Tony Da Caneca
“That same sauce seems to bless many other traditional dishes including the wonderful rabbit stew.”
“I don't give 5 stars very often, but this is one of the best Portuguese restaurants in Newark's Ironbound section.”
“Walk inside, and it feels like 40s/50s kinda place with a variety of regulars by the bar.”
Tony Da Caneca
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
4 reviews
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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.
I don't give 5 stars very often, but this is one of the best Portuguese restaurants in Newark's Ironbound section. I haven't been back here in 8 years because I don't work in the area anymore, but had an excuse to go yesterday when we had an event at NJPAC. We had a fantastic lunch. Among us we had the broiled Lamb Chops, Pork Chops, Mariscada in Green Sauce, Veal Madelena and Grilled Squid & Clams. Everything was very well prepared for an incredible price. The most expensive lunch entree was $16 which included soup also! For dessert, the Almond Cream Cake is to die for.
This is a white napkin and tablecloth restaurant, but very affordable like most places in the Ironbound and the service is great. A drawback is that it is hard to find set way back in a residential area, but they have free parking in the lot across the street, though street parking isn't hard to find. Great for parties as well because there was a christening party in the other room and service was never lacking. Thursdays for lunch is a good time also because they put out a great buffet spread.
I cant claim to be an authority on the Ironbound district by any means, and in fact my experiences here are pretty minimal. I have no reservations however in declaring this place not just an Ironbound intuition but no less than an American one as well. This is at least as far as the homey bar room area is concerned. I cant speak for the white table clothe dining area that takes up the glut of the square footage, other than to say that it harkened back to a simpler, earlier time in a lovely yet heartbreaking way when I walked thru it the first time I visited after being (correctly) directed to said barroom area.
Oh that barroom!!.. Dark wood surrounds classic 20th century folk-art murals of dreamscapes of fantasy nautical Portuguese settings. The TV will be on, hopefully sports rather than news, it should stay out there, in the present, not here in the chrome-filtered old neighborhood of yesterday. What a dazzling panoramic cross-section of this distinct corner of America, Newark-style on display. It seems so so wrong to order anything non-Portuguese here but those pizzas and penne vodkas and burgers you spot the regulars having look pretty damn good in spite of that. Nevertheless you obviously should order the Portuguese items, likely starting with the clams in green sauce. From there you can move on to more clams this time with the classic Portuguese pairing of succulent chunks of well cooked pork and crispy potatoes all bathed in the traditional and exceedingly delicious "alentejana" sauce. That same sauce seems to bless many other traditional dishes including the wonderful rabbit stew. These dishes and many more are all included on the insanely low priced "businessman's lunch" menu during the day. Pair these with a glass (or few) of some of the likewise insanely bargain-pried yet excellent sections of fine Portuguese wines offered by the glass for 5 bucks a pop and you will eat like the proverbial king on the budget of a Newark pauper (which would obviously be even more broke than the average pauper).
The barroom is a wonderful throwback in every possible way. Best of all is the service, on each occasion I had the pleasure of being served by a old-school bartender of the highest order. His rapport with the many regulars and attention to the importance of the mostly forgotten tradition of the buy-back only solidified my love for this place and brought a tear to my eye thinking of how little time we now have left to live in a world where establishments like this exist.
It was very foolish of me to originally think that this place, when I first heard its name, was an Italian restaurant in the middle of Newark and not Portuguese, which would've made more sense. Regardless, in the middle of "Blizzard" 2015, my fellow coworker and I made it out here, braving the snowy conditions, we parked in the lot across the street, and entered into the staple establishment.
First thoughts upon entering – very classic Portuguese; almost old world. The ambiance was inviting, and the smells from the kitchen were intoxicating. I knew there was something amazing in there, but I just didn't know what would end up on my plate. We sat at a table in the corner, since we had the pick of the litter thanks to the weather; it was a great comfy spot.
My coworker started us off with an order of clams Tony Da Caneca style, as well as scallops cooked the same way. He had told me that the reason why the clams are so damn good, is that while the clams are still alive, they pull them open, and stuff them with that amazing stuffing, and allow them to cook just like that. It's just such a simple step, but you can appreciate and taste all the juices of the clam when you bite into it. This appetizer alone is an absolute MUST! Do NOT pass on the CLAMS! The scallops were wonderful too, but something stuck to me with those clams….just get them and you try to put into words exactly what I'm trying to do.
For dinner, we both asked for the grilled skirt steak (which I couldn't find on the menu) with a side of ride and beans. It was perfectly cooked, and the rice and beans were an excellent combination with it. To top the whole meal off, we asked for their red sangria.
Thinking we couldn't leave without dessert, I was strongly encourage to try the serradua (sawdust pudding) which was crushed cookies in a wonderful custard layering. It was addicting, and no, I didn't share.
Sit back, eat, listen to the folk music, and respect the clams.