It's been a few years since we first visited Aruba and we were happy to return for a 5 night getaway, far from the blistering cold in the northeast. As a married couple, we've been to several Caribbean islands and this is the first time returning to the same destination. We normally try to go to different places, but it was nice returning to a familiar place. Everything is easily accessible by car and we had fun rediscovering our favorite places, and also discovering a few new ones.
Here is our short list of eats and since we are the type that 'Live To Eat' versus 'Eat To Live', food hugely impacts our overall vacationing experience. Here is out list of the hits and misses of our trip (in no particular order) categorized either as a First Time Visit or Repeat (this being a return visit from our 2013 trip Aruba) and as either a Hit :) or Miss :(.
Cuba's Cookin - Repeat, Hit :)
Live music on a Monday night, quaint ambiance, good food and spontaneous dancing = fun night out. We enjoyed our second visit and were not disappointed. Hubby ordered the same thing he had four years ago (ribs served with rice, black beans, plantains and veggies) and he really enjoyed his dinner. I had the grilled grouper served with a pineapple salsa. It was a little bland, but a little salt gave it the flavor I wanted.
The live band and the gentleman singer performed La Bamba, My Way, and a few other songs I recognized, but can't recall the titles of. He was interactive and brought some folks up to dance and with a little prompting, there was several couple doing the meringue which was fun to watch.
Mangos Restaurant - New - Hit/Miss
The food was solid and the mini baguettes were awesome (crispy outside, warm & soft on the insider) served with a trio of accompaniments (pesto, garlic butter, and tomato). They offered two local beer options, had full bar and a decent wine selection, plus daily seafood specials. We also had the tiramisu which was good and served with ice cream and a shot of amaretto. Service was really attentive and friendly, our entrees were solid - nothing to complain about, but nothing to write home about either. The thing that bothered me was the fact that they included gratuity, but didn't itemize it on the bill and so we ended up tipping an additional 20%. Everywhere else in Aruba restaurants typically indicate if gratuity is included as an itemized line, but here it did not so we assumed it wasn't. In the end, we ended up tipping 35% which we realized after the fact. When we got back to the hotel, I was checking out their reviews on TripAdvisor and read a few that cautioned about tipping. This prompted me to look back at our bill and sure enough they did include tip but it wasn't itemized on the bill. I felt a bit duped and for that reason, I will not be returning.
Taste of Belgium - Repeat, Miss :(
During our first visit, we ate at Taste of Belgium at least 4-5 times. It had just opened a few weeks earlier, service was fantastic and they had a huge selection of Belgium Beer (of which I am a fan). Food was reliably good with a decent selection of American dishes (think upscale diner) and they had the BEST BLT I've ever had (and I've had many - much more often than I'd like to admit). The bacon were thick meaty slices that were so crispy, it crumbled when you bit into it. Just the memory of it makes me smile.
For weeks prior to this second visit to Aruba. I've looked forward to their BLT and it was our very first meal when we arrived. We picked up our car and went straight to Taste of Belgium. Sadly, the recipe changed and the quality was not as a I remembered. The bacon was really fatty and soggy, the bread thin and disproportionate to the B.L.T., and the lettuce was replaced with mixed greens. Oh, how my stomach cried at the sight of this sorry sandwich. Hubby had the club sandwich with the weird thin bread. I think if we didn't experience their greatness before, we wouldn't have been so disappointed. However, it is one of those things that was such a let down that this ended up being our our first and only visit this time around.
For weeks prior to this second visit to Aruba. I've looked forward to their BLT and it was our very first meal when we arrived. We picked up our car and went straight to Taste of Belgium. Sadly, the recipe changed and the quality was not as a I remembered. The bacon was really fatty and soggy, the bread thin and disproportionate to the B.L.T., and the lettuce was replaced with mixed greens. Oh, how my stomach cried at the sight of this sorry sandwich. Hubby had the club sandwich with the weird thin bread. I think if we didn't experience their greatness before, we wouldn't have been so disappointed. However, it is one of those things that was such a let down that this ended up being our our first and only visit this time around.
Dushi's Bagel - New - Hit :)
Very laid back place with warm service offering NY style bagels and they also have a good variety of options ranging from wraps, yogurts, smoothies, and egg platters. Very casual, inexpensive and low key place with indoor or outdoor seating. We actually really liked this place - of the four breakfast places we tried (including Salt & Pepper, Juan Valdez and Linda's Pancakes), this place was the right balance of variety and good service.. Free Wifi, Free Hot Coffee Refills, and Free Smiles from all the servers. By the way, the bagels are not exactly NY bagels (not doughy enough), but a decent cousin to the original. Thumbs up!
Zeerovers - New - Hit/Miss
This is restaurant on a dock and they serve what they catch. The menu is simple and you choose from a short list of menu options which are the fresh catch (today it was mahi mahi, barracuda, and wahu), shrimp, corn bread, tartar sauce, onions in vinegar, plantains, and french fries. That is it. You go to the front to order and pay for the fish by pound. Once you pay, they give you a number and you go to the next window to order drinks. Then off to the back to find a seat.
The Hit part of this equation is that the fish is really fresh. You see them carrying it right off the boat, cutting it up and it gets cooked right in front of you. The view in the back is awesome and I loved the local vibe.
The Miss part of the equation is that all the fish & shrimp are deep fried. It was tasty, but it was a 30 minute drive from the Eagle Beach area and in my humble opinion, not worth the drive. Glad we tried it since it is so popular with the locals, but would not return. I prefer my fish grilled, but for folks who like it deep fried, then this is probably the place for you.
Juan Valdez- Hit :)
If all you are looking for is a decent cup of coffee and free wifi, this is a great place. It is next to a Dunkin Donuts, the Alahambra Casino, and walking distance to La Costa Linda Resort. I especially liked it because I loved their beef pasteche which is basically a baked version of the Jamaican beef patty. This version was doughier and significantly less greasy. It was so good, hubby wanted it again for our last breakfast in Aruba. YUMM.
Water's Edge 12 Degrees North - Hit :)
The pasta was solid. It isn't fantastic, but it was good enough and service was really nice. A solid meal (for us) can be either great or terrible, depending on the service. Of the three times we ate here (twice for lunch), service was consistently friendly and we left satisfied all three times. Pasta dishes ranged from 15 USD (for the vegetarian) to $28 USD (for the spicy shrimp scallop featured below) and portions were huge. Drinks were okay - standard island fare.
Pure Beach - Miss :(
Fish sandwich was pretty bad. Deep fried and it was not fresh tasting. House salad was wilty and served with a overly sweet orange dressing. Worst meal of our trip.
Smokey Joe's - Best BBQ (self proclaimed) in Aruba - miss :(
Fun vibe, dry chicken, eh ribs. Sangia was okay though. The restaurant was packed and it was fun people watching, but if you want good food, this is probably not the place for you. My rotisserie chicken was super dry, even with the bbq dressing they put on top. The corn is the kind you get at KFC, over boiled and over buttered. Vinegar slaw was okay, and hubby said his ribs (he had the sampler) was hit or miss. The two with the dry rub were okay, but the other two with the wet rub was not good at all. Overall, not recommended based on our 1 experience there.
Hadicurari - Hit :)
Fresh fresh fresh. Grouper, fried, yum.
We met a guy from Chicago and we tend to trust recommendations from people that come from big cities. He was on his 14th visit to Aruba and highly recommended this place for their grouper sandwich. They cook what they catch and serve it with curly fries for lunch. It was a good combo and we were glad we tried it. Next to Moomba Bay Bar - lots of water activities nearby if you are in the area.
No Photos Available, but additional places we tried:
Salt & Pepper - Repeat - Hit:) (good alternative to Dushi's if you want a hot breakfast meal)
The Water's Edge at the Playa Linda Beach Resort - Decent grouper sandwich and quesadilla. We were famished from swimming all day in Eagle Beach and was glad for a place within walking distance where you can eat in your swimsuit and then dive back into Eagle Beach.