Fire Pit BBQ
“And they deliver to the surrounding towns so you never have to leave your house if you live nearby.”
“Had the buffalo wings, the combo platter (chicken and spare ribs) awesome!”
“For under $10 you can get a pile of ribs or chicken accompanied with lots of beans and rice or french fries.”
Fire Pit BBQ
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Our daughter and her family live close to this place. Yet, they never thought to try it. I took a look at the Yelp reviews and convinced her and our son-in-law to give it a try. She was skeptical but agreed to go for lunch.
The restaurant itself is small with just a few tables. There is an outside dining area but it also is small. Just keep in mind that this place is very near the hospital so you are going to be hearing sirens quite a bit. In warm weather, they prop open the front door which means you can't count on the sound to be muted at all.
Parking isn't easy. It involves finding street parking–even going into the surrounding residential areas or hoping to find a spot behind the building but parking there is literally very tight, like in wondering once you get your car in there, will you be able to get it out. Our daughter insisted on driving here even though they are within walking distance!
Since we were unfamiliar as to how the set up worked, our daughter went up to the counter and asked if a server would come to us or did we have to place our order at the counter. Turns out that if you eat in, a server will take your order. When we were there, around 2 p.m. on a weekday, there was just one server and counting us, 4 occupied tables so he was run a bit ragged.
The prices here are excellent! As an example, for $8 you can get half of a chicken plus 2 sides, choosing from rice, beans and fries. Three of us chose to do just that. Our daughter decided to have a pulled pork sandwich, which also cost $8 and comes with lettuce, tomato and fries. She asked if she could substitute rice and beans and was told, yes she could but it would cost extra (I forget how much more). So, she went for it.
To drink, we all got sodas. They are served either in bottles or cans. We got coke and were given 20 ounce bottles. I had noticed 12 oz. cans in the fridge and if I had been thinking, I would have specifically asked for one of them. So, be aware if you don't want too much soda, specify a can.
The chicken was very tasty! I was impressed at how moist the white meat was! That said, I have 2 criticisms—1) the meat wasn't cut properly so I found bone fragments every now and then as I ate; 2) the spicy rub wasn't evenly distributed as I caught a taste from time to time instead of on a consistent basis. Still, since the chicken is cooked over charcoal, that nice bbq flavoring was still imparted.
Our daughter really liked her pulled pork sandwich. She gave us all a bit of a taste and I must say that the bbq sauce used was tasty and with a bit of spiciness. The server brought out squeeze bottles of 2 types of bbq sauce that we could add to our food. Our daughter tried the spiciest of the two and she was impressed with the amount of heat in it.
We all really liked the rice and beans. The rice is a yellow rice with a few carrot bits in it. My worries that it would be dried out turned out to be unfounded as it was moist and flavorful. The black beans also had good flavor and complimented the rice very nicely.
We all agreed that we would certainly eat here again. As a bonus, they do deliver—something that wasn't lost on our daughter and son-in-law. Plus they have a kids' menu. If you are in the area and like Portuguese bbq, give them a try!
Was looking forward to some southern BBQ goodness, when I saw the sign on the door: se habla espanol y portugues. Okay I can improvise.
The interior is clean, bright, welcoming with several tables that were set for lunch. After a quick review of the menu, I selected chicken in garlic sauce with rice and beans as my sides. The gentlemen behind the counter were very friendly, ensuring I received utensils, napkins, and desired hot sauce for my to go order.
Food came out in about 5 minutes and was piping hot. So far, so good. Then I started eating…. ?Como se dice? !Demasiado sal! Salty chicken, salty rice, salty beans, salt, salt, SALT. The hot sauce made it palatable, but the salt content was seriously over the top. Was I clear about that? They should offer 25mg of hydrochlorothiazide as a side.
No bueno.
My new go to place for lunch, we've ordered from here 3 times this week and it's only Thursday. I'm a huge fan of Portuguese churriscuria eateries but up until discovering Fire Pit, I needed to make the trek to Spring Valley, NY. Food is delicious and cheap. For under $10 you can get a pile of ribs or chicken accompanied with lots of beans and rice or french fries. The pictures don't lie. Both food quality and quantity are terrific, especially given the cost. You can also order larger platters to share, something we do on weekends when we feed our entire department. Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to eat on their premisis but will try and make it in soon.
I read a recent review by someone who flamed them because it wasn't traditional American BBQ food. It's certainly not nor do they claim to be. The absence of brisket, pulled pork and collard greens should be your first hint. I'm sorry but there's no reason to fault a business because you misunderstood where you were or what they serve. It's like leaving a crappy review for McDonalds because they don't serve corned beef and Guinness. Make sense?
What delicious barbecued pork ribs! And the french fries seasoned to perfection. The barbecue sauce was tomato-based and put the wood smoked pork over the top. The only problem I had with the meal were the vegetables in the salad- they seem to be off-Brown lettuce, old tomatoes and cucumbers that were off and sour. The place could use a painting and cleaning especially around the bathroom door. The service was great! The prices were reasonable and they deliver, but not to my hometown far away in a neighboring county.
While I was running errands Sunday afternoon I was starving. I almost stopped by White Manna for a pile of burgers, but at the last moment I decided on a healthier option, Mezza Falafel. Much to my disappointment as I was about to walk in I discovered Mezza Falafel is closed on Sundays! I journeyed back to my car, starving with my head hung low when I noticed 'Fire Pit BBQ' next door. I was famished and I needed to eat, so I walked in expecting a nice pile of charred barbecue goodness. I was fooled.
The sign outside reads "Fire pit BBQ" what i found inside was far from what I would consider BBQ food. This place reminds me of a combination of a Spanish rice, beans and chicken joint and a failed attempt at replicating 'Juicy Platters' in Fair Lawn. Once inside while reading the menu I noticed a Portuguese flag on the menu and they mentioned "we speak Spanish and Portuguese" In retrospect these were clear indicators that this was not going to be the fire pit barbecue experience I had hoped for.
We ordered our food at the front desk and sat at the table and waited… And then we waited some more… And then just a little bit more for a total of approximately 25 minutes before my chicken, rice, and black beans came out Colombian bodega style. The BBQ was average quality at best, brought down by the overly salty rice and beans, The soup was almost certainly prepared previously at an external location, if not from a can. I did not take my leftovers.
I would probably rate them one star but they did actually have an open fire pit that was being used to barbecue whole chickens so I guess that's a plus. Clearly this location is meant to cater to the hospital lunch crowd and should be avoided for alternative solutions if you are driving.
Oh well, you win some and you loose some. That's what I get for walking into an unknown restaurant and letting my stomach do the thinking without properly researching ahead of time.
4 stars for a flavorful authentic Portuguese BBQ made fresh to order. I recently spent a weekend back home in NJ and this was something I requested. There are a few places in the area that offer the same selection, but my parents (Portuguese immigrants) prefer this restaurant.
The BBQ chicken is packed full of flavor and fired up all day. Your always getting fresh food. It's juicy, flavorful, and just the right amount of spice. I usually go with fries and rice as the sides but some go with rice and beans. This is my usual go to dish or the combo of chicken and ribs. We usually buy 2 whole chicken platters with fries and rice and that feeds 8 of us. I could eat here multiple times a week! Delicious.
The only down fall that I could possibly point out is the tight parking lot. They are located across the way from a hospital so sometimes it's hard to get in and out of the tight lot with oncoming traffic. BUT!!! They do deliver! And they deliver to the surrounding towns so you never have to leave your house if you live nearby.
Great Portuguese food! Great authenticity! Great delivery service! And all in all just one of those places that you need to try.
Ambiance/Decor/Atmosphere: If you didn't know this was Firepit BBQ you'd think you were walking into a pizzeria. The interior is pretty middle of the road; some tables and chairs as you'd expect, grill and rotisserie in the back of the kitchen, nothing really out of the ordinary or eye popping either.
Noise/sound level: It's a small place; phone calls, television, small talk, but not overly loud even at 6:30pm.
Menu: The menu is pretty large comprised of a variety of Portuguese and Latin American food, platters, sandwiches, dessert, and BBQ. Even though it's a little large the menu isn't too confusing; it's kind of direct and to the point.
Service: I ordered take out and the man on the phone was polite, interactive, and understanding when I said I couldn't get there until 6:30pm. When I picked up the food he was equally polite then too. The guys cooking food behind him appeared to be happy; wouldn't want a pissed off man grilling my meats.
Food: I ordered bitoque and it was mediocre at best. The chips were drowned in a pretty aggressive garlic sauce, and I love garlic. The pickled vegetables were a nice addition; good acidity and crunch, whereas my chips were soggy and limp. The bread that came with it was pretty good, but if you mess a dinner roll it's time to shut the doors. The ham appeared to be Hillshire Farms cold cuts and there were only two slices, but the sunny side up fried eggs were done well; nice and runny. Lastly, the steak was tender, but it was not really a quality cut of meat, and by the time I got to it the cook temp was well done. I asked for medium, but obviously because I was late and it was warming the meat rested too long.
Bar: Not sure, wasn't paying attention. Maybe none, maybe BYOB.
Price: For the large portion size the price point is pretty fair. $15 gets you a meal for two.
Overall: This place was a hard three for me. The meal itself doesn't really warrant a three, but I do want to order other items from here. I'm not sure I'd order bitoque again, but if I do I probably will ask for less sauce. Not really a bad spot I guess if you want a gigantic plate of rice, beans, and a rotisserie chicken.
Food was okay and definitely much better than the hospital food served across the street. The service is slow and the kids meal is overpriced. It's literally a dollar cheaper than adult for much smaller portion which makes no sense.