Come hungry for seafood, island flavors, and friendly service, y’all! We ate incredibly well during our stay on Aruba. While researching for this trip, I found several of these restaurants on multiple “must eat” lists from other bloggers and a variety of publications, but I think we also found some true, hidden gems just a little off the beaten path for you. Take a look, and start planning your trip!

But first, some tips about reservations! I strongly recommend making reservations at any restaurant on Aruba that has a sea view, sunset view, is on the beach, or is only open for dinner. Personally, I do not like to make reservations because it limits my travel flexibility. However, Aruba has some of the best restaurants in the world (and I’ve eaten at restaurants all over the world!), and it was worth making reservations at a few restaurants during our stay. Those included Driftwood, The West Deck, and The Flying Fishbone. How early should you make reservations? Shoot for one to three months out (especially if you want the “feet in the water” experience at The Flying Fishbone).

Additionally, many restaurants have their own reservation system; they don’t use Open Table or other third parties. When you fill out their reservation form on their website, you’ll receive an e-mail acknowledging your request. The time or day you chose may not be available, even though it looked like you could choose it on the website! They will e-mail you within a day or so (usually within a few hours) to confirm the date and time. This made things a little more complicated, but it always worked out for us.

Lucy’s Retired Surfer’s Bar and Restaurant

This ultra-casual, beachy restaurant is right on the water, just across the street from the Renaissance Hotel, which is why we picked it for a late lunch our first day on Aruba. They have a varied menu (heavy on the fresh seafood, but not exclusively), and you can even bring your fresh catch here for them to cook for you! 

We happened to be there for Taco Tuesday, which my husband took advantage of—two beef, one fish, and one shrimp taco with a side of sweet plantains. (Fish was his favorite.) I went for the fish sandwich (mahi mahi), and while the proportion of fish to bun was lacking, the flavors were amazing. It came with sweet potato fries, too, which were amazing. We finished off (okay, mostly I finished off) with their key lime mousse, which, dare I say was even BETTER than traditional key lime pie?! 

(Coming soon) More here: What to Pack for a Five Days on Aruba

Santos Coffee

This local coffee shop is a treat! They have three locations on the island, but we went to the one in Oranjestad, just a few blocks from our hotel. Their breakfast is served all day, and the menu includes everything from Acai bowls to breakfast sandwiches and beyond. Steve got the grilled chicken salad, and I opted for the very tasty peanut butter and bacon on toast! I’m a sucker for that savory-sweet combo. 

(Coming soon) Read on: The Best FREE Things to Do on Aruba

Papagayo Bar and Grill

We ate breakfast here on our “flamingo day!” It’s located on iguana beach and is open for breakfast at 8:30, or lunch until 3:00. The menu is set for $22, plus additional 17% tip (already added to your bill). The menu was varied enough, and the fixed menu meant that each person received a plate of pastries, bowl of fruit, choice of entree, and choice of coffee or tea, and orange juice. You can also select specialty coffees, cocktails, or juices for a bit extra. 

We thought the food here was good, but didn’t blow us away. We couldn’t be too disappointed, though, because the view was pretty great, and all the flamingoes were in the lagoon at iguana beach anyway! It’s worth eating here if you want to arrive on the island with the first ferry (departing at 7:00am), but not worth a special trip just to have breakfast here. 

Read next: Your Ultimate Guide to Flamingo Beach on Renaissance Island

Driftwood

This restaurant was on every list of the top places to eat on Aruba. I got a reservation for the two of us at 5:00, when they opened, but the reservation wasn’t necessary; may be a different story later in the evening. It’s definitely a fine dining establishment in the heart of Oranjestad, but it’s also an island, so shorts are appropriate if you prefer them in the heat. 

The big draw here is the fresh catch of the day—caught by the owner! The selections the day we ate here were mahi mahi, wahoo, and crab. The crab went into croquettes as an appetizer, with a curried honey mustard sauce. The other two were the choices for the catch of the day entree, either of which could be prepared your choice of five ways. Steve got the mahi mahi, blackened, with sweet Caribbean peach sauce. I ordered the wahoo, Aruban style, with Creole sauce. We also ordered a side of funchi, which is a Caribbean polenta, and a sweet cornbread, which may have actually been the star of the show!

(Coming soon) More here: Your Ultimate Guide to Traveling on Aruba

Blue

This restaurant is located poolside at our hotel, the Renaissance Wind Creek. The pool itself overlooks the main road through Oranjestad and the adjacent Marina, so it’s a nice view! We got lazy one afternoon and decided not to go back out after a day of exploring, so we had an early supper here. Their menu is small (well, except for the drink menu, which was vast!), but their food was delicious. I had the Blue Salad, which included crab, ponzu salmon, eel, masago (fish roe), seaweed, and avocado, which satisfied my Asian palate! Steve went with a classic: the Renaissance Burger. 

(Coming soon) More here: What It’s Like Staying at the Renaissance Wind Creek Hotel on Aruba

Organic Bodega Cafe

We looked for a good breakfast spot away from Oranjestad. We are so glad we sought out something a little more local and a little less crowded, because this place was amazing! It was on the upper level of a dress store, which was quirky, but the food was great. I had the breakfast sandwich on a bagel (a little spicy for me, but tasty), while Steve ate the Club Breakfast Plate. They also had an amazing selection of acai bowls, smoothies, waffles, coffee, sweets, and more. I would definitely go back!

Read on: The Ultimate Travel Couple Bucket List

The Dutch Pancake House

When in the Netherlands, right? We ate breakfast here our last day, and even though it’s definitely geared toward “tourists,” we were pleasantly surprised at how flavorful everything was. Steve got the Dutch Pancake, complete with veggies and ham, while I went with a more tropical option: the pineapple, bacon, and cheese pancake. It was delicious. We also split a small order of Proffitjes (tiny pancakes) with powdered sugar and banana. I think they may have actually stolen the show!

(Coming soon) Also fun: The Best Places to Play with Animals on Aruba

The West Deck

This was one of the most flavorful meals we ate during our entire stay. It’s definitely a casual, beach bar kind of place, situated directly on a beach just outside of Oranjestad, but well within walking distance of downtown. If you’re coming for dinner, especially on a weekend you might consider making a reservation, since it’s in a great location. I’m glad we had one, as we overheard the waitstaff say they had a large party coming in just after we left!

But back to the food. Wow! We wanted to try everything, but we settled on splitting the Governor’s Bay Beach Salad, Grouper Fingers, and Grilled Snapper Filet. It was more food than we needed, but I found room for Key Lime Pie anyway! (Can you tell yet it’s a favorite?)

Keep reading: What to Know Before You Visit the Caribbean

Huchada

Wow! This was the surprise of the trip. We were looking for something local on the way to the Aruba Donkey Sanctuary, and we went into this one with no expectations. But wow! This was the least photogenic, most delicious food we ate the entire trip! Steve and I shared a brie and veggie sandwich, plus three pastechi (Aruban empanadas): two beef and one chicken. The flavors were truly next level, and it was definitely a local spot. We were probably the only tourists there. Would I go back? Absolutely! And it’s worth making a trip yourself if you want some authentic, Aruban flair and flavor!

Also helpful: The Top 9 Things People Forget to Pack for the Caribbean

The Flying Fishbone

This is one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten, anywhere! And while it was the most expensive meal we ate on the island, it was also the best value. Not only was the food perfect, they definitely didn’t try to fill us up on bread, rice, pasta, or potatoes. The seafood was plentiful on both of our plates! I can’t stress enough just how impeccable the service, food, and ambience all were. This was such a worthwhile experience (even without having our feet in the water), and I’m so glad we got a reservation here during our trip. I will definitely eat here again if ever we go back to Aruba!

I had the Savaneta Seafood History with Yellow Curry, which had the largest pieces of seafood on it that I’ve ever seen on a plate like that: Calamari, shrimp, snapper, salmon, and mussels. Steve’s Seafood Pasta had some of the same seafood–and the pieces were just a large–over perfectly cooked pasta and tomato sauce. It’s important to note that my husband doesn’t care about food; it’s just fuel to him, and he’s not at all particular. However, even he said the food was incredible!

For dessert, we split the Baked Alaska, which I had never had before. I could have done without the Sambuca, personally, but I really wanted to try this dessert, and I didn’t realize the Sambuca was added at the table, so I could have asked for it without (which I’ll do next time). The rest was amazing! And because this is a special occasion restaurant, several guests, including ourselves, were celebrating something. When I made our reservation, I noted that we were on the island to celebrate our 10th anniversary, so we got a complimentary chocolate cake dessert as well!

Notes on “Feet in the Water”

For their special “feet in the water” dining experience, be sure to make reservations at least three months in advance, if not more. I tried to book in March for our trip in April, but the tables in the water were fully booked through June! You must request the 4:00pm time slot for this, and then request “Feet in the Water” from the drop-down menu after that. We were not too heartbroken over this, as we were able to snag a beach table instead, and really I wanted to go to this restaurant because I hoped to try their Baked Alaska dessert. If you really want the unique feet in the water experience, be sure to book early, but also check the tide schedule! 4:00pm was actually low tide when we went, so no one got to have their feet in the water that night!

(Coming soon) Keep reading: How to Make Aruba Your Ultimate Romantic Destination

Want more? Get everything you need to plan your tropical adventure on my dedicated Aruba Page!

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