Somewhere to go in Newark area for the night

Hi all
I'm flying in to Newark start of dec for what was going to be a few days in NYC but have decided to fly on to Boston the next day instead for a few days .
My question is this ,rather than head to manhattan for the night can anyone suggest somewhere else to go for the night in New Jersey ?
I just want somewhere where I can have a nice meal and a beer rather than spend the whole evening in a Newark airport hotel
Thanks

I've been to various places around EWR over the years. Just north is an area called Ironbound, which is really interesting, and has a large Portuguese community, so lots of Portuguese food. Also lots of Spanish/tapas places, as well as the usual NJ steakhouse fare.

Some places I remember, which I thought were all good, in Ironbound, Elizabeth or Newark:
http://seabras-marisqueira.com/
http://www.mompoutapas.com/
http://www.fernandessteakhouse.com/
http://manolosrestaurant.com/

It might be worth a quick look online and seeing what the latest opinions are...

Frankly there isn't a lot nice around Newark, and Newark (the city) itself is somewhat dodgy after dark. I made the mistake of overnighting downtown once and never left the Hilton hotel.

I know it's a little further away but you can train it to and from the airport, but have you thought about Hoboken? It's not quite Manhattan but is a lovely area with many good bars and restaurants.

Blacky, we have stayed several times at the Marriott Hotel Newark which is located right on the ground of EWR with a free shuttle to every terminal just minutes away.

We have found it to be a pleasant hotel with good amenities, just great for that overnight stay when catching onward plane next day

I forgot this place: http://valencarestaurantnj.com/

You can literally walk there from the airport (Newark being far closer to Elizabeth than the city of Newark). Take a cab though - 5 minutes! Newark and Elizabeth get a bad name, but I have many friends in both cities, and I have always enjoyed a night out there, or lunch, if stuck at EWR.

Keep in mind the restaurants are not high-end; they're more family-style, local places. The food is good, but not amazing. Still better - I think - than any EWR airport food though, and you'll probably get chatting to the locals who tend to have many stories to tell.

Once you start getting on the AirTrain, then changing to the PATH or NJTransit to get to other bits of NJ, you might as well go into Manhattan. I like Hoboken and Jersey City, by the way, but to get there you've gone 90% of the journey into Manhattan.

Thanks for the tips guys , still plenty of time to decide
Hev , I was thinking about staying at the Marriott so good to hear you like it , I think I'll go ahead and book it
Slinky , I had no idea Newark was a rough area That's shocked me a bit
Nylon , thanks for all the links to the restaurants , they all look good

Blacky, The Newark area was like Disneyland compared to a night we spent at a hotel in Queens about 15 years ago. We had booked a package deal for the US Tennis Open. My partner spent the entire night on a questionable armchair rammed up against the front door of our room. Seriously scared to venture into the corridor
The hotel has been demolished now thank goodness. Hev

Blacky, The Newark area was like Disneyland compared to a night we spent at a hotel in Queens about 15 years ago. We had booked a package deal for the US Tennis Open. My partner spent the entire night on a questionable armchair rammed up against the front door of our room. Seriously scared to venture into the corridor
The hotel has been demolished now thank goodness. Hev

Crumbs ! , sounds like you done well to get out alive !