The tapas here are really good especially the empanadillas and the patatas bravas. The shrimp in wine sauce is one of my favorites. Love the 80's music at the bar. Carlos is fantastic! Tony and Joe in the dining room are fabulous. read more

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Going down hill unfortunately... 1) pitcher is now half a pitcher (what a joke these plastic containers) 2) the quality of sangria is bad, and 3) HALF price tapas are actually FULL price tapas since the restaurant inside isn't open and their menus DOES NOT mention 'HALF PRICE INSIDE ONLY'... When challenged why they charged the full price, they just said 'oh well'... Oh well, you won't be seeing me again... neighbor read more

Delicious! The lobster was soft and juicy. The octopus was so good. The sangria is one of the best. Love this place. read more

Spanish Pavillion Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Harrison, New Jersey

we were recommended by friends and definitely will be going back. food was great and whats more they have fantastic customer service.

Last night, me, Bubba & Joey returned to Spanish P. for the first time in a long time. They didn't disappoint us - friendly and attentive staff, lots of suggestions and recommendations. Starting with appetizers: garlic shrimp, pork kabobs & calamari with sweet and spicy peppers. All were tasty and plenty to pass around (fresh bread,too). Next, the main event - small salad Bubba had the soup, then Arroz con Pollo with churizo. Massive amount of food! Bubba had the palliative (sp) lobester, clams, etc. All were hot, fresh and filling! Plenty of left-over for dinner tomorrow. Very clean and comfortable decor, nice little bar area and plenty of private parking. Will definitely return maybe a nice Christmas holiday dinner? Definitely recommended. read more

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As a local to this location I liked everything about it. I've had a Christmas party, happy hour, meetings, date nights etc at this place. Of all times coming I can't think of one mishap or unsatisfied moment. Each waiter I've encountered here exceptional. The food and pricing is just right! They have an on sight parking lot so that isn't ever an issue. During our Christmas party we received seal envelops with a special coupon inside. These had to be opened upon arrival. We revealed free dessert!! Thanks! As usual everything was tasteful. read more

I had dinner here a few weeks back; for someone commuting out here from NYC, it's not too bad to get to - I took the PATH to Harrison and walked the last 10 minutes or so, which felt easier than waiting for a rideshare pickup at the train station. The restaurant itself is just past the I-280 highway overpass, in a small standalone structure where you walk up a set of stairs and open a door that looks more like you are stepping into someone's house than a restaurant. Once inside, there's a small bar showing whatever sporting events are going on, with a dining room further back. On a weeknight early on in the workweek, there's not a huge crowd there - mostly folks grabbing a drink after work at the bar and hardly anyone else in the dining room. As such, service was fairly attentive and quick, which I appreciated. The drink selection was pretty standard - I had some imported lagers from the Philippines (marginally better than your standard macro beers). The food menu here is quite extensive and seems to be fairly pan-Iberian, with some regional specialties (e.g. from Galicia) showing up, as well as what appears to be fairly standard non-Spanish dishes that show up on the menu with their Spanish-language names. Overall, I found the quality of the food to be fairly average - straightforward and filling, but nothing that knocked my socks off. Be aware, though, that some dishes are huge and can leave you filling stuffed...great value but lots of leftovers. The paella pan, even for one, is huge. I went with the 2 1-1/4 pound lobsters, and the flavor was alright (it was cooked very lightly in a red sauce, and there was plenty of clarified butter for dipping) and the texture okay (not the absolute freshest lobster I have had), but it put me far over the edge for usual food intake. We had a mix of appetizers to share as well; and similarly, I found everything - from the mussels to the pork belly to the shrimp to the mushrooms - to be pretty average, with anything that you would forecast to have some sort of greasy, oily flavor being a little bit more than I would prefer. Overall, I'd say that the food was more on the homier side and generally solid, but it did run a bit heavy to Spanish food I have eaten elsewhere. With an abundance of options when it comes to the menu, though, I wouldn't mind coming back and trying some other dishes out. read more

This was very close walk distance from my hotel so I went over for an early supper. I went mostly with tapas like the olives with cheese, pork skewer which was really great, the bacon wrapped dates which were fantastic along with some grilled octopus. Everything very good and even had a couple Spanish beers I never heard of before that were nice. Prices very reasonable. I did around 4-5 tapas orders with a few beers was about $35. read more

Spanish Pavillion Restaurant - Bacon wrapped dates, ham and olives - Seafood Near Me - Harrison, New Jersey

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We just ordered seafood paella for takeout. It was one of the worst paella I've ever had. Very cheap with seafood and flavorless. I would never order from this place ever again nor recommend this place to anyone. read more

Seating outside is great! This place has a very chill vibe and offers games for people to play which is cool! I recommend the sangria, comes in buckets for a good price! Otherwise, the drinks overall are good! Food was nicely presented and very tasty! read more

Amazing tapas! Half price 12-5pm! My boyfriend and I had chicken skewers, pork skewers, shrimp skewers, pork belly, fig wrapped bacon, and fried manchego cheese. My favorite was the shrimp! SO juicy and seasoned to perfection. Very nice staff and customer service! read more

Spanish Pavillion Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Harrison, New Jersey

This is officially my favorite new restaurant in Harrison! Insanely delicious food and authentic food, really good prices, large quantity and quick service. I love all their paella's and selection of tapas! You have to order you won't be disappointed!!! read more

Not impressed. Sub par. I believe the appetizers ordered is what kept food in my stomach.

This place has always been my family's favorite. I've had almost every family party here as well as every small celebration. Our favorites have always been garlic shrimp, fried calamari, octopus, paella, any type of fish, their steaks, garlic chicken. We've even tried to replicate but cannot even come close. Must try this place if you want true, authentic Portuguese food. Their red sangria is also a favorite of mine. Not too sweet at all. Definitely worth coming to. I try to go about once or twice a month. read more

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The food here is incredible and the drinks are strong. So from that standpoint I'd give this place a solid 5. However, the actual restaurant I'm giving 3 stars. We came in (party of 3) on a Friday night. It was busy and we didn't mind waiting. To get to the restaurant you have to walk through the bar. No big deal but we waited easily for 10 minutes just to be acknowledged at the hostess stand. We finally got a servers attention and told us it would be 20-40 minutes. We sat at the bar and asked the bartender if we could order. He said no food could only be ordered in the other area, they wouldn't even show us a menu to look over. Finally we are led into a room that is very loud with large parties. We had a very hard time hearing our server and would often have to grab any available server to get help. There were several tables you could see were familiar with the staff and those tables were waited on hand and foot. Whatever I know how it is but our sever rarely came by. Anyways food was amazing. Like really amazing! So just be prepared to wait when you come in. read more

Went for the seafood buffet and it was delicious. If you like raw clams, oysters, and peel and eat shrimp this place is the best! Very good, and fresh. they also have crab legs, but they didn't fill them up enough. We want to go back and try the items on the menu. The service was excellent and they were very friendly. read more

Solid Spanish soul food. You get the feeling you walked into a sports bar when you first walk in (soccer!) but once you get into the dining room you feel at su casa. The food is good. Not unbelievably amazing, but good. Truth is, the price is right (1/2 off tapas on Saturday lunch and you get a great coupon on Yelp for checking in). read more

Spanish Pavillion Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Harrison, New Jersey

Ok tonight I was in the mood to try out a new spot and this one was on my tagged tonight based on the mixed reviews I felt it was a good three star restaurant. Here are the positives 1 st . The service was higher than average and the appearance of the place look clean and very well kept . Wife order the paella which she stated was one of the best she ever had . My daughter had a chicken version of a kids paella which was excellent. The Red sangria was priced very fair and was excellent. Would like to finish off they gave us a comp diner on Sunday for my daughter that's there special they advertise for Sunday which was great ! Plus we used the 25 percent off one meal coupon advertised on yelp which was awesome too. The Negative now was my meal I order the surf and turf on the menu the I order my steak medium I got well done And the lobster was on the dry side I had too dump load of butter on the steak and lobster tail which at 36.00 bucks a for this was not very good for the cash ! There Spanish chips were very good but I had to ask for more since they put only a few on my plate . The veggies they put on my plate were average. Save your money and stay away from this dish . Since the waiter was so nice I didn't want to complain but when you spend this type of money you should even have to complain they good needs to be spot on ! Also note there menu was super limited but after reading other people review in regards to this restaurant being on tv and need a rescue well just say they have a lot of work still to do ! I might return if I had a deal or coupon for a return trip or I spend my money at tops diner or another spot in the area ! read more

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This place was alright. The food was nothing special... A bit pricey for what you get. I would look elsewhere if you are craving Spanish food. read more

If you're looking for Spanish food you could find in a frozen food section of a 99 cent store, this is the place to go. As soon as I got my appetizer, I was waiting for the check. Their chicken kabobs should be called chicken straws, the house salad was drenched in their McDonald's-like dressing and their tiny skirt steak is seasoned with one thing: Salt. You're better off going to the Popeye's Chicken across the street. I seriously wish I could give this place less than one star. read more

I write this review after years of coming to the Spanish Pavilion. This restaurant sets the standard for Portuguese food in my mind. This is one of my north jersey restaurant staples. It's hard for me to say anything bad about this place. My friends and I come here to catch up (since I don't live in the area anymore) and of course, eat their amazing food. No honest review of this place would be complete without mentioning their shrimp and garlic. It was this restaurant that helped me develop my obsession with this appetizer. Their calamari with hot peppers is also not to be missed. On my most recent visit we also sampled some of their new offerings such as their bacon wrapped dates (gorgonzola stuffed and shallot vinaigrette) and the mussels with the fennel cream. both of these appetizers rocked, in true Pavilion style. Besides their appetizers, I've eaten their steak, lobster, soups and I can honestly say they they are top notch. I have always found the Spanish Pavilion to be extremely approachable and I have always had excellent service. There should be more restaurants like this one. read more

I ordered mushroom app and shrimp with garlic sauce for lunch. Super delicious fresh shrimp I love this restaurant

I really wanted to like this place, and made a special effort to stop here on the way back home from a road trip. Food was OK but nothing to go out of your way for. I probably would have just forgotten about it, but I ended up raising an issue about an incorrect charge on my bill and was treated very rudely. The implication was that I was looking to scam them over a few dollars and I'd have to call back later in the week if I wanted to pursue it any further. At the end of the day I don't care about the money, but I wouldn't come back. Bathroom was also dirty which made me wonder what the kitchen looked like. read more

I have to say after all this hype and build up after the transformation on the show Kitchen Nightmares I was really disgusted and very sad to see such hard work go to waste. I would have really wanted to love this establishment, It is sad because it would be great to see this establishment succeed. I did go right after the snow storm Hercules, but this should be no excuse. It was us plus one table and a super loud crowd at the bar area. To start off me and my boyfriend ordered the Mussels Marinara which I was ok with just the quality and freshness were a little questionable. I am not sure if they make their own sauce but it was meh... a bit watery. Just wonder if it is from a can??? Isn't it quality over quantity and cutting corners is not an answer nor acceptable. I ordered an 8oz Filet Mignon with Mushroom Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, and Veggies. The Filet was cut down the center I guess to ensure it was cooked well done, not a clean cut a bit fatty, un-fresh, and bland. The Sauce was super super super salty and had huge pieces of garlic which was such a turn off, I don't mind garlic but not in huge chunks had it been minced or chopped it could have been a better experience. The mashed potatoes tasted like instant potatoes from a box and very salty I couldn't eat that was very awful and very gross. The carrots and greenbeans were bland but I love veggies so I can't say anything they are just a simple side dish. The over all presentation sucked because it was all thrown together. Unpleasing to the eye and I feel could have been put together in a more delicate way. Prices are very $$$ I am not expecting my food on a sliver plate, but given they were scared to see the business fold they should put more effort into the quality products that they give their customer and should be concerned weather or not it will be passed on to friends and family as a great place with excellent service and food. Waitstaff are kind, patient, and courteous, they try. I will not recommend it to anyone and I am willing to give it another go maybe when the weather gets warmer and I am hopeful I will have a much more positive experience. I do however want to give my kindest regards to the owner and say I wish to see the restaurant go on and hope to be able to add it to my list of wonderful eats for future reference especially if people are looking for a new place to dine and have a pleasant experience with family, friends, or a loved one. Best of luck and wishes to you and your endeavors. read more

I've only been here twice, although the first time was when I was pretty young so I can't really speak for that experience. However, I did go tonight with my mom. It was pretty crowded, but we got there at a good time and got seated right away. Ambiance: The place is dark, but not too dark that you can't see what you're eating. It has a cozy feel to it, and certainly pretty refined. Although the tables are near each other, you don't really feel as if you're eating one on top of another. Appetizer: To start we ordered the chorizos (sausage). ~$9. It was a decent sized plate, and 3 people certainly could have shared the dish. It was my favorite part of the meal; not too greasy or oily, but juicy and full of taste. We also received generous amounts of bread. The dishes we ordered came with a soup or salad. We chose the soup; it was a simple veggie soup, with carrots, potatoes, garbanzo beans and celery. Also pretty good.. not excellent but pretty tasty. Main dish: My mom got the Paella Marinera ($24) while I opted for one of the specials; lobster, scallops and shrimp with risotto in a white sauce. My mom's paella was pretty good; again, not excellent but it's kinda hard to mess up a dish like paella, especially so close to the Ironbound. My dish was pretty good as well. I've had similar dishes in the past, and this one came in around the middle of the pack in terms of overall taste quality. Service and price The waiters were quick, responsive and helpful. No complaints there by any means. With tip included, we spent $90 for 2 entrees, 2 glasses of wine, and 1 appetizer. A little on the high side, and if the dishes were a little better I wouldn't have thought anything of it. This place isn't bad. I'd rate it about a 3.5, but bumped down to a 3 since there are many other places in the Ironbound where you can get better food for the same or lower prices. One note: I did notice they had an outdoor seating area. If the weather is warm, it would be a nice way to have an early evening dinner. Oh and apparently on Wednesdays, kids eat free! (I don't have any but maybe someone might find it useful) read more

We ate at the Spanish Pavilion on Saturday night. The food was very good. Their tapas menu is new and looks great but we were hungry so bypassed it for the entrees. We ordered the monkfish which is a new dish introduced by Chef Ramsey. It was unique and very well prepared. Would order that again. The onion/bean ragu over the mashed potatoes and monkfish was really excellent. We also ordered arroz con pollo which was typically prepared but enormous. Needless to say a doggie bag was in order. Their dessert menu was varied and had some nice looking selections but we were too stuffed to order. The staff was friendly and both owners were roaming the dining area. The chef/owner (Michael) came out to speak with us because of a food allergy and was very nice and accommodating. He even came out a second time after we started eating to make sure we liked the food. Who does that these days? That's crazy nice of him and a rarity in today's dining world. We are glad we discovered this place and will be back. read more

In comparison to ratings I've given to other places, this really deserves a 10. Positives: -attentive wait staff, not just our own waiter (some were cute, not to mention) -friendly, caring owner. seemed like a great guy! -the food was out of this world, I felt like such a queen eating such great food. the tastes were amazing. -cozy feel -convinient location if you're going to NJPAC afterward Negatives: -the hostess was the most unpleasant person ever. Ever heard of eye contact, or maybe even speaking a few words? Tips: -Try the calamari (sweet) appetizer. OUT of this world!!! -Sangria very good. So, who wants to take me back there? read more

We went this evening and were seated right away. The place is like a dungeon and looks like the decor has not been changed since they opened in 1976. Down to business: Sangria was weak and not much flavor. Hardly any friut in the pitcher and the quality of the red wine they used was nothing to remember. The small plates we ordered took forever to come out. The lamb meatballs were so under seasoned and the sauce was like eating ketchup. Mmmm yummy, not! The scallops with spinach and the collard green soup were very very under seasoned too. Our entrees arrived finally and again the food was blah, I think the chefs are afraid to try different herbs and spices. My husband chicken and chorizo sausage dish was too salty and the quality of the sausage was lousy. Had no real tast to it and made the food saltier. My seafood in green sauce was lame too. Pre- cut calamari, get with program and buy fresh! Lobster was over cooked, so it was like eating a rubber band. The sauce it self was bland too, ashame because I love seafood. Service was okay. Walked pass our table three or four times before taking our dirty dishes off the table. I had to take flatware off another table because the server did not replace mine after the appetizer. Just a suggestion, go to any other Spanish restaurant in Newark and the food along with service, will be a thousand times better. read more

I came here with my boyfriend because we had a groupon for lunch. I always look an menus ahead of time to gauge pricing and food selection. We arrived at 1pm on a Saturday afternoon and were the only ones in the restaurant. To my surprise, we were handed a dinner menu, not the lunch menu that I saw on the website. This menu was very expensive (we would've only been able to buy one entree with the $30 value of our groupon). I asked for the lunch menu that I saw on the website, and was told that it was not for weekends. I understand this, but no where on the menu did it say "M-F" or anything like that. The waiter acted like he did us a favor by giving us the lunch menu and only letting us order the bar sandwiches, however we were still charged $2 more per sandwich because it was a Saturday. We ordered the patatas bravas and croquetas to start- the patatas were good but the croquetas tasted defrosted. I ordered a steak sandwich and my bf ordered the filet of sole. The steak was very tender and juicy, but my bf said the fish was flavorless. The waiters were very attentive and kept refilling our water glasses, but we were the only ones in there. We ordered the cheesecake with almond caramel topping for dessert. The slice of cheesecake was tiny and the topping was cashews, not almonds (not a huge deal, but I love almond flavor and we looking forward to it). read more

This place is great. I give it a 10. Free parking, best restaurant in Harrison. The paella Is the best

Call me a liar, will ya? My review was belated but I was there that evening and I saw what I saw. The fact is that you grossly mismanaged your grandparent's legacy (SP was one of, if not the best back in the day) and had been regularly serving meals from a filthy, unsanitary kitchen as documented on Kitchen Nightmares Season 4 Episode 1 currently viewable on youtube. The End Message from the owner: 8/13/2014 The episode was on over 3 years ago, where yes there was a TV in the Dining room. But never since then. I am sorry but I find it hard to believe this review read more

I came here for dinner and decided to ordered tapas to start off the meal. It took 25 to 30 minutes before they were served. I'm not sure how you feel, but I tend to think that is on the long side for just a few appetizers .... When the tapas finally arrived, I thought it was just ok ... not good, but not bad. Actually I thought one dishes ( the braised pork belly ), was way too salty. The tapas alone weren't too filling. I wanted to order more food ( like the skirt steak ) , but I was afraid they were going to take another 30 minutes before anything came back so I just ate the tapas with bread. I basically proceeded to make mini sandwiches with everything - from chicken, to chorizo, to pork belly, and fried cheese. My sandwiches turned out to be pretty good!! It's too bad service was too slow because I would have definitely ordered more... Granted it was Friday and we had our 2 year old with us, but still. I'm not sure we'll be back. read more

Loved the food there. I ate there every night while visiting Newark. Lamb shanks were huge.

kitchen nightmare was here? doesn't seem like it helped much. Once you walked in it smells horrible....probably from the decades old carpeting. Stopped by for take out, was going to order the paella...but RIGHT BEFORE I PLACED THE ORDER I HAD TO CHECK HOW LONG IT'LL TAKE. If i didn't ask, i would've waited for 45 minutes for paella. Ended up going with the MARISCADA VERDE because they said it'll be faster...STILL TOOK 30 MINUTES Food was decent, great portions....but i probably wouldn't go back. They are charging manhattan prices for a local joint that you wouldn't even dine in -_- read more

One night I was in the mood for tapas and found that Spanish Pavilion offered a good selection. Before I get to the food, I must mention that on a Friday night the service is extremely slow. It took about 30 minutes for any food to arrive. For someone that was starving, some cold bread and water doesn't cut it. The waiter explained that it was a very busy night. We only ordered 5 types of tapas, and instead of staggering the plates, they brought out everything at once. So be prepared to wait. As far as the tapas, overall they were generally good but not extraordinary. Some comments on each: - Grilled Octopus - out of all the tapas, this was my favorite. The octopus was well cooked , not rubbery, and served with roasted peppers, onions and olive oil dressing. - Chorizo - I'm a big fan of chorizo, and the sliced chorizo here was fairly good. The plate had just plain chorizo, no veg or onions with it. My husband and I ended up taking some of the complimentary bread and the onions from the octopus dish and made mini chorizo sandwiches. - Braised pork belly - the meat was fairly moist and the skin was nice and crispy but it was incredibly salty. Also had to eat it with the bread, to minimize the saltiness. - Fried Manchego - basically like Mozzarella sticks but with Manchego cheese. Came with a spicy dipping sauce which was tasty. My toddler loved these. - Chicken Kabob - ordered this for my kid and requested no spice. Basically it was plain grilled chicken on a stick. Probably should have kept the spice. Overall, we had a decent dining experience except for the long wait for the food. I wouldn't recommend bringing small children b/c of the wait and also would not come here starving. Between 2 adults and 1 small child, 5 tapas are not enough. I would order an entree as well. The dining area was nice and looked like it was renovated recently. Not sure we would come back here, given all the other Spanish restaurants in the Ironbound. read more

One of many great Spanish restaurants in Newark (Ironbound), Spanish Pavilion opened in 1963 and now run by the grandchildren of the original owners. I have been here on several occasions - and only one where I actually had to stay in Newark (thankfully). You cant go wrong with the Paella or the Garlic Shrimp (served in a red sauce, yellow rice, w/ terrific bread). For dessert the only option is the Tiramisu. The Spanish Pavilion also has takeout. read more

Spanish Pavillion Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Harrison, New Jersey

I came here with a group of four on a Sunday night so it was pretty empty inside. However, that didn't mean there was any lacking in the food. For appetizers we ordered the chorizo, the camarones al aljillo, the mushrooms stuffed with crabmeat, ensalda con almendras marcona. And that was in addition to the collard green soup that comes with each meal. Suffice it to say, everything was promptly finished and the plates were left clean. The appetizers were delicious, although the stuffed mushrooms could have used a little more flavor. For dinner I ordered the garlic chicken (on the bone) and was not disappointed. It came in a huge portion with a good sized portion of rice and well seasoned vegetables. My boyfriend ordered the salmon and that too came in a huge portion. I am not a fan of salmon but he is and said it was delicious and cooked just right. My father had the filet mignon and said it was also flavorful and my mother had the churrasco and also enjoyed that. To briefly touch on the service, the waiter was nice and helpful and the food was served very quickly after we ordered it, although that might have been helped by the late hour on a Sunday night. Yet I would still recommend the restaurant for anybody who is in the mood for Spanish food. read more

Not like it use to be. Food is very bland and disappointing. Even their Tapas was a disappointment. Couldn't figure out why people rave about this place but than realized these people haven't branched out to try other restaurants in the area that are far better. read more

The service was great! Have a parking lot next to the restaurant. Very good portion of food. Order the seafood platter and was enough for two people ! The sea food were pretty fresh. the rice has good flavor but could be a bit softer read more

Spanish Pavillion Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Harrison, New Jersey

I really really wanted to love this place. It is good, but not without it's flaws. let's hit the good stuff first. I had the Monk Fish and it was worth the trip here alone. Tender and tasty and just chock full of great. My partner in crime had a steak that he thought was just the bees knees. And the yellow rice that came with everything was nice. Now the bad stuff. The soup was vegetable soup and tasted like cabbage water. I don't know if that is just traditional Portuguese soup and I am a philistine or if was simply crap. But I found it to be shallow and pedantic with no flavor. Next and if you ask me, more importantly, the drinks were terrible. we each ordered an adult beverage and both got what tasted like soda water. Which was weird because he got a rum and coke. So the next round we ordered doubles and it was better-ish. The double tasted like what a regular drink should taste like. Very sad. They had an outdoor patio area that was nice and had it's own bar. That night they happened to be doing karaoke. It was amusing to watch on our way back to the hotel. I may give this place another try, if I go back to the area. But I'm not making any special trips. read more