Aruba is mostly known for its luxury aspects and its chic gastronomic establishments are no exception. We’ve all heard of the famous restaurant called The Flying Fishbone but upscale restaurants like this are no less than $50.00 to USD 150.00 per person for a full meal. That excludes drinks. We tried our best during our one-week vacation to find the best restaurants that are more mid-range with prices between $20.00 and USD 50.00 per person for a full meal. We made some incredible finds and I am ready to share them with you. Let’s now explore the 10 best mid-range restaurants in Aruba :
- Smokey Joes
- Senor Burrito
- Eduardo’s Beach Shack
- Casa Tua Pizzeria
- The West Deck
- Iguana Cantina
- Bugaloe
- Papia Mia
- Linda’s Dutch Pancakes
- Matthew’s Beachside Restaurant
Smokey Joes
- Food: 10/10
- Ambiance: 10/10
- Star rating on Google: 4.3
All things considered, I really think this was my favorite restaurant. It’s a popular restaurant in Palm Beach and is a favorite for both tourists and locals. It specializes in American-style barbeque dishes including delicious ribs, juicy burgers and tender pulled pork. It does have a big variety of other options like grilled seafood, salads and sandwiches for everyone’s taste.
What we ate: I took the Mahi-Mahi fresh caught fish plate (USD 23.50) and just thinking about it makes my mouth water. The plate was big enough to fill my belly, which didn’t happen often in Aruba’s restaurants. I don’t remember their names but make sure to get the special potatoes and not the regular fries! They were bombs! My sisters had the Shrimp on the Barbie plate (USD 21.25) and that was a 10/10 also. The only regret they had was to take the regular potato fries. Tiny coleslaw = also delicious.
My mom got the half rack of ribs (USD 20.50) and look at the size of that thing!
Senor Burrito
- Food: 10/10
- Ambiance: 6/10
- Star rating on Google: 4.7
We randomly ended up at this restaurant next to a gas station in Oranjestad not thinking too much of it. It’s a really great Mexican restaurant that has a very good-sized menu plus daily specials! The food was amazing, the only downfall is that it is not near the action so if you are looking for a walking distance option, high chances are you won’t be staying close enough. The ambiance is not as good as an outdoor restaurant where you might be sitting in the sand or just having fresh air on your face. It also felt like the server was rushing us to order but I can understand we were right before rush hour.
PS: Prices are in AWG which is Aruba’s money currency.
$1.00 AWG = $0.76 CAD = $0.56 USD
What we ate: We all shared the plates that we got and everything was incredible! We had the Shrimp Burrito ($25.20 AWG), the Vegetable Nachos ($24.60 AWG), the Ceviche Fish ($29.12 AWG) and the 3 pieces Fish Tacos ($28.00 AWG). Everything was so delicious we almost licked our plates. The fish ceviche is to this day one of the best I’ve had in my life. I only think the portions could be more generous. All four of us were still very hungry after sharing these four plates.
Eduardo’s Beach Shack
- Food: 8/10
- Ambiance: 10/10
- Star rating on Google: 4.7
This beachside eatery is located right on Palm Beach! It’s mostly famous for its smoothies, acai bowls and refreshing cocktails. We went there for breakfast and it’s such a vibe! You wait in line in bikinis for your fresh treat and go eat it with your feet in the sand. I highly recommend it mostly for the positive vibe but I do have to say that the prices are not cheap.
What we ate: We had the Mermaid Bowl and the Island Bowl which were each USD 13.00. Refreshing and delicious, we all loved it!
Casa Tua Pizzeria
- Food: 8/10
- Ambiance: 10/10
- Star rating on Google: 4.3
There are two locations but we went to the one in Palm Beach. It’s a popular dining establishment specializing in Italian cuisine that is particularly renowned for its delicious pizzas made with fresh ingredients and cooked in a traditional wood-fired oven. You can probably tell by now that I love outdoor dining, especially in Aruba where the weather is amazing. The outdoor ambiance was amazing and the food was delicious. It is not the best pizza I’ve had but still really good. We didn’t take any pasta but the plates on the table next to us looked wow.
What we ate: If I remember correctly, we shared a salad, calamari and two pizzas. The salad was great but it was a salad. The calamari were good but not incredible. For the pizzas, we had the classic Margherita Della Casa (USD 17.00) and the Siciliana (USD 19.00). We went with basic ones but were not disappointed. For the price, it was perfect.
The West Deck
- Food: 8/10
- Ambiance: 10/10
- Star rating on Google: 4.4
The West Deck is a popular beachfront restaurant also located in Oranjestad near the Renaissance Marketplace. It’s known for its stunning ocean view and has a great diverse menu of Caribbean-inspired dishes with a focus on fresh seafood. The food was incredibly delicious but the plates were very small for their prices in my opinion. If you don’t mind spending more on food, definitely check it out! For my family’s budget at the time of our visit, this was maybe too pricey. To be full, we would need to order twice what we got.
What we ate: We ordered 6 appetizers to split and our highlights were definitely the Spicy Shrimp and Fish Ceviche (USD 13.50), the Trocadero Garlic Shrimp (USD 16.50) and the Pan-Fried Island Mahi Mahi (USD 15.50). It was my first time trying Mahi Mahi fish and let me tell you I looked for it in every menu after eating at the West Deck.
Iguana Cantina
- Food: 10/10
- Ambiance: 9/10
- Star rating on Google: 3.7
This restaurant is located IN the Paseo Herencia in Oranjestad and that is how we found it! We went to this place every night for a show and kept seeing this place. That is why the ambiance is so good, it is surrounded by action and advertisement. It’s a Mexican restaurant that offers a variety of dishes including tacos, fajitas and quesadillas. The best part: unlimited chips and salsa.
What we ate: Of course we started strong with the chips and salsa hihi. We got the Ceviche (USD 9.95) and the Jalapeno Poppers ($7.95) for appetizers and they were crazy good! Ceviche is good everywhere on the island but the jalapeno poppers are the best one I’ve ever had. For our mains, we got the vegetarian burrito ($14.95), a plate of the catch of the day ($17.95) and twice the grilled shrimp taco salad ($17.95). The best things about these were not only the flavors but the quantity! It tasted amazing and we had leftovers for later.
Bugaloe
- Food: –
- Ambiance: 10/10
- Star rating on Google: 4.6
I can’t tell you too much about this place because we went there only for a brief time and shared the Snack Platter ($19.50). I am still mentioning it in this article because the place had such a vibe! I can’t tell you a lot about the food but the menu looked really great and the location was 10/10.
Papia Mia
- Food: 8/10
- Ambiance: 5/10
- Star rating on Google: 4.3
We went to Papia Mia on Wednesday because we heard it was pasta night! It was USD 10.00 per plate of pasta but that special excluded the pasta with seafood. What’s included and what’s not might change but you know you will have good pasta for a cheap price. The thing is that the restaurant is next to the Kalibra Bar which is outdoor. If you like eating with very loud music then your opinion on the ambiance would maybe be better. For us, it was a little too loud for dinner time.
What we ate: My sisters and I all took the Papia Penne (USD 24.00 regular price) with extra shrimp (+$6.00 USD) and it was very good. My mom had the Galina Papiagani (USD 29.00 regular price) and she also really liked it.
Linda’s Dutch Pancakes
- Food: 8/10
- Ambiance: 8/10
- Star rating on Google: 4.5
I don’t remember exactly how we ended up trying this restaurant but it was certainly very different. We are not big breakfast people so we preferred eating at our Airbnb in the morning. We did not try a lot of places for breakfast but this would be the place to go for something sweet and/or salty in the morning. As it says in the name of the place, you go there for their iconic Dutch pancakes.
What we ate: My mom and sisters all had the Brie, Walnuts and Honey Dutch Pancake (USD 14.75) and I had the Strawberries and Whipped Cream Dutch Pancake (USD 12.50). Mine was definitely less original, I would highly recommend the one they had.
Matthew’s Beachside Restaurant
- Food: 10/10
- Ambiance: 9/10
- Star rating on Google: 4.4
The location of this restaurant is very beautiful. I ate one of the best poke bowls of my life at Mattew’s! You need to try the place even if it’s only for the poke bowl. It was so good that I jumped into my notes to write down the sauces we had. It’s a pretty laid-back ambiance since it’s on the beach. The service was really great! I have nothing bad to say about our quick but great experience there.
What we ate: The four of us had the Ahi Tuna Poke (USD 17.00) and our choice of sauces were garlic cilantro and ginger honey soy. Aaaaaamazing! My mouth is watering right now.
