Looking for authentic Portuguese Cuisine, look no further. The Original Portuguese Grill, located in Lacey Township New Jersey is as real as it gets.
Anna Pereira and her son Louis opened this quaint little establishment in 2007 and have been going strong since. This being their first time in the restaurant business they did it right. With generations of family recipes together with Executive Chef George Bautista (originally from Seabra's & Iberia of Newark for 15 years) they are bringing the Portuguese flair, flavors, and spices to a small town and to the table in a big way.
Entering through the front door there is a warm and cozy aura about this place. Rich wood accents, warm colors on the walls with a contrast of burgundy, linen covered tables with napkins fanned out of the drinking goblets and traditional Portuguese music playing in the background.
The dinner menu is vast, with a wide variety of appetizers and many entrees to choose from including House Specials, Seafood, to the Charcoal Grill.
Deciding on the traditional Chourico Assado(Grilled Portuguese Sausage), Fried Calamari, Sauteed Shrimp, and Clams as appetizers with the Braised Chicken Breast in Red Wine Mushroom sauce and the Grilled Rib Eye as entrees.
The Calamari was delicious!! Tender Calamari rings lightly breaded then fried to perfection, Traditional Chourico was just that, clams that were cooked in olive oil, garlic, cilantro and white wine were little gems of goodness and Shrimp that was sauteed in olive oil, garlic, paprika and other spices that Anna says, she would never tell. That's ok, just as long as they don't ever stop making it. Beleive me when the Shrimp is gone the sauce that is left on the dish you will be dipping bread into, "that's how good it is".
The Braised Chicken, one of the House Specials, was a thick boneless chicken breast smothered in a red wine and mushroom sauce with a burst of flavors traditional to Portuguese cooking. The Rib Eye which was cooked on the Charcoal Grill was out of this world, full of flavor, juicy and cut like butter. Both entrees were accompanied with Spanish Rice, Home Fries which in Portugal are thinly sliced potato's that are fried to a crisp and mixed sauteed vegetables.
Open seven days a week, a lunch menu that consists of twenty two selections that range from Soup of the Day, Fish Filet Sandwich, Chicken Breast in a Garlic Sauce, Paella, to even a Steak sauteed in wine then topped with Ham and a Fried Egg, a wonderful Dinner menu, take out is also avaliable and Catering on or off the premises there is no reason not to add a little Portugule to your life. All you need to do is bring the
SANGRIA!!!
The Original Portuguese Grill
44 Manchester Ave.
Forked River, N.J. 08731
603 971-7100
Open 7 days a week 11AM-10PM
Call ahead seating is avaliable
Casual attire
BYOB
pricing: reasonable
Click location below for Google map.
