four pieces of veal in a really good tomato based sauce full of mushrooms. It's served with yellow rice and Spanish potatoes. When you order a meal, they serve you a bowl of soup of the day to start - the best is Caldo Gallego on Sunday's. The sangria here is also really good and the pitchers aren't crazy expensive. I would definitely recommend eating here if you're looking for authentic Spanish food and good service! read more

Casa Vasca - Cappuccino - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

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There's really no other place like it. The service is always spectacular. I have never been disappointed. Their fresh bread, killer chorizo app, homemade soup, chicken with lots of garlic sauce, potato chips, and yellow rice. I love this place read more

Bread - 5 stars Soup du jour - 5 stars Sangria - 5 stars Paella marinera - 1 star Went there for lunch, paella didn't have any sauce, spices, flavors, etc! It was simply rice, peas, red peppers and shellfish. Nothing was cooked or sautéed in garlic, onions, broth, etc. On top of that, they didn't devein the shrimp and on top of that, 3 out of 4 of us got paella, and there were pea crabs in our mussels. Though they are harmless, they are considered a parasite and the mussels should've been purged before cooking. Been there a few times but this was my last. read more

Love everything about Casa Vasca. I worked around the corner and would always walk to get a fresh soup of the day. Service and Ambiance are great read more

The staff are very attentive. The owner is very nice and always around making sure her patrons are well taken care of. The food is delicious and consistent. They have great wine and coffees. They also have some of the best lunch specials in the area. Highly recommend the chicken salad, pulpo, and croquettes de bacalao. read more

Wish I could post 3.5 stars. It was one hell of a rocky start to say the least. We called ahead because as a party of 9, we don't want to be stuck waiting forever on Father's Day. We tried to make a reservation, the hostess on the phone said ok & we were set. We get there and you have to walk through a door from the bar area to the restaurant side - but there is no hostess tower. You walk straight into tables and people trying to enjoy their meals. Annoying. Again - party of 9 - we can't all walk in there, it's cramped. No bartender tries to help us or get the hostess. I end up calling the restaurant, since the hostess never walks to the bar area to greet guests, I tell her our situation, she says to walk to the restaurant area and I specify no way in hell bc there are 9 of us! She walks to the front and proceeds to tell me they DONT do reservations but they can "accommodate" us (with a sassy attitude). I was not impressed since on the phone she didn't say that! So now, with 4 grandparents between 80-85, my sisters and our parents - we are awkwardly left standing in the small bar area waiting 20 minutes for a table. Food was good. I got salmon and shrimp in a champagne sauce - not my favorite, actually didn't like it. My older sister loved it though, it was slightly sweet and they used milk or some sort of dairy which I didn't expect. Just not what usually tickles my fancy. Sangria was WEAK. It was pretty much just juice. The ONLY saving grace were 2 waiters. One who took our order and he was funny, and another young waiter who took our dessert orders and was absolutely HILARIOUS. They were both absolute gems with my grandparents who are older, ask a lot of questions bc of lack of memory, and generally joke around and the waiters were patient and sweet. I'd prefer not to return after the attitude issue. There are plenty of other restaurants in Newark. read more

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Amazing food, chorizo is a must try, and great atmosphere. The Filet Mignon with shrimp in brandy sauce is a meal I always come back for. Only down part is service, and they forgot to pack the right left overs I asked for which is very upsetting. Don't think I'll be returning anymore unfortunately. One to many mistakes one after the other that are easily avoidable (example's: cooking steaks the right temp, having our appetizer's before water glasses filled, forgetfulness from staff, attitude from serves, etc.) read more

Very authentic Spanish ironbound food. Offstreet parking and friendly service. Of course the paella is great but so is the soup and the waiters are attentive but not overly so. Would definitely return here for Spanish food read more

A friend recommended this hole in a wall restaurant and it did not disappoint. The sangria was top notch and the food was delicious. I am glad I decided to try a new place in the ironbound section of Newark! I will be going back soon. read more

My "go to" Basque restaurant in Newark! The complementary soup they start you off with is always excellent! Every dish on point! The restaurant is pretty tight, but the food is great and you can park in their lot! read more

Walk in, be greeted immediately and feel like you were just welcomed into a family members home. We were immediately seated and enjoyed the warm bread and butter. With our entrees we had the lentil veg soup which was delicious. We ordered sangria (small pitcher), the garlic shrimp as an app, lemon sole and garlic chicken. All the dishes were HUGE portions, family style and served w rice and Spanish potatoes. Everything packed a punch of flavor. We ended w coffee and tiramisu. Don't forget they have a small parking lot behind the restaurant on prospect street which is key on a Saturday night! read more

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Excellent seafood in the Ironbound! Came here before the 2014 NJ Devils Saturday home opener, made a reservation for 4 people at 5:30PM and got promptly seated. We got a pitcher of Sangria and it was medium strength and tasty. They started us off with the complementary soup that comes with entrees (see photo) that had celery, beans, onions, potatoes and chorizo, among other things, and it was hearty and rustic. For appetizer, we ordered the Chorizo A La Parrilla (see photo), that was awesome if you like slightly spicy sausage! For entree, I got the "Langosta Y Almejas Enchiladas" (see photo) which was basically and entire lobster, cracked open for you, and clams in a spicy sauce with onions and peppers. It was delicious, but mae sure you save some bread to soak up that sauce! One of my friends got the "Camarones Enchilados" (see photo), which was basically shrimp in that same delicious spicy sauce, I tasted it, and the shrimp was cooked to perfect texture and it soaked up the sauce very well. Other friends liked their entrees as well. Overall, I think this is a great seafood spot for the Ironbound section of Newark and a perfect pre-game or pre-concert restaurant if you are looking for quality food. P.S. There is a private parking lot but it is small and a dude helps you get in and out, so bring some singles for tip. read more

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I went for dinner last night. This restaurant is a hidden gem. To start, the ambiance is cozy. The wait staff is super friendly and attentive. The sangria is good. The soup they give as a starter is the BOMB.COM. The flavor is so good. I ordered the lamb chops. They needed more flavor and could have been a little more tender but they were still good. This is the only reason I give 4 instead of 5 stars. The owner checked in on us regularly to make sure all was ok. But the bonus of the night was there was a fraternity there celebrating. And they made the night that much more memorable. Plus they bought me shots of tequila. LOL!! I will definitely go back. read more

Delicious! Was surprised that they serve you complimentary soup in a Spanish restaurant. Never been to any Spanish restaurants that serves free soup before. Love the cod fish croquettes. Taste good. Main dishes are so good. Prices is good. Not too expensive especially the Paella that has seafood, chicken and sausage. $23.50. The octopus are very tender, not hard. Good. The Groupa fish with clams are good, but it will be better if the fish skin is scaled. The salmon, clams, and shrimp with green sauce goes well with the rice. The green sauce taste so good. Dessert: Flan. Average. Not bad. read more

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1. Park in the free - secured - parking. 2. Order sangria. Yes, a whole pitcher. 3. Have the soup of the day if it's Caldo Gallego 4. Get the Camarones Alajillo (garlic shrimp) as an appetizer. 5. Split a Paella. Follow these 5 steps to guaranteed a good time, more specifically a second date. This cozy Spanish restaurant is classy, but not over the top- in order to not intimidate your date, but still show them you put in some work and read some yelp reviews. The servers are attentive, but not intrusive. The food is delicious and the sangria is their secret weapon in case your palms are getting sweaty. Just relax...you got this under control. And if you are married or asexual...it's also good for birthdays. We come here for my mom's birthday and she loves it. read more

I grew up in Newark. Matter of fact 1 block from this place! Most amazing meal we had last night. Starter - soup which is served to all diners. Tonite it was potato leek with nice large chunks of salty pork. Appetizer we order clams in a green sauce. I've had this at Portuguese restaraunts and it tends to be mostly liquid. This sauce was nice and thick and the amount of garlic spot on. You could smell it hitting the table. Now if you don't like garlic take a pass. I on the other hand am a lover of garlic! Bread basket on the table was delish and helped to sop it all up. I had the octopus special. And hubby had the lamb shank. I am not sure which was better. I've never had such delicious lamb. Truly never. Falling off the bone. I can't wait for lunch to enjoy the leftovers! The octopus perfectly tender and spiced with salt, paprika and a few other delicious making this a true delicacy. Without question Somewhere I will return to!! Update - have been twice more and yum!!!! read more

Small place that when you first walk in, is the bar area. Inside, there is a separate door that leads to the main restaurant area which is a little tight. Staff is excellent, very attentive and courteous. An older woman, whom I believe was the owner even helped out the staff as it was really busy which says a lot about the amount of effort this place puts into service. Their home made bread was good, not the best I have had but the seafood is what makes this place great. We ordered the fried calimari which was good. It was a nice sized portion and had a lot of flavor. It had an initial chewey texture but it wasn't actually chewey at all (kind of hard to describe). The sauce it came with was very good as well, as I found it very sweet. I ordered the stuffed scallops with crabmeat. The portion was huge as it came with 2 large stuffed scallop shells with about 4 medium size scallops in each, completely covered/stuffed with crab meat. This was sooo good. Totally stuffed after this entree. Prices were mid range, about what you expect for quality seafood but you get large portions so it balances out. Def worth checking out if you're in the Ironbound area of Newark. read more

Casa Vasca - Stuffed scallops with crab meat - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

This place gives the BIGGEST most DELICIOUS Spanish food I have ever eaten. Although I waited almost an hour with my family (though the waitress said that it would merely be a 15-20 minute wait), I would say the wait was DEFINITELY worth it. I am always a sucker for the bread in the beginning, but on top of that, we ordered the Spanish sausages and calamari as appetizers and it was so extravagant and delicious. The calamari was soft, but you could tell that they gave you complete squids in ever bite. I myself ordered lamb chops, and it was very wonderful. I believe that they were cooked to perfection. The price is SO cheap. Other members of my family thoroughly enjoyed their seafood paella, fillet mignon, swordfish, and others. They give you so much and it isn't even that expensive! I am in love with this place. Next time I go to the Newark area, I will definitely take a looking at this. read more

Casa Vasca - Grilled Lamb Chops - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

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Located a few blocks from the main streets in Ironbound, this place came highly recommended and did not disappoint at all. In fact, it was very good. Don't be turned off to the entrance to the restaurant which is through the narrow door leading from the not so fancy looking bar to a charming dining room. Not elaborate but pretty typical of most Spanish-Portuguese places that may need a slight upgrade in décor. If travelling by car, it is best if you can approach the place by Prospect St rather than coming down Elm so that you can pull into their parking lot on Prospect. Since we were sort of pressed for time due to a concert at the PruCenter, we skipped ordering any appetizers but what we did have was excellent. This including 2 pitchers of sangria (tasty but not particularly potent), a hearty but a bit salty meat and potato soup that is complimentary, and a couple of main courses that included lamb chops, pork chops basque style, paella marineria, and shrimp in green sauce. All were very good. Our server was wonderful and the owner came around at one point to see how things were going. Prices seemed pretty reasonable and we all left, on time for our show, very happy to have found this place. read more

I came here with the boyfriend's family one night. It's so good that it turns out the same night, my personal trainer was at a table a few spots near me! As I'm stuffing my face with octopus! EEK! The restaurant does have parking (it's a small lot nearby like someone's home). You just have to tip the guy who directs you a few bucks afterwards. The pulpo gallego was amazing. Everyone's order comes with a soup. Your dishes also come with rice and potatoes on the side. We were so stuffed that I didn't even have space for flan (though I really wished I did). read more

I totally pigged out yet again thanks to my friend who invited me to his parents' anniversary dinner at Casa Vasca, a busy Basque restaurant in the Ironbound section of Newark only 2 blocks away from Ferry St.. Since we were more than 20 people, we wouldn't have gotten a table without a reservation because this place is extremely popular and many of the customers are local regulars who have been frequenting for more than a decade including my lovely friend Melina. Because our friendly Catalan wait staff Esteban already knows Melina for years, he really looked after our table very attentively and made sure everyone's happy. Upon finding out that I love Barça, he promised me that he'll give me a FC Barça flag next time I come. Que majo eres, Esteban! Pero no te olvides de tu promesa, vale???? Despite the name "Vasca", most of the food isn't really authentic traditional Basque style, but they serve good ordinary casual Spanish food with HUGE portions and reasonable prices. It's not a fine dining restaurant at all, but rather casual, crowded, and loud, filled with people having good time with their friends and families. I don't mean to be a snob but overall quality of food is 3-3.5 star level, nothing extraordinary. I'm a little bit pickier when it comes to Basque food because I've had one of the best Basque haute cuisines in Bilbao which has raised my standard. However, considering the amount and variation of food we received for $36.50/person including tax and tip, I think this place offers such an amazing deal!! Muy recomendable! We had the following: 1)white sangria - I didn't try it because I prefer red. It was probably good because all 3 pitchers were emptied. 2)red sangria - very good!! 4.5 stars! 3)soup of the day -4.5 stars! I don't know what it's called but it was like a minestrone soup with vegetables and chunks of meat. Meat part was my favorite! 4)almejas a la marinera - 3 stars. It was just OK. I wanna try the green sauce version next time. 5)camarones al ajillo - 3.5 stars. 6)chorizo a la parrilla - 4 stars. 7)champiñones rellenos -3.5 stars 8)paella marinera -3.5 stars. Paella was too dry and lacked the richness of flavor. And no socarrat??? :-( That's my favorite part!! However, I give them credit for usinig abundance of seafood. 9)ternera a la vasca - 4 stars - veal was definitely better than the chicken breasts. I liked the brown sauce with lots of mushroom slices. 10)filete de pollo a la castellana - 3 stars. I wasn't too keen on the sauce. 11)cappuccino/cortado - 3.5 stars 12)dessert (chocolate cake/flan/cheesecake/tiramisu/helado de vanilla) - skip all other desserts and just order helado de vanilla! Their vanilla ice cream was the best!! Try pouring some cortado on your ice cream, it'll make your ice cream taste even better with a nice touch of coffee flavor! I've tried all the cakes but everything was mediocre to meh. By the end of the meal, I felt like I was busting out of my clothes. I probably gained like 3 lbs overnight. All of us ate like pigs, and yet we still had so much leftover food! Literally we had 6 doggy bags to go! Incredible! This is a good place for inexpensive group dining, highly recommended! You even get live music performance and free parking! Definitely better than Iberia on Ferry St.! I better seriously start my diet soon!! Yikes!!! read more

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Oh my so much to eat... Friendly service. Lots of water refills as the food was a bit salty for me but tasty. The portions are good enough for two, so share and order a few appetizers (don't fill up on the bread and soup which were good as well). No chance for desert ...no room in my stomach. Nice to have free parking a few houses back, especially on such a busy street. read more

Casa Vasca - Spanish Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

I love the abundance of Iberian peninsula restaurants in the Ironbound district and Casa Vasca did not disappoint me On the corner in a brick non descriptive building, you walk through a tiny bar and into a white table cloth narrow dining room The first thing you notice is the smell of the garlic and green sauces that remind you of a Spanish sea The menu is extensive in clams, shrimp, lobster, fish, chicken and meats which is why we came here The wine list is loaded with Spanish and Portuguese wines and is very reasonably priced with the highest priced wine at only 45 dollars We started with their black bean soup that was very good. Some people next to us said they come just for the black bean soup all the time I had a simple house salad that was good and not over dressed The clams in garlic sauce were very tasty. The clams were large and the sauce we so good I needed to dip my bread in it until the bowl was completely dry We then had the shrimp in green sauce and the filet of sole ala Romana style which was a simple lemony sauce The shrimp were so delicious with that green sauce that I could not stop eating from the huge pot it came in and ladling the shrimp and sauce on top of the yellow Spanish rice. I used the papas fritas as a spoon to scoop up as much as I could and shoveled it in my mouth. So good! The filet of sole was ok All in all, we had all that, a bottle of wine and a huge basket of bread for 89 dollars! Such a deal I would definitely come back read more

I think the place needs remodeling ! The Galician octopus and cod croquettes same as in Galicia...very tasty The cabrito and the merluza aré very good but they seemed as removed from the microwave. The portion zise was very good. The sangría mmm ok ! The service was excellent ! Definitely I will be back ! read more

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Fantastic meal! Our first time here and there will be many more to follow for sure, we were in the area for a Phil Collins concert. They have parking which is a bonus. We were seated promptly after checking in, it was packed. We started with clam in a green sauce and we drank the sauce, it was so delicious. The baby octopus in garlic sauce was perfectly cooked and tender and amazing. My husband had the crispy pig and I had the Paella Valenciana and both were great especially the crispy pig. The portions is huge so we have leftovers which we are happy about. Ended the meal with flan. Overall, it's was a fantastic meal. read more

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I'll go back just for the soup (but it needed to be a tad more warmer for my taste.) I won't ever go back. I'm coming to the realization that all these restaurants (in NJ) are catered more toward white folks taste in food (bland at best.) But son and hubby will be back. Atmosphere was cold for me I left hungry and later a huge stomach pain. But go for yourself bring your own conclusion to the restaurant. This was just my personal take. I guess I went here expecting too much? My expectations were just way too high I guess? Not my cup of tea, AMC read more

Good portion sizes, good quality and all at decent prices. If you want good value for money and good for a decent family-style meal, with a seafood heavy focus, you can't go wrong! read more

I love this place! The food is delicious and the service is amazing. I've had the paella marina, Seafood in green sauce and seafood in red sauce. All of them are well seasoned, seafood is fresh and the portions are large. The octopus can be a hit or miss, sometimes its soft, other times it tastes like rubber. The salted bacalao was light and aromatic between the garlic and onion.The filet was juicy and tender, as it should be. The service was excellent. Waiters always come around and they have a great sense of humor. read more

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Excellent food and service, private parking lot, going back tonight, been here several times and drive 40 minutes from Staten island, well worth the drive. read more

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Went on a busy night - Valentines Day. service was good food was great very friendly staff and welcoming the Paella was amazing And 22$ for a bottle of wine read more

Located in the ironbound section of Newark, you enter through the bar and into a small but white tablecloth restaurant, with a much larger menu than you would expect. Everything is cooked individually, and to perfection and way more food than you can possibly eat my friend had a 16 ounce filet mignon cooked medium, rare exactly as he requested and I had the 16 ounce ribeye also medium rare done perfectly. I couldn't finish all of it and took it home and had it two nights later and a steak salad and it was still wonderful. Would I go back? Absolutely! Service was excellent. Food came out promptly. We received a bowl of a chicken gumbo type of soup on the house, and it was terrific freshly baked bread came with the meal. We did not order appetizers because we knew we weren't going to finish everything except they had to sample the garlic shrimp which was exactly what I remember from Brazilian/Spanish style restaurants in the past just perfect. They have the wrong little parking lot about a half a block away well lit, with an attendant to keep an eye on your car. Service was very professional, and the food was fabulous. Highly recommended. read more

Great food, customer service and price point. Came in for lunch with my daughter and was happily surprised on portion taste and friendly staff. We'll be back even though we live an hour away. read more