Fernandes Steak House II — Restaurant in Newark

I’ve been coming to Fernandez steakhouse in Newark, New Jersey for probably 16 years. I could easily say it’s one of my favorite restaurants that I’ve ever been to in my life until tonight. My friend and I both ordered the skirt steak on a tile that came out sizzling the food was out of this world as usual The service out of this world the whole 9 yards that’s why I’ve given Fernandez plenty of money in the 16 years that I’ve been going there well worth every penny, but what I didn’t like was being accused of taking pictures of one of the owners Daughter, I was videoing my waiter, cutting my skirt steak and my friend skirt steak tableside I took two videos. Needless to say there was A table of two girls to the left of me they seem to be about maybe 18 years old about four years older than my daughter. I thought nothing of it. Needless to say, as I was leaving one of the owners said to me, the girl you were taking a picture of is my daughter and I go what are you talking about? It goes the girl you were taking a picture of is my daughter. I guess one of the girls said to her father that is a part owner there that I was taking pictures of her and her friend what I was doing was taking a video of my waiter, cutting my skirt steak to perfection and serving it to perfection. The owner I am talking about is kind of skinny a little bit on the bald side and I’m told that he’s also a detective in Newark not that that matters to me one bit. i’m 47 years old I have a 14 year-old daughter what would I be doing? Taking pictures of your daughter and her friend or videos of your daughter and her friend when I’m there enjoying a skirt steak with one of my best friends I believe your daughter has some issues. Maybe she’s stuck on herself or maybe because you’re a cop she feel she could play my daddy’s a cop regardless you should have a talk with her because I see a lot of guys walk through the doors of your restaurant not many men, but I assure you I am a man and you have lost my business and a lot of other people‘s business that I’ve sent there to your restaurant, you should’ve pulled me over to the side and send something instead of saying something like that in front of a lot of people That’s what men do thank you for all the great meals and all the great times and all the great service. Time to...

Good service from the wait staff. Just ok service from the manager. We asked for a corner area for 13 people, but they separated us - 2 round tables. When we asked for the other round table next to us by the wall, they said they couldn't as that was assigned to another party that wasn't scheduled to arrive for another 2 hours! (We reserved over the phone days ahead and had specifically asked for a corner areabto which they said they could accommodate.)

Food is overpriced for what they have. I would not mind as much if the food was delicious, but it's not. The only thing delicious is the clams with garlic sauce. The calamari is decent/good. EVERYTHING else is bland, overpriced & not worth your time nor money. Red sangria was not too sweet nor strong - easy to drink with the 1st/2nd glass. I ordered a T-bone steak ($70). It was a very cheap cut of meat with no flavor at all and VERY sinewy! I have had better steak for less. Even the Spanish rice that comes with it is tasteless. Another person ordered the crusted ahi tuna. Although presentation was nice, again it was absolutely bland. Someone else ordered the porterhouse ($93). It didn't look like 32 oz & again absolutely bland! I've ordered a lot of steak in NYC, NJ and California (Gallaghers, Delmonico's, Camines, Shadow on the Hudson, Del Frisco's, etc) for MUCH better and with no qualms about spending money on good food. Skip this place.

I'm not sure why others are raving about this place. It must be the alcohol talking, or people liking bland food.

Unfortunately this is not my 1st time here. I get invited to birthdays, gatherings and other events & each time, I come away thinking the same thing - wasted calorie and cheap cuts of overpriced meat. This place for some reason is popular and gets booked frequently for birthdays probably not by the same people.

They pack the place to full capacity! Every seat was taken on the 1st & 2nd floor. (This was on a Friday eve 6pm with no one...

It was close, I almost gave this a three start review. I've been a long time patron of Fernandes, been going there for over 15 years. With COVID and all, I haven't been there in almost three years. I went a few days before writing this review.

THE SERVICE: First off, let's start with the good stuff, you know what, good doesn't do it justice, exceptional is a more accurate description. The service is great, just like I remembered it. Our waiter was professional, and I mean a professional, that's something you get at Fernandes, waiters who take extreme pride in their work. The bread came to the table almost immediately. Our drink orders were taken promptly, and came in the same fashion. Lastly, the continuously flow of meats meant that you were never left waiting long, after finishing the previous item.

THE ATMOSPHERE: The place has a great buzz about it, tons of conversations going on, the servers moving bustling between tables, and the laughter and smiles of satisfied customers. However, it seems the same as it did so many years ago when I first started, but now the paint is worn, the floors are faded, and the tables reminisce of better days. I think some sprucing up would be well received.

THE FOOD: This is where I was most disappointed. It just isn't the same as it was. I'm not sure if other places I have gone more recently have raised the bar, if the chefs have lost interest, or the quality of meats have gone down. Maybe it's some combination of those. But I remembered this as the standard of incredible rodizio, and now I feel it's not the place I would recommend anymore.

In conclusion, this is a great place, but I think if you're looking for some of the best Rodizio in Newark, Fernandes for me no longer...