Madame Janette

We just returned from Aruba on 10-18 and had the pleasure of having our last evening's dinner there. The service is outstanding, especially from my favorite waiter Job. The food is excellent and there are many wonderful dishes with a wide variety of tastes and prices for everyone. Prices range from 10.00 usd to 26.00. On the menu is pretty much everything, seafood, lamb, pork, chicken, steak, and pasta. You can get a fantastic meal for less than the price of many of the chain restaurants. Try the Almond Grouper if they have it on the menu...it's out of this world. The dishes are always presented beautifully and the menu does change so there is always a new creation to try. We had some fantastic tuna/crabcakes for an appetizer. We always try to eat there a couple of times whenever we are In Aruba. The outside seating is very romantic with all the little lights in the trees. You won't be disssapointed but definately reserve ahead of time as they are VERY popular.

Very nice restaurant. The staff was friendly, and overall this was probably one of the best all around values we found dining out in Aruba.

Madame Janette was intentionally saved for our last night. This was our 4th visit in 3 trips and MJ gets better with each visit. Aware this was our anniversary trip, 2 glasses of champagne were waiting for us at what appeared to be a very special table in the garden. Gerry's filet was close to 5" thick and cooked 'medium' perfectly. Their Surf and Turf included a small filet with bearnaise sauce, a large lobster tail and 3 jumbo shrimp with drawn butter...rich, rich, rich. Excellent choices! Together we shared a Caesar salad and overall we had more than we could handle. I must add that their Brown Lady frozen drinks are the best on the island (and I've tried them in several places) so I didn't pass up the chance on ordering a 2nd instead of dessert. Service was excellent as always. There was a guitarist playing soft soothing music throughout our meal. He never took a break and we enjoyed him very much. A memorable final meal on the island. See you next year Madame Janette!

While many visitors feel Madame Janette's is one of the finest restaurants on the island, I don't really agree. The restaurant seems to be located in a residential neighborhood, near both the high rise and low rise hotels ($7 cab fare from the high rise area). There is an area in the restaurant that is considered "inside" in that the patrons are under a roof but with one side wall open to the diners who are outside. The outside area is decorated with clear x-mas type lights, a little to hokey for me. The outside area is set on a gravel bed so the seating is a little unstable.

While the prices are very reasonable at this restaurant, the food is only average. I would probably go to Madame Janette's again but only after I have tried a larger variety of restaurants that Aruba has to offer. It probably fits into the "I'll dine there on my first visit to the island" category but not for any special reason.

What a delightful find! Go around dusk and enjoy the twinkling lights, cool breeze and wonderful food. We happend to be there for the white asparagus festival and marvelled at the presentation and taste of these dishes. The attentive staff were most cordial. Adding to the romantic ambiance was a solitary guitar player, whose music we enjoyed so much we not only tipped him, but also bought his CD! It's a memorable place to dine.

Finding this place is an adventure in itself - if you have a car, your hotel should be able to direct you but a cab might be easier. We got lost and the local Texaco station gave superb directions - we found it immediately.

OK, this place is hot despite the fans strategically placed to circulate air. I would recommend sitting outside, but not under the roof overhang. My wife and I sat out in the garden (on the pebbles) and the table was warm, but not unbearable.

The portions here are very large. If I went again, I'd skip the appetizer because I couldn't finish my main course and never made it to dessert.

My wife had the shrimp wanton appetizer (very good) while I had the Hungarian Goulash (also good but filling). For the main course, my wife had the stuffed veal chop (spectacular) and I had the coconut encrusted grouper with mango salsa (excellent).

Although I'm a big eater, I could not finish my fish (the filet was HUGE). My wife couldn't finish her veal chop either, but the local cunucu dogs were happy for the leftovers.

The atmosphere here is nice with twinkling white lights, tikki torches, table top candles, and live guitar music.

I would recommend this place - its worth the trip and finding the place was fun (leave some extra time as you're sure to get lost).

Bon Appetit - Paul & Laura

Two out of two "ain't bad"!!! That's how we feel about Madame Janette!! Excellent in EVERY respect. Best filet mignon ever!! The presentations were superb. Waitpersons friendly, helpful and certainly courteous. We missed seeing Robert, the entertainer.Decor may be a bit rustic, but still, a nice touch. We certainly will go back ...again and again...at this rate!! Only negative was that the cake we had for dessert was a little on the dry side.