El Gaucho

Meat eaters must!

Fantastic meal. The beef, lamb and pork were all cooked perfectly. Side dishes were also great. For dessert we shared a slice of fried cheese cake, give it a try.

I was concerned based on the reviews however the T-Bone 22 oz steak was AWESOME, dlose to the best ive ever had and I have been to all of them ( Ruth Chris, mortons, Delfricsos etc..) !! $37.95 with 3 sides, sides were average. Service from Joe was great and he did not give us a hard time about my wife and I splitting a plate we did have to order her a small side or a salad and he let us split, or a $5 service charge all very fair. Our kids did not order and they gave us no problem but they had a good kids menu for a decent price only $5 for mac and cheese and $8 for kids burgers $10 for kids burgers. A+++ I recommend this place Steak portion was very large.

Eight years ago, we ate at El Gaucho and loved it. Two years ago, we were not able to get reservations. This year, I made reservations well in advance. I honestly wish that I did not make the reservations. The food was good, but the service was not good. I felt as if she wanted to get us in and out. What I loved about the restaurant when we dined 8 years ago, was how friendly the servers were and the atmosphere was upbeat. This time,it seemed so darn and dismal and extremely unfriendly. The best part was the talented musician who serenaded our table. I feel like El Gaucho has a name for itself and so the restaurant is not as concerned with the service. They are in desperate need of friendly service and slowing the pace. I felt like I barely had time to chew my filet mignon. Such a shame and such a disappointment for the price that you pay. There are too many restaurants on the island that I want to try or that I want to return to, so El Gaucho lost a customer.

Not the same El Gaucho anymore. The portions are smaller, the prices are bigger and the service has definitley taken a turn for the worse. This used to be one of our favorite places but I am sorry to say, not now. I get the feeling that all they want to do is get you "in and out" and turn over the table. While the food is still fairly good, the smaller portions and price increases really make it hard for us to justify going back to El Gaucho. They now have a photographer that comes around asking if you want you picture taken for a fee - how cheesy. There are better steak places on the island.

Last year we weren't so thrilled with our El Gaucho experience. We were done in 35 minutes, it cost around 150, the service was polite but kmpersonal and the food just ok! We still went back this year cause it used to be such fun and the people who worked there so nice.
Well, we never got bread and our waiter never spoke to us-just came up to the table with hks notebook to take our order. My husband would have sent hks steak back since it wasn't cooked in the center, but he finally gave up.
There are so many great places to eat, I thknk we'll leave El Gaucho off our list from now on.

This restaurant was always my favourite, until last year. It was indeed a disappointment! The steaks are smaller and not as well marbled because they have lost a lot of flavour. (This was the same last year but we gave it another go this year - same results). Sides are small - yes - but when the entree is hugs, who cares??
But the photo op is cheesy.....take the camera guy to De Palm Island but get him the hell out of the restaurant!!
And noisy? You cannot even speak to your partner beside you.....
I'll try again next year, but it may be the last visit....hello, Ruth's Chris!!

Once again, El Gaucho was old reliable. This has been our fifth visit to the restuarant and it was as good as the first time.
The four adults all had steak of some sort and the one child had pasta. We also shared the Chirizo and Blood sausage appetizer. No one was disappointed and we had plenty of leftovers.
Great service and kudos to the young lady that didn't let our water glasses get below the 3/4 filled mark.

First of all let me say that if you go here go for steak. You would not go to a steakhouse for fish at home so why in Aruba. Went for the second time last year and ended up back 5 more times over my 3 week trip. Yea the music is kinda corny but when I requested Love Me Tender without hesitation the show was on. I sang and they played. Will be first and last place I visit in May 2012. Fried cheescake with vanilla ice cream at the end will top it off. Finally, my oldest daughter cannot stand to go outside USA. We coerced her in to going last year and we were here 3 times during her week. Now here favorite place and she is in Charleston SC where I am not sure food can be topped.

Best steaks on the island hands down. Can be noisy during prime weeks, but definitely worth it. Steaks are huge and come with 3 sides of your choice. Garlic bread is also tops on the island. Ive never had anything but steak but i have heard fish is great as well.

Great steaks at reasonable prices. Food can't be beat. Service somewhat off in getting seated and then being waited on. Picked up towards the end but restaurant had emptied out.
3rd time here and best yet.

we did NOT have a good time...
We heard a LOT about El Gaucho and could not wait to try. It is in a but of a sketchy neighborhood but always felt safe, free parking right across from el gaucho.
beautiful bar and interior, wooden plates and well dress and polite staff, quickly received water and menus.
we ordered our 3 year old mac and cheese off the kids menu and it is made with gorda ( our non fussy daughter would not touch it after one bite- we did not like it either )
a ribeye steak was thoroughly enjoyed as was pork ribs by two of our party. beef short ribs were tough and lacked favor. My wifes grouper was tasteless and described to me as being like mashed potatoes.
we really had to fight with them to take grouper back and get a refund.
Also, the bathrooms had no soap-DOES THAT MEAN staff never has soap either?
The service of main course and trying to get the check took an awful long time - Even on island time!
compared to other restaurants in aruba, many of which are cheaper... we felt el gaucho fell short, very disappointed because it had such a promising start.

Strolling musicians and photos, are a real turn off.

Sun 09/11 .- El Gaucho
We left our hotel after dark and got lost on the way to El Gaucho, even though we have gone there several times. Finally got there and had a wonderful meal. Drinks & wine were excellent. DW had the grilled chicken breast - 2 large cutlets, so DW took one home for lunch. I had the Gaucho steak, which is the only dish I have ordered here – great steak and the chimichurri sauce adds a nice touch. The price of the Gaucho steak has gone up to $37 (recall it was around $32 last visit), but it’s still worth it.

While I can understand some peoples disappointment that the sides are small, this IS a steakhouse and NO place in the States give you the size MEAT portions this place does!!YUMMy!! 2nd visit in a week and 5th overall.Yes the picture person coming around is annoying but enjoy the guitar strollers every time as they are not annoying.I have never felt rushed, they are always just BUSY and work at a faster pace than alot of other places.We have been treated like "friends" both visits this time and love love love this place!!

At always we really enjoyed the steaks at El Gaucho. Its unfortunate however, that this restaurant has turned into such a tourist trap. It was entertaining to people watch though! They seem to rush you in and out as fast as possible. Then while you are trying to enjoy your food, they come around and try to sell you a picture of yourself eating. This is not Disney World folks! It would also be nice if the live entertainment could just play on a stage in the restaurant, rather than beg for money at your table. However bad the atmosphere has gotten, I am sure we will return for the steak, which is always cooked to perfection.

my wife and I were very disappointed with the miniscule side portions. This is an expensive restaurant and I expected much better. Not even close to the better steakhouses in the States.

We went here on the recommendatin of the lady that owned the house that we rented. So glad we did! It was superb, more so the second time in the same week only because we got better seating. But the food was delicious and large portions! Very happy with the whole meal and the service!

Once the premiere steakhouse on the Island-it has lost its pizazz-smaller portions and inferior steaks-but at the same prices-El gaucho use to be a favorite not to be missed resturant when we are on the Island (3 X's per year)we tried it in April and were disappointed than but decided to give it another try-it was still the same.
To bad it was a great resturant with great steaks Will try again in a year or two by than it may have gotten better

An oldie but still a goodie ! El Gaucho still has it. Our recent meal was delicious. My husband had steak and I had the pork loin and both were terrific. The service was seamless. We have been going to El Gaucho for over 10 years now and we will continue to go each time we visit Aruba. Make sure you visit Garufa (the cigar bar across the street) after your meal. They have live entertainment and it's a great place to "dance off your meal". The bartender at Garufa, Bianca, is one of the nicest people you will ever meet and she makes the best martinis.

Food was delicious and our waiter was friendly and attentive without being intrusive. The sangria was ok, certainly not the best I've had, but not bad.

We ordered the early bird lunch on 9/25/10 and we were pleasantly surprised and the how much food we got for the $20 (US). This was the best meal I had in my 7 days in Aruba. The skirt steak was delicious, and the sides were also very good. Desert was OK, and the service was spotty. (Other tables seemed to get more attention from their waiter than we got from ours.) However, I would go back because the meal was so tasty and priced favorably.

Does El Gaucho need any more flattering reviews to boost its business? Will the lack of it do otherwise? This is one of the oldest steak houses on the island, if not the oldest. It stays in business and sees a full house everyday for a reason. Other restaurants come and go. Not El Gaucho.

In my recent three week trip to Aruba I visited El Gaucho only once. Because that particular day I was hungary for a suculent piece of steak. I have to admit I have been to El Gaucho more than a dozen times but never had anything else except the 16 oz. Churrasco medium rare. The restaurant decor may need a face lift. The roving guitar playing duo's number may sound a little old. But if you want Argentinian steaks that satisfy your craving El Gaucho will not disappoint you. If you order the 16 oz. Churrasco don't order anything else. You can't finish it.

I think you still need to make a reservation to get into El Gaucho or faced being turned away at the door. But I always go with my local Aruba friend who gets in no matter the crowd. You'll find out for yourself, there is always a crowd in the restaurant every night.

I had the Lamb Loin, which was good. If I should choose – less meat and more refined side orders. I see a meal as whole, not as meat with something. My wife had Shrimp Scampi which was okay. Wine list was good and service okay. What wasn’t good was – photographer interrupting dinner and asked to take pictures(which we had to pay for, of course) and an insistent guitarist. Some may like it, but I find it intrusive and kitschy.

This was our 4th visit to El Gaucho. It's just what you'd expect: slightly tacky decor, very good steaks and pretty good service. This restaurant is definately a keeper.... dependable very good Argentine beef. Great flavor with good portions served by very busy.... very nice people! We'll be back!

Our last meal of our trip was here and it we ended on a high note. I had the 16oz El Gaucho and it was incredible! Loved the sides especially the sweet plantains. Enjoyed the empanadas for starters as well. Was really suprised by the mini steaks for kid meals with sides...those were bigger than some adult meals I have had. The mariachi never stopped at our table but he sounded good nonetheless. Cool feel to the place and it was really bustling. The kids room is nothing more than a few arcade games and a lego chest. A bit pricey but worth it! Will be back next year!