Restaurant ratings

[marino1252]

For my first week my family made reservations for the following places. If anyone has been to these give me your rating out of 10. For the second week I am going on my own to eat at other restaurants any suggestions?

Amazonian?
Giannis?
Flying fishbone?
Madam Jennette?
Chalet suisse?
Mathews-rib night?

[Andrea J.]

Originally Posted by marino1252

For my first week my family made reservations for the following places. If anyone has been to these give me your rating out of 10. For the second week I am going on my own to eat at other restaurants any suggestions?

my opinion in red n/a means i have never dined there
Amazonian? N/A but many folks love it, their price is high
Giannis? 2 dined there 2x, service less than adequate if you want better italian, ana marias has been getting very good reviews
Flying fishbone? 9 wonderful, have not been there in maybe 8 yrs though you will need a rental car or it is an expensive taxi
Madam Jennette? 9 also wonderful, we go there every trip.
Chalet suisse? 7 been a long time ago for this restaurant
Mathews-rib night?

7 i was just ok with matthews. both times we were there there was NO breeze and we were very uncomfortable.

[mgenestra]

Giannis- GREAT!

[~Amy~®]

Originally Posted by marino1252

For my first week my family made reservations for the following places. If anyone has been to these give me your rating out of 10. For the second week I am going on my own to eat at other restaurants any suggestions?

Amazonian?
Giannis?
Flying fishbone?
Madam Jennette?
Chalet suisse?
Mathews-rib night?

Amazonia - been to many places with the same concept. It's a "been there, done that" kind of place for us so no need to go again.
Gianni's - 3
Flying Fishbone - 8
Madame Janette's - 10
Chalet Suisse - 7
Matthew's - 7

Other restaurant favorites of ours:
Carte Blanche
Passions
Screaming Eagle
Amadeus
Yemanja
Marandi
Bingo
Pinchos
Wacky Wahoo

[Randi]

Originally Posted by marino1252

For my first week my family made reservations for the following places. If anyone has been to these give me your rating out of 10. For the second week I am going on my own to eat at other restaurants any suggestions?

Amazonian?
Giannis?
Flying fishbone?
Madam Jennette?
Chalet suisse?
Mathews-rib night?

I would like to make a few suggestions to your list above: Flying Fishbone (which I haven't been back to in a few years) is far and although very lovely on the beach, we found that the tables were so close to each other that our conversations were shared with the tables next to us. That has been a common comment by many. I would recommend BAREFOOT as a great alternative and it is much closer.
Gianni's is hit and miss with respect to food and service. We are regulars to the place and I have to say that given the choice I would go to Anna-Maria's. We went to both this past visit. Gianni's changed (two years ago) the awning that covers most of the restaurant and the airflow is horrible. They have put up fans on the ceiling of the awnings but I don't find it helps all that much. It is big and food is good but a little more heavy feeling. It took us 1 1/4 to have dinner which is a bit fast. Anna-Maria's is different atmosphere but you can look up my postings for further info.
My personal feeling is Smokey Joes has better ribs than Matthew's but Matthew's has a very nice atmosphere on the beach.
Madame Jeanettes is great but ask to sit outside as the area that is "inside" has a low ceiling and the air doesn't move there.

Enjoy your dinners!

[jdoll]

Amazonian? - no different than any Brazilian "all the meat you can eat" place in the states.

Giannis - chef 7, locale 7, experience 7 Semi-solid Italian on the hi-rise strip. Hardley special however.

Flying fishbone - chef 8, locale 10, experience 6 We stopped going here in 2007 because the tables are just too close together and you can't avoid being overrun with others table talk, etc. Good chef and same owner/menu can be found at Screaming Eagle (a tready place for the 30 and under crowd)

Madam Jennette - chef 8, locale 7, experience 8 a busy programmed kitchen kicks out solid dishes. We have not been for a few years since they standardized the menu but you should enjoy the meal &experience.

Chalet suisse - had a bad experience in 2001 0r 2002 and haven't been back since.
Mathews-rib night - no experience.

My don't miss Rec's for your 2nd week
Marandi - chef 9, locale 9, experience 9 well spaced tables, waterside under the night sky or under the grass palpa. Unrushed experience and some great seafood specials.

Anna Maries - chef 9, locale 9, experience 10 search the forum here for reviews but this is the most unique Italian on the island IMHO and a equally unique dining experience at reasonable prices. Plan on 3 hours.

Wacky Wahoo's - chef 9, locale 6, experience 8 0r 9. the star here is the fish. as big a variety as you'll find on the island. tiny, crowded place but the dishes make it all worth while.

[jdoll]

And I forgot The Kitchen. If you get tired of going out this is a gourmet takeout place that has some incredible dishes. Buy a bottle of wine, light a candle and eat this meal surfside on a lounge chair. A great experience IMHO.

[cindyo]

Originally Posted by marino1252

For my first week my family made reservations for the following places. If anyone has been to these give me your rating out of 10. For the second week I am going on my own to eat at other restaurants any suggestions?

Amazonian?PASS, 6 at best
Giannis? PASS, 5 at best
Flying fishbone? PASS, 7, however to many tables for a fine dining experience
Madam Jennette?YES !!! Outstanding every time !!!!!!!!
Chalet suisse? YES, good food, nice service, often forgotten about, but good
Mathews-rib night?

PASS, you can do better elsewhere

ADD...Pinchos which is on the water on a dock
Mirandi's, also on the water on a dock
Wacky Wahoo, need reservation, good fresh food
Casa Tua, 4 locations, all good food, service
Ruins del Mar- outstanding brunch on sundays
I am sure others have added their reviews in...enjoy whatever places you choose.



My comments in red...

[hatteras]

I've never been to Gianni's but some people we met in Aruba in Feb. told us they had reservations there at 7:00, and didn't get seated until MUCH later. They got their food around 9:30. They had two pre schoolers with them, so nobody had a good time, including all of the people who had the misfortune of being seated near them. There are several older postings on this board about how service has gone down.
Madame Janette - 10, my favorite on your list
Chalet Suisse - 9, my second favorite
Matthew's - 6, If you want ribs, I suggest Smokey Joe's. They are terrific.
Other favorites of mine are Pincho's, El Gaucho's (it can get noisy but the steaks are great), Passions, Simply Fish.

[jeffnev]

I would reco Smokey Joes for ribs, although i have only had breakfast at Matthews. Totally agree with the MJ's reviews-don't miss it.

A few suggestions to add;
Chef's Table- not far from Palm and Eagle beach and a really nice, less crowded place. Not sure why it isn't on more people's lists but that's ok.

Pincho's- just past the main downtown area on the water. really good food, great setting, and professional service.

Linda's Pancakes- best breakfast place on the island IMHO. Others on this site also say lunch and dinner are really good there.

Cuba's Cookin'-downtown, fun place, good music, and great mojitos.

Every year we try a few new places and this July we will definitely try Anna Maria's, Que Pasa, Busters, and maybe Cooks.

Best part about eating in Aruba is that there are more good places that you have days on the island and most of them are really good.