Nunzio’s BBQ Charcoal Grill
“I usually order lunch here every few weeks, I normally get the garlic chicken or the beef ribs, which is my favorite.”
“It seems more people take out than dine in here but thats ok because our favorite table will always be open for us!”
“the yellow rice and fresh steamed vegetables were the perfect accompaniment.”
Nunzio’s BBQ Charcoal Grill
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
5 reviews
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Nunzio's dinner, round 2. I said I would be back to give the food a shot again, so I stopped by this evening. The staff was friendly and were constantly taking orders even with 30 minutes until closing time.
-Whole Garlic Chicken w/ Rice and Fries ($13.50) (B): After being disappointed by the lackluster pork ribs the last time I was here, I went with the popular garlic chicken. It was tender and was served as large slices of grilled boneless thigh meat. Now I see why a lot of people love it. However, when I read "garlic chicken," I was expecting a garlic flavored rotisserie chicken, not slices of it. I would have liked this better if the garlic flavor was a little stronger, though. The rice could have been cooked a little longer, but I really didn't mind. On the other hand, the fries still don't appeal to me.
-Garlic Chicken w/ Beef Short Ribs (plain) ($14.50) (B-): The beef short ribs were too tough! I grill short ribs/kalbi often and was disappointed to find how chewy theirs were. If there was anything that I did like about the ribs, it would probably be the seasoning or marinade. It matched well with this cut of meat–I think it would match well with their pork ribs, as well. The garlic chicken is the same as the one described above.
While I liked the food, I'm not sure if I'll be back anytime soon. When comparing similar Portuguese restaurants in the area, I say Nunzio's has the upper hand, though. The grilled chicken here is much more flavorful compared to other places like Burnet #2 on Stuyvesant. If I ever crave Portuguese-style grilled meat again, my order will probably come from here.
Unfortunately, I'm sorry I went. I came at about 8:30 PM, well before closing. They took my order, and a few minutes later – "We close at 9, do you mind getting this to go?" I didn't really mind per se, but typically a restaurant that closes at 9 will let patrons eat until 10. Whatever. I counted the wait – 20 minutes. In that time, I watched the staff fill orders sequentially, as they were taken. Why not put multiple orders on at once? No wonder the wait is so long. One star deduction.
I then watched them fill my order. I had a half order split between chicken and ribs. The chicken went in, then one rib, then… no, take that rib back, chop it in half. Okay… no, take that rib back, chop a little more off the top. Guys, I'm watching you. What are you going to do with the extras? Throw them out? Is it that important that I can't get them? Two star deduction.
The food: Pork ribs 1 star. Tasteless, extremely chewy, even for my strong jaw. I did manage to get through it, but I can cook better BBQ than that and I can't cook BBQ. Chicken 4 stars. Flavorful, clearly what they're known for, and that's why I got it. This one actually had some of that charcoal flavor to it. Rice looked good but I already had my carbs, so I went with veggies. They threw about 50 cents of veggies in a pot for a few minutes too long and dumped the soggy mess in. 2 stars, only because they were at least reasonably fresh.
Finally, the empanada. It's advertised as the best in Maplewood, and now I'm convinced it's the only one in Maplewood. The crust is absolutely wonderful, light, crispy, flaky, yet puffy. I ordered the beef one, and the filling had barely any taste or juice to it. It also took up barely 1/3 of the empanada. I felt cheated, after the relatively nice portions otherwise.
I'll never forget watching them chop off part of my order and toss it. That's what I'll leave here with. If that's your customer service, I will not be a customer.
This place was pretty solid, although I'm "rounding up" and giving four stars. Only went once… take out. Got the garlic chicken, garlic shrimp, and a few chorizos. Everything was really tasty.
I asked the police officer coming out of Nunzio's how it was. Really a rhetorical question. The cops know where the good food is. He replied, delicious. We agree.
Very busy lunch crowd but we were able to score a table. Friendly wait staff. My son ordered a full rack of pork ribs and fries. The staff didn't think he was up for the challenge. They were wrong. Garlic chicken and fries for me.
Food came out quickly. Trust me, we've been to a lot of these Portuguese restaurants. The ribs were as meaty as we've seen. No scraps, burnt ends. Just big meaty delicious suckers. The garlic chicken was addictive. Loved every bite. No generic fries here.. Hand cut and freshly fried. Really good.
We never thought we would find a place that gave Clark BBQ or Backyard Grill in Kenilworth a run for the money. Nunzio's does. We'll be back as soon as is humanly
possible.
We could literally smell the barbecue as we drove by Nunzio's for the first time, piquing out interest enough to stop for lunch. The inside is unassuming, just a few tables and chairs and a large wrap around counter with additional seating… but if you take a glimpse over the counter, you'll see the open pit barbecue, amazing! We ordered the half chicken, pork ribs over rice and vegetables… it was delicious. The chicken had a crispy skin outside and moist, perfectly cooked chicken inside… the yellow rice and fresh steamed vegetables were the perfect accompaniment. Will definitely go back or order take out. A must, such a great neighborhood spot.