N.J.’s best meals under $10: Portuguese gem serves sandwiches, perfect pastel de nata

Walking into Pinho’s, a longstanding bakery and deli specializing in Portuguese custard cups (pastel de nata), I was instead struck by the smell of almond — golden almond cookies, yum! — and the essence of nostalgia from a mainstay that has served its Roselle neighborhood for 33 years.

The Union County establishment, owned by Julie and Raul Pinho, is known for tasty food at a reasonable cost — and for the many regulars who come every day.

The family’s history in the business began an ocean away, when Raul Pinho’s parents started a bakery in the town of Murtosa, Portugal back in the ‘60s. They succeeded in applying the principles of family, love and old-world baking. Then in 1991, Raul and Julie continued the tradition in New Jersey with the same methods of time-tested recipes and cozy atmosphere.

“I know most of the people who come here,” Julie Pinho told NJ Advance Media. “They come every day because our place feels like home.” Then she added with a chuckle, “You know, like on ‘Cheers,’ where everybody knows your name. I know all their names.”

Julie Pinho looks in charge with her red apron, commanding voice and her no-nonsense aura. She, along with Raul and two sisters Linda and Annie, have kept the place going despite charging the lowest food prices I’ve ever seen at a New Jersey bakery or deli.

“We keep our prices down so our community folks can afford eating here,” Julie said. “Some people just don’t have a lot. It’s not about money. It’s about family, and home.”

Raul Pinho echoed his wife’s sentiment: “My family started in the bakery business in Portugal, and they were affordable, too. We’re just continuing the tradition.”

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Pinho’s Bakery and Deli is nestled on Chestnut Street in the commercial area of Roselle. The shop is surrounded by an upscale boutique, a hardware store, a tavern, a post office and even a cell phone store. Quite apropos, the area seems to combine the old with the new.

There is not a large Portuguese population in Roselle, but that doesn’t seem to bother business at Pinho’s Bakery and Deli.

Time to eat.

I started with a tossed salad with chicken ($6.50), Turkey sandwich ($6.95), vegetable quiche ($1.50), each, and cod fritters ($1.50 each). The salad was fresh and crisp, the turkey sandwich was solid with no frills, and the cod fritters were yummy with ample fish inside, but the quiche stole the show – flavorful and well-seasoned with just the right firmness.

Next, I tried some baked goodies: Cannoli ($2.50), Linzer tart ($2.25), almond horseshoe cookie ($2.25), fruit tart ($4.75), Tre leches cup ($5.95), sour dough baguette ($2.75), and the famous item that comprises ten percent of all sales – the pastel de nata, ($1.50) each, or ($15) per dozen.

“We sell so many of those custard cups,” Julie Pinho said. “Some of our customers get boxes and boxes every week. We can never make enough.”

I gazed upon the tray full of scrumptious baked goods not knowing where to start. It had to be the cannoli, my Jersey-influenced Italian leanings growing by the day. The outside had the right flavor and crunch, and the inside was sweet but not too sweet.

Next, I took a bite of the almond horseshoe cookie, and was transported to my mother’s kitchen, also an ocean away in Damascus, Syria. My momma made those exact crumbly cookies (”baskoat loaz” in Arabic) and I used to sneak in and swipe a couple before lunch, a major no-no. Momma never saw me, or perhaps ignored me, knowing how much I liked those delectable biscuits.

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Then I tried the main attraction and the best seller at the bakery: the pastel de nata. It was simply fabulous. Rich, creamy, sweet, warm, and loaded with that silky feel on the tongue. Reveling in the custard cup’s taste, I thought of the how lucky Central Jerseyans are to have Pinho’s in their backyard — no need to travel to the Ironbound section of Newark for these Portuguese delectable gems.

A regular walked in and gave Julie Pinho a hug. It was Tom Berrios, principal at the nearby Roselle Catholic High School. I asked why he keeps coming back.

“It’s the family love, you really feel it,” Berrios said. “And the food is good and affordable. They have become the go-to place in Union County.”

Julie Pinho grinned, then took off when a customer needed help.

Karim Shamsi-Basha may be reached at kshamsi-basha@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter & Instagram. Find NJ.com on Facebook.