Foodie Diaries – Top Restaurants in Aruba

AD- I went to Aruba thanks to Aruba Tourism so my trip was complimentary
but all thoughts on the top restaurants in Aruba are my own

One of the things that impressed me most about my recent trip to Aruba was the food. I expected the beaches to be beautiful and the sunshine and heat to be incredible. And the food matched right up. If you haven’t read about my trip I did a post on days 1-3 and a post on days 4-6 so check those out.

We were lucky enough to be taken around some great restaurants on the island. So I thought I’d do a breakdown of some of my top restaurants in Aruba for you to check out if you’re ever going.

Top restaurants in Aruba – Breakfast – Craft

Breakfast is one of my favourite meals and this dish from Craft was incredible. The base was lined with an egg mixture a bit like an omelette and it was topped with fresh mushrooms. I blooming love morel mushrooms so I was in my element here. And it came with a side of toast as well which was a great finishing touch.

The choice of breakfast dishes was pretty intense. They had some beautiful looking acai bowls but that’s just too healthy for my liking.

Top affordable lunchtime spot – Garden Fresh

After a morning on a bumpy jeep tour on the island I was pretty famished when we arrived at Garden Fresh. They’re inspired by a love and passion for organic and healthier food. And therefore Garden Fresh only use fresh ingredients and organic products in their food. Their selection of juices and smoothies was great. I chose the Morning Sunshine full of fresh banana, mango, pineapple and orange juice.

Then I opted for the make your own panini (you could also choose a wrap or salad). As I can be quite fussy with my food this was a great way to make it exactly how I want it. And it was only $9!

Top on the beach daytime- Eduardo’s Beach Shacks

Right on a beautiful (but slightly busy) beach sit’s Eduardo’s Beach Shacks, great for a snack while you’re sunbathing. We went there for breakfast where there were choices of smoothie bowls and various toasted delights. I opted for the banana and nutella sourdough and it might not look like much but it was soo filling.

Despite it being about 8.30 in the morning you could still get seafood and loads of other things you may not typically get for breakfast.

Top restaurants in Aruba for authentic Seafood- Zeerovers

We’d been told quite a lot about Zeerovers before we arrived, and it’s one of the top rated restaurants on Trip Advisor. It’s one of those places which isn’t just popular with the tourists, it’s popular with the locals. So you know you’re onto a winner. It doesn’t look fancy on the outside, or even on the inside, but it’s the food that matters.

There’s no menu at zeerovers as they go out and catch the fish fresh every morning on their own boats. So you never know what you’re going to get. We had shrimp and bass (I think it was) and it arrived like this as a huge order for four people and you just jumped in with your hands. And I can safely say it was some of the best seafood I’d ever eaten!

Top for Japanese and sushi – Yami Yami

After quite a few days of seafood (not that we were complaining) we wanted something different for our day off. And we ventured to a local recommendation Yami Yami, billed as an Asian fusion restaurant. The menu was pretty extensive full of sushi, and loads of chicken dishes which I took advantage of.

I started with some peanut chicken and then got the chicken Teriyaki that you can see above which was incredible but very filling.

Top for relaxed food and cocktail combo on the seafront- The Westdeck

We went to The Westdeck for our final meal in Aruba and it was such a great way to end our stay on the island. It’s an island grill and seafront bar as it’s perched just on the seafront. I could see boats and cruise ships coming into the bay, yet it was a very relaxed atmosphere. So definitely one of my top restaurants in Aruba, somewhere I’d come back to next time!

As it was our final meal we indulged in a few cocktails from their pretty impressive menu. And then I had calamari followed by a steak wrap. But I couldn’t leave out the amazing picture of this Snapper fish that my travel buddy ordered. Everything I ate was amazing and it was such a nice way to finish our trip.

Best for an on the beach experience – Barefoot

On the beach dining is quite a common phenomanon in Aruba. With so many beautiful settings it’s no wonder this is the case. We were due to get to Barefoot to see the sun set, but sadly this wasn’t the case. But if you do go aim to be there half an hour before the sun sets so you can see it across the seafront.

The food here was absolutely amazing and full of some more amazing seafood. Above is my starter with was one of my single favourite dishes from the whole trip. A puff pastry bottom filled with a creamy seafood mixture. And then I had jumbo garlic prawns for my main which were so fresh and tasty. I think that’s one of the things you can notice about the seafood in Aruba as it’s caught fresh from the island. Whereas most of the rest of the food is exported in.

Top restaurants in Aruba for barside food – Local Store

We headed to Local Store on a night when there should have been live music which would have been great, but sadly it wasn’t on. But that didn’t stop us having a great night. Local Store is far more of a bar environment with a great cocktail list, and a huge choice of spirits behind the bar.

I was pretty tired the day we went here so I definitely could have attempted more courses than just the wrap I had. But what a great wrap it was! If you’re looking for somewhere you can have a nice drink, but also some greta food then this is the one for you.

Best for Italian Food – Hostaria de Vittorrio

My final shoutout is to an Italian restaurant we headed to called Hostoria de Vittorrio which serves a whole load of authentic Italian food. It opened back in 2000 by master chef on the island Vittorio Muscariello and has remained a favourite on the island ever since.

This was another nice change of cuisine during the trip and I ordered my standard Italian order so I could best compare it. The calamari was crunchy on the outside and chewy inside. Then for main I had a spinach and cheese stuffed pasta which was incredibly good, even comparing it to pasta I’ve had in Italy.

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