Restaurant Reviews 10/15 - 10/30

[gretch]

As promised, here are the restaurants we ate at:

1. Barefoot…AMAZING! I am so glad we tried this. By far my favorite restaurant on the island. We actually went twice it was so good. First time we sat inside which consisted of sitting under a giant palapa. The floor was wood, like a deck, but our table sat in sand. Very nice. The second night we sat on the beach which was breathtaking. Both times I got the Caribbean Grouper which was topped with a mango cream cheese and a sauce (tasted more like a gravy) underneath. I don’t care for cream cheese but this was absolutely delicious. Also, my first time having grouper. My husband got Romance of the Sea which was grouper, snapper and mahi. He said it was excellent. For dessert I got the coffee crème brulee which was out of this world!!!!! It came in two small dishes with a shot glass of Tia Maria liquor mixed with vanilla ice cream, like a frappe. I’ve attached a picture of it on the bottom. So good! This is our new must do.

2. Yemanja…Also AMAZING! My first time here and I will definitely be back. We opted for a table inside with the a/c. I got the filet mignon and it was the best steak I think I’ve ever had in my life. It melted in my mouth like butter. It came with some sort of truffle butter on the side which I could have consumed by the spoonful it was so good. We got sides of mashed potatoes, rice and veggies. The mashed was good but didn’t try the rest. The 3 others at our table all got the porterhouse which they said was mouthwatering. This is also our new favorite! I got the grand marnier crème brulee which was good. I can’t believe we’ve never tried this restaurant.

3. Cooks…Very good. Glad we tried it. I went with just my 7 year old daughter. There was only one other couple in the restaurant our entire dinner. I have to start by saying I loved the bread and butter. I’m addicted to any type of bread and I have to say it was delicious. The butter was a whipped butter with red pepper mixed through it. Even my 7 year old liked it. Here is where I tried my first Chill. I wanted a Bright but they don’t stock it there so I tried a Chill. I liked it but not as much as Bright. I got the filet mignon…big piece and very tasty. My daughter likes filet too and she loved it, kept asking for bites. She got pasta alfredo. I tried it and it was great. Loved the alfredo sauce.

4. Fishes and More…I really enjoy this restaurant. We go every trip. It’s very simple but I love it. We always sit outside and listen to the music and just people watch. I got the filet mignon (I know, shocking) and it was good. Nothing outstanding but I enjoyed it. The service here is always top notch. And they are so good with kids. I’ll attach a picture of one of the wait staff with my daughter. She had a big crush on him. He kissed her and she said she was never going to wash her cheek again. She got the pasta alfredo, which I tried, and I thought it was amazing. I would order it next time.

5. Smokey Joes…Love it here. Got what else but the ribs. Got the Smokey’s signature sauce which has a brown sugar kick. Very, very good. It came with a side of cole slaw which was I loved. My kids love it here too. They both got chicken nuggets. And of course we can’t leave without buying t-shirts.

6. Hooters…Went for lunch and got the garlic and parmesan chicken wings. Loved them!!!! Delicious to say the least! It tasted like a real homemade sauce they used. We always go for lunch at least once.

7. Pizza Bob’s…I have to say, I’ve always loved Pizza Bob’s but it tasted different this year. I can’t pin point it but it wasn’t the same. We got a large cheese pizza and an order of bruschetta. They both just tasted off, but still good. I have to say that the service was top notch! Better than we have ever had. I think they’ve been reading the reviews on-line because we didn’t have to wait for anything. Our drinks were refilled quickly, food brought out in a reasonable time, check brought right away. Very impressed, and surprised. We paid in cash to avoid any issues.

8. Tango…I’ve never been to Tango and thought we’d give it a try. It was good but I don’t think I’d return. I got the filet and my daughter tried it and blurted out “it’s so juicy” and it was. Very tasty. I didn’t care for the service, I thought the wait staff was unpleasant and not friendly at all which I think is what turned me off. I also felt very rushed. Good meal I really felt out of place there.

9. Casa Tua…Easy meal. Got regular cheese pizza. Very good. Love the thin crust. Service very, very slow.

10. El Gaucho…I have to say I think I’m done with El Gaucho. Everything was delicious, the steak, bread, I absolutely love their chimichurri sauce. It’s the best on the island. But the guitar players have to go. They wait until you give them a few bucks before they leave your table. I can’t stand it. And this is a restaurant that automatically adds the 15% service charge, which bugs me. We tipped 20% at least at all the restaurants except where they included a service charge. Here, they made us feel very uncomfortable. When the waiter returned with our credit card, he actually waited for my husband to fill it out. We were sitting in a booth so after DH finished filling it out and closed the black book it came in, the waiter stood blocking my husband’s seat while he “reviewed” the check. So awkward! He gave DH a dirty look and just stood there for a few seconds and then finally moved a side and slammed the book shut. My kids asked what was going on so I just shushed them and ushered them out as quickly as possible. I really thought he was going to follow us.

11. Marina Pirata…As it turns out I’ve been here before, about 9 years ago. This one is tough, I feel really bad saying this but I didn’t like it. I have to say the atmosphere was magnificent. I have a picture I’ll attach. The view, amazing, so pretty. Loved sitting right on the water. We got there right before sunset and it was so beautiful. We just didn’t care for the food. It may have been just poor choices on our part. DH got the Five Star Soup which he said had hardly any fish in it. He also got the Squid in Garlic Sauce…it had a horrible smell to it. For the main course he got the Red Snapper deep fried and I got the Barracuda. Neither of us had ever tried that type of fish before but our service convinced us. The Barracuda was like eating a wet piece of wood, so awful, and the snapper had a bad taste to it. My husband is a fish lover, any type of fish he’ll try and usually loves it so for him to say both tasted awful was surprising. The snapper came as a whole fish (with the eye ball looking at you) so it had to be filleted. Positive note is that the kids got chicken nuggets and they were so fresh and so tasty. I helped them eat it. I’m thinking we may have gone on an off night.

[Terry Joz]

Great reviews!! I'm looking forward to trying Barefoot on my next trip.

[luvsun]

I enjoyed reading your post! Love the first picture of your daughter.

[jeffnev]

Thanks for posting such detailed reviews. I haven't yet been to Yemanji or Cooks, but I have had very similar experiences at the other restaurants-especially Barefoot! I also agree that El Gaucho, while still having good food, has become an unpleasant eating experience. we crossed it off our list 3 years ago and will never go back due to really rude service by the waiters and the hostesses. Too many better places on the island to go to.

[Cosmo]

Great reviews thanks

[Randi]

We love Barefoot too! It is amazing and we like to go more than once per trip. Yemanja is also one of our favourites.

About El Gaucho.... you are not the first one to complain about wait staff and the tips. This is a horrible situation and they don't understand that they are "their own worst enemy". We much prefer L.G. Smith as a steak house and prices are very comprabile.

I don't like to say bad things about any business as it always sad to see a place decline or close but owners need to listen to their customers.

[sunworshipperII]

I am soo going to miss aruba next year.... we are opting for a cheaper (visit mom in florida) vacation then driving up to disney for 3 days... I also love disney so its a bit comforting..Andrea I will be close...
Hopefully 2013 will make it back to aruba...
Love hearing about everyone elses trip reports.... Thanks

[crimms]

Thanks so much for taking the time to write a great restaurant report.
Sean and Susan

[arubadebbi]

Where is Barefoot and Yemanja??

[jeffnev]

Barefoot is right past town on the beach side of the main road-next to Nikki Beach. Yemaja is in town. Both have websites with directions/maps.