The Ironbound is Newark's most energetic and interesting neighbourhood — a dense, walkable district east of Penn Station named for the railway lines that once enclosed it on three sides. The community has been Portuguese and Brazilian for generations, and Ferry Street, its main commercial artery, is one of the best streets for eating in the northeastern United States.
The neighbourhood has survived Newark's difficult decades intact and now thrives: restaurants, bakeries, fish markets, Brazilian bars, and Portuguese cafés fill the streets from morning to late at night. It feels like a functioning neighbourhood rather than a tourist district, which is exactly what it is. The path from Newark Penn Station to the Ironbound takes about five minutes on foot.