Port-o Lounge & Restaurant

We had dinner at third&vine, then went bar hopping for bit and grabbed some ice cream at torico. Decided to grab one last bottle of wine before we end the night and stopped into Porto since it was on the way to where we were parked. I knew we should’ve left as soon as we sat down. The place had a weird smell to it. We ordered an average bottle of wine $ 55. The server was nice, but definitely had no wine etiquette and didn’t know how to pour wine. He did not offer a test tasting when he opened he bottle and had set the bottle resting on he rim while pouring. It’s just not a standard nice place, more like a local neighborhood dive restaurant/​bar. Cannot comment on food since we did not order any.

Staff very sweet and drinks were pretty good. Music was also cool. But the food was not good at all. The stuffed Portobello mushroom was still ice cold on the inside, and the port flamed chorizo was really bad. The fried cheese with honey was ok, but we couldn’t even finish it. We are NOT picky at all and are far from food snobs but the food was really bad. We just ate the bread and olives which came with it. It almost felt as though the chefs were not trained or didnt knew what they were doing. Shame because as I said the staff were friendly and great, so its not reflection on them. If they improve on the food we may go back.

Being a mix of a bar, lounge, and restaurant does not work for this place. Each could be successful on its own, together it is odd to be eating dinner next to people sitting at the bar and others who are at the lounge. What ruined the experience for me was the floor. It shakes as if there is a dance party going on (there isn’t) every single time someone walks past. You cannot enjoy a meal with your while table shaking the whole night. They get other things wrong as well. Like bringing out a bread basket for 4 people with just a couple of pieces of bread.

Went for a happy hour. Not many people there, had some regulars at the bar. Eventually some people sat down for dinner, but not too many, even at 7−8pm. The bartender was friendly, drinks were good. Got the burger and it was good too. Needs a better clientele though, some of the customers were pretty rough, but that might just be jersey city ;)

Frequent Porto with my husband when we get a chance away from the kids. A top choice for a pitcher of sangria (white) and tapas. The ambience allows for and the décor will spark conversation about local artists masterpieces. The staff is always friendly and accomodating. The wait may take a little longer than desired but the food is well worth it. The food seems to melt in your mouth as it activates all of your tastebuds. Our favorites are the the octopus and the stuffed pepper with goat cheese and forbidden black beans. Must check this place out! We will return often.

Came for NYE and enjoyed it. We were a party of six so I expected to wait a little longer for our food but it came out quickly. We shared tapas but my favorite was the chicken tapas. The goat cheese was also a hit with the table. The manager offered us a free pitcher of sangria and free port wine because there was a mix up with our reservation. Overall I would def come here again.

First let me say the waiter was very accommodating, however, everything else was a big disappointment. How have they stayed open as long as they have? Either some people don’t know good food or the other reviews are from friends of the owner. First dish, Paella. long grain rice that was hard, the lobster was old and hard as well as the chicken. Next dish, chorizo… how can u mess up the most common known Portuguese dish? It was hard and burnt, terrible. Then out came the house burger, can u say hockey puck? The meat was hard as a rock and the topping which was supposed to be bacon but was something that looked like ham but smelled like old wet cat. So so terrible. I will never come back, oh wait. maybe for some sangria. That was surprisingly delicious.

Preface: Rating based on a Thursday Karaōke and Ladies’ Night
Came here to celebrate my friend’s birthday after dinner across the street. We did not order any food nor did we have table service. But our bartender was attentive and friendly. The karaōke set up was great and I enjoyed the lounge atmosphere. Ladies’ Night drinks were good, strong and extremely reasonable. My friends like this place for larger get togethers. I liked my experience there.

The fried goat cheese balls were to die for, first off. I will return just for them alone. The service was exceptional. We came in early on a Tuesday and was served by the bartender Rolondo. He was attentive, knowledgeable and just a great guy. He asked my partner what she liked to drink and made suggestions based on her tastes. He made her a blow pop martini which tasted exactly like a cherry blow pop. She isn’t easily impressed so this was great! For me he suggested a spicy margarita, which I loved! We also shared the calamari and the fried flaked salted cod and mashed potatoe fritters, absolutely delicious! Before our dishes were served we were given a plate of black olives, warm bread and herb butter, it was fabulous! The place is cozy, sheek and inviting. Very romantic lighting and décor. I will definitely return!

The pizza here is small and overpriced. You can come here with a large group, and it is fun. There is summertime outdoor seating, adding a nice touch. They have plenty of drinks, and the space is hip and cool. The food leaves a lot to be desired, however. I guess Jersey City is becoming a lot more like New York.

Everything in this restaurant is just Terrible!!!
Terribly slow service… had to wait 45 mins to get our dinner. If you order Jumbo Shrimp, then please be aware that they do not serve jumbo shrimp… its just a small shrimp covered in huge pile of fried noodles. The other dish we ordered — Angel Pasta was also made very salty, the chicken roast was just covered in salty some sauce and few pieces of mushroom n potatoes (not worth the price). Manager was kind enough to not charge us for the jumbo shrimp, as we protested for fooling us.
Final goof up!!! my credit card and bill was given to some other table and i received someone else… so i had to go around and ask the tables which received the bill… and exchanged our credit cards.
Thanks for making our Friday night amazing!!! will never go back.

This place is always quiet. Went here on a Sunday, and no one else was in there. It was about 5:30 PM. The bartender was super cool (took music requests) and the place is super nice. They moved some stuff around. $ 6 for a Blue Moon in a bottle.
They had comic book art on the walls and I love that sort of stuff.
When I walk by on certain nights it’s usually a Ghost Town in there, which is a shame. Newark Ave is weird for business depending on how close to Grove St. you are I guess. Some lights could help.
It’s a nice place to host events, I can tell you that much.

The rooftop is spacious and laid back with board games and a great bartender! Wish they served the full menu on the rooftop, but they only serve deli type of food up there so we got sandwiches and some sides. The best sandwich was the avocado one. The bruschetta side was pretty good.

I went with some friends. My friends have been here before, but it was a first for me. We sat in the back garden, and let me tell you, it was magical. Everything was perfect from the music to the dishes. We opted for tapas. The food was savory good! And to my surprise, the placed turned into a dance club after a certain time. I am definitely checking it out again.

My bf and I had wanted to try Porto for some time. Having lived in Portugal and traveling extensively through Spain, Portuguese food and tapas sounded like a match made in the gastronomic heavens. We sat down at 8pm, ordered a tapa and two entrees. At around 9pm the waiter apologized for the delay (we hadn’t received any food) and asked if we’d like bread. Hells yes we would! He brought over a large basket. I was pumped to devour some simple-​grain carbs. We removed the napkin covering the bread only to find a single roll for the two of us to share. I started thinking I might be on some hidden camera show. By 9:30 we were talking to the folks at the table next to us (who were also getting hangry). They had arrived BEFORE us and still hadn’t received any food — not even their salads.
At 9:45pm (105 minutes after we arrived and ordered food), we gathered our things and left WITHOUT EVER RECEIVING ANY FOOD! I have never, ever, done this before.

Great food and wine. Big portions! Had the stuffed peppers and salmon entrée.
The service was very friendly although a little slow.

Came here the other day and had a grand old time — even the owner were present for a bit, which gave this place a bit of a family-​feeling.
The food was fine, the drinks were strong, and the bartenders were really kind. We were here on off-​hours (daytime) so we probably got a lot more attention than you would on a Friday or Saturday late night.
The «art» on the walls made it a bit awkward to try and take pictures (it was obscure paintings of «the women of jersey city» in seductive poses).
Overall — I havent been here in years, so I thought it was fine for the occasion (Im not really a partier and I dont go out on weekends, so others may vary in their experiences).

I will never go to this place again and here is why…
1) service was extremely slow
2) ordered the mussels and stuffed mushrooms. Took about 45 min to get mussels which were ok, never got the stuffed mushrooms.
3) wine glass was not cleaned properly. There should not be any streak marks left on glasses
4) the cook came out back to the patio and lit up a cigarette, just go out to the main entrance and onto the sidewalk.
5) got the bill and it had the stuffed mushrooms on it, the ones we never got and the manager looks confused.
On our way out we only saw a few couples here and now we know why.
Save your time and money and go somewhere else

Literally don’t know where to even start.
1) the place was FREEZING! I’m really not one to complain about the temperature in restaurants, but I literally felt like I was eating outside! The bathroom had a mini space heater by the toilet, and I legitimately think it was the only source of heat in the restaurant.
2) i witnessed a customer’s chair LITERALLY break on him, and the staff did NOTHING! They didn’t even notice — a fellow diner offered a chair from his table, and helped the fallen diner up. Then the waiter came to pick up the broken pieces, and just asked the table if they needed anything else.
3) whatever I ordered — it was supposed to be an array of meats served w some sort of bread and cheese, in a red sauce, but it legitimately looked like something served at a middle school cafeteria.
4) maybe the sangria was strong, but didn’t notice Bc I had to start drinking it. It was so bitter (maybe bc they were more interested in upping the alcohol content) and almost intolerable.
5) what was the crowd. Te lounge turned into a weird 90s-​European club vibe… With dj equipment taking up most of the quasi dance floor.
In sum — had dinner w a full fledged winter coat on. Probably safe to say we won’t be coming back…

Never again!!! This is the first time coming here and it will absolutely be the last! I ordered Mexilhao a Mussels! TERRIBLE! When I went to take a bite it was frozen! The mussels where literally still frozen after the cooked it!
I ordered the RED Sangria! No way ever anyone can drink that and be ok with the taste.
The amount of alcohol in it was toooooo much.