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Little Portugal in Newark

Little Portugal in Newark

We’ve traveled to many countries around the world and, very often, we’ve come across pockets where the Indian community tends to concentrate. From the top of my head I can think of Bur Dubai in Dubai, Little India in Singapore or, oddly enough, even the city of Cuenca in Ecuador. But it’s extremely rare to come across anything Portuguese. And that’s why when I came to know about what they call Little Portugal in Newark, I thought to myself “Yeah! I’m finally going to be able to eat some proper Portuguese food while staying in New York”!

It looks like Portugal, but it is Newark!

It looks like Portugal, but it is Newark!

 

Newark in New Jersey, is home to a sizable community of people of Portuguese descent.  The concentration of my compatriots is no longer as high as it used to be back in the 60s. It has now been diluted by neighbors hailing from Brazil, Ecuador and other Latin American countries. Still, things around Newark can get pretty Portuguese.

It’s funny how somehow the people of one of the poorest countries in Europe, Portugal, and their counterparts in South America, Ecuadorians, have come to co-exist in Newark. The place where immigrants settle or anyone lives even inside their country of origin is strictly related to their socioeconomic background and level of income. But it’s also noticeable how, in middle to low income areas, communities seem to be tighter, families and groups of friends are larger and the “street life” is clearly more lively than in richer places.

Portuguese flag by Ferry Street, Ironbound

Portuguese flag by Ferry Street, Ironbound

 

The Ironbound district sits to the left of Penn Station in Newark when you arrive from New York  – and the trip by train takes less than half an hour. This is where one should go to get acquainted with Portuguese culture while in the USA. You may not get to enjoy the sensational landscapes of Portugal while you are there, but you will definitely get a chance to practice your Portuguese, if it exists, or sample authentic Portuguese (sea)food. The food hasn’t really been adapted to foreign tastes, because the clientele is mostly of Portuguese origin. And you can even shop for souvenirs of that trip to Portugal you haven’t got around to taking yet!

Portugalia store in Ferry Street

Portugalia store in Ferry Street

 

The first thing that stands out when you walk down Ferry Street (the heart of Newark’s Little Portugal) are the businesses with names in Portuguese. We’re not talking only about restaurants and cafes. Knowing how Portuguese people tend to adore food and miss their own specialties while abroad, these of course had to be covered! There are also lawyers with Portuguese surnames, travel agencies offering deals to the Azores and even branches of the most popular Portuguese banks.

Portuguese bank Montepio, on Ferry Street Newark

Portuguese bank Montepio, on Ferry Street Newark

 

Restaurants might not look particularly Portuguese on the outside, but on the inside they serve dishes cooked as well as if in the most typical of Portuguese towns – served along with a basket of assorted fresh bread, as it should be! We got to enjoy Clams Bulhao Pato Style as well as Bacalhau a Bras (a salted cod fish and scrambled eggs dish).

Clams in white wine sauce, at Portugalia Restaurant Newark

Clams in white wine sauce, at Portugalia Restaurant Newark

Authentic Portuguese food (Salted Codfish Braz Style pictured here) at the Ironbound District

Authentic Portuguese food (Salted Codfish Bras Style pictured here) at the Ironbound District

 

I didn’t even need to close my eyes to feel like I was in Portugal. The ambiance of the restaurant we were sitting at, the black pants & white shirt combination of the waiter with a fluffy mustache, people chatting in Portuguese in the background, folks sitting at the counter enjoying small cups of coffee while watching a football match on TV…

Inside Portugalia Bar & Restaurant

Inside Portugalia Bar & Restaurant

Portuguese folks drinking coffee and enjoying a football match on TV

Portuguese folks drinking coffee and enjoying a football match on TV

 

It didn’t really matter where we were geographically speaking in this world. This, right here, was Portugal!

 

Walking around the Ironbound we came across a mural depicting the history of this district:

Mural of the history of the Ironbound District

Mural of the history of the Ironbound District

 

This corner of New Jersey has been a working class neighborhood ever since it came about. In the 19th century, this was a highly industrial area. Portuguese people started arriving around the early 1900s, followed by their Galician neighbors from Spain. Working mostly in the iron industry initially, the Portuguese started establishing themselves and branching off into different businesses.

Along Ferry Street, Newark

Along Ferry Street, Newark

 

Now a days, along Ferry Street, you can visit many Portuguese jewelers, sports stores featuring the official jersey of the Portuguese national football team on display, fish markets (selling fresh sardines flown in from Lisbon during season!) or wine stores. Furthermore, there are supermarkets that save a considerable amount of shelf space for products that a regular Portuguese household would normally count on. Salted cod fish, olives and lupin beans in brine, kale for Caldo Verde, regional cheeses from mainland Portugal and the Azores islands, cured meats and pork cuts that would look odd to the average American consumer (for stews like Cozido a Portuguesa and Feijoada), several brands of olive oil and, of course, Portuguese coffee brands.

Salted codfish

Salted codfish

Portuguese lupin beans and olives

Portuguese lupin beans and olives

Cured hams hanging at a supermarket in Newark, just like they would in Portugal

Cured hams hanging at a supermarket in Newark, just like they would in Portugal

 

If there is something quintessentially Portuguese and that the Ironbound doesn’t disappoint in, it is Portugal’s love affair with coffee and pastries. For the usual espresso drinks, custard tarts and other treats, there are a few bakeries with Portuguese names ready to cater. These are also the establishments to come to enjoy fresh bread, where the simple (yet magical) combination of flour, water, salt and yeast is baked into delicious loafs, not very readily available elsewhere in the region.

Teixeira's Bakery in Ferry St.

Teixeira's Bakery in Ferry St.

Meia de Leite (Portuguese "latte) and custard tart

Meia de Leite (Portuguese "latte") and custard tart

 

Gastronomy aside, the Portuguese community of the Ironbound has made sure to stay close to their roots. Over the years, different cultural and sports related initiatives have taken place for people to feel closer to home and to have a distinct voice of their own in their new corner of the world. LusoAmericano, the local Portuguese-American newspaper, has its headquarters in the very center of the district.

LusoAmericano newspaper headquarters

LusoAmericano newspaper headquarters

 

Now-a-days, the Ironbound has a good reputation as a dining destination, something that’s been building up since the 60s, when the local population was over 50% Portuguese.

I hear Little Portugal reaches its peak of fun and glory on the 10th of June, the Day of Portugal. If you are around New Jersey on those dates, pay my country a visit and let me know how it goes!

 

Top picks for Little Portugal in Newark:

Portuguese meal: Portugalia Bar & Restaurant (280 Ferry St)

Portuguese coffee, pastries and bread: Teixeira’s Bakery (186 Ferry St)

Portuguese groceries: Seabra’s Food (123 Ferry St)

 

The Path train can take you from Manhattan to Newark in about 1 hour

The Path train can take you from Manhattan to Newark in about 1 hour

 

How to get to Little Portugal from Manhattan, New York:

By Path: take the red line from World Trade Center to the last stop, Penn Station Newark

By Train: take the train from NYC’s Penn Station to Newark’s Penn Station (just 2 stops)

Once you reach Penn Station coming from New York, exit the station to your left and walk West for just a couple of minutes until you reach Ferry Street. Little Portugal starts the moment you can smell the coffee and freshly baked pastries scent coming out of the nearest Portuguese cafe!


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14 Comments

  • Beatriz Says

    Fantástico! Vivo em Philadelphia, vou a Newark imensas vezes e adoro! É quase como estar em Portugal… quase! :)

    • Deanne Says

      É mesmo!
      Também estou na Filadélfia e aproveito as idas a NYC (como turista com parentes e amigos que cá vem de visita) para comer e ir as compras em Newark. Para dizer a verdade, prefiro passar o dia no Ironbound do que em Manhattan!

  • Jeannine esteves Gomez Says

    I’m lucky to live close to little Portugal only 20 minutes. I enjoy shopping in the Portuguese stores. It makes me miss Portugal just a little less.

  • Sandra Melo Says

    I’m luck enough to still have a top story condominium in Olhao. Beautiful area, old town. Nice and quiet. Eu vou la isto uno. Muitos suadades Ciao

    If you are interested in renting it for vacation, contact me.

  • Bob Iannacone Says

    Worked on Rome Street in Down Neck for 10 years. The greatest people in the universe. T%he restaurants were fabulous.

  • Staycation time! I love finding little pockets of a city like this – I never knew there was a Little Portugal or around New York!

  • Penny Says

    There should only be one flag; the flag of the United States of America! We welcome everyone but they have to become Americans! If you love Portugal so much return to it!

    • martins Says

      Mais um xenófobo e provavelmente nem é americano de gema. Coma um pastel de nata que essa azia e amargura passa. Está convidado…

    • Manny Says

      Vai-te foder
      translation: Go fuck yourself

    • John Says

      Penny –
      You are so right! There is only one flag for America. The wonderful red, white and blue! If you live in the USA you have to become an American! E Pluribis Unim which means “out of many, one”. God bless America!

  • Charity Dell Says

    I used to shop often for my niece in the clothing stores there, when I lived
    in nearby Irvington years ago! The first establishment name that struck me was the bank on Ferry Street, entitled ESPIRITO SANTO E COMERCIAL–literally “Holy Ghost and Commercial.” Some friends took me to a lovely birthday dinner at one of the
    restaurants back in 2006. Great atmosphere and you can practice your Portuguese
    at the stores and churches of the Ironbound section.

  • Marta Dilbehbahani Says

    Mas Little Portugal é só uma rua ou é todo um bairro?

  • stuart mapes Says

    can you tell me where in the USA i could order LUSO water and have it delivered in Texas?

Comments are closed for this post.

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