Marcus B&P, Newark, NJ: A Restaurant Review
Restaurant Highlights
Fare: Multicultural with Italian, Portuguese, Caribbean and African-American influences.
Price: Moderate - Expensive
Food Quality: 3 Stars
Service: 2 1/2 Stars
Ambiance: 3 Stars
Overall Rating: 3 Stars
Note: Four star Rating System from 1/2 star = poor to Four stars = Best in Class
Noise Level: Moderate
Dress: Casual
Recommended For: Diners who enjoy well prepared food with ethnic influences and bar service in a funky, attractive setting
Not Recommended For: Diners who are comfortable in a traditional setting with traditional food.
Recommended dishes: When available, The Spaghetti Picadilly with Lump Crab, Calabrian Chili, and Thai Basil; The Newark Hanger Steak with Radicchio, Horseradish, and Soubise; and The Classic Pie with Crushed Tomato, Mozzarella, Basil, and Olive Oil.
Liquor: Full Bar service with reasonably priced cocktails, beer and wine
Restaurant Review
Marcus B&P is a casual, hip restaurant owned by acclaimed celebrity Chef Marcus Samuelsson. This is a popular dining spot with a crowd diverse in age and ethnicity who come to meet up with friends for either an inexpensive beer and a bite to eat at the bar, or a full dining experience seated at one of the tables.
The restaurant is conveniently located downtown, a short walk to the Newark Museum and NJPAC.
Marcus Samuelsson, Ethiopian-born and raised in Sweden, worked at restaurants Europe before finding fame in NYC with his very successful Red Rooster and Streetbird restaurants in Harlem.
He also has an owner interest in 33 restaurants around the world. He is the recipient of multiple James Beard awards, a cookbook author, and has made many appearances on the Food Network .
Marcus B&P is named for the Swedish concept of BP. The B stands for bar, the P for provisions. The name also draws on the Swedish concept of "back pocket" used to describe informal, friendly spots.
Samuelsson is known for drawing upon the culture of the neighborhood his restauants reside in . Marcus B&P carries forward this concept in Newark with Italian, Portuguese, Caribbean and African-American influnced menu items with his pizza, fried chicken, steak, pasta, ribs, and seafood dishes.
The ambiance is casual, hip with a funky industrial vibe. The small 44 seat restaurant interior is done up with chandeliers made with rope and Edison bulbs; giant elevator gears salvaged during the remodel of the building; and subway and hexagon tiles, The bar has attractive neon-lit shelves with an oxidized copper top, an open kitchen, an exposed brick wall, and walls adorned with a poster of Lauryn Hill and other Black/white posters and seating in booths and tables
Service is welcoming and attentive with the staff being local and youthful,
There's a DJ on Friday nights.
Marcus B&P is open seven/days/week: Monday to Thursday - 11 a.m. to 10 p.m, Friday - 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday - 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday - 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. with brunch until 3 p.m.
There is a jazz band for Sunday morning brunch.
(updated: November, 2018)
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