Forno's of Spain in Newark

[cuddles115]

I've been invited by a friend. Anyone been there?

[Applecheeks]

I agree with Ike. fornos is a tourist trap - same as Iberia. If you want a good meal, more like you were really in Portugal, go to Seabra's Marisqueira.

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Seabra's Marisqueira
87 Madison St, Newark, NJ 07105

[scholar399]

If you are going to the Ironbound- this is the place to be. Very crowded and busy- good food, good prices.

[Ted in Central NJ]

As long as you can endure some long waiting lines, FORNOS (no apostrophe!!!) is one of the better choices in the Ironbound/Down Neck area.

[Ike]

That frequent apostrophe abuse drives me crazy too, but as for the quality at Fornos of Spain, I'd disagree. Unless it's improved since the last time I tried it, it pales in comparison to Casa Vasca and Seabra's Marisqueira. Fornos of Spain is little more than a tourist trap, a big factory, churning through diners like so much grist for the mill.

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Casa Vasca
141 Elm St, Newark, NJ 07105

Seabra's Marisqueira
87 Madison St, Newark, NJ 07105

Fornos of Spain
47 Ferry St, Newark, NJ 07105

[fershore]

Solid good food and lots of it. A bonus: they let us leave our car in their parking lot while we went to a concert at the Pru Center.

[DinnerChick11]

I was there recently with a friend. The menu is enormous and I had a hard time deciding. The waiter suggested the shrimp stuffed with crabmeat. It came swimming in a cream sauce which I did not expect nor did I enjoy. I was expecting some a nice garlicky bread crumb stuffing but I am not exactly sure what it was held together with ( more cream?). My friend ordered the lamb chops and said they were good. The portions were huge and you get a lot of extras on the table-salad, olives, broccoli, bread, and warm potato chips. Overall, not a bad meal but would definitely order something else if I were to go there again.

[Abner Kravitz]

Went once, and was impressed by the quality and quantity of food. I also believe they have their own parking lot, which I did not know at the time and shelled out $20 for the opportunity to park across the street in a lot.

[phDuh]

I agree! The food was good, but the parking lot was great!!

[menton1]

The theme of this place, as with most of the others in this neighborhood, is QUANTITY. You can get 3 pound steaks for under $25, giant portions of lobster and seafood at similarly low prices. But low prices means low quality, remember that.

For seafood, Halcyon in Montclair is a far superior choice, IMHO.

[Tay]

"But low prices means low quality, remember that. '

Often, but by no means always.

[tommy]

There are exceptions to just about everything. But with food, big portions and low cost are a very good indicator of what you're about to eat. The places in the Ironbound are certainly not exceptions. Although I've found that lobster is lobster, and it's a bit overdone everywhere.

[menton1]

It's hard to get good seafood in this area, even down at the shore, I recently learned. (from you). In Boston, just about 95% of the seafood restaurants are GREAT. I guess it's a cultural thing.

[tommy]

Down the shore has a bunch of not good restaurants. There are certain parts of the state that have a nigher density of good restaurants, and that stretch from Sandy Hook to Cape May ain't one. Good restaurants? Sure. Not exactly dense though.

Absolutely it's a cultural thing. Boston, of course, is a city. The Jersey Shore is not.

The best seafood places, in north Jersey at least, seem to be the Greek restaurants, overall.

I've noticed that most restaurants in NJ have a menu that reads like "tilapia (imported frozen swamp fish at 4 bucks/lb), salmon (not notable at all), and maybe Chilean Seabass (which is tasty, but certainly not pushing the envelope of interesting fish).

[menton1]

Actually the whole "shore" from RI to Boston has some wonderful seafood "joints". Shacks abound. Sadly, it's a weekend trip from here...

[tommy]

I agree.

[Tay]

"But with food, big portions and low cost are a very good indicator of what you're about to eat"

Having eaten at a fair number of 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives', I'd have to once again say : Often, but by no means, always.. :-)

[edh1713]

Our family likes Fornos so that's become our go-to place when we're jonesing for some good spanish food, even though it's about an hour's drive. My personal favorite is the Paella Marinera (seafood paella) and the Changurro - the scallops and crab meat broiled in the scallop shell. Enjoy when you go!

[LEOFONT]

Been there many times....reliable good food and go hungry, because like some "upscale" restaurants, you won't walk out hungry.

[Cavalier858]

We go as a group of 2 to 6 persons and the foor and service is always outstanding.

After dinner we enjoy cigars in the smoking area. They also have a humidor.