Papiamento Restaurant

I was there the week of July 6th. The restaurant met every expectation. By far the best dining experience of our family vacation. Completely enjoyable.

This is quite possibly one of the top three restaurants on the island in regards to environment ~ it is romantic, charming and just plain beautiful. Dining poolside under the tropical foliage and twinkling lights while occasional gentle breezes blow through is an experience. The waiters and waitresses are pleasant and polite, friendly but not overly so, giving the guests room to enjoy an unrushed evening. The keshi yena appetizer is currently the best I've had on the island, and I've been visiting since the early 70's. The meals are presented artistically and use of uncommon exotic fruits add to the allure of the plate. The food itself is fresh and quite tasty, perhaps not the very best of Aruba, but certainly high up on the list. I happily include Papiamento on my list of restaurants to annually dine at.

I have been waiting for 12 years to try Papiamento, ever since my first visit to Aruba in 1997. Every year we put it off and this year I insisted we go for our 1 night out without our 2 children. When we arrived we were charmed by the appearance of the restaurant...very elegant and a nice change from the other restaurants on the island. We ordered a bottle of wine and I had the soup of the day, Cream of Mushroom, and my husband had the French Onion soup for our appetizers. The cream of mushroom soup was delicious, but the french onion soup was way over seasoned..too many herbs for both our tastes. The caesar salads were just OK (they come with the entrees). I ordered the land and sea entree: a filet, with shrimp and a garlic cream sauce. It was OK, the filet was tender, perfectly cooked and tasty, but very small and thin. The shrimp were just OK. My husband got the steak w/peppercorn sauce on the stone. He did not care for his steak at all. When we were done w/our entrees we noticed it was just after 8pm. We needed to be back to get the kids at 9pm. I told the waiter AND the other "helpers" that we would need the check/dessert so we could get back to the hotel by 9pm. Well, then the waiting started. Dessert menus took 15 minutes to arrive, by the time they came back to take the dessert order it was 8:30, so not enough time for dessert. Then we asked for the check, another 15 minutes to receive, another 15 minutes to run credit card, we didn't leave the restaurant until AFTER 9, at which point we were both appalled. I usually don't like to complain about things, but I feel like the restaurant needs to be aware of their guests time constraints...we allowed 2 1/2 hours for dinner, which typically is reasonable. We will not be returning to Papiamento on future visits.

I have been on island since 10/08 and have dined at numerous establishments. Until dining at Papiamentos I had been to none which I would have put the lable of "Must Go" on. The atmosphere is great - open air dining in a fabulous garden. The food was supperb and I had a seafood soup which may be one of the best I have had. The main course was excellent, a steak cooked as ordered and as good as I have had anywhere on island.

I highly recommend Papiamento.

We have just come back from Aruba where we celebrated our 44th wedding anniversary at Papiamentos on May 15 and May 18, 2009. We went two nights because of the outstanding food, service and wonderful staff who made us feel as if we were long time friends. Everyone was professional, warm and caring to all the guests. We were never rushed and enjoyed our evenings throughly being made to feel at home. We are looking forward to many return visits. Thank you again for a fantastic experience.

1st time at this fabulous restaurant, and it wont be the last time. I am a picky (very ) eater, and I enjoyed the food. I had small sample of tropical fruit that I probably would never tried otherwise. I started with the Onion Soup, then the salad. My entree was Parmesian Chicken. SIMPLY DELICIOUS. My wife had the Garlic Chicken, she enjoyed this also. We ended with Crem Brule. Fantastic end. We were so relaxed and were never rushed. Our Waiter--Maclome-- was as gracious as anyone could ask for.
My only complaint is that I have to wait until we return to the island to enjoy again.
Please try--you will not be sorry!!!!

Can't say enough good about this restaurant. The poolside setting is magical and the food is the best we had on the island (surpassing both Flying Fishbone and Madame Janette). Had the best fish soup appetizer I've ever had, period!

Walking into this restaurant is an amazing experience. It is like stepping into a tropical garden dancing in twinkling lights.

We we dazzled by the setting and the food. My husband had one of the entrees served on the hot rock. It was a unique and tasty concept. Beware the spicy sauce on the side, yummy, but not for timid tastebuds! Our friends had the grouper and the parmesan chicken and gave rave reviews. As for me, I had a hard time making a decision so chose the surf and turf. The large shrimp and steak were perfectly grilled and served with a delicious garlicy sauce.

This was our last meal in Aruba and it was truly memorable.

Most beautiful restaurant in which my wife and I have ever dined. The staff was courteous, friendly, EFFICIENT, and very professional. The food was excellent, as was desert. We ate outdoors by the swimming pool. We were surrounded by tropical plants with no bugs (not sure how they accomplish that). I spoke breifly with Edouard Ellis, the owner, and complimented him on his restaurant. He was both humble and polite. We will visit Papiamento again when we next return to Aruba. In a word: elegant.

What a beautiful setting for a romantic dinner! We ate by the pool and it was truly a wonderful evening. The food was excellent. We tried the mixed grill served on the hot stone. Also had baked shrimp and salad that was included with the meal. The service was the best. We would highly recommend this restaurant when you visit Aruba.