Barbecue Restaurant Review: Village Barbeque-Churrasqueira

Smell that great smoky smell when you walk in Village Barbeque, also known by it's Portuguese name, Churrasquei in Perth Amboy, NJ. Unfortunately that's about where it ends when it comes to what this restaurant has to offer. For weeks on end we'd been smelling that great smoky smell waifing through the air anytime we'd walked by. Finally one evening, we decided to order by phone to pick up and try it out.

From the start, it didn't go as smoothly as it should have. I wanted to try the steak sandwich and fries. My girlfriend wanted to try the grilled chicken salad. But getting that across to the order-taker, whose second language is English, wasn't all that easy on the phone. Additionally when, we were asked by the order-taker whether or not we wanted my steak sandwich dressed, we asked if that was extra. For the life of the me, I don't know why she couldn't simply answer the question. Back and forth went my girlfriend trying to find out if dressing the sandwich was an extra cost. Finally, after being told it was included with the sandwich, and without trying to get any other information from them, such as, how long until we should come pick up the order and the total cost, she abruptly hung-up from aggravation.

Having the need to pick up a bottle of wine, as well as the food order, I set off shortly afterward. Ooh that great smell as I neared the restaurant overcame me as I walked in. It really smelled great! But as I stated earlier, that's where it ends. The restaurant was empty other than a couple of tables occupied by either regulars or family members. What turned out to be the money-taker was chatting with them for a couple of pro-longed minutes as I patiently waited for someone to acknowledge or greet me at the cash register. Looking around as I waited, I was less-than-impressed with the atmosphere. Bare walls, lack of any ambiance, and a feeling as if I'd just entered no-man's land by the way I wasn't being greeted by anyone whatsoever, brought me to that conclusion.