11 Best Restaurants in Aruba: Where to Eat on the Island

Aruba’s standout restaurants sit in three areas: Palm Beach for the big open-air terraces along the hotel strip, Oranjestad for waterfront tables at sunset, and the inland villages of Noord, Santa Cruz and Savaneta for the food Arubans eat themselves. I’d never expected Aruba to be a food destination. I knew the island runs an Eat Local restaurant week every October, but that was about all I’d ever heard about its restaurant scene. Then I traveled there and ate my way through it.

Whether it was breakfast, lunch, or dinner, our guide Jasmine from the Aruban tourism board always knew where to take us. I’m not even exaggerating here.

Chocolate knows I love to eat and I love to eat well, something I could do in abundance on the island. Hence the extra 2 kg (4.4 lb) I took home with me after having spent a mere week there.

It would be a crime not to share the top restaurants in Aruba I stuffed my face at, so here you go. I ate at every one of them on that single week-long trip, so read the dishes as a snapshot of what those kitchens were doing rather than as today’s menu. The addresses, opening days and payment quirks below are the current ones.

11 Aruba restaurants that serve some of the best food in Aruba

The 11 restaurants in Aruba below are the ones I actually ate at, ordered the way I met them over a week on the island. Each one is still open, and each entry gives you the street address, the opening days and the one practical thing that catches visitors out, because these places are spread right across the island rather than sitting side by side.

1. MooMba Beach Aruba

MooMba Beach Bar & Restaurant is an open-air beach bar on Palm Beach and a relaxed spot for a casual lunch. MooMba is one of several Aruba restaurants that put their tables straight onto the sand, and its menu runs to lighter dishes alongside a long drinks list.

Breakfast is served too, as is dinner, which is worth knowing if you want to stay on for one of MooMba’s evening parties.

We kept it calm with a simple main course and some refreshing drinks after having cruised around the island an entire morning. I chose the fish chowder, which was creamy and came with bread on the side. Sorry, no picture this time. I think I was so hungry I just dug right in.

MooMba Beach sits at J.E. Irausquin Boulevard 230 on Palm Beach, on the sand between the Holiday Inn Resort and the Marriott Surf Club. The kitchen runs from 11:00 to 22:00 and the bar opens earlier and closes much later, so a late lunch is easy and a late kitchen order is not.

2. Papiamento Restaurant Aruba

Papiamento Restaurant serves dinner in the garden of an old cunucu house in Noord, the low stone-and-plaster farmhouse type that Aruba built for centuries. Papiamento moved here when the Ellis family needed a bigger place: their sons dug the pool in the garden, and the planting followed the instructions of mother Lenie.

Today the family still runs it, welcoming guests around that pool underneath painted lanterns hung from the trees.

Dining happens outside unless the weather is genuinely bad. In that case guests move inside the house, which doubles as a small museum of antique furniture and utensils brought over from Europe.

As for the food, that was the meal that set the week up. We ordered three appetizers to share, followed by individual main courses. I’m sorry to say I didn’t write down every dish, but we had a tomato-mozzarella salad, a local dish with fish, pork and melted cheese, and a tuna tartare.

For the main course, I had grouper covered in almonds. The portion was more than double what I’d have at home, so I skipped dessert and just ordered a green tea.

Service was attentive all evening and, because the tables are scattered across a large garden, we hardly noticed the other guests.

Papiamento Restaurant is at Washington 61 in Noord. It serves dinner only, seating from 18:00, Monday to Saturday, and closes on Sundays and on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January. Book ahead, and call rather than email if you want a table the same day.

3. Azia Restaurant and Lounge Aruba

Azia Restaurant & Lounge is part of the Gianni’s Group, the Ferrara family business that runs several of the Palm Beach restaurants on this list. Azia was the first stop of our restaurant-hopping evening, over sushi, Asian-style small plates and cocktails.

Among the four of us we shared shrimp and pork shumai, salmon rolls with cream cheese, avocado and spicy mayo, and TNT rolls built from crab and topped with shrimp, avocado, asparagus, garlic and spicy mayo.

We ate these in the lounge chairs on the large terrace, which has a ceiling of small lightbulbs that does a lot of work once the sun has gone down.

Azia is at J.E. Irausquin Boulevard 348 on Palm Beach, across from the Hilton. It opens at 17:00 seven days a week and runs later on Friday and Saturday, with valet parking from 18:00.

4. Gianni’s Ristorante Italiano Aruba

Gianni’s Ristorante Italiano is the group’s Italian restaurant and the second stop on our restaurant-hopping evening. Gianni’s has a huge outdoor seating area, but what impressed me even more was the size of the lobsters in the water tank by the entrance. They were the biggest I’d ever seen.

We didn’t order lobster that night, though. Instead we each had a different dish, mine was spaghetti vongole, and then shared the suggestion of the day: crab ravioli.

The ravioli was good enough that I’m fairly sure we all regretted not ordering a full plate of it, but having it as an extra to share meant we could try more things. It’s a strategy we used all week.

Gianni’s sits at J.E. Irausquin Boulevard 348 on Palm Beach, in the same plaza as Azia. The Ferrara family opened it in downtown Oranjestad in 1984 before moving it to Palm Beach, and it now runs from 11:00 to midnight every day, so it is one of the few places here that will feed you at 16:00.

5. Gelatissimo Aruba

Gelatissimo makes its gelato and sorbet on Aruba using local fruit, and it was the last stop of our Gianni night. Gelatissimo’s menu of coupes and other ice cream sweets was long, but I was so full from the appetizers and dinner that I just ordered a scoop of lemon and a scoop of raspberry.

It was good, but standard. I wasn’t won over the way I had been at the other places we’d eaten at.

Gelatissimo has changed shape since my visit. The scoop counter is now the Gelatissimo Bus, parked in Gianni’s Plaza at J.E. Irausquin Boulevard 348 on Palm Beach and open daily from midday to midnight, while the cups, popsicles and bonbons are also sold through island supermarkets, hotels and restaurants. That address is the one to use if you are working from an older guide that sends you to a separate ice cream bar further along the boulevard.

6. Barefoot Restaurant Aruba

Barefoot Restaurant puts its tables directly on the sand in Oranjestad, which makes it the sunset dinner on this list. Barefoot’s tagline isn’t “Elegant dining in flip flops” for nothing.

And then I haven’t even mentioned the food. My chocolate, the food. It has to be some of the best food in Aruba.

I had salmon rolls as an appetizer followed by the shellfish trio, a combination of lobster, shrimp and scallops in lobster sauce. I’m starting to drool just thinking about it again.

And then there was the chocolate mousse. Not just any kind of chocolate mousse. Oh no, a duo of light yet creamy white and dark chocolate mousse. Accompanied by a cup of tea, of course.

The service was faultless. Our waitress was friendly, and she told us when her shift had ended and someone else was taking over.

Honestly, this might have been my favorite Aruba restaurant. I’d pick it for a romantic dinner over anything else here.

Barefoot Restaurant is at L.G. Smith Boulevard 1 in Oranjestad, across from the Talk of the Town hotel. It serves dinner only, from 17:00 to 22:00 daily, and the front-row tables on the sand go first, so reserve those specifically rather than just booking a table.

7. The West Deck Aruba

The West Deck comes second on the cozy-ambiance ranking, after Barefoot Restaurant. The West Deck sits along the Linear Park in Oranjestad on a large wooden deck over the water, and it works for a casual lunch as well as dinner.

The menu is built on hot and cold Caribbean appetizers that are best ordered to share family-style, as we did.

For dessert, I can recommend both the cheesecake and the dark and white chocolate mousse cake, which is more cake than mousse, just so you know. I got lucky: we were so full that we couldn’t finish them and I took both with me for breakfast. Yes, breakfast. Stop looking at me like that.

We’d also ordered tres leches cake. I wasn’t a huge fan, more because it isn’t my thing than because it wasn’t well made. The others loved it, so order it if tres leches is your thing.

The West Deck is on L.G. Smith Boulevard at Governor’s Bay, in the Linear Park next to Queen Wilhelmina Park and a short walk from the cruise terminal. It’s open daily from 11:00 to 22:30, which makes it the easiest lunch on this list to reach on foot from downtown.

8. The Old Cunucu House Aruba

The Old Cunucu House is where to go for typical Aruban dishes, served in an old cunucu farmhouse in Noord. The Old Cunucu House gave us iguana soup as an appetizer and it was genuinely good. The meat tastes a bit like chicken but carries more flavor.

As the main course, I had lobster, fish, shrimp, scallops and squid in an Aruban-style red sauce, with rice, vegetables, polenta and a slice of plantain on the side. It might have been the best lunch in Aruba I had.

The Old Cunucu House is at Palm Beach 150 in Noord, inland from the beach strip rather than on it, and opens every day from 11:30 to 22:30. Its website moved to a new address a while back, so an old bookmark for it will fail.

9. Huchada NV Aruba

Huchada is a neighborhood bakery in Santa Cruz, in the middle of the island, and it is the most local stop on this list. Huchada fed us a sandwich after we’d hiked up the Hooiberg, and while the sandwich was good rather than remarkable, this is a fun place to come if you want something genuinely local and low-key.

Huchada is best known for pastechi, the fried, filled turnover Arubans eat for breakfast, along with goat soup and cashew cake.

Huchada is at Santa Cruz 328, open 06:00 to 20:00 Monday to Saturday and 07:00 to 14:00 on Sunday. Go early: the pastechi are a breakfast item and the counter thins out as the day goes on.

10. Garden Fresh Café Aruba

Garden Fresh Café is the group’s healthy counter-service spot, in the much more touristy Palm Beach area. Garden Fresh works on the order-at-the-counter model, with wraps, salads, smoothies, paninis and juices.

I chose a chicken burrito, which was exactly the right size, though I have to admit I was a bit jealous of the huge salads two of the others had ordered.

Garden Fresh Café is at J.E. Irausquin Boulevard 87 on Palm Beach, at the Playa Linda Beach Resort, and is open daily from 11:00 to 20:00. Breakfast items such as acai bowls and avocado toast have been added since my visit, and there are gluten-free and vegan options.

11. Zeerover Aruba

Zeerover serves fresh seafood at low prices from a pier in the fishing village of Savaneta. Zeerover works by weight: at the counter you say how much you want of everything, meaning shrimp, the fish of the day, plantain, fries, tartar sauce and onions.

You then move on to the bar to order your drink and carry it to your table. When your food is ready, it all arrives in one big basket, fast-food style but far better than that sounds.

Right next to the deck with the basic tables you can watch the fishermen prepare the catch, and if you take a seat on the terrace hanging over the water you get the view as well.

Zeerover is run by an Aruban family and draws locals, Dutch residents and tourists alike. It felt more local than anything else to me, since I heard almost only Papiamento.

Zeerover is at Savaneta 270, on the main road towards San Nicolas, and is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 21:00. Two things will ruin the trip if you don’t plan for them: the kitchen is closed on Mondays, and payment is cash only, with few cash machines nearby.

And that’s my list of Aruba restaurants. I know there are plenty more, but I only wanted to include the ones I actually ate at. If you’re a local, I’d love to know: which restaurant in Aruba would you send a visitor to?

Practical information on eating out in Aruba

Eating out in Aruba is more relaxed than the prices on the hotel strip suggest, and the six practical points below cover almost everything visitors ask before they book a table. The Aruban florin is the local currency, US dollars are accepted everywhere, and October is the month when many kitchens put local dishes on a fixed-price menu.

Dress code

The dress code in Aruba restaurants is casual, even at the fancier end. I like to look at least a bit tidy for dinner, but I saw plenty of people in flip flops and shorts, especially at the restaurants sitting directly on the beach.

Payment

Payment is easy nearly everywhere: credit cards are widely accepted, as are US dollars alongside the local florin. Zeerover is the exception on this list and takes cash only, so pull money out before you drive to Savaneta.

Free tap water

Free tap water arrived at every proper lunch and dinner we had, and nobody made us ask for refills. Aruba’s tap water comes from the island’s own desalination plant and is safe to drink. At the casual places, like Garden Fresh Café or Zeerover, we only got the drinks we ordered.

Reservations

Reservations are worth making for dinner, and necessary at a few places: Barefoot Restaurant, The West Deck and Papiamento all filled up while we were there. Aruba is small enough that you can try your luck and drive on to somewhere else if there’s no table, but if you want to eat at the restaurants above, book.

Getting between restaurants

Getting between these restaurants takes a car, because they are not in one place. Palm Beach clusters five of them within a few minutes’ walk, Barefoot Restaurant and The West Deck are downtown in Oranjestad, Papiamento and The Old Cunucu House are inland in Noord, Huchada is in Santa Cruz in the middle of the island, and Zeerover is further southeast again in Savaneta. Buses run along the hotel strip into Oranjestad but not usefully to Savaneta at dinner time, so rent a car if you want more than the beach strip, or budget for taxis both ways.

Eat Local restaurant week

Eat Local is Aruba’s restaurant week and it runs through October, with participating kitchens putting local dishes on a fixed-price menu. VisitAruba lists those menus at $15 for lunch and $30 to $40 for dinner, and no pass or voucher is needed, so you just turn up at a participating restaurant during the month.

Where to stay on Aruba

I stayed at two completely different hotels on Aruba, one large and one small, and both are still open.

The Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort is the big one, with its own harbor, food plaza, private island and casino. The resort sits in the middle of Oranjestad, which puts Barefoot Restaurant and The West Deck within walking distance, and the poolside fills with DJ sets and live performances in the evening. Rates swing hard between the December to April high season and the quiet months, so compare dates at the Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort before you settle on a week.

The Boardwalk Boutique Hotel Aruba is the small one, made up of casitas with their own kitchen, living room and balcony with barbecue, set in a former coconut plantation a short walk from Palm Beach. The Boardwalk suits people who want a home-away-from-home rather than a resort, and one thing has changed since my stay: it is now adults only. There are only 49 casitas, so check dates at the Boardwalk Boutique Hotel Aruba as soon as your flights are set.

How to get to Aruba

Fly into Queen Beatrix International Airport, which sits just outside Oranjestad and is the island’s only airport. I flew from Amsterdam Schiphol with KLM, the long-haul route most European travelers use, while North American visitors have direct services from a spread of US and Canadian cities. Fares to the island move a lot by season, so compare flights to Aruba across a few departure dates before you book.

Don’t forget travel insurance

Travel insurance covers you if part of your trip gets canceled, if you get sick or hurt abroad, and sometimes even if your electronics break or get stolen. Plan for the best, prepare for the worst. I make sure I’m covered on every trip I go on.

Don’t have travel insurance yet? Take a look at SafetyWing’s nomad insurance, which offers flexible plans you can sign up for while you’re already on your trip. SafetyWing was the first travel insurer to cover COVID, and when I got COVID they reimbursed all of my expenses without making a fuss. Their customer support team is good and I can personally recommend them.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

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• The Boardwalk Hotel Aruba: colorful casitas and my own barbecue
• What to pack for a week on Aruba

I was invited by Aruba Tourism to travel to the island so that I could share my experiences with you. As always, I only write what I want.

WonderfulWanderings Pro Tips

The 5 tips below come from eating my way across the island with a local guide and from re-checking every address, website and opening day since, and none of them is obvious from the restaurant listings.

1. Do the Gianni’s Plaza run on foot. Azia, Gianni’s Ristorante Italiano and the Gelatissimo Bus all sit at J.E. Irausquin Boulevard 348 on Palm Beach, so sushi, pasta and gelato is one evening without moving the car. That is exactly how we ate all three in a night.
2. Type Huchada’s address as Santa Cruz 328. aruba.com lists the bakery at Santa Cruz 75, while the bakery’s own site gives 328, which is also the number I wrote down on the day. Drive to 328.
3. Look up MooMba by its boulevard number, not by the beach name. Older listings put it at Berea di Pescado, which is a stretch of beach rather than an address you can navigate to. J.E. Irausquin Boulevard 230 gets you to the door.
4. Don’t let the certificate warning put you off The West Deck. The security certificate on thewestdeck.com has expired, so some browsers flag the site before it loads. The restaurant is trading normally, daily from 11:00 to 22:30.

About the author. This guide is written and maintained by the Wonderful Wanderings editorial team. Wonderful Wanderings was founded in 2012 by Sofie Couwenbergh, and the first-hand notes in this post come from her week on Aruba, eating her way from Palm Beach to Savaneta. The team covers Aruba for independent travelers, including the restaurants, hotels, car rental and tours worth booking, and updates this page when addresses, opening days and prices change.