This Neighborhood in New Jersey Has Some of the Best Portuguese Food in the Country
On a typical pre-pandemic morning in Newark, New Jersey’s Ironbound neighborhood, you might have noticed lines of people outside of one of the many shops that dot the area, waiting for their galão — a Portuguese coffee similar to a cappuccino — while futebol plays on the television perched inside the store. Accompanying that morning coffee for many is a pastéis de nata (an egg custard tart), and the friendly chatter of locals of all stripes: matriarchs who’ve lived in the neighborhood since the ‘60s, business people who work at the nearby Prudential Center, the guy who works at the jewelry store across the street. Conversations often aren’t in English, but Spanish or Portuguese.