VALENCA, Elizabeth - Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number

Is this a Spanish restaurant?

Yes

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PRICE RANGE

$15.00 – $25.00

CUISINES

Seafood, European, Spanish, Portuguese

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly, Gluten Free Options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Late Night

FEATURES

Takeout, Reservations, Private Dining, Seating, Parking Available, Valet Parking, Television, Highchairs Available, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service

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4.5

573 reviews

Excellent

349

Very good

149

Average

38

Poor

15

Terrible

22

Aisha202

New York City19 contributions

DELICIOUS!

Jan 2020 • friends

Came here twice for Girl's Night and we will continue to come back. The peach sangria was amazing!! I had grilled stuffed lobster tails and my friend had the whole lobster with crabmeat stuffing on the side. Appetizer was clams in garlic and white wine sauce (which they have us some extra sauce to go). The wait staff was very friendly & helpful. It gets pretty crowded on Friday and Saturday nights so grab a pitcher of sangria (peach) while you wait for your table. A pitcher is $27 BUT, you'll get 7 or 8 glasses.

Written January 4, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Joanne L

Marlboro1046 contributions

The meals on stones are always

Jan 2020 • none

The meals on stones are always perfect. The lamb chop meal had 8 baby lamb chops! The filet one has 2 large filets and the filet and shrimp has one large filet and two giant prawns. It’s always crowded and parking is pretty hard. But it’s worth it!!

Written January 1, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

spacecdt

Park City32 contributions

Great Seafood

Feb 2020 • none

Paella, seafood in a copper pot and lots of amazing appetizers to share. We had a great experience. Didn't try it but the flaming sausage appetizer looked amazing. Room gets a little smokey when diners cook meat on the hot stone.

Written February 28, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Shelinda Lewis

4 contributions

Burnt Stuff Lobster

Jan 2022 • couples

I couldn’t believe they burnt the lobster to a crisp and when I complained the waiter had the audacity to tell me that he was surprised that I didn’t like the lobster that way because most of his customers enjoy their lobster burnt that way. To tell you that I was flabbergasted beyond the point of no return would be an understatement. My husband encourage me not to continue with the conversation and instead write this review. The stuffing for the lobster was with crab meat and the crab meat was either imitation or very old crap meat, because it certainly wasn’t crab! The meal was a disaster! I packed it to go and disposed of it in the garbage. They couldn’t care less and instead of saying let me get you another lobster I was told “oh I’m so sorry”. I was the one who was sorry! Sorry for taking my friend advice to visit this restaurant for great seafood 🦞!

Written January 28, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rita S

1 contribution

Horrible service and food

Apr 2022 • none

Service was truly horrific. Waiter, Alex, barely came around our table. When we requested a soda from another worker, we were told to wait for our server. We requested the soda five times and no one served us. When he finally came to our table, about 40 minutes later, we asked for the soda again and it took another 15 minutes to get it. The food was horrible as well. For anyone who truly appreciates good Portuguese food, this is definitely not the place for you. The fish was dry and the meats were undercooked. The entrees were served one hour and ten minutes after our arrival. The desserts also tasted as if they were done weeks ago and the espresso was burnt. Cost was exorbitant for the quality of food and service. Will never recommend this restaurant to anyone.

Written April 3, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

esor

32 contributions

Terrible Frozen Food, Terrible Service Watered down drinks. Go Elsewhere!

Jul 2023 • family

We went here because we had family members and friends who said this restaurant was great! I don't know if we went on an off night or if my family members like to eat horrible food. We had two appetizers to start the garlic shrimp and the fried calamari. The shrimp we believe was frozen shrimp. Frozen then defrosted then frozen again and then served to us. You could barely taste any garlic. It was definitely not the traditional garlic shrimp recipe I have had at other Portuguese restaurants. We ordered a T-bone steak for an entree it lacked flavor and was not cooked properly. The fried calamari was over cooked and hard. Service was not good at all, the waiter was kind but, was not available and we waited a very long time to get drinks, order our food and took long to order our dessert. We had to remind him that we ordered coffee. One of my family members ordered cappuccino, it was more like coffee with whip cream. We ordered flan for dessert which was a cake soaked in a watered down caramel sauce. We took two bites and stopped eating. For the money you are going to spend go elsewhere. This restaurant may have been good at one time, I really can't say. They should lessen their menu and focus on making a few good items. That may help them to become a better restaurant. This is to me a fast food restaurant with an expensive priced menu. The Sangria was also watered down. Didn't even taste any alcohol. I would have complained while I was there. But we were celebrating a birthday and didn't want to ruin my family member's evening or celebration.

Written July 24, 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bohdan H

St. Augustine41 contributions

Very Nice Menu Very Limited Wine by the Glass

Aug 2022 • none

We had dinner in the dining room (Bar area beyond crowded), food was very good, service very good, Decore very good and wine by the glass selection was terrible. We like to have wine with our dinner, my wife prefers white, and I like red. The selection by the glass is super limited making the dining experience incomplete. Ordering two bottles of wine (red and white) was way too much, for this reason we won't be back.

Written September 13, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

AthensBoy

50 contributions

Tantalizing Portuguese cuisine topped off with a serenade

Jul 2022 • family

Sad that our favorite Portuguese restaurant in the Newark area went out of business, we were pleasantly surprised to find Valença which offered even better food and a wonderful experience. Classy ambiance with a very Portuguese vibe (waiters all in black). We weren’t able to order everything we wanted since there were only two of us, but we enjoyed our usual: carne de porco à Alentejana, polbo à feira, and a delicious steak with a garlic, onion rosemary essence. Love how salad and Portuguese bread are served before you order. And to top it all we were serenaded with an Italian polka. Very lucky to get in without reservations on a Friday night after a long flight from Spain! Recommend reservations!

Written July 27, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sean M

3 contributions

Take out!!! WHY WOULD YOU BOTHER?

Dec 2022 • none

Celebrating a special birthday, we decided to get "take out" as we couldn't eat out due to family circumstances. Order was nearly $100.00 for two people from this place including steak and lobster tail and various other items. When we got home 7 mins from picking up the starters and soup were cold, the calamari and mozzarella sticks were also cold and tasted terrible straight into the garbage. My wife ordered a steak WELL DONE as you can see from the pictures this is not a well done steak by any means, texture was dreadful. Taste was okay if you like medium rare. How can you not cook a steak to well done, its easier not to mess this up. I ordered the fish stuffed with crab, this was edible however the potatoes were not real mashed potatoes unless you are trying to go for that fake mash taste. Star of the dinner for me was the broccoli. steamed to perfection Will I be back? Just finished the deserts nothing positive. YUK

Written December 3, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

twhitefish

Tijeras350 contributions

Amazing restaurant!

Aug 2022 • solo

Went there based on Trip advisor. I was shocked and thrilled once I saw the building and went inside. The decor is great and spacious. I was alone so I sat at the bar. As the evening went on it was one of the busiest restaurants and bars I have seen in years. The menu is very extensive with delicious options. I was impressed they set up my place setting and placed bread and salad ready to eat. I ordered the Clams and Portuguese sausage which were amazing! For my main course I ordered the Hot Stone Filet and Lobster. If came with rice and chips. It was a very nice cut of meat and nice lobster. Everything was perfect and delicious. The bartenders were slammed but still acknowledged my presence. Definitely will go back next time I am at a hotel by Newark airport.

Written August 18, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Adam M

Middletown238 contributions

Very cool experience

Mar 2023 • business

First time coming here. Was for a business trip dinner. Recommended I get the hot stone, so I did with a sirloin steak. We also got a few sausages for appetizers. The hot stone was very cool. Never experienced that before, so was a very unique experience. Food was pretty good. Steak came with a garlic butter to cook the steak with on the hot stone. Also came with a generic seasoned rice and some kind of chips, might have been sweet potato. Service was quite good. Huge dessert menu. The tres leches cake was super tasty. Would definitely come back here if I ever return for business.

Written March 15, 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

eva s

1 contribution

Bad service

Feb 2024 • family

We had a bad service it took the waiter 40 min to order our food after we had our appetizer. They never wrote it down they try to memorize the order. My husband ordered ribeye steak well done since was Portuguese style they put egg on top of the steak. He asked if the egg yoke could be cook well done like the steak. After 45 min our food arrived my husband’s steak was medium cooked the blood was all over the plate around the steak. Non of the waiter came to our table and asked us how is everything regarding the food. So we finally called the waiter and explained to him about my husband meal. Since this was his birthday dinner we try to let him enjoy it but turned out the opposite. Hopefully in the future nobody will experience this type of service like we did

Written February 4, 2024

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

laura

1 contribution

Get the prawns. You don’t need anything else!

Jun 2021 • solo

I ordered the prawns which were HUGE! Came with the best sauce, rice, homemade potato chips and a huge bowl of delicious salad. Such a great value. My waiter was great at the start of the meal, but I had to have someone else get my check. My meal was amazing, and looking around at everyone else’s, seemed to be the same. I was torn between so many options, and narrowed it down to the prawns and lamb chops. Someone sitting near me ordered the lamb chops and said they were just ok.

Written June 29, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jalynn74

Glasgow193 contributions

Delicious!

Feb 2020 • none

The food was absolutely delicious. I had the shrimp scampi and it was so full of flavor. My husband had the stuffed lobster and he loved his as well. The service was awesome and the atmosphere was nice. I only wish I lived closer so I could go again!!

Written February 10, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Greg

Reno11 contributions

Taste Buds Rejoice

Nov 2023 • solo

Alicia at the Hilton Hampton Inn recommended I try this restaurant for dinner—-my first experience enjoying Portuguese cuisine. Curbside, I expected something spectacular! Service was exceptional. The clams in garlic sauce, crab cakes n crepes for dessert simply had my taste buds rejoicing! If there were 6 stars this restaurant would get that sixth star. Nothing short of simply a great dining experience with exceptional staff to exquisite food!

Written November 11, 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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