Le Petit Cafe

We visited Aruba during the week of June 8-15, 2024, and tried several restaurants during our stay. Le Petit Cafe was definitely on our list and turned out to be great overall! I had a steak and lobster tail—both were very flavorful and tasted great, though the lobster tail seemed a bit over-seasoned. It wasn\'t a bad flavor, just more than necessary. My husband felt the same way about his lobster. Despite this, we still enjoyed and finished everything!

I would like to mention that the host/greeter outside the restaurant, Martin, is one of the nicest people I have ever met! He is one of the reasons we decided to eat at the restaurant, and we probably will again because of him!

The overall ambiance of the restaurant was a bit confusing to me. The table decor felt dated, reminiscent of eating at the Golden Girls\' house on the lanai in the 1980s (which I would have loved, by the way). In contrast, the lighting fixtures had a more ultra-modern/oriental feel.

Despite these minor points, the food was still great, and Martin is an absolute joy. I still recommend Le Petit Cafe and will return on my next visit to Aruba!

Sincerely,
Angie, Dan, and Lucas Natale
Manassas, VA

The food and service was great. I had a potato, steak and shrimp on a stone. The food was taste and cooked as ordered. Ate there September 2022 and June 2023

Very bad service.
And food very poor
Not recommend

We visited here in November 2017. My husband wanted the jumbo shrimp on the brick. Only one shrimp was jumbo the others were normal size. I can’t even describe my food. It wasn’t flavorful at all. The service was so horrible that people started getting up and leaving. It took almost two hours to get our food. Stay away.

The food is brought to you on a very hot stone and you kind of cook it yourself. I always get the grouper and it is the best around. My husband likes the filet. We go early and order the special which is fantastic. You get appretizer, soup or salad, main entree that they have you choice from and desert....which is so wonderful.
If you haven't eaten there it's definitely a place to try. We go every year and this will be our 8th visit when we come in Feb 2016.
The staff is always friendly and always busy.....go early so you can sit outside.
Enjoy

This is our third time in Aruba, we have had just about all of the dining experiences in Aruba, but this one was the best!
Steak on the stone was the best flavored that we have had.
We are here for our 45th wedding anniversary, and they treated us as if we were regulars that come in once a week.
Service GREAT! Food Fantastic! Price was great for the food and service.
There are not many places that you can eat in Aruba that the owner comes to the table and takes time to talk with you!
We will be back next year, FOR SURE!!!!!!!!!!

We came across Le Petit while strolling around the Mall area during dinnertime, I looked at the menu before we sat down had an excellent meal! They specialize in Seafood and Pasta, we have had pasta at Giannis the night before and it was just fair so I ordered the shrimp with linguine, garlic and olive oil the shrimp were absolutely delicious the pasta was cooked perfectly my 19 year old had the Ceasar salad certainly the best looking romaine lettuce we have seen during our 8 day stay here! This place is a hidden gem but the funny part is it is right at the entrance to the mini mall we were so surprised the food was excellent!! The service was very good waiter was quite attentive would highly recommend!!

The "presentation" was very creative and I might say unique, which in now way makes up for
a) completely tasteless french onion soup - the worst i've had in many years
b) completely tasteless and undercooked "churrazco" stake. probably wasn't "churrazco" to begin with
3) tasteless fish.
one good point: they don't charge 15% "service fee" like most others. basically begging people to leave something. i wish i could take some from the chef and the owners, and pass it along to the waiters.
and the bathroom is in such a state of disrepair that it's scary to go in

I visited this restaurant in 2011 and 2012. In both those instances, the food quality was excellent (I'm basing my numbered ratings on all 3 visits) The lava rock cooking was fun and certainly unique.

In October of 2013, my girlfriend and I returned for our third visit. This experience was completely opposite of our first two visits, yet eerily similar to other reviews on this site.

First, we were served with complimentary bread filled with cheese. The outside ends were extremely hot while the inside was perfectly frozen. Our appetizer, chicken sate, included a side of peanut butter. The edges of the peanut butter was also hot, however, the inside was very cold. It was clear and distressing to know at this point, our food wasn't being freshly prepared, it was being microwaved.

The main dish was surf and turf which we both ordered. My anxiety of the food preparation lessened knowing I would now be cooking it. However, the steak had the slightest odd taste to it. After leaving the restaurant, we both felt a little off (In fairness to Le Petit, it wouldn't be right or factual to blame them as we were never tested for food poisoning.)

Finally, the service wasn't the best. At times we felt neglected as it took a long time for refills, or simple check-ups on us.

I'm not sure if we simply caught Le Petit on an off night which can happen at any restaurant. I'm undecided if I will return to this restaurant in 2014. When that time comes, I will check further views and make my decision then.

My wife and I ate here two nights in a row. The service was fantastic! Bread came right away, and after we asked, they brought us "plain" bread both nights. The food was served promptly. I loved the hot stone! I had no problem with the stream rising from the stone. You just have to be careful not to touch it.....it is quite hot!
My wife had the shrimp linguine and was able to get it with marinara sauce instead of "pink sauce". You just have to ask. Hers was fantastic also.