I would rather give 0 stars. Cockroaches, cockroaches, cockroaches. It was huge & crawled right in front of us and our food. We ordered this steak and when asked how we'd like it done & said "medium rare"-she then said "I think you should go with medium because they tend to undercook things" that shouldn't even be said. So when we got it-completely RAW. When trying to talk to our waitress about the situation-all she cared about was the food, "do you want to take it to go?" NO! We lost our appetite. When we finally got the manager to talk to us, she comes with an attitude and as we're expressing that we're not paying for anything-she said "i'm not going to argue with you" and walked away. Never again!!!! read more

Great spot for a nice meal and a glass of wine. They have a nice bar and TV so you can watch TV while you having a nice drink. They do serve big plates, so be ready to eat a lot. read more

It's my first time there. The lunch was awesome! The olives & rolls were waiting on the table, yet the rolls were fresh and crusty. I rarely leave food at the table, but the Arroz De Marisco (seafood stew) was not only delicious, but that portion could have fed me twice! I am 6' & 230 lbs, so that's saying something. The service was attentive without being intrusive. The numbers worked in their favor too: it cost half again what expected to pay while getting twice as much as I anticipated. I will be going back while still in town. I may not speak Portuguese but I love eating it! read more

Came here with my friend for lunch and were pleasantly surprised. The food was delicious and good size portions. We ordered the large Sangria, but probably should have gotten the small, lol. The service and staff were all very pleasant. Overall we had a great experience and would likely come back! FYI: there's no parking, so will likely have to park on a side street. read more

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Great food excellent service .You can't beat the portions or quality of the food.hot and delicious

I have come here a few times. This is a Portuguese restaurant. The food is always great but the service can be spotty. They give you olives and bread before your food arrives. They also gave us a small bottle of wine for the holidays. There is not a lot of seating available. The ambiance is casual. read more

I have given this restaurant a couple of chances but defensively the last. Every time I order take out I ask for the meat to be well cooked, I never get it... I only live across the street and by the Time I get home it's always cold. read more

Although the name condones a watered down, or fast-food-esqe Portuguese dining experience - don't be fooled! Portugal Express is far from your typical Portuguese BBQ place. Be warned - this place is almost ALWAYS packed on a weekend night, but I assure you the food is well worth the wait! They have all of your typical Portuguese BBQ staples, chicken, short ribs, pork - but they also have finer Portuguese dishes that are reminiscent of Avo's Sunday dinners. And with prices on point, you are always getting a good portion for your money. Everything is always fresh and flavorful, from the appetizers right to the desert. I recommend the Bacalhou A Brás - a yummy mix of fried cod, shoestring potatoes, sautéed onions and egg. You will not be disappointed. read more

Ordered a take-out. The food portions were huge. But didn't like the food. It seems Portuguese is not our favorite cuisine.

My family and I dined here recently for an aunt's birthday. If the review were based solely on their food, they would get 4 stars. However I am taking the entire experience into consideration when reviewing. They fall way short when it comes to delivering on service and hospitality. Our waitress seemed like she was not in the mood to be at work and most definitely had an attitude. Dining out is an experience. It is not only about the food. Hopefully it was only an off day, but that one experience unfortunately cost them a star and gave me a reason to consider other dining options when in the area. But go try for yourself and ENJOY!!! read more

This review is a 3.5 star review rounded to four stars. My friends and I chose this place because our first choice, Valenca Restaurant, was booked until late for the night. Do not be fooled by the "Express" part of this restaurant's name. Despite its name and small size, this establishment is a full service restaurant that takes reservations. It certainly is not a place where you would purchase a Styrofoam container with two choices of protein over rice. It also is absolutely not a place with an "express" portion size. All entree portions are family-size and designed to take home afterwards. They do charge $4 for sharing; however, that is typical of restaurants these days with large portion sizes. Our party ordered mussels, various cuts of steak, and a paella. For the most part, the food was top notch. The place, however, loses 1/2 star due to the paella being extremely stewy and the cuts of meat all being inconsistently cooked, with most of the meat portions cooked well done. Thankfully, they did not overcook the meat to the point where it would lose flavor. Service was with a smile; I have no complaints in that area. One thing that I didn't see in the reviews or the business description supplied by Yelp: this place does take reservations. I was able to call on Saturday around 2pm for an 8pm 5-person dinner. When we arrived there, the place was jam packed, so I would strongly suggest a reservation prior to coming here over the weekend. read more

So Portugal express is not the best known Portuguese restaurant in Elizabeth over Valencia or algarve. But, the food is 2nd to none. I would venture to say that some of the dishes are better than the other two. The only issue with Portugal Express is the seating, as it only accommodates smaller parties. The ambiance is also not as upscale as the other two in Elizabeth. I recommend the ribs in garlic and the paella. Also the sangria is great! read more

Okay soooo this is legit. We walked in, no one came to us. We ordered this chicken and shrimp dish and tasted horrible like rank rank. The calamari was aight!! The tv is small as hell, you can't even see who playing the game! The rice tasted like boiled rice, NO salt and one green pea in it. Now we watching the game and BOOM a cockroach on the tissues and my girl pick up that same tissue and put it on someone's glass of beer. Then the signal went out for the game. This was just a first and bad experience! Swipe to pics of everything I mentioned! read more

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Although the name may sound like it is a fast food/take out joint, let me assure you this is not the case! One of the few places I can honestly say that I've never ordered something I haven't like. I've eaten here over a dozen times and you just can't go wrong. They have a daily specials menu with anything from Rooster Stew to Beef Ribs to Whole Snapper Fillet. Upon being seated, you are brought a basket of bread and a bowl of Delicious green and black olives. While waiting for your food you can watch soccer or Portuguese news programs on the 2 TVs in the eating area. My two favorite dishes are Combo Mixto, which is a combination of three meats including flank steak and ribs and the salmon fillet which i always get with a side of red beans. The ribs and steak platters are served with a generous amount of rice and french fries- I mean these portions are huge! My one gripe with Portugal Express is that around lunch time, it can be hard to get a waiters attention for drink refills. On a few occasions, after unsuccessfully trying to flag one down, I've actually had to get up and basically tap the guy on the shoulder to get more water. The quality and portion size of the food more than makes up for this. Bring your family, bring your friends and most importantly bring your appetite! read more

Can't believe there are only 12 reviews. It's the best kept secret among the portuguese community I uses since it was packed around 5pm on a Sunday. Huge portion! But you can't share - they charge $4 for sharing which kind of sucks but still the price is decent. I just would prefer not to waste food. Got the cod fish stew with red sauce. The sauce is a winner but the fish is a little chewy. Also loaded with tons of boiled potato. I'd prefer rice. I think of it as bouillabaisse Portuguese style. My hubby got the Tbone that comes with rice which was sooo tasty. Definitely will come back next time we need to do some outlet shopping in Jersey Garden. read more

the food is excellent and great proportion I ordered the picanha meal which came with 4 big slices and a load of fries. the beans and rice are amazing! overall great value I will however give this a poor rating due to the fact that the waitress's are awful they don't have a smile on there face. it looks like they are on there death bed. lighten up one should be happy to have a job. they took 10-15 to take Down my ordered it took me less then 2 minutes to figure out what I wanted and had to wait that long. that is unacceptable considering they weren't even busy. I went in with a friend that also ordered and he got the same treatment. if it weren't for the poor service this place would get 5 stars. hopefully they clean there act up read more

This will definitely be my go to spot for Portuguese food was very tasty and the portions are huge I loved the chicken and shrimp in garlic sauce also my appetizer which was the clams in garlic sauce read more

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I don't know why this place doesn't have 5 stars this is the best Portuguese restaurant hands down!!! It's a little small restaurant but it's worth every penny! Prices are cheap, food portions are huge, and their sangria is amazing! Their staff is super pleasant I highly recommend this restaurant. My go to item is always their bitoque it's so good! Beef steak in a great sauce with crisp round fries and an egg on top just so delicious ! read more

Full house at 2:00p on a Saturday with people waiting outside. It is a very small place, so you do sit shoulder to shoulder. Food was plentiful and, for what I tasted, was quite good. The quail was very tasty and enough for 2 people. The price point really can't be beat. Now the crab that my friend was salivating over had been previously cooked and allowed to chill- that makes the meat tough and grainy- hard to remove from shell; skip the salad its a bland combo of iceburg lettuce, under ripe tomato and cucumber. I will come back and try some more experimental (?) menu items like the tripe. read more

I recently ordered food for a party from here and it was very tasty. The paella is very fresh with lots of fresh seafood. My only complain I had about the paella that it was a bit too, moist. But, since I had the burners keeping it warm it never dried out. I also order the entrecôte which was very tender. The portions were so generous my guests all left with food. My food was ready for pick at the specified time on New Year's Day which was a plus. I would highly recommend this place. read more

Portions are big, taste is ok, service needs WAY more improvement, ordered chicken with shrimps , they brought just chicken with no shrimps , asking them to split the check was a night mare and she brought 3 other people trying to convince us that it is our fault that we did not ask for this while putting the orders, instead if just splitting the darn check, defiantly lacks basic customer service skills! read more

Very respectable offerings in a comfortable setting frequented by people of Portuguese origin. Had the skirt steak with the grilled pineapple. Steak just a touch overcooked, but nonetheless tasty, served with a generous portion of rice, crispy fries, and a large cross section of pineapple. My dinner companion had some sort of pork, served with whole potatoes and spinach. Again, a touch overcooked, but very very tasty. Service is prompt and friendly, prices very fair, and quantities are large. Looking forward to my next visit. read more

If I could zero stars I would very disappointed I wanted to give them a try I ordered a grilled chicken Breast and it tasted like old fish I don't like algarve so maybe I'll just stay in Newark . read more

I am changing this to 3 stars after a message I received from another Yelp user which may have explained the confusion with the bill. They definitely cater to the regulars. The food was decent but not worth retiring for. Also, I felt like they added to the bill. When I handed over my credit card with the bill it was 47.50. When it was handed back I had been charged 50.37. When my friend asked the waiter about it he it was the "tax" that added more to the bill. Not so sure about that. I know the tip is usually added prior to them bringing it to the table. read more

Oh my God, you have to try the octopus here. I have been coming here with Gotham Films for the past few years and this place has a ​great value and amazing food. I always get the skirt steak and octopus. read more

This place is one of a kind! Food is great! They have different specials everyday whether it's seafood or mix meat grill! Their sauces are incredible! It's a little place serving big plates for great prices! I highly recommend this place if you're in Jersey or New York visiting. It is worth the drive! read more

The food was delicious. We ordered the clam appetizer which was very flavorful and tender. Next time I'll order something else instead of the flank steak for my main course. See pics and try this place out and judge for yourself. read more

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Terrible dry 15.00 mixed grille. I want going to post this but honestly there were maybe 15 people in the place and getting any real service was kinda hard. Honestly the chicken and pork was so dry it resembled jerky. Leaving yelp reviews like this doesn't help, I know but the olives were very nice, and the water it was cold haha. This place probably is pretty good normally and I should have sent it back for a fresh made mixed grille. But I was like hey I will just yelp them and they will hopefully up there game. This has great potential. read more

ABSOLUTELY MUST EAT AT THIS PLACE. FOOD IS UNBELIEVABLY GOOD, prices are great !!! The amount of food you get for your money is great. Always enough food to take home after you eat. People who work their are great to very inviting. read more

If you want to eat delicious Portuguese food at a great price, look no further. Hard core traditional food with the mandatory tv's playing soccer 24/7 Great food and cold beer; what more can you ask for. read more

The best sangria in town! I love their food and Portuguese olives to go w/ it! Their food is fresh, for the most part. The reason for the 3 stars is for their service. The servers/bartenders are always in a rush [even tho it seems like it's a team work kind of effort- it seems like no one is appointed a station to stay in]. They're never personable unless you're Portuguese or I guess a regular. It always takes me a long time to get service, which makes the experience less warm and uninviting. read more

Great food at reasonable prices. Very very slow service. Huge portions. I stop by especially for Tony's potatoes (you have to eat those if you stop by) and they got me french fries during 2 of my visits, which is annoying but they do get it right eventually. Good chocolate mousse. I would give them 4 stars if it was just for their food, but considering the service for which I would give a 1.5 or 2, so on an average its a 3. They are open late, so good for late night snacking. read more

Great restaurant,atmosphere is nice, server is on point and the food is terrific...will come back to the place

Authentic feel with huge portions, delicious marinades, meats, and sides. Good prices and attentive servers. What else can you ask for? The only thing that dropped them a star is lack of fountain soda for me but hey if that doesn't matter to you it is a 5 star place read more

Portugal Express - a table full of food and drinks - Seafood Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

This restaurant was recommended by a friend; however the I tried it and the service was extremely poor plus the prices are high, I would differently recommend guests going to Valencia Restaurant in Elizabeth New Jersey where the service is always excellent with quality food at at convenient prices. read more

You have to wait for a table if you go during dinner on a friday/saturday night. The food is great. If you like beef, there is Picanha which is barbecue with rice and beans on a sauce that you will want to come back. Seafood options are delicious as well. There is a grilled seafood platter with lobster, scallops, large shrimp, clams, etc. Highly recommend, plus for the dessert there is something called Tortufo....delicious. read more

The best Portuguese food in Elizabeth The plates are still very authentic The cow feet stew, bbq rabbit, suckling pig, Bacalhau all very tasty and good read more

By far the best in the area. I drive 30 min to come great service great atmosphere and always a friendly server to talk to. The sangria is excellent and the food very affordable and delicious. Me and my fiancé love coming to this place and will continue to come till I drop... Sometimes I ask myself why should I cook when I can just go to Portugal express. read more

Portugal Express - Sangriaaaaaaa...... - Seafood Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

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I always enjoying eating from here the food is amazing it's fresh and hot plus there quick. Like most places you not waiting for so long it's a great environment to take your family thanks Portugal express for always making me and my family feel good. read more

Awesome place, the food is fantastic and our server Rafael accommodated us on a busy Sunday afternoon even though we didn't have reservations. My advice, call ahead and make the reservations and ask for Rafael. :) read more