Cafe Opcao

First time here. I liked the ambiance. Perfect for a good conversation over coffee.

I had the Francesinha, portuguese comfort food. I like the combination, however the sauce was too salty for my taste. The hostess was good. Had the creme brulee for dessert, it was nice.

I loved the fact that this place was open untill 10:00 pm on a sunday night. Will be back just cause its a good place to hangout.

This is a relatively new place that offers some great choices, which is where it gets the name "Opcao" (pronounced 'Ohps-ahoo') which means "Options" in Portuguese. I've been here a few times and now that it just past it's 1 year anniversary - let's get to the review:

Location: This cafe/bar/restaurant/lounge place is located on a triangular corner between Lafayette and Wilson Ave in the Ironbound section of newark. It's smack in the middle of a small-business/residential mix neighborhood with plenty of cars swinging by. Can be a bit confusing to get to using Wilson Ave or Ferry, but is a straight shot off of Lafayette coming from Route 21.

Decor: It has a very European flair to it - kind of place you'd see on the beach-areas of Portugal. Palm trees (yes, in NJ) bamboo and stone all kind work together in a very cabana like feel. It definitely gives you a smile on your face on sunny days with plenty of glass and windows. They have a few flat screens which show European soccer games when they are on as well as whatever is on the tube when they are not.

Menu: The food options are pretty broad, again laying into it's "options" theme. With an onsite cafe, bar and kitchen the menu ranges from desserts to light sandwiches to distinct Portuguese & Brazilian entrees. A few items to try are "The Francesinha", loosely translated as "The Frenchie" which is heavy but good open face sandwhich dish that combines a thin slab of beef, slice of ham and egg sitting on what we'd call texas toast covered in melted cheese while waiding in a pool of special gravy, closely guarded by Spanish Style fries. They also have specials such as roast pig, another portuguese staple better known by its name in Portuguese "Leitao". You can also grab a drink from the full bar that has a few drink specials every day or finish with a smooth espresso.

Quality: The food quality is generally good and fresh. No real complaints here. This isn't gourmet, but it isn't meant to be. Nothing to be overly impressed by but definitely good enough to enjoy.

Service: Here is where the cafe has tripped up. Although recently, they've acquired a new manager which shows promise, the cafe has had some timing issues. The waiters seem a little disorganized and poorly arranged. Although they are all very courteous, they are slow. No one will treat you badly, but you do have a chance of an incorrect order or wait very long for it to come out. I'd recommend coming here with a very loose schedule. Again, i'll update later once the new management has time to implement some new processes.

Ambiance: Very laid back and cool - just like a typical trendy European beach joint. The place has an outdoor patio that is very large and great for sunny days. The interior is calm and spacious which gives added comfort. The fact that you can have a variety of items gives it an added touch that allows you to bring any assortment of friends with any kind of hunger level. California heaters on the patio allow people to enjoy it during some cooler days. Note that parking, however, can be a pain in the butt when the place is busy ,which is more of the neighborhood's fault. They'll also be having live entertainment during the summer months, which I am interested in enjoying.

Conclusion: This place is great for lazy Sundays, long lunches or a meeting place at Happy Hour/Pre-Party time. Service needs to improve but choices are a plenty.

Pros:
Choices for any mood your in (hunger wise)
Onsite Bakery, Bar and Kitchen that allows take-out orders
Some different menu options
Outdoor Patio

Cons:
Service is slow and a little disorganized (even if courteous)
Parking

H-Cane's Final Spin:
Opcao a very different and cool place that is great for meetups with friends. You can take a casual date here or enjoy it with the family. You don't come here if you're in a rush for a quick bite, unless you make it VERY clear that you're in a hurry. The place is designed for you to enjoy the day lazily - and they wouldn't have it any other way.

Ok so i read the reviews about bad service but as i was curious about the francesinha, i decided to take a gamble.

Sunday around 3 pm we decided to stop by. Street parking, but with a little patience you'll find a spot.
Walk in, greeted by a nice girl which walked us to outside seating. A few other tables have people but mostly for drinks because it's mid afternoon.

Girl leaves as we look at the menu. 10 minutes later nobody has come to take a drink order. 15 minutes, then 20 and nobody.
My wife asks me if maybe we should say something, but at this point i'm purposely sitting back and seeing if they even realize that we are just sitting there. 25 minutes
after sitting there and nothing.

We get up and walk out. As we are walking out nobody says " thanks for coming" or " have a nice day".

As i'm walking down the street i look back and see our menus being blown around by the wind, and that same girl that greeted us seemingly looking around for us..

What a clueless restaurant.

So, management recently changed (again). I've been here a few times during the summer and am pretty impressed with the changes. Their service has changed for the better: I've noticed them come around more often, checking up on everything.

The food options have definitely improved. They've added some new items and kept some things on their menu. My favorite now has got to be their wraps - they are pretty amazing! I've had the Chicken Chipotle a couple of times and it astounds me every time. It comes with a side of fries or a side of veggies. The veggies are cooked fresh and oh so tasty! Also, try their Greek fries! AMAZING! You won't regret it!

I still recommend coming here if you want to hang out and a grab a bite to eat!

I stopped here nearly every day during my visit home. Sadly, I never tried breakfast, but for lunch, dinner, and coffee-and-dessert, this place was perfect. My nephew from New York's Greenwich Village said Cafe Opcao was just like a New York bistro, without the New York prices or snobby attitude (hey, he said it, not me...).

I heard that the place is very busy in the summertime, with the outdoor seating full of sports fans watching the outdoor TV. There also might be a larger menu available. I enjoyed the more quiet ambience I experienced. Every customer seemed to be treated as a valued friend of the business. The food was fresh and served with care.

A very good place in every way. The only drawback I can see is that parking will be difficult. If you are prepared to walk a little bit to get to Cafe Opcao, you will be rewarded!

The staff here do not know their menu and couldn't get a simple steak sandwich right.. They took my plate back 3 times and STILL didn't get it right.. Steak wrap with lett, tom, mayo on bread instead of wrap.. Made 14 diff variations of a chipotle wrap/sandwich after i repeated it multiple times.. I'm only a party of one.. Imagine a large order.. Unreal!!

Place now called The Patio

I happen to live in the neigborhood and stopped in several weeks ago to get a cup of coffee to go. Expecting sb prices I was pleasently surprised to get money back. The coffee was outstanding. I went by there this past friday, it was the first nice weather day of the year. Sitting outside, having a bite to eat and enjoying my coffee, you would never guess that this was Newark NJ. I cant wait until weather breaks to come check out the action that I am told is one of the best scenes in New Jersey.

I don't know why I'm here for the second time I tried giving them a second shot but never again. They can't mix drinks for nothing there sangria is pure water. The food isn't great terrible presentation. No wonder the place is half empty when i came here. I don't not recommended this place at all. My drink went back 3 times scarred wether something was done to it. Staff is rude and not attentive. Doesn't even deserve 1 star

I was a regular last summer. Great vibe at night: young crowd, sangria, hooka. This summer? The service took a nose dive for the worst!!!! The place was basically empty and my waitress still to took forever to bring us a menu. Then she took forever to come take the order. Then she took forever to being the one pitcher of sangria (to start). Then she never came back. Had to flag someone down for my check.

Plenty of better places to go to in the Ironbound.

This place is now called The Patio.
The Patio has BY FAR the best latte coffee in town.
I'm not kidding, I go out of the way to sit in there and have my latte.
They also make a great brunch dish called "Francesinha" (not sure if spelling is correct) that is amazing!

Finally, also been here at night and they have a bar-lounge area and DJs play really good and tasteful house music that sets a great mood.
Outdoor seating area is great in the summer.
Only complaint is bartenders are not very professional, inexperienced and some don't speak English very well which makes ordering at the loud bar a frustrating experience.
Nice place overall.