Iberia Peninsula

I am a Newark resident, born and raised. I am extremely disappointed in the Paella I bought from Iberia’s on February 2, 2016. I have never had a worst experience from any of the restaurants on Ferry street. It’s Time for this place to close their doors if the food is going to taste like this. The seafood tasted canned not even frozen much less fresh. Yuck never again Iberia you have just lost one customer.

I’ve eating at this restaurant for years, since the 80’s and the place was always busy. You had to wait for a good amount of time to be seated. But it was well worth the wait. Recently, I have returned and noticed a drastic change to both the menu, the price and the ambiance.
Not saying that prices remain the same, but it is pricier than before. An example is the garlic shrimp appetizer. They charge $ 12 for such a small serving that you can’t even share it like the old days. The shrimp is the smallest size you can buy in the market. The main dish of paella for two was decent for the price ($ 46.00), it comes with a split 1lb lobster, clams and muscles, but good luck finding the scallops as they are ridiculous small compare to years ago.
The Chilean Seabass was good and filling as well as the surf and turf dinners.
The restaurant was not busy and it was around seven. The service was not up to par for the cost of the meal. More than once the servers were called over to refresh drinks and at times forgot a drink order.
The total price for a family of four was $ 165 without alcoholic drinks.
I understand times change, but I realized why the line to get in no longer exists, it’s A little pricey for a family restaurant.

A coworker and I came here via a recommendation from a hotel staff member by the airport. Its a distance! If your able to go early and walk around. Lots of little shops and stores to browse and buy. The portions are generous so consider sharing a meal so you can room for desert and coffee. We unfortunately were so full we missed out.

When your Portuguese/​Spanish restaurant is located directly between two others, you had better be outstanding. Iberia Peninsula is not. The dining room is nice and the service was okay. We ordered from the lunch menu. The chicken breast was perfectly cooked and tasted great. The roast pork was good as well. The Paella à Valenciana was the big disappointment. Old, tired seafood was used. The shrimp were rubbery and the lobster was dry and tasteless while the chicken pieces tasted very fresh. I would normally give a place like this another try but why bother when there are so many other restaurants within walking distance that are serving similar food.

Whereas I always enjoy the food here I tend to find the service lacking when I come alone t dine. Every so often I get off a plane in time to come here for dinner. When I bring friends service is attentive. By myself not so much.
They brought no water and no bread. While eating the Rodizio the server kept trying to bring different meat knowing full well I hadn’t had time to eat what was on my plate and with no room tried to stack it up.
I have been coming down neck all my life and do not appreciate being treated like a transient tourist.

I went in a party of 4 my skirt steak without a doubt was the best meal among ribeye and tuna. Service very good.

The food was delicious. Three of us ordered the clams, shrimp and scallops with linguine. Sooo fresh tasting. My husband had the paella with seafood, chicken and sausage. There were only 3 sausage pieces and a couple of chicken thighs in the dish, but great tasting none the less. Sangria was great!
The service was not very good. We went at 11:30 am mid week and there was only one other table occupied. The server forgot to bring water and doubled up on a take-​out order. When we asked for it «to go», he thought we said «TWO to go». Oh well.

Wow I actually had a 8lb lobster. What else can I say. I was in heaven. The food is amazing but def go here for LOBSTER. The funny thing is that they bring it out for you to see before they steam it. Its pretty funny to see your meal on a plate alive then poof in your mouth 20 min later. Amazing

Three of us went there on Saturday July 4^th. The place was empty so we were seated without a problem. Two of the party ordered a veal dish and I ordered the radizio. The veal was cooked just right and those plates were devoured. The radizio gave a great assortment of beef, chicken, turkey, sausage, pork and ribs. The radizio was done well with a nice assortment of flavors, but I found the ribs too dry for my liking. I asked for more filet mignon wrapped in bacon and finished the meal with a very sweet pineapple with cinnamon crust.
The service was outstanding, but seeing as few tables were in use it’s hard to guage what would be if it were crowded.
The total cost was reasonable for the amount of food that was served. Definitely would go back to try other items.

AMAZING SERVICE AND FOOD.
Yes I know 5 Stars some ask… yes indeed– I have been here twice both during crazy thunderstorms and insane weather and I am not sure if its the romance of the rain, sangria and delicious food or my amazing husband that makes this restaurant so enjoyable– he knows that sometimes you just need to be spoiled with an incredible, attentive service staff and over the top delicious food– either way its a win win.
6÷19÷15− we picked our son and his beautiful girlfriend up at Newark Airport on their return trip from the DR– not wanting to deal with the «shore» traffic we were just gonna have something to tie us over but Hubby said Iberia?! Hell ya! kids had never been so this was a new experience in food for them.
Double lobster tail for hubby and Peninsula steak for son I had the garlic shrimp and GF had seafood with a whole lobster– everyone enjoyed the food, the bread is soft and steamy inside, the rice fluffy and flavorful, the seafood has just enough seasoning that didn’t over power sweet tasty lobster and shrimp just garlicky enough but you cant hold back you have to dunk the bread int eh tasty sauce… No room for dessert
Treat yourself to a really wonderful restaurant…

Nice authentic place. Packed on a Saturday night. Used to be better but service and quality of food has gone down. Goat stew was good. Tilapia was ok.
They got the order wrong. Just not what it used to be. Maybe try Fornos across the street.

Went there for lunch during the holiday weekend. Great Seafood but the meat and the a lot to be desired. the meat itself had no taste. the yellow rice, No taste. I do not normally add salt and pepper to meals but this time I needed too. the tropical salad looked great but placing fruit on lettuce? where is the salt vinegar and olive oil? I should not have to add this myself.

NEVER EVER AGAIN IBERIA! !! I’m sorry I hate giving bad reviews but I really feel that when it comes to safety and health I can’t not spread the word. I had the shrimp and garlic last night and got food poisoning. This was serious, it wasn’t a funny scene out of bridesmaids. First thing I should have noticed was the food was out in about 4 minutes, I waited longer for my sangria to be poured. Second, I thought it was strange I kept picking shrimp shells out of my food and once or twice biting into a piece that tasted like iodine. I was grossed out and I only ate a small amount of my dinner, but it was enough to make me sick. I had the chills, fever, headache, dizzy when walking, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, difficulty speaking and making sentences. Then came the vomiting (til all i had left was bloody foam coming up) and the numbness in the arms and legs (I think was the scariest part). It can happen anywhere, but shouldn’t. Mine came from shell fish poisoning because they weren’t cleaned well enough before being prepared and the shrimp had eaten bad allege. It could have been avoided!
$ 88.00 on diner
$ 200.00 ER visit copay
MDW ruine=
$ 288.00 and a very pissed off me.
Vomiting up blood … I should sue but I’ll settle for calling the health department!!!

Save your money. There so many other options in Newark to eat.
Don Pepe’s is my favorite. My wife wanted to try something different tonight, so we came here.
Everything was fine up until the entrée. My mother and daughter ordered the rodizio. They bombed them with chicken and sausage. Where’s the beef? When the steak came, it was grizzly. All the food came at once and not much variety. Poor choice.
My mother-​in-​law order to seafood pasta. Some empty clam shells and a few shrimp sprinkled on top of a pound of pasta. Disappointing.
My wife ordered the seafood combination. Okay at best.
My son got to twin lobster tails they were decent.
I got the octopus. Good, but not great.
Service was fair.
Go someplace else and feel good about your meal and how you spent your money.
Rich

Once a favorite destination of suburbanites such as myself, who would trek into the heart of «scary» Newark to partake in the wonder of Portuguese grilled meats, fish, and sangria, Iberia, and the Ironbound as a whole, has started its long slow descent into mediocrity.
My fiancée had never been to dine at the splendor that is the Ironbound. She was taking a train from Philly to Penn Station, so I was so excited to give her a great dinner at a classic spot. Sigh!
First of all, the Ironbound as a whole was dead. It was Saturday night at 8:30, and there was plenty of parking and no wait… Warning…Warning! I remember when Ferry Street was bumper to bumper on Saturday Night. Not now!
We walked into Iberia, expecting to have to wait, and half of the tables were empty. Our waiter brought us menus, and then came back to take our order about 20 minutes later (I was getting a little concerned when the guy at the table next to us grabbed a food-​runner and said loudly «get my waiter, I’ve been waiting for a half hour for him to take my money!).
I ordered a steak and shrimp special, medium rare. My fiancée asked for the lobster special that was advertised in a large full page ad on the menu. «We don’t have that». Hmmm. «Instead you can get the stuffed whole lobster» Wait… you can’t make a fresh steamed lobster but you can make a whole stuffed lobster… We must have been in a daze, how did we not see the problem with that. Anyway, sure enough our food came out in about 4 minutes. I like timely service as much as the next guy, but that seems a bit odd for fresh food. My steak was a solid grey mass akin to the black rubber matting on the floor of my gym. I told my waiter it was supposed to be medium rare, not well well well done. He took my plate without a word or apology or «I’ll get you a new one» or anything, just took my plate walked away, and returned with another one 3 minutes later… can you say… precooked food? This one was slightly on the more done side of medium, but I’m not sending it back again, and it was edible. Her lobster was also precooked (obviously, 4 minute wait time). The meat was rubbery, and the crab stuffing dry.
To top it all off, she ordered a diet coke and it tasted like seltzer with a hint of brown food coloring.
I used to love the rodizio and would recommend Iberia to everyone… Never again. With the spread of ethnic cuisine around the country, you don’t have to go to Newark anymore. There are better Churrascarias in the City or even Kearny.

Old world Portuguese at its best. Saturday night for family birthday party. Food is fantastic. Chicken and frog legs in garlic. Omg seafood platter was also amazing. Service is professional and friendly. Will definitely be back here

I’ve been here several times over the years and the food is just consistently bland. This includes the paella, which really should be a star dish at a place like this. On my most recent visit I got a rodizio platter special. The rice was unseasoned. The fries were frozen. The meat was overcooked and dry. At one point, I thought the ribs and I were playing tug of war.
They somewhat compensate for the ‘meh’ food quality in the following areas:
–Portion sizes. Enormous. You won’t leave hungry.
–Reasonable prices.
–Validated parking (and probably the only place in the Ironbound I can think of that even offers parking).
–Ambience. Old school with waiters running around in bow ties.
–Outstanding sangria (by the pitcher or glass). Reminds me the Tinto Verano I used to drink out of the liter bottle in Spain.

Where has the time gone? Eighteen years ago I met my awesome nephew for the first time and nervously held him in my arm. He was a healthy, bouncy newborn. Now he’s a man that’s going to college soon and driving a fast set of wheels. Looking back on all the years the nostalgia gets me and I knew that celebrating his 18^th birthday would have to be something special so Iberia Peninsula was going to have the honor of holding that celebration. I have to give all credit to my sister because she was the one that brought up the idea in the first place and I took but less than a millisecond to agree. When I visited Iberia for the first time I was so impressed with the food, ambiance, and service that I had no doubt that it would be a great spot to have a birthday dinner. And I have to honestly say Iberia more than met those expectations.
There’s definitely a distinct and rich Spanish-​Portuguese ambiance to Iberia. It’s intimate, sophisticated, and casual all at the same time. I feel like the customers are treated like family more than patrons. This attitude of making the customers comfortable starts from the beginning. As soon as you sit down you get a bread basket and salad to whet your appetite. My family got multiple pitchers of sangria (I don’t even remember how many we ordered by the end of the night) because of how delicious they make them. It’s definitely a closely guarded secret of sangria goodness and definitely a must-​try when you’re there. On previous visits I’ve had a taste of their appetizers and it’s so delicious. For this particular outing though we bypassed the apps and went directly to the entrée. We ordered a variety galore and there was so much food on the table every inch was filled. The Parrilhada de mariscos itself was incredible. It’s basically a huge platter of seafood (see photo) and you have to see it to believe it! Everything in that dish was fresh and just delicious. The Bife a Iberia Peninsula was perfectly cooked and the two eggs over easy on top of the steak broke open to reveal a beautiful golden yolk that cascaded over the meat. Their Paella Valenciana is served on a kitchen pot and the rice is cooked with a lot of flavor, but not so strong as to overpower the seafood and chorizo mixed in. It’s one of the best paella I have yet tried. The stuffed flounder was cooked perfectly and the stuffing was in no way mushy but had such a delicate texture. There were other dishes that we ordered I could write for hours more to mention how good they were. There was the chicken, steak, and shrimp combo, surf and turf, chicken in garlic sauce, salmon steak, etc. Like I said every inch of the table was filled with food! My family practically brought home enough left overs that would last for a couple more meals the next day. Iberia is certainly generous with their portions. We didn’t bother ordering from the dessert menu because of the cake that we brought along with us. The waiters got it ready, put some candles on it, sang Happy Birthday to my nephew and sliced it table-​side. It was a great finish to a wonderful meal.
I had wanted my nephew to have a great birthday celebration and hoped that Iberia Peninsula would deliver. I can say with absolutely certainty that on that particular night they hit it out of the park which made the event even more memorable. Thanks again Iberia!

Came with family for Sunday lunch. We were promptly seated and the servers were courteous and timely.
Ribeye steak 24 oz– Amazing! The 24 oz did NOT include bone, much to my surprise. It was done medium and nicely accomplished. Taste was meaty in the middle and smokey towards the edge. Lower $ 20’s
Family ordered:
Rodizio — Priced nicely at lower $ 20’s. Cheaper items (chicken, sausage) arrived first so if you want, ask for the beef and steaks.
I would come again for a special occasion.

I came here after eating dinner at the restaurant across the street. We decided to do dessert and drinks here in the outdoor seating area. First off, you can smoke outside at their tables which made my night! I ordered tiramisu, my friend ordered the Crème brûlée, and my other ordered the tres leche cake. We all tasted each other desserts and the tiramisu was the best, which was surprising considering we are at a Portuguese restaurant not an italian one. The tres leche cake was good, you can tell that the cake was a homemade cake not a cake made with a mix but I felt it needed to be soaked more. Since the cake was homemade it was a dryer cake and absorbed a lot of the milk. I did not like the Crème brûlée too much.
We ordered a large pitcher of white sangria that was very strong. The live music started to play and I was in heaven and forgot about our so so desserts.
They also had someone walking around selling flowers and taking pictures for $ 5.00. I got my $ 5.00 group shot. It was a really nice touch to the evening.
I didn’t order dinner here but the good that was coming out looked amazing. It had a great atmosphere. I will definitely return.