Quick Bite

Spanish Potato Grill

Spanish Potato Grill
399 Mantoloking Road, Brick
732-228-7655 spanishpotatogrill.com

Hours: Daily, noon–9 pm

Price: $$

Style: This storefront with less than a dozen tables manages to seat you and bring your first course before the ice melts in your pitcher of sangria. (It’s BYO. See below). The brightly lit room has a bit of a diner vibe, but you won’t find authentic Spanish and Portuguese cuisine like this in any diner.

Don’t Miss: For literal flamboyance, it’s hard to top chorizo flambiado, a $10.75 starter in which the spicy Portuguese sausage is flambéed in brandy tableside. Paella ($24) is a must. You get a generous pot of redolent saffron rice bristling with meaty scallops, shrimp and mussels and crowned with half a lobster. Other seafood hits include bacalhao a Espanola ($21) and baked cod with peppers, onions and potatoes in a delicious saffron sauce. Meat lovers will delight in steak a la plancha ($18), a griddled New York strip showered with sautéed mushrooms. Daily specials tend to be worthwhile. The flan ($4.50) is masterful, creamy yet firm, with rich caramel flavor.

Heads Up: The parking lot is tight, the foyer even tighter. On weekdays you can make a reservation, but on weekends be prepared to wait for your table. While you’re waiting, the staff will open your wine and pour it into a pitcher of ice stocked with juice from squeezed fresh fruit—instant sangria. The waiting area has seating and the staff moves pretty quickly, so the waits aren’t usually long.

The Scoop: Spanish Potato Grill is the latest and—so far—the most promising restaurant in a spot that has seen many a place close after one season. A steady stream of locals has made the restaurant a hit, and a hearty summer crowd (the restaurant is just two or three miles due west from the Mantoloking and Brick beaches) will likely keep it going.

What are Quick Bites? Short takes on casual, affordable dining.

Restaurant Details

  • Cuisine Type:
    European - Spanish/Portuguese
  • Price Range:
    Moderate
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