Newark’s Ironbound is the reason to eat here, and it is one of the best food neighbourhoods in the northeast. Portuguese and Spanish immigrants settled the district, Brazilians followed, and the result is a dense concentration of grill houses, bakeries and seafood restaurants along Ferry Street.
Rodizio — skewered meats carved at the table until you stop them — is the headline format. Alongside it are Portuguese seafood restaurants doing bacalhau and shellfish rice, and bakeries selling pastéis de nata and dense Portuguese bread.
The portions are large and the prices are reasonable. The Ironbound is a short walk from Newark Penn Station, which makes it an easy stop from New York for anyone willing to make the trip.