Sol-Mar Restaurant • 1957

The scent of charcoal-grilled polvo hits before the door even closes at this Portuguese seafood landmark in Newark's Ironbound, where the Gomes family has served octopus draped over clay roof tiles since 1957. Bacalhau arrives a dozen ways, and whole fish from Portuguese waters glisten on ice near the entrance. Order the mariscada—a copper cataplana brimming with clams, shrimp, and lobster—and understand why three generations keep coming back.