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This is my guide on where to eat on Curaçao. During our trip to the island, we had the chance to eat at several different restaurants. Our experiences were mostly good, and we had a few amazing meals that really stuck out from the rest.
Where to Eat in Willemstad, Curaçao
For the first five days of our trip, we were based in Willemstad. We had the opportunity to try several different restaurants, mostly in Punda and Otrobanda.
Caleo Crudos y Parrilla
The absolute best meal we had in Willemstad was at Caleo Crudos y Parrilla. Located in Kura Hulanda Village, this restaurant features a creative collection of raw and grilled specialties. The bartender also makes fantastic cocktails. Caleo is open Tuesday through Saturday from 6pm to midnight, and reservations are highly recommended.
Plates are meant to be shared, and the servers are more than happy to make recommendations based on your group size and food preferences. For the three of us, we shared a salad and two each of the raw and grilled dishes. We started with a delicious cucumber salad tossed with yogurt dill tahini and za’atar, and feta foam on the side.
Our raw dishes were the ceviche and the tiradito de atún (tuna carpaccio). The ceviche is made from a local fish and is mixed with pepper, red onions, and sweet potato. The tuna comes with orange slices, watermelon radish, and jalapeño. Both were excellent.
For our grilled dishes, we had the Spanish octopus, which comes in a puttanesca sauce with lemon aioli and leeks. It was cooked perfectly and had an amazing flavor. The star of the meal was the Frenched prime pork rib, with tamarind black garlic butter and topped with greens. It was juicy and tender, and of course tasted incredible.
Overall, we feel that Caleo was our best meal in Willemstad and a very close second on the entire island. Beyond the food, the service is friendly and attentive, and everyone was checking in periodically to make sure we were happy. It was the most expensive meal we ate but well worth every penny. I highly recommend splurging for one night.
RustiQ
Directly in front of the Kura Hulanda Museum, we stopped in for breakfast at RustiQ. They had been open for a half hour when we sat down. The tables were completely empty except for one man sitting in the corner, but nobody gave us the time of day. Since the servers were washing glasses at the bar, we waited a few minutes to let them finish up.
10 minutes later, we walked up to the bar to put in our coffee order and ask for a menu. The man who took our order disappeared, never to be seen again, and the woman started wiping down tables. More time passed and we asked if someone was going to get us our coffee. The server threw down the rag, walked back to the bar, and came out a few minutes later with our drinks. At that point, we decided to skip breakfast altogether because we were obviously a burden. We asked for the bill (which also took forever), paid, and went on our way. The server didn’t say a word to us the entire time.
Sadly, we had high hopes for RustiQ based on the positive reviews we had read. Thanks to our overwhelmingly negative experience and rude service, I can’t recommend it at all.
Il Gelato
Around the corner from Caleo in Kura Hulanda Village, we found Il Gelato. They have a nice variety of flavors, both traditional and exotic. We all enjoyed our dessert.
Maira’s Kitchen
Maira’s Kitchen is on a pleasant street in Otrobanda, just a few blocks from Kura Hulanda Village. It’s named for the caretaker of the restaurant’s owner, Erik. Maira had always dreamed of opening a restaurant of her own, but her dream was cut short after she passed away in December 2017 due to a terminal illness. Before she died, Erik and his family promised to honor her memory by opening a restaurant bearing her name.
According to their website, Maira’s Kitchen serves “locally-inspired dishes bursting with Caribbean and Mediterranean flavors”. We stopped in for breakfast and were not disappointed.
I had the Maira’s breakfast. It consists of a huge plate with a croissant, whole grain bread, a bagel, fried egg, smoked salmon, mini-pancake, fresh fruit, cheese, jam, cream cheese, fresh orange juice, and a choice of regular coffee or tea. Although I couldn’t finish, every bite was fresh and delicious.
Marisol had the Art District breakfast, which comes with whole grain bread, a mini-croissant, fresh yogurt, fresh fruit, jam, cheese, a scrambled egg, and choice of regular coffee or tea. She was very happy with her choice as well.
Overall, it was a nice experience and the service is friendly. If I ever have the chance, I’d like to go back for another meal. The lunch and dinner menus look appetizing.
Bodega Siete Gotas
A block south, hidden in a residential area of Otrobanda, we discovered Bodega Siete Gotas. They specialize in sharable dishes with a local twist. Reservations are recommended.
For our meal, we had the land & sea menu, which allows you to choose two meats, two seafoods, and two sides. Our meats were the picanha and ribeye, our seafoods were the tiger shrimp and conch, and our sides were the mac & cheese and mixed veggies. Everything was delicious, and we consider it one of our best meals in Willemstad. Service is excellent and prices are fair.
Kaya91
In a corner of Rif Fort, you’ll find Kaya91. They have a wide variety of international dishes on their menu, including burgers, tacos, steaks, and seafood.
For dinner, I had the mitar mitar, which is grilled angus topped with grilled shrimp and served on a bed of parmesan potato wedges. Marisol had the pinchos espetada duo, which consists of grilled shrimp and beef skewers served with Portuguese salad and potato wedges. The flavor was fine but the food came out cold. Also, service is friendly but very slow. The restaurant was full and they were understaffed, so I’d give them another chance.
Gondola
Next door to Kaya91 is Gondola. This Italian restaurant specializes in pizza and pasta dishes. Marisol had a Caesar salad and I shared a pepperoni, mushroom, and green pepper pizza with our toddler. The pizza was decent but Marisol wasn’t impressed with her salad. Other than that, service is decent and prices are fair.
Don’s Ice Cream Shop
Also at Rif Fort is Don’s Ice Cream Shop. They have a decent selection of ice cream, smoothies, and waffles. The ice cream is ok. I’ve had better.
Iguana Café
Iguana Café, situated along the waterfront, is the only place we tried in Punda. In my opinion, the only reason it gets any business is because of the privileged location. The food is terrible and the service is slow.
I ate probably the worst BLT I’ve had in my life, while Marisol tried the pistolet bon aparte. Her sandwich, which was slightly better, came with sliced steak tenderloin, mushrooms, sautéed onions, and garlic sauce.
Van Gogh Specialty Coffee & City Roastery
In the Pietermaai district, you’ll find Van Gogh Specialty Coffee & City Roastery. It’s situated in a historic building. We popped in for an afternoon coffee, each having an americano, and went back later for tea. In addition to having the best coffee on Curaçao, they also serve breakfast, lunch, pastries.
Fort Nassau
Fort Nassau is an upscale restaurant situated in a historic fort with spectacular views of Willemstad. The fort was built in 1797 and is now a popular dinner spot, especially for sunsets. It bills itself as “casual fine dining” and service is good. Make a reservation online if you want a table with a view.
We went for lunch one afternoon and had a great table overlooking Willemstad. I ordered the tamarind salmon and Marisol had the shrimp linguine. Both meals were very good but I have to admit my salmon wasn’t fresh, as it had too much of a fishy taste.
While we enjoyed the experience, in hindsight I would have rather gone for dinner. The dinner menu looked much more appealing than the lunch menu, and there’s also a seasonal three-course tasting menu.
Marcus Antonius
Before visiting the Curaçao Children’s Museum and Mongui Maduro Museum, we had breakfast at Marcus Antonius. The restaurant is hidden behind both museums and was a nice find. It has an elegant interior and a very friendly owner who went above and beyond to make us happy.
The menu was all in Dutch during our visit, but the owner was happy to translate for us. We started with an excellent americano and both had the scrambled eggs sandwich. It comes in a baguette with ham, cheese, bacon curry sauce, and sautéed vegetables. I also had a fresh-squeezed orange juice. Overall, it was one of the tastiest breakfasts we had on the island.
Where to Eat in Westpunt, Curaçao
If you’re staying in Westpunt, choices are limited to a handful of restaurants and many are only open on weekends. We had no issues on the weekends or for lunch, but early in the week it was a little more difficult. Keep in mind most restaurants tend to close early, and it’s better to have reservations.
Isabelle Off the Beach
Hands down, our best dining experience on Curaçao was at Isabelle Off the Beach. Run by an American expat, it’s open Thursday through Sunday, with lunch available Friday through Sunday. We loved it so much we went two nights in a row, and would have gone again had it not been closed. You can taste the love and care that goes into making each dish.
For starters, we had the mezze platter on our second night. It comes with an assortment of breads, fresh veggies, dried fruits, chickpeas, hummus, and olive tapenade. You can add meats and cheeses for an extra fee. It was a great start to our meal, and as the owner said, it’s a work of art.
Our main courses on the first night were the blackened salmon with rice and beans and the red snapper with a . The next night I had fish tacos and Marisol had the South Pacific tiger shrimp, which are cooked with garlic, soy sauce, and East Indian spices. The shrimp were served with a small Greek salad. Everything was phenomenal.
Make sure you save room for dessert! There were two choices during our visit – chocolate cake and rum cake. The chocolate cake wins!
Finally, don’t pass up one of their specialty cocktails. On both nights, we had dragonfruit martinis and they were amazing.
Jaanchie’s
A bit further down the road is Jaanchie’s, which is open daily for lunch except Fridays. It’s a Curaçao institution and a place locals go to eat local dishes. Jaanchie himself sat at our table to go over the specials. He’s a charming man who likes to put a smile on his customers’ faces.
There’s not an actual menu, but Jaanchie can put together a plate of whatever you want. The house specialty is iguana, which apparently tastes like chicken. Before getting to Curaçao, I had convinced myself to try it, but when the time came, I couldn’t bring myself to do it!
Anyway, Jaanchie suggested a combination of two meats with two sides and salad. I opted for the beef stew and goat stew with rice and beans and fries. Marisol had the fish and shrimp with the same sides. Our meals were excellent.
After we finished, Jaanchie led us to the patio and sat us down in rocking chairs. He brought us some ice cream because “we were good boys and girls” and finished our entire meal. We enjoyed watching the local birds at the bird feeder while having our dessert.
Blue View
Set on a cliff at Playa Forti, you’ll find Blue View Restaurant, which is popular for sunsets. They serve international and local cuisine. Service is decent and prices are fair. It’s open daily until 8pm.
One of the highlights of Blue View is how it’s situated. Part of the dining room is built on a glass floor with a view straight down to the sea, and there are beautiful views of Playa Forti.
While it’s a nice place to eat, the food isn’t that great. We started with the fried calamari, which was a little too greasy. I had the mahi mahi and it wasn’t fresh. Marisol tried the seafood pasta and she thought it was alright.
Playa Forti Restaurant
On the opposite cliff from Blue View is a much better choice, Playa Forti Restaurant. They’re open daily but close earlier during the week. The menu is full of very good local cuisine and seafood as well as a few international dishes. Prices are fair and service is efficient and friendly. Reservations are recommended if you want to get a good table for sunset.
The restaurant was built by Dutchman Leslie Jenkin in 1958 atop the ruins of a fortress constructed by the English between 1807 and 1816. You can still find cannons in front. It reopened in its current form in December 2018. In addition to gorgeous sunsets, the restaurant is famous for cliff diving.
We went twice, once for lunch and another night for dinner. For lunch, I had the keshi yena, a local dish consisting of Edam cheese stuffed with ground beef, chicken, onion, raisins, and red bell peppers. It’s the house specialty and comes with a side. I chose funchi (fried polenta). Marisol had the kabritu stoba (goat stew), and we finished off the meal with a slice of apple pie.
For dinner, we started with a krema di marisko (creamy seafood stew). It didn’t have much flavor to it until we added salt and lime. My main course was the karko di grill (grilled conch) with a side of tutu (polenta with beans). Marisol tried the seafood pasta. I liked the conch but she wasn’t too happy with the pasta.
Cactus Cafe
At the south end of Westpunt is Cactus Cafe. We stopped in for dinner one night because nothing else was open. They serve local dishes, seafood, and a few international dishes at reasonable prices.
We started off with an amazing African peanut stew full of flavor. I tried the lamb stew and Marisol had the coconut fish. We were both very happy with our meals and the service.
Unfortunately, while the food was delicious, we didn’t have a very good experience with one of the staff members. From the moment we walked in, she made us feel uncomfortable. The restaurant was empty except for two tables, and when we said we didn’t have a reservation she grunted and made a face. The entire time we were there, she kept giving us the stink eye. Furthermore, she was very rude and condescending towards the server and bartender, often snapping at them for seemingly no reason. If it wasn’t for her terrible attitude, we would have gone back for another meal.
Where to Eat Elsewhere on Curaçao
Outside Willemstad and Westpunt, we had a few more dining experiences.
Bonita Beach Club
At Mambo Beach, we spent a full day at Bonita Beach Club. They have a full-service restaurant and bar as well as a cafeteria for take-away.
We started with breakfast, each having a uitsmijter. It’s a slice of bread topped with two items of our choice and three fried eggs. I had one with mushrooms and bacon and added cheese. It was decent.
For lunch, I had a burger and Marisol had fish and chips. Neither of us were overly impressed with our meals. My burger was so-so while the fish and chips were more like fish nuggets.
Zambezi Restaurant
Zambezi Restaurant is located at the Curaçao Ostrich Farm. It’s the only restaurant on the island where you can try ostrich. They serve ostrich egg omelettes, ostrich steaks, and ostrich burgers. We shared a pumpkin soup and each had an ostrich burger. Everything was delicious.
Zest Beach Café
At Jan Thiel Beach, we stopped at Zest Beach Café for coffee and some cold drinks. They have friendly service and the drinks were good. They also serve food.
Pop’s Place
Pop’s Place, overlooking Playa Caracasbaai, is popular with locals. We had a couple beers there and enjoyed the friendly atmosphere. The food looked pretty good. Apparently they make excellent local dishes.
Landhuis Daniel
Landhuis Daniel is a hotel and restaurant on the main road between Willemstad and Westpunt. It’s situated in one of the oldest plantation houses on the island, dating back to the 18th century. The restaurant offers a mix of French, Dutch, Caribbean, and Asian cuisine.
While the lunch and dinner menus look amazing, we went in for breakfast to try the Dutch pancakes. I had a pancake with bacon and cheese while Marisol had one with bacon and fresh fruit. They were both great, but service was extremely slow.
Kultura Kòrsou
Kultura Kòrsou, at Hòfi Mango, serves Creole cuisine with fresh local ingredients. We ate there before exploring the park. They have friendly service, but try to get a table in the shade because it can be very hot and uncomfortable.
My lunch was the jambo, which is a Creole okra soup with seafood and salted pork. Marisol had the chicken leg, which is topped with a mango sauce and comes with sweet and sour papaya. We also shared an order of mango fried rice. I washed my meal down with an awa di lamunchi, which is a lemonade with honey, ginger, and anise. All the dishes were excellent.
Discover Lagun
We ate twice at Discover Lagun, which is across the street from Playa Lagun. It’s a laid-back place specializing in grilled food and homemade burgers. They also have pizza from Friday through Sunday. Service is great and prices are fair.
For our first meal, we went for dinner. We started with a creamy tomato soup, which was excellent. I had a thick juicy ribeye cooked rare, and it was one of the best meals I ate on the island. Marisol ordered the Greek salad. It was good but a bit different than the traditional version. It consists of lettuce, cucumber, tomato, olives, onions, hard boiled egg, feta cheese, and arugula. We finished off the meal with a delicious slice of apple pie.
The next afternoon we went for lunch. I really enjoyed the chili burger, which is topped with lettuce, onions, tomato, jalapeños, and jalapeño lime sauce. Marisol tried the fish and chips, which didn’t impress her. They were more like greasy fish nuggets. For dessert, we shared the piña colada flavored cheesecake.
