Tourist and travel information on recommended Aruba restaurants, finding a good restaurant, lunch, cheap meals, dinner on the beach and dining guide. The best for food and dinner, eating in, cheap breakfast, free, authentic cooking, bars. guide, guides, great island recipes, Jerry, restaurant list, dining out, seafood, Italian food. Watch the sun go down at sunset dining or a dinner cruise on your vacation and follow the travel tips from what's the story. The best, recommend, nightlife, jazz clubs and live music, dinner theaters, theater, shows at the casinos. Visit Garufa cigar bar,
Garufa cocktail lounge for live music and entertainment.

Aruba Dining Guide, Your Menu For Fine Dining Out , Best Restaurants, Authentic Aruban Food, Best Places To Eat while on Vacation!

Here are some updated reviews on places for dinner...

Amadeus Bar & Restaurant- all the reviews from people we know have been excellent.

The Caribbean Palm- in Palm Village- an Aruban menu – operated by a few professional restaurateurs  from Aruba. Reviews have been excellent.

The Dutch Pancake House- by the Renaissance Market Place- authentic Dutch style pancakes and crepes. Many recommendations from returning vacationers

Que Pasa- Not a Mexican restaurant. Downtown Oranjestad. They offer international dishes along with Dutch, Italian, Caribbean, Belgium and a little Japanese. Restaurant, Bar and art gallery. Reviews have been very good

Marandi - in Bucuti- sunset dining restaurant outside on wood deck- seafood and meat dishes with Caribbean flavors. Ratings have been very good although I haven't been here myself.

Gianni’s Ristorante Italiano-  Palm Beach by the Radisson- excellent food and service- we have had dinner many time in the last couple of years, every time was great. Highly recommend.

Madame Janette- although an icon for many years the ratings have dropped in the past few years with new restaurants opening. Personally have been here many times and also have strayed away as there are better places to have dinner in my opinion.

Simply Fish- located by the Marriott- sunset on the beach dining. I have been here a couple of time and the food and service have been excellent every time. Priced on the high side, but very nice and close by if you are staying at the Surf Club or Ocean Club.

Hadicurari Restaurant- by the fishermans pier behind the Marriott Surf Club.  I have not had dinner here but reviews have been good and people who stay at the timeshares like it because it is close by.

Gilligan's Beach & Bar Grill- Palm Beach- personally I have dined here once and was less average meal. Nice sunset view but that's about it.

Highly Recommended List

Some current top restaurants as reviewed by customers

Yemanja Woodfired Grill- highly recommend

Passions on the Beach- highly recommend- great sunset dining

The Old Man and The Sea-  sunset dining

Aqua Grill-  fresh,fresh,fresh

Marandi

Papillon Restaurant

Windows on Aruba

Screaming Eagle

Aruba, not just the most Beautiful Island in the Caribbean…you’ll love the food here.

If you travel often and have visited different countries or Caribbean islands, you know all to well as you try different restaurants claiming to be “Italian, Japanese, French, or Steak Houses and how many times the meals served are much to be desired as it is only their rendition of the traditional meals. With disappointment as you finish your dinner and are thinking the meal you just had tasted nothing like you expected and realize that’s how they prepare that dish in that locale. From our dining experiences in Aruba we have found the quality of dinners to be quite different and if you have ever vacationed here you have a good idea of what I am talking about. From our first visit to Aruba we were pleasantly surprised at the authenticity in traditional taste of most specialties served in the restaurants. Being from the New York City area and surrounded by some of the best restaurants in the world, I can tell you that most of the Italian restaurants in Aruba are as authentic as those in Little Italy, or Italy itself.  I am all Italian, my mothers family is from Northern Italy and my fathers family from Sicily, so I am accustomed to great authentic Italian dishes. In Aruba, the restaurant owners treat you like you are an invited family guest at their home for dinner. The wait staff is always courteous & friendly striving to assure you enjoy the food and are comfortable. Similar to Italian chefs, the Arubans chefs are perfectionists, using the freshest of ingredients and adding flair to give every meal an appetizing appeal. Most everyone we have met working in the restaurants are genuinely friendly, polite and love to host the visitors.

Be sure to include some of the many authentic Aruban restaurants in your dinner plans during your vacation stay. Authentic Aruban cuisine is a fusion of many tastes from the Dutch, Brazilian, Native Aruban Indian, South American, European and Caribbean cultures creating one of a kind tastes and flavors.

Aruba has a large assortment of world class gourmet restaurants featuring many menu choices like; fresh ocean seafood, shellfish, conch, lobster, tapas, beef, pasta, churrasco, tempura, ribs and enchiladas. You will discover specialty restaurants serving traditional dishes like goat, keshi yena and wahoo.

AGA – The Aruba Gastronomic Association. Don’t let the name fool you. This association started over 10 years ago and is basically a restaurant association committed to culinary and restaurant service excellence. The AGA represents over 35 of Aruba’s top notch ethnic and international cuisine restaurants on the island. They assure you of safety, quality and they perform unannounced inspections and visits to the restaurants. AGA sponsors a Dine-Around Program that lets you select a sampling dinner menu from each of the vendors dishes.

Aruba Restaurants and Dining Out on Vacation Info

While vacationing in Aruba you will find a large selection of types of food and good quality places to eat in all price ranges for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is easy to stay within your family meal budget in Aruba as there are first class grocery stores, a handful of fast food chains and many choices of affordable restaurants up to the most expensive fine dining.  So if you just want a coffee and bagel for breakfast, complete buffet brunch, hamburger or pizza, an inexpensive dinner or exotic seven course dinner, you can find it here. Whatever kind of food you want- French, Mexican, German, Authentic Aruban, Argentinean, American, Steakhouse, Seafood or Fine Italian Cuisine, you will be very satisfied with the many different places to eat.  For seafood lover’s Aruba is the place for a large assortment of fresh caught shellfish and seafood like- Caribbean lobster tail, shrimp, crab, grouper, mahi mahi, Chilean sea bass, salmon, yellow fin tuna, oysters, clams, red snapper and more. For steak lovers there are a few excellent steak houses on the island, all beef is imported into Aruba and may be higher in price compared to seafood but the quality of steaks at the better restaurants are great.

Restaurants in Aruba are among the best you will find anywhere in the world and going out for dinner and dining at Aruban restaurants will be something you will look forward to every day you are on vacation on the island. Overall the food prep, service and the dining atmosphere are very good. If this is your first vacation to Aruba, expect dinner prices to be about the same as in any U.S. metro city. Dinner in some of the better Aruban restaurants is an evening event in which you will not be rushed out to make room for another seating.

What to know about meals and dining. The restaurant owners and wait staff in Aruba take pride in their presentation of food and personal service. The Aruban chamber of commerce educates local business owners about the importance of customer service in the tourism industry and offers training to all of it citizens who are employed in any tourist related business. For this reason you will notice that the employee staff will be very courteous realizing you are on vacation and they are there to help you to relax and be comfortable while dining out during your stay in Aruba. Restaurant owners will treat you as a guest in their own home and appreciate any comments or compliments you have to share.  If for some reason you are not satisfied with your dinner or preparation of the meal or anything else, you should tell the server or manager. Their goal is for you to be satisfied with your dining experience knowing you will return and recommend their restaurant to other friends on vacation in Aruba.

The dress for dining out in most restaurants is “casual leisure”, shorts, sundresses, skirts, shirts, sandals or casual footwear to be comfortable while enjoying your meal. During the day swimsuits or bikinis are not to be worn into restaurants or shopping areas unless you wear a non revealing cover-up or sundress on top. During mid day snacks or lunches at the resort areas snack bars or around pool areas, wearing swimsuits or a bikini is ok  and if you wander beyond these areas a cover up is suggested.  For dinner time some of the more expensive restaurants may require long pants & jacket for men, particularly for during the high season. If you are unsure about the dress requirements, call ahead or ask hotel or resort concierge for more information.

 The better or preferred restaurants on the island get extremely busy at dinner time between 6:00pm - 8:00pm, particularly during the peak tourist vacation season. I would suggest making dinner reservations well in advance at the popular restaurants to insure there is seating available for your group. Reserving a table in advance can be made from the hotel or resort concierge desk along with transportation or taxi service.  Many island restaurants have their own websites to make reservations online. If you visit Aruba regularly and are planning to go to a favorite restaurant, it’s a good idea to make online reservations from home before you arrive in Aruba. We visit Aruba regularly and have made a list of our own favorite restaurants and places to eat.

Tipping and service charges.  Advice for Travelers and tourists, when you arrive at a restaurant ask the attendant or check the menu to see if a gratuity or service charge is already included or added to the price of dinner shown on menu, it is common for restaurants to add a 15-20% service charge to your bill. This gratuity or service charge fee is for your wait staff and kitchen staff who prepared your meal to share. If the fee is included there is no need for an additional tip unless you feel the service was excellent and you want to tip your attendant separately. If the charge is not included in your bill, you should tip the normal 15 to 20 percent, the same as in an American restaurant. Arubans are proud and work hard to earn your satisfaction and tip.

Aruba Restaurants

Ratings and Dinner Recommendations

Every tourist and visitor has different tastes and expectations of good service and the quality of prepared food when dining out. It is our option to praise restaurant owners who go above and beyond in assuring that their customers enjoy their meal, have a good time and recommend to others. We return regularly to many of the restaurants because we enjoy eating there and for this reason we pay for our meals when we dine out and we do not accept complimentary meals or services in exchange for a  review or rating. Karen and I visit Aruba regularly and have been to most of the restaurants listed several times. When we discover an exceptional restaurant we recommend it to our friends, family and other visitors. We write a review from our personal dining experience as a tourist, just like anyone else on vacation. We only report and write reviews on restaurants where we have had meals at. We have found restaurants in Aruba to have some of the best meals, courteous staff and friendliest restaurant owners of anywhere we have traveled.

New Recommendations 2011

Chef’s Table

Passion’s

Dining on Eagle Beach, romantic beach setting, torch lighting with tables and seating right on the beach. Casual atmosphere with polite waitstaff,

Screaming Eagle

Casa Tua Mediterranee

The third Casa Tua Restaurant is located in the new Palm Beach Plaza Mall located in the high rise hotel section of Aruba. This restaurant offers a blend of Mediterranean flavors and various dishes with grilled fish and seafood. Many Greek specialties.

Aqua Grill

Fresh, Fresh, Fresh Seafood....Has a great selection of fresh fish dishes. Chilean Sea bass, Blackened Grouper, Red Snapper are some of my favorites. The service is very friendly. The margarita’s were great. The waiter and waitresses are very knowledgeable and recommended a special dishes with the different types of fish.

Gasparito  Authentic Aruban Restaurant

 The restaurant is located in Noord, minutes from Palm Beach  and resort areas  The second you enter Gasparito Restaurant you know you are at a very special intimate place to enjoy dinner. You may be greeted by the Reimundo or Utahna the owners of Gasparito. Utahna will walk you through the art gallery showing and identifying the works of art on display throughout the restaurant that make it very interesting. Utahna makes jewelry and the selection is on display. Most all of the art is signed originals from local artists along with dated artifacts are on display. In front of the restaurant, outside is an original water well, which was dug by hand many years ago and it supplied drinking water to the area. The restaurant which is 120 years old, is filled with culture and history of Aruba’s past. There is seating inside in the art gallery or outside on the veranda.

When dining at Gasparito plan on some extra time as all of the meals are individually made fresh just for you. Rei explains the the different items on the menu and offers his suggestions. The cuisine is authentic Aruban featuring  fresh local seafood, premium filet mignon, Gasparito specialty chicken with sauce made from a traditional family recipe, traditional dishes like stoba di bestia chiquito, keshi yena, and many more. This particular night we had dinner inside the gallery. We had questions about some of the authentic dishes on the menu and Rei  gave us small samples of the different Arabian sauces. We tried the goat stew, it was tasty. Coconut Shrimp- great. The onion soup was very good. Rei and Utahna believe in operating their restaurant on how they would like to be treated. We felt like we were part of their family for the evening. There is also gourmet vegetarian meals served.

Shrimp Delight, Fresh Mushroom Pasta, Alicia's Fish Soup, Barracuda Stuffed Ravioli, Fisherman's Loot, Shrimp in Coco, Calco Stoba, Vegetarian Crioyo, Aruban Sand & Sea Combo A star among Aruba's finest restaurants, Gasparito Restaurant and Art Gallery is renowned for authentic Aruban dishes, historic Aruban architecture and inspiring Aruban art. Gasparito's creative cuisine, including seafood and international specialties, has been honored with several prestigious international awards.The team of chefs holds many awards including a total of seven gold, silver and bronze medals for outstanding performance during the Aruba Culinary and Caribbean Culinary Competitions

The Old Man and The Sea

Fine Italian Dining- Located in Palm Beach in the high rise section across from the Radisson. We have dined here every year since the restaurant opened. The restaurant has an upscale ambiance with live dinner music, great waitstaff and fine food. Romantic sunset dining on the beach. Impeccable service and food preparation. Fresh seafood this restaurant serves quality food in a beautiful presentation salads, Chilean sea bass, and grouper and more. You must make reservations for this restaurant. 

Gianni’s Italian Restaurant

Fine Italian Dining- Located in Palm Beach in the high rise section across from the Radisson. We have dined here every year since the restaurant opened. The restaurant has an upscale ambiance with live dinner music, great waitstaff and fine food.Gain’s is located directly across the street from the Radisson. Reservations recommended. Indoor and outdoor dining. Many daily specials great caesar salad, Linguini,  Fruit de mar, fresh broiled grouper, sea bass, pasta, spaghetti and more.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House

If you are a steak lover than this is the place for you. Finally in Aruba, one of the best American Steak Houses is open. From our experiences we have always had a great meal at Ruth’s, The food is great and the wait staff is excellent. The prices are a little high, but after you taste the steak you know it’s worth it. Located at the Marriott Hotel

Flying Fishbone

Romantic Sunset dining on the beach

Located in Savanetta off of the main highway

Sunset Grille

Great steaks and sushi

 Located at the Radisson Hotel

El Gaucho

El Gaucho is one of Aruba’s most famous dining restaurant for Argentinean steaks.

The Gaucho steak is an 18 oz sirloin steak charo grilled.

Located in downtown Orangestad

Yemanja Woodfired Grill

Excellent.... Great food, atmosphere and staff.

Texas de Brazil

The Texas de Brazil is the first classic Brazilian Churrascaria (steakhouse) in Aruba.  At Texas de Brazil diners will be tempted by an extravagant 40-item salad bar complete with sumptuous salads, seasonal vegetables and appetizers.  A troop of carvers roams the restaurant with choice cuts of sizzling beef, pork, lamb, sausage and chicken - flame-grilled to perfection. Diners can keep sampling the generous servings until they beg for mercy. services were average and the service was good

Located across the street from the Radisson Hotel

Smokey Joe’s

This is a very casual outdoor restaurant and is known for its bbq rib’s. I would suggest trying the sampler of bbq ribs which consists of four different bbq flavors, the portions are large.

Located in the high rise section across from the Hyatt Hotel.

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