Explore Haitian Cuisine at Dessalines
Aruba’s melting pot of cultures brings tasty explorations of global cuisine, where curious foodies can dig their forks into authentic flavors.
Ticking off your culinary bucket list is easy here, and now gourmands can discover a taste of Haiti at the recently opened Dessalines Haitian and Caribbean Cuisine restaurant in San Nicolas.
Owned and operated by Haitian born Marc-Alain Arcelin (aka Chef Makaveli) and his Arubian wife Mereline, Dessalines is a culinary love letter to the chef’s roots and homage to a childhood filled with an abundance of humble ingredients that delivered big flavor and fond memories to his family meals where everyone—mom, dad, aunts, uncles, cousins—cooked and contributed.
The chef is a graduate of Colegio EPI’s Hospitality & Tourism program, following that with stints in some of Aruba’s best kitchens, including Sunset Grille, Yemanja, and Wilhelmina. When the COVID pandemic struck, Chef Makaveli navigated these uncertain times by sharing his culinary passion as a private chef, bringing his French Creole- Caribbean cuisine to guests of the island, including visiting celebrities like Mary J Blige.
The chef and Mereline hustled hard and diligently saved to make their dream of owning their own restaurant come true. The chef was encouraged to find a spot among the many restaurants in the hotel area of Palm Beach but was firm in his belief of bringing guests to San Nicolas, where the old school Caribbean charm provided a perfectly authentic backdrop. “I want this to feel like a destination dining experience,” shares the chef, “and transport them to a world away from the hotel areas for something different.” He and wife Mereline found just the right spot—the former Aruba Rum Shop, a building steeped in San Nicolas history just waiting for a new occupant to bring renewed energy to this beloved and iconic location.
On the menu guests will find a treasure trove of classic Haitian dishes, each with simple, fresh ingredients innately and meticulously prepared with heart and soul, just as the chef’s family did. Pate kode, a Haitian pastechi, soup joumou, a pumpkin soup brimming with vegetables, and Haitian vegetable bouyon, an even heartier soup with an abundance of vegetables and dumplings, are some of the starters to choose from.
Red snapper creole, Haitian spaghetti with sausage and smoked herring, fritay, a Haitian mixed grill platter with beef, pork and chicken, and a Caribbean seafood trio in a delicate coconut cream sauce are among the main courses on the menu.
A house favorite is griyo, made from pork shoulder meat, marinated in citrus juices and epis, various spices, cooked with vegetables, then braised until tender. The pikliz, tasty homemade pickles, are a winning touch.
Ready to explore? Dessalines is open nightly Tuesday-Friday 5:30 pm to midnight, Saturday noon to 3pm and 5:30 pm to 3:00 am, and Sunday noon to 3:00 pm and 5:30 pm to midnight.+297-280-6086.
Dessalines restaurant was named after Jean Jacque Dessalines, a freed slave and French military officer who became an insurgent who went on to proclaim the independence of Haiti in 1804, securing his legacy as the Father of the Nation.
