As the sun began its descent over the Palisades the other night, it cast an amber glow across the West Side of Manhattan that made the Empire State Building shimmer as if it were filled to the tippy-top with lava. Such is the enviable view from Lua, a noteworthy new restaurant in Hoboken, N.J., built on the long-fallow waterfront that’s now a beautiful, tree-lined promenade that mirrors – and rivals – Brooklyn Heights’s famous esplanade.

Hoboken? you say. It took my wife and I only eight minutes to cross the Hudson River on the New York Waterway ferry (www.nywaterway.com), making the journey close enough to be spontaneous after work and, once across, only a two-minute walk to the restaurant, just across the street from the Hoboken North pier.

A small patio outside Lua, appointed with potted palms and stainless-steel tables and chairs sits mercifully in the shade, making it a perfect perch for, say, a “Perfect Manhattan” (bourbon stirred with equal parts sweet and dry vermouth, and a dash of bitters; $11), but the stunning elliptical bar inside is the centerpiece of the 7,000-square-foot restaurant, half of which faces Manhattan through a two-story wall of glass.

Lua, which means “moon” in Portuguese, is the brainchild of restaurateur John Avoletta Jr., who also owns City Bistro, a perennially packed restaurant and bar just around the corner. With his business partner, Ken Duda, Mr. Avoletta envisioned a Latin-inspired eatery unlike anything else in Hoboken – including Maricel Presilla’s fabulous Cucharamama, which is absolutely worth another trip across the pond for ethereal South American fare.

Chef Ricardo Cardona’s criollo latino cooking garnered rave reviews during his tenure as executive chef at Republi’K (now DR-K) in Washington Heights, followed by stints at Sabor on the Upper East Side and Yuca in the East Village. At Lua, he’s crafted a smart menu that encourages sharing. Dishes range from ceviche to cazuelitas (small pots), followed by small and big plates. (And if you’re feeling intimidated by all the Spanish, there’s a helpful mini-glossary of food terms, complete with phonetics.)

Crisp, golden, tender calamari rings crusted with fiery, chili-dusted flour and served with a sweet-and-sour sauce bring to mind both Latin and Asian themes ($10). So does the outstanding Chino-Latino ceviche ($14), pairing pearlescent slices of yellow fin tuna and wasabi with a coconut-and-chili mojo sauce. I’d recommend ordering a ceviche trio for $25, as all of the ones I tasted were excellent, including the Tropical (shrimp, mango, chipotle chili, and avocado) and the Thai (mahi-mahi, soy, ginger, cilantro, mango, and Thai chilis).

One of Mr. Cardona’s signature dishes is among the cazuelitas: a warm grilled octopus casserole ($12) tossed with an earthy amalgam of capers, olives, and tomatoes, and dressed with a sherry vinaigrette.

All of the small plates pack big flavor and are plated artfully and beautifully. The shortrib taquitos ($12), wrapped in fresh, homemade tortillas, melted in my mouth. A seafood tamale ($12) took the cornmeal based peasant dish to new heights with the addition of lobster, scallops, shrimp, and silky avocado. A braised duck ($10) was skillfully shredded a la ropa vieja and spooned over sweet Venezuelan arepas (corn cakes).

Big plates include a signature paella that’s not to be missed ($34): saffron-scented rice infused with lobster, scallops, clams, mussels, shrimp, octopus, calamari, chicken, and chorizo sausage. It may sound like a roller coaster of flavor, but I assure you, it’s perfectly integrated. A whole Chilean sea bass ($29), roasted with a dazzling miso-papaya glaze, arrived as if swimming, its mouth agape and its tail frozen in mid-swish. Interestingly, the fish was stuffed with rice, which imparted a beautiful brine to the grain.

No Latin meal would be complete without pork, so we ordered the pan-roasted loin ($20) and were glad we did, because it was braised until fork-tender and served with a chipotle-spiked mash made with malanga, an earthy tropical tuber. The most impressive dish both visually and texturally was the churrasco ($24), the classic skirt steak served with chimichuri, a garlic- and parsley-infused oil that’s perfect with grilled meats. Typically, the skinny steak is served flat, overlapping the plate, but Mr. Cardona rolled it up and stood it on its side, making it look at first like a chubby filet mignon. The steak was beefy, tender, slightly charred outside, and pink within, and served with yucca fries.

Desserts (all $8), also prepared by Mr. Cardona, include a trio of empanaditas (Spanish turnovers): one stuffed with pungent sauteed green apples, another with sticky guava and cream cheese, and a third with caramelized pineapples and bananas. All three are excellent. I also loved the guava cheesecake with caramel touille, as well as the chocolate cake layered with passion-fruit butter cream.

During the week, the last ferries depart for Manhattan around 11 p.m. If you have enough time, take a moonlit stroll on the promenade and behold the sweeping view of the city twinkling in the night, from the Verrazano straight up to the George Washington Bridge.

1300 Sinatra Drive North, Hoboken, N.J., 201-876-1900.