Valenca - Elizabeth

A staple of fine dining in Elizabeth since 1989, Valença has served as the premier location for business lunches and Newark Airport layover dinners. The name refers to to Valença, Portugal, not Valencia, Spain. The menu is reflective of Portuguese, Spanish, and American/European influence. The restaurant is quite spacious, and has two entrances. On their side entrance, they offer a take-out and casual dining area, as well as a churrasqueira. The front entrance is where you 'll find the fancier, white table-cloth dining room, which is quite spacious and decorated with chandeliers. Although steak is not a widely popular dish in Portugal, Valenca is most known their 'steak on a stone ' dish. Their shrimp in garlic or their Portuguese chorizo appetizer are excellent places to start. As it 's a local Portuguese restaurant, they get their seafood from a local fish market, and you can 't go wrong with many of their seafood options. They offer a variety of Portuguese wines as well as a house-made sangria. The service is always excellent, and as expected, Valenca is arguably the best Portuguese restaurant and best choice for fine-dining in Elizabeth. They have a parking lot located directly across the street, plus street parking isn 't too hard to find in this area of North Elizabeth.

It’s one of my favorites restaurant, if is not the number one. Mr. Martinho the owner, his family and all staff are always very helpfully, friendly and besides have one of the best cuisine around, huge menu with great five star meals. Comfortable ambient it’s a plus. High recommend this great neighborhood restaurant.

2/14/2018 The food was great.. He had the seafood crock pot with a side order of calamari, the. Calamari was magnificent not gummy not hard! Cooked just right and not overly breaded (yes I tasted and kept on tasting

The food tasted amazing, the selections were diverse and abundant, the atmosphere was elegant and spacious, and the service was first-class!! We’ve been there for private dining as well as dinner parties... and this place never disappoints!!

The food at this restaurant was fantastic. It is clear that this is a popular spot among locals, who always know the best places to eat. From the salads to the coffee, everything was delicious.