Where to eat on Curacao

[H2O lover]

The family and I will be in Curacao next week and we are looking for suggestions on good places to eat. We are staying at the Marriott and are looking for some good options.
Thanks for your time.
John
:cool2:

 

[Dave C]

You can get a lot of info. about restaurants in Curacao if you go to the Curacao forum on TripAdvisor:
Curacao Forum, Travel Discussion for Curacao - TripAdvisor
I just got back from Curacao and found a number of very helpful people on that board. Do a search first - you may find all your questions have already been answered. I can't help you personally regarding restaurants near the Marriott because I stayed on the western end of the island. If you spend a day in Willamstad, I recommend the Wilhelmina Cafe in near Ft. Amsterdam for a pleasant and good outdoor breakfast.

 

[RJP]

Walk over to Hook's Hut one night for dinner on the beach.

Go to the Rib Factory for, well...ribs.

Must go to Sol Food for Sunshine and David's pizza!

 

[Dave C]

Walk over to Hook's Hut one night for dinner on the beach.

Go to the Rib Factory for, well...ribs.

Must go to Sol Food for Sunshine and David's pizza!

I agree that Sol Food is good, but it is located the farthest away you can get from the Marriott and still be on the island! It's in Westpunt.

 

[diversteve]

I second the Ribs Factory. Also Surf & Turf for a casual lobster dinner. Don't go if you're in a hurry though...lol.

We also had a good meal at the oceanfront restaurant at your hotel. Our table was about 30' from the water IIRC.

 

[RJP]

I agree that Sol Food is good, but it is located the farthest away you can get from the Marriott and still be on the island! It's in Westpunt.

That, from a guy that travels from Alaska!

:shocked2:

But seriously, make a whole day of it. Two AM dives at Alice in Wonderland at Playa Kalki, lunch at the restaurant on the beach there, afternoon dive with OEW to Watamula, then hang on the beach for a while before joining Sunshine and David for dinner.

 

[FlamingoVilla]

In Otrobanda & Punda, try some of these restaurants suggestions:
Otrabanda:
Kurá Hulanda Museum Restaurant – at their inner courtyard. Great place for Lunch. Try their famous banana soup! 6pm – Live Steel Band at The Village Square. 434-7700
Sculpture Garden Restaurant at Kura Hulanda is excellent. Fine dining, serving contemporary cuisine specializing in fish, lobster & beef. 434-7700 (7-11PM). Make reservations.

De Gouveneur ‘de Rouville’, Otrobanda in Willemstad. A must! The best night to go is on Wednesdays. Fine dining with a great atmosphere. It is directly across the street from Kura Hulanda. For dinner, make a reservation in advance for one of their outdoor terrace tables that overlook the bay and pontoon bridge. Kids playground. 462-5999. http://www.de-gouverneur.com/

Häagen-Dazs Café for the best ice cream dessert located in the Howard Johnson Hotel at Brionplein, Otrobanda. 462-9332

Turn left exiting the bridge and walk to the Riffort Village (trust me, you can't miss it).

The Bistro Le Clochard (French bistro) in the Rif Fort (the tallest building in Otrobanda) and highly recommend for a fine dining experience (one of my favorites). It is pricey but the staff, view, and food is awesome! Reserve to eat on the deck outside. It overlooks the canal and you could see the beautiful colorful buildings of Willemstad across the bay. Breathtaking. Make reservations! 462-5999. BistroLeClochard.com

Indi’s Spice Bar - Indian cuisine below $12. 462-8666. Closed Monday. 11-11.

Hooks Hut next to the Hilton in Piscadera is great. It is on the beach, fun and the view is fantastic. Banana Soup is good. On Tuesdays, live jazz band - casual. 462-6575. Hook'sHut.com

Tempo Doeloe new, just up the hill from the Hilton & Marriott at La Vista Resort, Piscadera. Indonesian cuisine - rijstaffel rice table meal. $45 dinner, $15 lunch. 461-2881. Brand New restaurant. TempoDoeloe.an Restaurant -- Indonesian

There are a number of decent restaurants in nearby Punda. You can get to Punda either by driving over the Queen Juliana Bridge (really big bridge across the Schottegat) or by driving to Otrabanda; park free in the big lot by the Movie Theater and walk across the Queen Emma foot bridge or take the water ferry.

Punda:
For Local Foods – a must try is The Plasa Bieu at the “Old Market” in Punda. This 70 year old market with its building big, open and round, offers various vendors selling traditional lunch cuisines of the day. The food is cooked on an open coal pot giving it a special taste and flavor. Ask for a taste. Lunch Only. Wednesday’s offer special dishes & discounts. Easy Parking.

ChopStix Sushi – a small place but has some of the best sushi and their Veggie Tempura rocks! My favorite!
Ask about specials. 738-4846 – Santa Rosa weg 33C; North of Punda. Chop-stix.com - Sushi Closed Monday.

At the Waterfront Terrace arches (next to the Plaza Hotel), you will find reasonably priced, casual, okay food and kid friendly:
La Pergola (461-3482), Scampi's (465-0769), Grill King (461 6870). Ft. Nassau - The view from inside is amazing and I would go just for that, food okay. (461-3450). Ay Caramba – sometimes they have live music (462-9500). Tuesday night – live Reggae.

Blues Restaurant at the Avila Hotel. Great seafood. Fine dining. Thur & Sat is live Jazz music. Dinner only 7-10. 461-4377

Moon Beach Lounge & Restaurant in Pietermaai – Contemporary & modern. Fabulous food! Moon Curacao Great place to spend the evening with friends.

The Ribs Factory - in Saliña. 461-0440. A couple of kilometers north toward "the ring" (away from the beach). On Curacao, ribs are a sacrament and these are the best ribs in town. Just up the hill from there you'll find - Larry's Neighborhood Bar and Grill (461-0856), which looks suspiciously like an Appleby's. 465-3911. Tuesday's Special: 2 for 1. Their ribs, chicken, burgers and nachos … simple food. Has kids menu.

A few more km east out Caracasbaai is IL Forno Pizzeria, an Italian place that cooks in a wood-fired oven. This comes in 2nd place for pizza after Sol Food. Their Spaghetti a la Carbonara and Lasagna Bolognese are excellent. 737-2475

If you are staying out by Lion's Dive/Breezes area, try:
Surf and Turf - On the same road as Lion's Dive (MLK Blvd), next to Breezes. It's a good seafood restaurant right next door to The Dive Bus. Not the larger, fancier place (Seaside Terrace, which is great) but the 'dive' right next to The 'Dive' Bus. TDB's 'loo is in the side of Surf & Turf's building. Don’t let the looks of the place fool you. Divers get 10% off. 465-9035

The Mambo Beach Club & Restaurant, on Saturday nights is recommended for the young at heart, located at Sea Aquarium Beach. It is the biggest club on the island.

Brakkeput Mei Mei – A 1733 Plantation Landhuis transformed into a restaurant in 1985, located in Jan Sofat /Spanish Water (East side). Beef, chicken, & fish specialties from the charcoal grill. Dinner only. Wednesday night is ‘paella’, Thursday is ‘lobster’ night. Live Caribbean music played weekends. BrakkeputMeiMei.com 767-1500

Snapper’s – Seafood & Steak, at roundabout, Caracasbaaiweg next to fishermans harbor. SnappersCuracao.com

Avalon - Sushi chef fuses traditional Japanese sushi with South African flair to create Sushi Samba. Martini's are a specialty, Thursday night half off wine and sake. Vegetarian dishes available. In Saliña on Caracasbaaiweg. 465-6375

For a great breakfast: De Fontein, which serves their specialty of Dutch pancakes & poffertjes – Yum! De Fontein Open 8-4. 736-0500.

Happy Eating,
Flamingo
Flamingo Villa, Curacao Luxury Villa Rental

 

[Curacao Sunshine]

I'll add to Flamingo's list:
The Boathouse in Spanish Waters great view. Indonesian buffet on Wednesdays.
Salsa at Brakkeput Mei Mei on Mondays (lessons) and Wednesdays.
Zambezi at the Ostrich Farm where you can see the ostrich, ride the ostrich, hold an ostrich and then eat an ostrich. Closed on Mondays and Thursday night.
Deli France at the Blompot mall, Salinja and Punda for affordable lunches.
New Chicken place, forget the name one at Santa Maria and one on Santa Rosa Weg - Think Boston Chicken Curacao style.
Omundo's at the Zuikertuinje Mall often with music and near Asia De Cuba with nightlife as well.
Also at the Mall is Bella Italia - Gelato Ice Cream!
Flamingo Haagen Dazs has closed but the Iguana Café now has an ice cream store next door.
Columbian food at Donna Elana on Winston Churchill Weg.
Lebanese food at the Green House; one on Franklin Roosevelt Weg and on on Santa Rosa Weg.
Mundo Bizarro in Punda for fun surroundings
The new Baoase Resort for a romantic dinner on the beach.
Le Gourmet for a very nice upscale dinner in Punda at the Gomez Plein plaza.
The new Sails restaurant above the Maritime Museum. Take a tour first. It is very reasonably priced.
Flamingo forgot the pancakes at Daniels and
My all time favorite "local" food, loempias. We like them at Wa On on Winston Churchhill Weg, second best at the Alaska Snack on Berg Altena.
If you are out late, stop at one of the Truki Pan trucks around the city.
Between these two lists you won't go hungry

 

[muzicgirl]

If you want a really creative dining experience, and don't mind a little bit of a taxi ride/drive we go to Rijstafel Indonesia - our favorite restaurant on the island. It is on Mercurian Straata a little ways out of the city...

 

[phelana]

I love Chowhound Boards - Chowhound for dining reviews:

Curacao trip report - South and Central America and the Caribbean - Chowhound

There is a review here of a restaurant at the Marriot.

Just to throw this out there..some GREAT recs here..I usually stay near the Marriot at Floris Suites and go into town to eat..there is nothing I really fancied near Piscadera Bay. Also Bistro le Clochard which I had loved was really off for my friend's recent visit and she is a foodie like me. Cannot wait for your trip report.