I've been going there a lot over the last year. Great food. Service is fantastic. Ask the waiter what to eat when you go there and you will not be disappointed. The Sangria is a must try. I'm not a drinker at all and this tasted great. read more

Went to restaurant for a simple good lunch. After looking at the great menu and speaking with the maître d' decided on a much fancier meal. Great food and service. Very attentive staff. They weren't too busy for a Sunday but paid special attention to us like it was a private dinner. We will definitely go back. read more

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What a fantastic meal! I had always been curious to explore the Portuguese restaurants of the Ironbound section of Newark and was encouraged to try this spot. This is not walking distance from Penn Station so it will require an Uber if traveling by train from NYC but they do have a parking lot across the street if you are driving. I pulled in here for a meal prior to a concert at Prudential Center in downtown Newark. Very old school and authentic, I would highly recommend. The restaurant takes its clams seriously, with many many different preparations available on the appetizer menu. The chorizo served in a flaming side dish tasted as amazing as it smelled. The suckling pig for an entree was also very tender and delicious. All desserts are made in house and the wine list is full of tasty and inexpensive Portiguese standbys, this place is a gem and well worth seeking out read more

Best Portuguese food around. I could end my review here, but what fun would that be? So I'll ramble on.... First, don't be put off because this place is in Newark, it's very safe around there, although you're more or less under the Route 1 and 9. Walk inside, and it feels like 40s/50s kinda place with a variety of regulars by the bar. The dining room is separate and upscale. The wait staff is attentive. But that's all secondary to the food of course. Pour Les Barbares, Portuguese food is mostly seafood in garlicy, with a few beef and pork offerings, usually combined that amount to something of an mammal version of a Tur-duck-en.....lam-pig-cow perhaps? Sounds like a Portuguese word. In any case, they're big on sauces. P.S. It's pronounced el-EM street. You may get a mouthful from the bartender if you pronounce it wrong (feel honored), or he'll just mock you behind you back to the wait staff. read more

I haven't been to this place in 20 years so I thought I'd give it a whirl for lunch yesterday. Big mistake. Watered down white sangria. Very good garlic shrimp. The tasteless vegetable soup had one pea, 4 pieces of carrots and a few very small pieces of cabbage. (I swear the pea and carrots looked like DelMonte canned peas and carrots.) The large portion of flounder was smothered in a brown sauce. No fish, as far as I'm concerned should be served with brown sauce. My lunch buddy's flouder was so salty we thought the cap fell off the salt shaker. The creme brulee tasted like it was made last month. Save your money. Go to Fornos. Certainly more expensive but worth every penny. read more

Great food, excellent service, in business over 50 years. I had lobster, crab, shrimp, mussels, and clams. Husband had steak. You will not regret eating here. read more

We decided to try this place on Sunday night, not late, about 6pm. With SO many amazing places in the Ironbound, we didn't want to just pick a random one, so we checked the Yelp reviews first. 4.5 stars was exactly what we were hoping for...what we got was 2.5 at the very most. The place wasn't packed when we got there, but the waiter was still slow to take our order. He brought over two plates, showing the specials. We ordered white sangria, they brought over red, which was quickly replaced with white. On this note, the sangria was just ok. As we waited for our appetizer, we tried not to fill up too much on bread with the incredibly delicious infused olive oil. Sadly, we probably should have just filled up on the bread. They bring out a complimentary bowl of chicken soup, pretty bland. We had no spoons and by the time we got someone to bring us some, the soup was now bland and cold. Our appetizer never came, although we didn't really even care at this point since we had already been there for about an hour and just wanted our meals. I was really looking forward to my seafood (Mariscada in green sauce). I get this dish in just about every Portuguese and Brazilian restaurant. This one was probably the weakest I've ever had. While the seafood was properly cooked, the green sauce had very little flavor. The seafood was also a bit gritty (not properly cleaned). What was even more unacceptable, was that my fiance's Portuguese Bass (the special they brought around), while perfectly cooked, had no flavor other than salt....and oh so much salt. Tasted like someone accidentally dumped out a full salt shaker onto the fish. Needless to say, not impressed with this meal. The desert tray they brought around looked good, but now that we were there for 2 hours and completely unsatisfied, we were ready to leave...not to mention that we didn't really want to spend more money there. The Ironbound is overflowing with great food, we won't waste time or money to give this place another try. read more

Attentive and informative servers. The wine list by the bottle has many affordable ($18+) Portugal wines, nice surprise. Portuguese style clams were outstanding! Thank you Yelpers for this restaurant recommendation. I'm staying in a nearby hotel, rather than taking the shuttle back to Newark airport to eat, I decided to take Uber to this local restaurant. So glad I ventured out and tried a new restaurant. The meal was very enjoyable. I will return if in the area again to try a steak. Tonight I had fresh fish (asked for filet) and it was deliciously flakey. Yum yum yum. So good. Try the home made cheesecake! read more

I heard great reviews about this place, starting to think these review were written my the Employees at Tony's. I'm so disappointed the food had no taste what so ever. I had the filet del sol sautéed with shrimp. The staff is friendly and the sangria wasn't that bad, I had better.. Sorry for the 2 stars read more

Tony Da Caneca - I've had wayyyyyyy better - Portuguese Near Me - Newark, New Jersey

I was really looking forward to dining at this restaurant with my party of 12 celebrating my cousins retirement. Unfortunately we were all disappointed by the particularly bad service. We had to beg and threaten the waiter in order to get our food which was pretty good. I do understand that restaurants get busy from time to time. However we watched other customers (probably regulars) arrive after we did and get served and leave before we even got our entrees. The owner did send a round of champagne to the table after we threatened to leave. But that didn't make up for the poor service that we experienced. I wish that I could give this restaurant more stars because the food and the Sangria was pretty good. But the service was really a problem and left us all feeling that we are not sure we'd give this another try. I recommend that the owner attempt to rectify the problem or he will lose a lot of business. read more

Seven of us dined there on 12/30/21 @5:30 PM to celebrate my brother-in-laws birthday. During the year my wife and I go out to dinner once a week, many times for Portuguese food. This was my worst meal in 2021. My wife and I both ordered the seafood combination platter ($24). The flounder, scallops, and shrimp were terrible. The fish was not fresh and what was given to us was overcooked and hard. I would not recommend this restaurant if you are looking for good seafood. My wife and I were extremely disappointed. There are too many more better restaurants in Newark that a return to this one is highly unlikely. read more

Any place that has a slowed cooked suckling pig on the menu has my vote. This isn't your typically Portuguese restaurant. Although they have the main stays like paelle, large portions of steaks, and skewers of pork and chicken; they have excellent dishes such as roast duck with a delicious sauce that has a hint of caramel. If you're not a fan of duck; how about some rabbit stew which was so tender. As I mentioned, they have your typical Spanish/Portuguese dishes found in all the restaurants in this area. However, they also provide you with a real culinary treat with the other more creative dishes on their menu. read more

Not much to add but this is a great place to eat good Portuguese food. Away from ferry street makes this more of a local place than a visitors destination. Great food and just the right amount of old school with a younger vibe. This is certainly my choice for down neck. read more

One of my best places to eat in Newark! The steak and shrimp with potatoes is the best! You must try the Blue Sangria! The food is always fresh! Dessert is good with there foam! read more

They are totally rockin' it old school at Tony Da Caneca's in Newark. It works if you're the type who enjoys consistently good food at a reasonable price, and doesn't demand a place with contemporary decor and trendy menu items. A bit off the beaten path--away from Ferry Street's Portuguese restaurant row, Tony De Caneca's is located in a quasi-neighborhood area. A well-lit parking lot is located across the street with ample space, and we've never felt uncomfortable leaving our luxury car parked there. Inside, the restaurant is clean and well-maintained, although the decor is definitely throwback, including some funky faux paneling. But don't get me wrong, it's not off-putting. It seems to fit the place. The wait staff is super friendly, helpful and very attentive. You can tell they take great pride in what they do and in their place of employment. It's quite refreshing. And the wine by the glass? They deliver each glass literally filled to the very brim. I'm still amazed they don't spill a drop. The food is decent, but not sensational. Some dishes are excellent, some are so-so. Nothing we've tried has been bad. Portions are ample.The paella is enough for 3-4 people, in my opinion. If you love to discover local restaurants that have their own personality and take pride in offering great service and good food, Tony De Caneca's delivers. We enjoy going on a weeknight when it's pretty quiet. Great for a somewhat intimate, relaxing dinner experience in a place it seems time forgot. read more

For many years, we went to Forno's in Newark for a Portuguese Restaurant. They became very expensive. We have frequented Tony Da Caneca in Newark, about 15 minutes from Cranford and mostly highway driving, many times. The food is fantastic quality and perfectly cooked. A huge selection of fish and beef and the traditional Portuguese fare.Your meal comes with soup Great drinks for reasonable prices. Nice restaurant ambiance and bar. Free attendant parking directly across the street. Great experience. read more

Attended a work lunch here and everything was simply delicious. Their wine selection was great. I enjoyed their garlic shrimp appetizer, along with the salmon. They always have a great range of dessert options. I highly recommend the tiramisu, carrot cake, or almond cake. read more

Terrible. The food and especially the service was horrific. The place was barely half full on a Saturday nite which should have warned us. It took 2 hrs to get our meals. The waiters were delusional. The were non responsive when we told them we need to get our order because we had a show to go to. Our table of 8 orders 3 different fish dishes but all fish received were the same. Another fish order came out wrong. The waiters had no idea what each order was. They gave my fish to someone else who started eating it and realized it was the wrong dish. Then gave it to me to eat. Ridiculous . The steaks were horrible quality tough. The table next to us of 15 people were so inconsiderate they were screaming to each other. It was a zoo. The food was expensive and definitely not worth the price even if the service was good. Don't waste your time. read more

Located in the Iron Bound section, this establishment is in a working class neighborhood and has its own parking lot. While doesn't look like much from the outside, it doesn't disappoint on the inside: pleasant décor; attentive service; tasty well-presented food; and reasonable prices. We had the broiled combination of shellfish (parrilahada) and the fresh suckling pig. Both were delicioso--a feast for the eyes and stomach. For dessert, we had the best almond cake ever. We've been dining at Tony Da Caneca's restaurant for years and plan to dine there again and again. read more

The bad reviews reflect what I would say are atypical experiences.I have come here a number of times over the years and it has been consistently good.Yes , the white sangria could use a tweaking - too much lemon soda. However it wasn't bad.Good garlic shrimp, good rabbit stew and good flounder with bananas The almond cake for desert was excellent and the espresso first rate .I found the service efficient and pleasant.Also at $10 Casal Garcia vinho verde - half bottle - is a bargain.Further there is an attended lot across the street that is free and in Newark that helps. read more

This was a wonderful dining experience. Mariscada in green sauce was the best we've ever had.Same for the shrimp in garlic. These are classic dishes that are often overcooked. But not here. It was obvious they were carefully prepared. Service was attentive and excellent. We are already planning our next visit to try some of the dishes we saw at other tables. read more

Not good. Not sure if they have a different cook than last year 2017, but this year was terrible. Soup no flavor watered down, main course awful tasted like smoked food, will not be going back. Waiters need to relax and not rush you thru your meal, too fast a clearing the table when you're not even done with your meal. :( Anonymous from Old Bridge, NJ read more

One of my main stays down neck, along with Spanish Sangria. Dining room a bit more upscale than most in the area, but I like the bar area, with the raucous bartender, I believe he's the owner's son and a crowd of regulars who keep the mood entertaining. If you don't like raucous, exit and enter dining room. I recently dropped my wife, daughter and grandchildren at the airport around dinner time and hadn't been at Tony's in a while. So I went into the bar area and as I said, even though I hadn't been there in awhile, I remembered a couple of the patrons from my last visit. There was a loud political conversation going on between the aforementioned bartender and most of the patrons. I looked at the menu and chose one of my favorites, "Fried shrimp". Sounds blah right? Well the guy next to me changed his order when he saw and smelled the golden, lightly fried shrimp, delicious roasted potatoes and fresh veggies. Every plate that came out of the kitchen looked and smelled delicious with not one complaint from anyone and a couple guy's asked for dishes not on the menu and they were accommodated without complaint. On that note, a couple years ago, my wife and I were there and I hadn't been in a while. I saw that an old standby was no longer on the menu "lobster Tony D's". Which was a lobster in a delicious brandy sauce, which I can still taste, one of those dishes that stays with you. I mentioned it to the waiter and he said "you want it? We can make it for you." So I did and it came out exactly the same as when ordered long ago. Now that's service. read more

Great food. And great sangria. Parking lot across the street, provides ample parking.

Terrible food and the owner didn't even have the decency of trying to fix my over cooked lobster or hard potatoes. I will never waste my money there again. Go to Seabras instead people this place will disappoint you. read more

Had a pleasant, highly animated dinner @ Tony DeC w/another couple on Saturday night. It was our first time there. We met at the quiet back bar to chat, since we were being introduced to our friend's new paramour, for the first time. Although the restaurant was not full on a Saturday evening, and we had a 7:30 Reservation, our table was not ready when we entered the dining room. They apologized, and quickly set up a table for four. The decor is somewhat "old world," but it's really rather innocuous. We ordered a pitcher of white Sangria, asking them not to make it too sweet, and they complied. It was just okay. For $28, next time I will read up on Portugese wines, and order a bottle, instead. Sangria still reminds me of fruit punch. When it doesn't even have "a kick," then what's the point? Hungry, but anticipating that the portions would be huge, we didn't order appetizers; just four entrees. My wife was pretty disappointed with her "Grouper with Artichokes," which was colorless (flour dipped & sautéed?) in an all too subtle lemon butter sauce. One of our friends ordered the Mariscada in Green Sauce, consisting of large mussels & clams in a very tasty, herb infused garlic broth, with a small 1/2 lobster on top; and Pork Meat w/Clams and Herbs "Alentejana" ($18), which is one of their signature dishes. This was the tastiest of our four dishes; but the chunks of pork were somewhat tough & gristle-y. My own Cataplana "algarvia" ($26) described as "A variey of seafood, chicken, prosciutto and herbs," which the waiter compared to a Seafood fra Diavola, arrived in an authentic looking copper pot. But the seafood was chewy, the shrimps were obviously frozen, swimming in a thin, soupy broth that was also much blander than expected. When you don't even want to dip the restaurant's very pedestrian Italian bread (what, no Portugese bread?) in the sauce ...??? In summary, while we did enjoy a very pleasant double date in Newark ... this restaurant was "nothing to write home about." read more

I haven't been here in 20+ years. I grew up Down Neck and I get together a group of 10 to 30 people once or twice a year and we go to Newark for dinner. I wanted to try someplace different do I decided on Tony's. Ok... First of all, the service was as good as it gets. Maybe too good...they never stopped pouring the Sangria...and I understand why they do that $$$$. The appetizers (clams, calamari, sausage, shrimp, scallops) were as good as I've had in any of the places I've eaten...which is a significant number of Ironbound eateries. My lobster tails with shrimp and scallops was VERY good and my wife had the veal...also very good. There were 11 of us and 2 of my friends had the sea bass. 1 said it was 'very good' and would order it again. The other liked it but said it was better at the Spanish Sangria. Friends that ordered the steaks said the filet was 'excellent' and the T-Bone was 'good but not great'. I'd go back...and we will. Highly recommended. Enjoy! read more

Great Portuguese place! Our Portuguese neighbors swear by this place and I'm glad they brought us here. Delicious paella, squid and clams, mussels and the oh-so-good serradura for dessert. Yum! read more

My good friend brought me here for lunch a during holiday break between Christmas and NYE. We had lunch in the back bar room. There were many interesting characters sitting at the bar on a Friday afternoon. The bartender was our server as we sat at a side table. I ordered the Beefsteak Sauteed, Served with Prosciutto and Egg "Portuguese Style". The steak was excellent and the sauce and spices were great. This particular meal stood up to the many dishes Portuguese dishes I've had at other Newark Restaurants. I plan on coming back for dinner. read more

Best espresso "down neck", and very good Portuguese cuisine.

My wife and I went with two other couples, all of whom have gone here in past and looked forward to our meals. We arrived for our 7pm Saturday evening appointment and were surprised to find only two tables occupied in an otherwise empty dining room. This should have tipped us off things changed. Appetizers were ok, not great, but so slow that they offered us a free pitcher of wine. At that point the restaurant was still mostly empty, but a few other tables had arrived and we were still optimistic. After 1.5 hours, at 9:30, several tables who arrived after us had finished their meals, but in response to our questions, we were told our meals would be "15 minutes more". With nothing forthcoming after 15 minutes, we asked for a manager, expecting minimally a reasonable explanation and perhaps an apology. Instead the manager defensively told us he had a big party, didn't have enough kitchen help, was stuck tending bar himself and in a surly attitude, asked what we wanted him to do. At this point we asked the previously absent waiter for ether our food or the check. He disappeared into the kitchen, re-emerging 5 minutes later empty handed but for a check. He attempted to apologize, explaining it was the kitchen. But when asked why he disappeared for almost an hour instead of making some effort at keeping us informed, he had no response. I understand staff can be no shows and things happen. But if a restaurant with 2/3 of its dining room empty can't keep up with orders because of 1 big party. Then don't book big parties. I understand a poorly managed kitchen isn't the waiters fault. But then don't hide to avoid unhappy customers. Come out occasionally to keep them informed. Its a shame, but it's obvious that whomever or whatever made this restaurant so good years ago, has changed, or perhaps retired or left. I'd avoid, there are others that are still good. read more

We were stuck in Newark because of Hurricane Irma and decided to make the best of it. We went to Tony Da Caneca's on the advice of the internet (It was close and supposed to be good.) It exceeded our expectations. We had the Paelha "Valenciana" and the Broiled Dried Cod Fish (Bacalla), both were superb. This is a great restaurant in an out of the mainstream location. read more

I use to give the place a 5. But over the years, the soup is watered and bland, the sangria is watered, the flaming sausage dry and the garlic shrimp served cold. Lazy staff? New staff? New chef? Who knows. This place use to be the BEST. I hope it doesn't keep going down from here. C'mon, guys - you can do better than this! read more

Great atmosphere. Completely blown away by the food! Their prices are very reasonable. I had the Ziti Primavera...LOVED IT!!

great food! first time with type of cuisine and it was quite a treat! wonderful flavors in the pork and clams dish.

I hadn't been to Tony's for years. Saw some bad reviews on Yelp but we were in the neighborhood so we decided to roll the dice. What an amazing meal!! We had the flambéed chorizo and clams Tony da Caneca for an appetizer as well as an order of cod fish cakes--which are not on the menu but worth asking for. All excellent! Had the paella Valencia and grilled squid with a side of vegetables of the chef's choice. Ask for the house piri-piri hot sauce to complement your meal. This was all topped off with dessert (forgot the name but literally translate to sawdust cream brûlée) and house special coffee. The waiter was knowledgeable, friendly, funny, and handsome. Anyone who wants a bland or boring meal should stay home. If you want fun and delight go to Tony's. See you there! read more

Excellent food and service! Will be going back and recommending to friends. We were a party of eight and every one of us enjoyed our meal. The cheesecake is to die for. read more

This is a very good restaurant, the service is great, the food is very good also. I would recommend the sangria for the adults!

I just got back from the restaurant the service was terrible, the food was diner quality. I'll never go back. Waited 1 1/2 hrs for our food and no one seemed to care, they blamed it on over booking for Mother's Day. I got broiled sea food platter, the mashed potatoes were cold and the lobster tail was so over cooked I couldn't chew it. I told the waiter and he said he'd tell the owner, they didn't do anything at that point I didn't care I had been there over 2 hrs I just wanted my check and get the hell out of there. Maybe it was just a bad day but I'll never go back. read more

You can't beat this place! Four of us (staying at the Ramada near the port) came here for dinner, just by chance. Used our phone to find something close to the hotel, and boy, did we get lucky! It was amazing! The food, the service, the whole atmosphere--was exactly right! You must have the duck! This was the BEST I've ever had! And there is a beefsteak on the menu that "might take you until midnight to finish" according to the waiter--smothered in shrimp and artichokes! Delish! Be sure to say hi to George in the parking lot. He will take good care of your wheels! read more