The best Spanish food in New Jersey is found in a Newark restaurant so famous it’s a local legend.
While tapas bars are still all the rage, it seems like traditional Spanish restaurants where you can get a full meal aren’t as common as they used to be unless, of course, you live in Newark. That’s where you’ll find The Ironbound, an old-school, blue-collar neighborhood heavily built by Spanish and Portuguese immigrants. This place is a hub for the best Spanish food in New Jersey, and picking just one gem here is a challenge. Still, if there’s one that fans of Spanish food seek out from around the country, it would have to be Fornos of Spain. A stately old-school restaurant with a beautiful exterior and an extensive menu, it’s been serving Spanish classics since 1980 and its reviews indicate it’s just as good as ever. This is a perfect place for a big family reunion dinner or a special event, and the classic and homey vibe means every time you enter, it’ll feel like coming home.
t feels like you can’t walk 10 feet in the Ironbound without discovering somewhere amazing to eat. The neighborhood is packed with Spanish and Portuguese restaurants, including some of the state’s best all-you-can-eat Brazilian steakhouses.
Fornos of Spain may be the best all-around restaurant in the Ironbound, with a 4.6 rating out of five from over 4,000 reviews on Google. The restaurant’s impressive menu features a large tapas selection to start and a great choice of seafood-forward entrees.
There’s no better way to have a meal here than to share a paella with the table, though. These massive dishes of rice, sausage, chicken, and seafood are a Spanish specialty. They come in eight varieties, including the classic, two seafood versions, a chicken version, a spicy version, one made with squid ink, one made with pasta, and even a vegetarian version.
Have you dined at Fornos of Spain in the Ironbound? If you haven’t tried the best Spanish food in New Jersey, tell a friend and split a paella! You can see the full menu on the Fornos of Spain website, and the Fornos of Spain Facebook page will let you know about upcoming special events. Newark is a hub for amazing old-school restaurants. Did you know Newark is home to one of the oldest airports in the United States, too? If you need a place to stay in the area after a late dinner, the Elements Harrison-Newark is a highly-rated local hotel right near a train station.