Gabriela’s Authentic Portuguese Cuisine

It’s sad to say that this place just CLOSED, so writing a review is kind of pointless. My wife and I dined here a week before they stopped serving. We were so excited to learn that we had a Portuguese restaurant in our backyard, having recently moved to the area. At least we got to sample some of their wonderful food before they closed up. Now it’s off to the Iron-​bound whenever we crave Portuguese.

We stopped by tonight after my fiancé found there menu online and has been wanting to come for awhile. He loves seafood, so we stopped in for an early dinner after work. It was warm but not unbearable out, but he wanted to sit inside as there was a loud band playing outside for the Friday night car show. Upon walking in, there was no AC so we had to sit outside. I’m not sure if the HVAC is down or they just don’t have one.
As a vegetarian, I was excited to see not one but two options I could have. I had the stuffed vegetarian peppers which was good. My fiancé had the Mariscada Verde and was somewhat disappointed. He said the scallops were smaller bay scallops and although not bad the dish just wasn’t a home run. He was pleasantly surprised though that the lobster was a whole lobster and not just the tail. The price point was pretty decent for the meal considering this.
Service was quick and attentive and I love that they have Sangria mix you just pour your own wine into.

Oy! What can I say this place is the best in Somerville some good authentic Portuguese food chicken taste just like my home. They always have my business and I have introduced my friends to their food and everyone loves it equally such authentic flavors yummy. Obrigado Gabriela’s! Saúde

Very friendly experience… they are always very nice and accommodating… service is always very good… they have a pretty good variety of choices on the menu… nice stop… it is a BYOB…

The place is nicely decorated. It reminded me of a piece of Portugal. The food and service was great and the portions were nice. The steak I had was thick and melted in my mouth. The flan was just like home made.

Very good food. I got the steak Portgueuse style… Fair prices. BYOB but liquor store close.

I stopped in and ordered take out. It was quick and the team really friendly. I had the veggie paella which was good and ready in 10 mins. It was so hot it was steaming out of the container which was awesome. I would say the real draw was the dessert! I took my friends home the key lime pie cheesecake, the berrie tart, and the chocolate peanut butter cheesecake. They were delicious!

Good food from Southern Portugal (The Algarve). Service was prompt, ambience was authentic, menu had items familiar to me from my several visits to Lisbon. We each had an excellent salad with shrimp, strawberries and greens. Big treat, they had fruity soda, orange, passion fruit and pineapple which was a favorite of mine when in Portugal.
If you like flan, be aware that the Algarve version is a chewier less custard like than I was familiar with.

Food was over priced and very oily… have eaten at many portuguese restaurants in my life… this place is OK.

My wife and I were cruising up RT 287N when we began getting the munchies. Not really sure what we wanted to eat we randomly selected this place. What a treat! It was a beautiful day to eat al fresco. And sure enough they had tables setup outside on the sidewalk. Since this restaurant was BYOB I picked up a bottle of Rioja at a great wine shop just ½ block away. Our server was Pedro. He was courteous and very attentive. We had the chicken /​ribs combo with saffron rice and black beans. The portions were good and the food delicious. Definitely worth the visit if ever you are in the area.

This place was slow on a Friday night and we were seated right away. The service was very friendly and prompt and the food was terrific! I highly recommend this place.

Authentic Portuguese food but a bit bland. Maybe they had an off night when I was there because so many people have raved to me about their food. Seafood was overcooked and the apps were very plain. Not from this area so maybe this is great Portuguese food for the area.

Very nice décor — I love the open kitchen. Bring your own wine and they create the sangria, which was fun — we had both red and white. The soup special was yummy and my steak was very nice. Décor is very authentic Portuguese. It was drafty and a bit chilly for me.

This place needs a face lift.
The food is ok but that is it.
Nice people but I won’t go back.
The vibe is weird and the smell of burning oil gets to me.

The food is amazing. You get what you pay for here. The dishes are a bit pricey, but the portions are large enough to be split among two people. They’re not stingy with their meats, which is always a good thing.
The food restaurant is a bit small and cozy, but in a good way. I ordered the alentajana and absolutely loved it. Everyone in my party really enjoyed their meals. I would highly recommend this place.

I’ve eaten at Gabriela’s several times, and usually I’m pretty happy. A few pointers:
— I’ve been disappointed with their specials in the past. I’ve had better luck with their standard menu entrees.
— BYOB of wine and order their sangria… delicious.
— The BBQ is on-​point.

I have eaten at Gabriela’s many times (and at the owners’ former restaurant in Flemington which was also phenomenal). The food is excellent and the service is great!
I want to specifically call out that I recently placed a catering order for my close friends’ bridal shower. Wow, I was impressed. From the level of service on my first phone call to when I had picked up the food and it was ready early for me, Jennifer and Gabriela went above and beyond my expectations. Jennifer helped me ensure I had the right quantity and that it was appropriate for our event. When I picked it up, it was nicely packaged and they threw in extra food for free! The food turned out excellent and all the guests were very impressed with the spread! We had ordered a salad with goat cheese and had a few pregnant attendees so Gabriela’s accordingly adjusted with no issue (we got feta instead).
I was stressed about planning the event, but Gabriela’s put my mind at ease and literally made the experience flawless. I highly recommend Gabriela’s for any catering need — birthdays, tailgating or other events would be made more successful with catering from Gabriela’s!!!

This is one of those small family owned restaurants you hope you wander into.
Gabriella’s is a small Portguese bistro in Somerville, NJ. It’s BYOB.
Elegant in a simple understated way, they offer many home cooked Portuguese dishes. I’ve tried quite a few and all have been excellent.
The service is friendly, helpful and on the spot.
The icing (literally) on the cake is the owner (the mother) makes a couple of homemade desserts each night. Having been all over the world and in some of the finest restaurants, I am not overstating when I say the home made desserts are among the best I’ve ever had.
If you like supporting single owner establishments (vs. the big chains) this is one that definitely deserves your patronage.

Coworkers: Sonia… You decide on lunch today.
Me: (Quickly searches Unilocal)…Okay…No problem.
My friends always tell me that I choose the best places to eat and I’m not going to lie… It’s definitely true, but I couldn’t do it without the help of my fellow Unilocalers. I almost hesitated visiting Gabriela’s when I saw the 3 star rating, but I’ve come to realize, you can’t always judge a spot based on the amount of stars, unless every review is negative!
My coworkers and I walked in and we were immediately greeted by the cook, which happens to be Gabriela’s mother. When I saw her put on her apron, I knew we would be in for some delicious authentic Portuguese food. Momma always knows best!
When you walk in, you can’t help but to notice that the kitchen is actually located in the front and the dining area is located in the back. It’s unusual, but I actually loved it. The cooking area is open, which allows you to see your food being prepared. I fell in love with the decorations and design of the restaurant. It takes you to Portugal and it brought back good memories.
Gabriela was our waitress and she was a sweetheart. Service was amazing. As more and more people came in, I couldn’t help but notice she was the only waitress. She did an awesome job at keeping up with everyone, but I felt bad for her. It’s not an easy job. I ordered the shrimp with garlic sauce from the lunch menu and it was divine! You could see the pieces of garlic on the shrimp. My coworkers loved their food as well. I posted photos of our meals.
We’ll be back shortly. It’s a must go to spot!

First time trying Portuguese food — met expectations but did not exceed. OK service, had to ask a couple of times for water refills and the check.
Forgot exact names but ordered:
–shrimp and sausage appetizer was too oily to finish.
–camerons recheados (jumbo shrimp cakes) tastes like standard crabcakes so nothing really new here.
–chicken marsala like entrée with really tender chicken and the sauce complemented well with the rice side.
–Portuguese marshmallow tarts cake with graham crumbles and caramel, yummy but too sickly sweet. Interesting texture though.
This establishment is good enough to justify its place as its own ethnic spot on Somerville main, but not enough to warrant a second trip.