Manu’s Tapas Bar & Sushi Lounge
“I highly recommend the sweet potato fries and the coconut crusted scallops.”
“To drink we had the red sangria, which was okay, pretty par for the course in that are (I feel like all the sangria tastes the same in the Iron Bound).”
“The specialty rolls seemed a little overpriced to me, but the regular rolls (I got spicy tuna and shrimp tempura rolls) were delicious and decently priced.”
Manu’s Tapas Bar & Sushi Lounge
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Coat Check: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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After stopping here several times, I'd like to offer some more insight to this place. I still think this joint is a solid 4-star sushi restaurant, but I've formed some clearer opinions.
As a vegetarian, I love the sushi here. They have a nice variety of vegetable rolls that are flavorful and satisfying. The mango roll and sweet potato roll are both dynamite. The mango roll is refreshing and surprisingly crunchy. The sweet potato roll is comfortingly warm and soothing. It's sweeter than you'd expect. Damn, I DREAM about that thing.
My friend, however, claims their specialty "fishy" rolls are not quite as top notch. Or, at least, she declares they are not as good as their prices imply they should be. The prices for the specialty rolls are steep, I admit… I can't personally comment on the quality. All I know is the veggie rolls are slammin' and priced normally ($4-6).
One of my favorite aspects of this place (besides that damn sweet potato roll!!) are the COCKTAILS. You wouldn't expect it, but Manu's can shake up a sick drink. I give two thumbs, five stars, and a smiley-face sticker for their martinis. They use fresh fruit purees! They are all great, but the strawberry martini is my favorite.
The atmosphere is trendy and perhaps even a little sexy, especially by Newark standards. Despite the fact that my friend prefers some other sushi places to get her fishy fix, we still stop here frequently for the experience (okay, and the booze).
The desserts are pretty great, too. 🙂 But like I said in my other review, be careful. It's very easy to drop way too much cash here. Appetizers, desserts, rolls, and cocktails add up very, very quickly, even if you're splitting things with a friend!
I'm sold on this place. The look, the drinks and the food.
1st time – We sat in the lounge area near the entrance during the Portugal parade. It was so cool – the decor paired w/ the activities made for a getaway feel. We did Shumai, Lump Crab Wrap and Shrimp Tempura Roll. All delish. The Mojito is the best I've had in a long time *hi5* to the bartender.
2nd time – We sat outside under the big umbrellas and wicker woven seats w/ a nice Reisling, Lobster and Shrimp Rolls. Perfect again. Both times attentive staff, good vibes, laid back chill flow and some yummy sushi.
There were dates, lone patrons, girls and guys just hangin' out…it's just that type of spot, for everyone. They definitely have a good thing going here.
Best Asian food in the ironbound!! Beautiful place; came with a large group and we were seated on the second floor. Great staff- there was even someone playing live music! I got the tuna tataki which was very flavorful and tender- I could tell they used fresh and high quality ingredients.
If you have a hot date, and you want to get that sexy feeling going right from the start, Manu's is the place to take them. The ambiance is very chic, representative of the new Ferry Street and comparable to Mompou across the street.
I was hesitant to come all the way to the Iron bound and NOT have Portuguese food. But Manu attempts to be a bit of a fusion restaurant, by offering both Asian and Portuguese flare on their menu. I need to smell a good skirt steak cooking to be convinced to order, and since it didn't smell of any cattle cooking, I opted for Asian.
I ordered shrimp gyoza and the best bacon wrapped scallops I've ever had. The scallops were a bit on the small side, but the bacon was so wonderfully crispy that it definitely made the plate memorable. As for the plates, at $12-$16 for a 6 pieces of each food on a plate, I thought was a bit pricey. Thankfully, I was not very hungry and the caipirina was strong enough to allow me to forget about any hunger pains!
Although I did really enjoy the ambiance, I did not come on a date, so I felt like I invested all this cash for no one to put out. I don't know if I would return, since most of the dishes, even what I tried of my friend's were easily replicated in much better form in other places.
I Love this place! I've been coming here for 5+ years and it gets better with time. Manu's is very reasonably priced, they offer great food, and make a kick-ass Sangria.
Try the Monkey balls as a starter and an Iron Bound Roll to follow. The Caramel Apple martini is delicious around the Fall time.
HOLY SHIT I AM IN LOVE!!!! this place deserves soooooo many more stars AND a 5+star bonus haiku~
japan brazil eats,
with 90s alt rock around,
give manu a chance!!!
i confess… i walked in looking for sushi and i was nervous about walking into some trendy bar pretending to have eclectic food to draw in snazzy upscale customers. but the hostess was so friendly and kind i decided to give it a shot. soon i realized the music was ALL 90s alternative rock nonstop and that was already a HUGE win for my heart. so i relaxed a bit and decided on a special treat of wine (and if the food was decent but not fabulous, wine helps with that too.)
then the hostess came over and doubled as my waitress and was so personable and knowledgable and considerate and friendly. having food sensitivities, I always feel weird asking for special treatment and always appreciate kind, supportive staff who don't make me feel like the pain-in-the-ass that I am! 😉 haha
So I cracked open the menu and was happily surprised with the mix of food and then DUH I realized… the Ironbound district is portuguese, yes but then has a healthy brazilian community too… and far back into the reaches of my world history reminded me about japanese brazilians! and BOOM i couldn't help myself and wanted to order ever single thing on the menu.
after much deliberation… the grilled octopus is a rare treat beyond anything i could possibly think of for my day today. if someone said, "kate what is something happy you will eat today?" i might have begrudgingly replied with a piece of decadent dark chocolate or maybe something fancy from the whole foods buffet bar… but this!? this amazing octopus friend!?! sure beats the grilled octopus i had on the streets of the nyc little italy fair… and that was yum.
so please! give this place a try. i doubt my good experience here was merely just "luck" and hope you will give Manu's a chance. In the meantime… I will be in the corner getting giggly on my malbec and slurping up my squiggly octopus tentacle :p
Let's get to the food and drink experience, I had the chicken teriyaki and a lime caipirinha. The chicken teriyaki was savory, sauteed with fresh veggies, peppers,onions, came with rice, by far very good,quite tasty. The drink on the other hand was way too strong. As soon as I explained to the waiter,about the awful concoction, he was flabbergasted, and said that its meant to be strong. After brief exchange of gentle words,they toned the high alcohol content and I felt happy. The service is a hit or miss,at times I needed to get the waiters attention. This place is cool,and I recommend it.
My friend and I headed to Manu's for dinner on a Saturday evening. She is a huge sushi fan and I am more into tapas. We both really liked the ambiance of the restaurant and were seated in the front so we were partially outside, which felt nice.
My friend ordered a deep fried sushi roll and loved it. This must be where they really excel. I ordered a grilled chicken entree and thought that it was just okay and pretty bland.
This place looks great for groups and I wouldn't mind going back and trying out their tapas menu as well as cocktails among friends.