Mar Belo Portuguese Restaurant

For delicious Portuguese cuisine, trust a town full of actual Brazilians and book your reservation at Mar Belo, conveniently located on the main Broadway drag in Long Branch. This 2024 Open Table Diner’s Choice winner uses sustainable ingredients sourced locally (along with key items imported from Portugal and Spain) to bring the dishes of their heritage to the Jersey Shore.

Take a seat in the upscale dining room or on the breezy, spacious back patio and order one of their sweet Sangrias—we like the half-pitcher of delicate White Sangria for $18. Or choose from the wide selection of Portuguese and Spanish white wines, redolent of peach, lemon, and tangerine with floral hints. They also have an impressive range of Portuguese reds, from Ripanco to Quinta da Romaneira.

Sip your wine and peruse the menu while waiters in black Polo shirts bring out dishes of tiny olives and crusty bread with herb butter to whet your appetite. Hang on to a heel of that crusty bread because you’re going to want to drag it through the addictively hot garlic sauce of the shrimpy Camarão à Guilho appetizer, a must-try.

If you want a well-cooked steak or a duck breast or even a grilled double cut pork chop, you can get that here. But Mar Belo is all about the seafood: it’s right there in the name. So go native and try the ubiquitous Bolos de Bacalhau, the salt cod fritters with pepper coulis you’ll find in every Portuguese restaurant ever opened. You won’t regret it. For that matter, the Fried Calamari and Mussels are great, too.

But for a real winner, order the Ameijoas à Bulhão Pato, clams in olive oil, garlic, cilantro, and white wine. They arrive to table served in a rustic iron bowl with handles and the whole effect is a hot 10 on the Charm-o-meter.

As the fake fireplace crackled, families and couples in the crowded dining room tucked into platters of perfectly cooked seafood. We were fascinated by a dish served up at an adjacent table: hanging from a silver hook were grilled bites of steak and chourico, cuddled close to bright red jumbo shrimps. They call it Shish Kebab on the menu, but it sure isn’t something you’ll find at any food truck. Instead, it’s elevated to an entire new level of food architecture.

That’s the way they do it at Mar Belo. Spanish meatballs arrive in a tomato and chourico sauce, sardines are pan fried with cherry tomatoes, Polvo à Espanhola finds grilled baby octopus in olive oil, lemon, and garlic. (Sorry, but I don’t do octopus anymore, after that documentary. They’re too smart to eat).

A mélange of lobster, shrimp, scallops, mussels, calamari, and clams can be ordered multiple ways. You can get an entire grilled Bronzino, as well as several different styles of Paelha to get a true taste of Spain. Shrimp can be made Fra Diavolo or Matoshinhos style, in the shell with spicy garlic sauce, served with Spanish potatoes and vegetables.

But for us, it’s always going to be that lobster special. I don’t know the person who can eat two 1 ¼ lb. lobsters in a single setting—and it’s not me—so that’s always going to be shared. Every time we’ve ordered it, the lobsters arrive cooked perfectly, without the slightest rubbery texture. That, my friend, is an art form at work.

Finishing a shared serving of ricotta cheesecake as the joint filled up, we made our escape. The whole bill at our last dinner for two was $107, before the tip. Not too precious for a romantic, delicious lobster dinner with your bae, is it? Get in here before the secret gets out.

Mar Belo
611 Broadway
Long Branch, NJ 07740
732-870-2222
https://www.marbelorestaurant.com/
Open Tuesday–Thursday 11:30 am-10 pm
Friday–Saturday 11:30 am-11 pm
Sunday 12-9 pm

Save a Few Clams

Head to Mar Belo on Thursdays for Lobster Night! Dine in style with twin 1 ¼ lb. lobsters, broiled or steamed with patatas bravas for just $39.99. That’s TWO lobsters per entrée; ask your server if you’d like to share with your dining companion; with the addition of a couple of apps, it makes for a great romantic dinner on a budget.