Avenue Bar & Grill

I think everyone who has previously reviewed this restaurant works there.
I stopped in because of the hidden gem reviews I saw posted. I overlooked the 1970s cafeteria décor because of the reviews. I pressed on with ordering from the limited and pricey menu because of the reviews.
I ordered a whole bass, with broccoli rabe and potatoes. The potatoes were served skinless and had zero flavor, crumbly cardboard springs to mind. I had to pick like 50 pin bones out of my fish… Every bite was terrifying. The flavor of the fish wasn’t terrible but there were no redeeming qualities either.
My lady friend ordered a pork cutlet dish, I don’t remember the menu description but here is what appeared before her. Very thin pork cutlets in a sauce that defies description. It was strongly flavored in all the wrong ways. I can better describe what it wasn’t: tangy, smokey, sweet, spicy. It came with potato chips (wtf), rice, and an egg.
The rice and egg combination was good as was the olive selection provided with the bread before the meal.
The rest of the meal was terrible and expensive.
Do not go here. If you do for some reason, listen to the voice in your head that is screaming at you to leave from the second you walk in the door and hit the duchess up the street instead.

Overall 5 star experience! The staff is extremely friendly and welcoming. I had asked for sangria and the owner was sadden that he didn’t have it so he opened two bottles of white and poured ½ a glass each allowing me choose the one I liked best. The atmospheres offers culture with a home like feel! My date and I had steak on stone which was excellent with a large side of homemade chips and Broccoli Rob portions are large and filling. Will definitely go back and tell friends.

The best overall restaurant experience I’ve had in a long time and it was all due to the charming and gracious owner Carlos who welcomed us like family. He loves pleasing his customers and truly enjoys being in the restaurant business. I feel like the other reviewers and don’t want the secret to get out but after our experience last night I want to make his place so busy to see him even happier. He deserves it.
This was our first time there. We love Portuguese food and good authentic restaurants are hard to find. It was remarkably clean and we noticed it right away. We sat down and since it was busy we had to wait until others were taken care of before we got attention. But we were not in a hurry and enjoyed watching the activity. When we did get attention they couldn’t do enough from pouring tastes of the house wines (loved the O3 red– their own label blend and my girl loved the white) to bringing the special Portuguese sausage (made by the owners wife) and olive plate with a unique dark white Portuguese roll I had never seen before. All of it was delicious and plentiful is an understatement.
My girlfriend was looking for a codfish dish and he suggested one and made sure to tell us that it would take time to prepare. We were enjoying the drinks and company so much, I was happy to wait. This is a place to relax and enjoy not eat and run. I wanted a steak and the cowboy (ribeye on the bone) was a special which he suggested. Both dishes were fantastic and very satisfying. Mine was served with a nice portion of sautéed broccoli raab and potato coins. Her cod was sautéed with peppers and onions and a piece of cod she couldn’t finish –potatoes too. (I finished all of mine :). It was just right. Some might think cowboy means a big slab of flintstone meat. It was not like that but a proper portion for dinner.
The menu is short and there are plenty of specials with lots of fresh fish dishes.
Then, (he knew we loved everything) he brought us house-​made specialty Portuguese cake dessert. (I think his wife made this too) Really delicious and a festive presentation.
I also had a Portuguese speciality of Anis after dinner cordial. We didn’t have coffees but watched them being made with great care by the owner’s son. Based on the aroma, I’ll bet they were good.
In short, go here if you love a warm place with no pretense and a staff that wants to make you happy. Don’t look for fancy and don’t judge the food by the bar-​like outside. Like us, you will be glad you discovered this comfortable, humble gem. You’ll find me there next Saturday for dinner. And if you are there, say hello and I’ll buy you a glass of wine! This is my new favorite place.

Went here with the wife on a date night to grab some food, found the coupon here on Unilocal.We entered on the side location into the bar and didn’t realize there was the large dining room through the other entrance. The atmosphere is nice, the staff friendly and the owner even noticed that we were new and came to explain the menu to us.
The specials that night were good, although the main menu itself is kinda short. Food took awhile to come out (codfish and a steak) but was well worth the wait. The seasonings were amazing and my wife said that it was the best Portuguese steak she has had in the US (she’s from Brazil). If you are looking for great authentic food and a good place to grab a drink, this is your place. We will definitely be back again.

WOW! Great food and really personal service. This is a classy restaurant on the inside. Don’t let the outside fool you. It’s all been recently renovated. The menu is short but totally Portuguese and the waiter has a list of the evening specials. Service was quick, portions large, and the food very tasty. The whole place is clean and orderly as a good restaurant should be. I love an ethnic restaurant where they play the music of their home country.

I almost don’t want to post a Unilocal review, because I don’t want this place to get crowded. I want to keep this hidden place on the DL, thereby saving myself a seat at the bar without a wait for what is undoubtedly the best grilled salmon I’ve ever had.
This place looks like the local Portuguese dive bar it is; we were the only patrons speaking English. But what it lacks in frills– no fancy décor or high end cocktails here– it makes up for with the fact that whoever is in the kitchen knows exactly what they are doing.

This place is a hidden gem I’ve driven by many times and never noticed, which is a shame because it was amazing. The owner is a really nice guy who had a relaxed attitude and wasn’t uptight about anything, he was helpful and didn’t rush us, which is a great start as there’s nothing worse than an owner with an attitude.
I had figured the place would be a dive bar or something based on the outside/​surrounding area, but it’s actually a clean, nicely designed restaurant and bar that’s fairly upscale.
Had some clams for an appetizer which were delicious with oil and garlic. For our main course I had the ribs and my girlfriend had the grilled bronzini which was some of the best tasting fish I’ve ever had. Both came with sides of veggies which were cooked to perfection. The owner seemingly warned me that the ribs wouldn’t have sauce of them, because apparently that’s what Americans expect, but these ribs didn’t need it at all, they were soft and had just the right amount of crunch.
The people next to us had the steak which looked incredible and was a large size as well, so that would be something I’d get next time. Prices were fair considering the sizes, $ 14 – 17 for an entrée (I ended up taking home half of it), which also came with bread and a side of cheese and olives.
To top it off, we had a nice, light Portuguese wine, which complimented the meal perfectly. My only regret is not having known of this place sooner. I’ll definitely be returning in the future.