Renaissance (Newark) it is....

We are cruising out of Bayonne in March 2019. We will be taking Amtrak to Newark and then the AirTran to P4 (do I have that right?) to the airport to get on a shuttle to the hotel. I do have a few questions.

1. We would like to do dinner the night before...we are not picky...chain restaurants are fine...any ideas? We know we will have to take a taxi cause nothing is close to the hotel.

2. We will need to find a liquor store before the cruise...anything close to the Renaissance?

3. Embarkation Day - We will likely take taxi....how far is the pier from the Renaissance, how much?

We are cruising out of Bayonne in March 2019. We will be taking Amtrak to Newark and then the AirTran to P4 (do I have that right?) to the airport to get on a shuttle to the hotel. I do have a few questions.

 

1. We would like to do dinner the night before...we are not picky...chain restaurants are fine...any ideas? We know we will have to take a taxi cause nothing is close to the hotel.

 

2. We will need to find a liquor store before the cruise...anything close to the Renaissance?

 

3. Embarkation Day - We will likely take taxi....how far is the pier from the Renaissance, how much?

The hotel,has a restaurant - look on the Renaissance web site for a menu.

Ironbound

Ironbound is the ideal choice serving European culturally-inspired cuisine. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Do a search on Cantinho Liquors

The pier is almost 11 miles. Folks have reported Uber fares in the $30 range. Taxis are not metered and can charge more.

As far as restaurants go, the Ironbound Section of Newark is worth the trip. I recommend Adega Grill, Mompou, and Fernandes in Newark. Solar do Minho in Belleville, NJ is excellent but it's the town North of Newark. You could also try Krugs Tavern in Newark(voted best burgers in NJ). All the chain restaurants are near the Jersey Gardens Mall in Elizabeth. I don't even bother with taxis anymore. I just use Uber. Just keep checking with the Uber app. The prices change depending on the time of day and anticipated demand.

As far as restaurants go, the Ironbound Section of Newark is worth the trip. I recommend Adega Grill, Mompou, and Fernandes in Newark. Solar do Minho in Belleville, NJ is excellent but it's the town North of Newark. You could also try Krugs Tavern in Newark(voted best burgers in NJ). All the chain restaurants are near the Jersey Gardens Mall in Elizabeth. I don't even bother with taxis anymore. I just use Uber. Just keep checking with the Uber app. The prices change depending on the time of day and anticipated demand.

I like Solar do Minho, but I miss having a salad bar at a rodizio (but I love their valet parking). My favorite Spanish restaurant in Newark is Casa Vasca.

Thank you all....

OP, be sure you go to the EWR station with Amtrak, NOT Newark Penn! The airtrain only goes to the EWR airport rail station.

The restaurant AT the hotel is called Ironbound....AND there is also a section of downtown Newark CALLED the Ironbound district where there are a number of restaurants. The hotel's food is decent, albeit somewhat expensive. (It's an airport hotel close to NYC....:D ) If the hotel isn't too busy, the restaurant itself is not open for dinner BUT the full menu is offered in the bar area adjacent.

There is NOTHING close to the hotel...you'll need a cab or Uber to get to a liquor store. You may be able to get your rideshare to stop at the liquor store in the shopping center adjacent to the pier on your way BUT some rideshare drivers do NOT like to make stops. (they get paid by the trip...one driver scolded me about setting up an en route stop. Technically I think he was wrong. But he was also rude and didn't get a very good rating...I digress)

I just stayed at the Renaissance in late August and it was fine. It's an older hotel. It IS clean but they are constantly repairing stuff too. When I was there, a lot of touch up painting was happening, and you can see where the wear and tear takes a toll.

The staff was nice, the room was comfortable and fairly quiet and I got a good night's sleep.