Lunch in Elizabeth

[Rail Paul]

Went to one of my favorite places in Elizabeth Today.. Its called Portugal BBQ.. Its incredibly inexpensive and incredibly good.. Its one of the best chickens I have ever eaten.. From here to Texas I would put this bbq chicken against anyone's..  I work in the Industrial Park and the neighborhood is rather tough.  This place is clean and on a safe block..

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Sounds and looks delicious, though a bit of a carbo overload with rice and french fries. Where is it located in Elizabeth?

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Rob -

Looks it's just south of Newark Airport, Jersey Gardens mall, and near the CNJ Elizabethport station and shops location.

Mapquest

Paul

Edited April 4, 2005 by Rail Paul (log)

[Rebecca263]

Hey, I'm new to NJ and I'd LOVE to be included in an eGullet tour of Elizabeth, I'm located in the tiny town of English...as my kiddle and I like to say. We've hit Elizabeth a number of times getting to the airport.... I'd be thrilled to travel the backroads for some great food!

[Daniel]

I am in chicago right now and comming back next week.. I would love to show people some of the spot i have learned over the last 5 years.. I would also like to see peoples too!

[AlisonA]

I am in chicago right now and comming back next week.. I would love to show people some of the spot i have learned over the last 5 years.. I would also like to see peoples too!

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Sounds like fun.

I am sure a forum host will pop in soon on it but make sure you read this:

EGullet Events Policy

before you plan it out.

AlisonA

[Daniel]

Back from Chicago and happy to be here! I wanted to share with you guys, what i think is the best place in Elizabeth for lunch.. Its a place called Chicks Seafood located at 230 Trumbull Street.. Its an awesome place.. Its pretty much a local spot for lunch, and if its close enough to be a local place you are very lucky..

Out of the kitchen comes some of the best Portugese food I have ever had.. From Garlic Chicken, to Squid Stew, to Bean Soup, Chicken with rice in a Minhota sauce, Grilled Whole Fish, to the assorted breads they serve complimentary at the table, its all incredible.. And the prices, they cant be beat. . In fact, the cheese steaks here are great! I go here or pick up from here as much as possible.. In fact, my mother brings friends from 40 minutes away to meet me here for lunch.. I wanna say she comes cause she loves me, but lets just say the trips have been getting more frequent since i have taken her here..

I will start taking pictures of some of more favorite meals here... The tin doesnt do this justice. Today is Arroz De Frango a Minhota.. Or simply put Chicken with Rice in a wine white wine sauce.. Or paella.. For 10 bucks I received a tray that will easily feed me for at least three lunches if I didn't share it with my office.. It came with chicken, homemade smokey chorizo, fried bits of pork, peas, in an incredible garlicky white wine soupy saffron rice.. Outstanding! This place is a lunch destination place for anyone in the Elizabeth area.

Edited April 11, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[Rosie]

Are they open for dinner?

[Daniel]

They close at 10.. (908)282-0054 is there number..

Address is: 230 Trumbull St. Elizabeth NJ. 07206

[Rebecca263]

Hey, let's all make plans to meet for lunch in Elizabeth. As a transplanted Floridian, I'm missing my Latin restaurants and the food looks so good!

[Rosie]

Hey, let's all make plans to meet for lunch in Elizabeth. As a transplanted Floridian, I'm missing my Latin restaurants and the food looks so good!

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You can post on ISO which is pinned at the top of the board. Be sure to read the Events Policy also. Thanks, Rosie

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=59327

[Daniel]

Today i went for cuban sandwiches.. There are two places that i would recommend in Elizabeth.. One has a leg up on the roast pork, while I believe Alvarez has the best cuban bread i have ever had.. They also make mamey shakes, which is a plus..

Alvarez Cafe located at 511 Elizabeth Avenue is a famous place on the block.. It has been open for 30 years.. Its also one of the only places where they have an english menu too.. So i find this helpful.. There website is alvarezcafe.com..

Most places in the area incorporate a lot of different spanish countries into their cuisine.. One restaurant could have Puerto Rican owners and be cooking a combo of Portugese, Cuban and Peruvian food.. Alvarez i think keeps it pretty much too cuban food.. They serve oxtail to seafood.. I especially like there sandwiches, steak, cuban, roast pork, spanish sausage, and the carne ripiada.. All really good..There steak sandwich in which they put french's onion rings under the bread before the grill press it is excellent too!

Sandwiches ready to go for lunch

My grilled cubano with a mamey shake.. 7 bucks.. I am a happy fella..

Edited April 14, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[Daniel]

Today I went for hot dogs at Tommy's.. There are two places right next door to each other in Elizabeth.. These are rather famous places so I wont get to into it.. Basically, you can just tell by looking at the sign of this place its going to be good.. And when you walk to the counter and see the Hollyeats.com Sign.. Then you know its going to be a good place..

Had a chili dog as an "appetizer". It was really good. The chili is very sweet.. I ordered cheese as well, but they forgot.. Oh well, life she continues.. The hot dog is boiled, its a good dog, but i cant distinguish.. I am sure there are a million people who could tell me the brand they use..

My favorite thing to get here is the spicy sausage.. Its a homemade spicy sausage that's just incredible.. Served on a half a italian roll/bun with onions, peppers and ketchup.. A thing of beauty.. They also give you sliced and fried potatoes. The hot dogs are good, but the sausage is worth driving for.. Another wonderful spot!

Edited April 15, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[John]

Daniel,

The hot dogs used at Tommy's are Best's which are one of my 4 favorite all beef dogs along with Usinger's, Hatfield's angus beef dog, and Sabrett. The other famous place is Jerry's, 2 doors down. Jerry's uses the same natural casing Best's dog, but after boiling, they throw it on a griddle for a little while for added flavor and snap. It does make a difference. I prefer Jerry's dog to Tommy's. And Jerry's chili is better in my opinion. Tommy's uses the natural casing dogs for regular hot dogs, but the skinless version for their Italian Hot Dogs. Both places are very good, and worth going out of your way for. When I'm really hungry, I get an Italian Hot Dog at Tommy's and one or 2 regular dogs at Jerry's. Being married to me, my wife can't help but eat a fair share of hot dogs. Out of all that she's sampled, Jerry's is her favorite hot dog and chili.

Thanks to your pictures, I think I'm headed to Tommy's for a sausage sandwich. And maybe a few dogs at Jerry's. Luckily only 3.6 miles from my driveway.

[Daniel]

New place opened up a couple of months ago on Trumbull.. 766 Trumbull in fact.. Its called Santos Deli.. The menu appears to have a map of Portugal with Viseu, highlighted. They have one of those rotating chicken grilling contraptions.. They serve cold cuts as well as bbq ribs, skirt, pork chops. and chicken.. 1/2 chicken rice and fries for 6 bucks i think. ..

They also have croquettas.. Beef, cod, chicken, and pork. Have daily specials.. The place is brand spanking new and very clean. The building stands out on the block. Everyone there seems really nice.. Just stopped in for a menu. A guy in my Industrial Park said the place was great, but i dont know his tastes.

Edited April 18, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[TMus1111]

Daniel,

Just wanted to agree about the sausage sandwiches at Tommy's - they are GREAT. I was born and raised in Elizabeth and have been going to Tommy's for the past 30 years, there is nothing like them. I noticed a few posts about good Spanish food in Elizabeth and I recently heard about a great place on the border of Eliz/Newark. Don't know the name of it, but its on the corner of Newark Ave. (also called Frelinghuysen Ave.) heading towards Newark from Elizabeth, diagonal to the McDonalds. I hear the food is fantastic and its not that far from where you are if you go straight across North Ave, cross 1&9 and when you get to Newark Ave. make a right, it is a few blocks down on the left. Also, one your earlier posts your wrote

"I am really interested in trying The deli, El Salvadorano, Spiritos and a Soul food restaurant if anyone knows one."

Don't know if anyone has recommended a Soul Food place to you yet, I believe there is one very close to you, on the corner of Bond St. and 2nd St. but if you can take a 5 minute drive, Shack's on E. Grand St. directly across from the police station is top notch. Just take Trumbell across 1&9 and its down a few blocks. The woman who runs it is very friendy and helpful. Great food.

Good luck

[Daniel]

Just went back to Portugal BBQ. Its located on 207 Clak PL. Elizabeth NJ.. I must tell you.. They have the best chicken sandwich i have ever had.. It churrasqueira style. You get a huge portugese subroll with load with chicken lettuce tomato and french fries for 5 bucks..

[Daniel]

Just read a review from a New Jersey paper about Santillo Pizza.. Has anyone ever heard of this place? Good or bad, worth trying.

[Taboni]

Santillo's has been my choice in the area for quite a few years. My 86 year old blind in one eye father still drives 20 minutes any time of night to pick up there.

Brick oven, but not as crispy a crust as some brick ovens. Sauce a tiny bit on the sweet side. They also do a very good Sicilian pie with a crust that is not doughy like some I have had. I recommend it highly. I haven't been to the store in a while, but I can't believe they have changed from take out only as it is set in the back of a house in a residential neighborhood.

Edited May 10, 2005 by Taboni (log)

[rlibkind]

Wow! I completely forgot about Santillo's. I haven't had their pie in at least 30+ years. Glad to hear it's still there on South Broad Street. Gotta get there on my next trip up from Philly.

[Daniel]

Well I drove by Santillo's yesterday but it is unfortunately closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.. The strange thing about this place is its location.. It is in the middle of a residential area.. The place looks like its someone's home.. There is really nothing seperating it from any of the other houses lined up side by side on that street.

I also wonder if it has subs? Veal or chicken cutlet or cold .. Or is it strictly pizza.

[titmfatied]

the scicillian rocks at Santillo's. If I was going for the first time I'd definately get the scicillian. Their pies are named by different years (a 1958 pie or a 1960 ). There are at least 6 different styles of puzza represented at Santillo's. They also do have sandwiches as well as home made bread after 4:00pm I beleive,

[Daniel]

Just went to Santillo's with my mother, who happens to be a huge pizza fan... While we were walking around the back of this house/pizza parlor, we both knew this place was going to really good..

Santillo is a small little storefront pizza place.. Consisting of a counter and a single chair where you can sit and wait for your pizza to be ready.. It looks like a sub par pizza place, until you see the oven.. This oven is a thing of wonder.. 14 feet wide and 20 feet long.. A brick oven the size of most manhattan studio apartments.. I have never seen anything like this before.. The pizza peels which run about 18 feet long before the paddle, attached to special holders on the ceiling in order to give the pizza maker some working room..

The pizza is cooked at a relatively low temperature.. Although, the oven can go much higher, the pizza maker chooses to leave the oven around 500 degrees.. He said he doesnt like when it cooks too quickly.. Whatever it is, the pizza comes out really crispy and perfectly done..

The type of pizza is very american.. It comes with a heavy sauce, a lot of mozz, and a lot of parm... It really has a 1950's red sauce Italian American feel to it.. Its not my favorite style, but this pie is the leader in that genre.. I can only wait until i try the sicilian style, i am sure it will be awesome..

This is just another example of the beauty of Elizabeth and what a rich culture it has..

Here is a sketch taken from the menu of the oven

Edited May 18, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[rlibkind]

That oven is scary! IIRC from 30 years ago, don't they do bread, too, or am I confusing it with another Elizabeth bakery/pizzeria?

[Daniel]

They do bake there own bread.. Like someone said, its after four.. They had two loaves ready to go, but i am leaving tomorrow on business and have so much food to eat as is ..

[Taboni]

The bread is very good, but I have been getting very good bread from Carmen's on Chestnut St in Union for years and its alot closer to home. Try the Sicilian pie, the crust is more like a focaccia than the normal sicilian crust you find.

[Daniel]

So today it was soul food.. Went to

Nerias's Soul Kitchen

216 Second St

Elizabeth NJ 07206

908-282-4416

This place has been open for maybe 6 months.. I had gone when they first opened and they were still feeling things out.. Today I went and it was a lot better.. They have daily specials along with their regular menu.. Some items that look good are the short ribs, turkey wings, and their fried whiting.. They also have similar sandwiches.. I got the oxtail in a brown gravy over rice.. You have the option of picking two sides, I went Collard and Mac.. They also have yams, cabbage, blackeyed peas, lima beans, potato salad, creamed corn, or fries..

The oxtail pieces were plentiful as well as the mac and collard.. This easily could provide two people with a meal.. The oxtail came in a brown sauce that was thick, rich, and had a real strong celery presence.. They used more butter in this mac then i would ever, so it was obviously really good.. So buttery that besides the puddle left in the styrofoam, * the noodles would slip off my teeth when i went to bite them*.. Collard greens were good.. Not vinegary enough for me, I really like places that have the little peppers in the vinegar sauce..

All in all the place is good not great, but i need to try other things before being sure.. I.E The whiting in special batter.. Its clean, people are friendly, and the food is honest.. Tastes homemade and prepared with love..There are two other soul food places on my list that I will be reporting on when i get the chance..

*Denotes exaggeration

Edited July 14, 2005 by Daniel (log)