Good Food on Curacao - Need recommendations
 

Hello all:

My wife and I are thinking about going to Curacao on our next trip and we would like restaurant/food recommendations on the island. We will rent a car so distance or convenience would not be a problem.

Since we are from a food City (NYC) we are not necessarily drawn to fancy restaurants but rather, good, humble local food that impresses.

Good watering hole recommendations also requested and your favorite stretch of sand!

Many thanks,
Ed and Peg

If you seach Curacao you will find my recommendation and others thou mine are based on several visits the last were in 2007. I can tell you thou the Portofino in the Marriott isd still not good. nor is Ft. Nassau.

U will love Curacao, its very quaint & food isnot comparable to NYC, I am from NYC too but its good.Try Governor's - they have the best food, cant remember the address but it is right outside Kura Hulanda Hotel.Below Governor's which is on the first floor is a casual mexican joint which has good food but just like u get in NYC. In the downtown area across the river there are nice bars lined up, icecream shops but food there I found so so.The Hilton there although the rooms are all are like a dump has a tiny beach front restaurant which serves good fare.But in all reality for the kind of food & service u get in NYC, go to the Kura Hulanda restaurants, you wont regret it at all.They have an indian restaurant, fine dining called Jaipur where the manager Walter Pierra if he is is still there actually put our table 20 feet in the sky over a waterfall for my husbands bday & actually became our personal waiter for the entire evening as no one else would climb 100 steps to serve us & I had only asked for " something special".You will like CUracao

I am easy, or hard, to please at restaurants,depending on how you look at things.I don't eat seafood so that limits my pleasure.However, if a restaurant has atmosphere,good wine or drinks,good service and maybe a salad or something for me I will enjoy it.Just so happens that the 3 restaurants we ate in last week in Curacao qualified.Two of restaurants are in the fort adjoining Renaissance Hotel downtown. Cru is a NY type restaurant in my mind with good menu,nice atmosphere,and big wine selection.However since wife doesnt drink wine,I have to get wine by glass and the selection was good, but I didnt care for my particular selection. But bartender mixed us some great drinks.Fancy for wife, and a gin and tonic martini for me which I had never had before but he did a great job. Food was good.

Upstairs in the fort and rather hidden was Steak and Ribs Restaurant.Not creative name but one of best steaks with chimchuri sauce I have had in quite a while (Sorry New Yorkers, steak was much better than I have ever had in NY, altho BLT Prime comes close).Place overlooks the entry to the channel so it had waves crashing the rocks around the place, even on 3rd level a wave would sometimes wet the tables a bit.Quite fun. Crowded and windy, but my favorite on the island.

3rd place was Hooks Hut in area close to the Marriott and Hilton, about 15 minutes from downtown area. It is on the beach at edge of water. Great romantic setting. Food in my opinion was just acceptable, but wife liked her seafood. Drinks were only so so, but still I would recommend it.

I will probably send a trip report sometime in near future.

We just returned from Curacao on Sunday (we were there February 12-21, 2010) and dined at several great restuarants. Of course there is Bistro Le Clochard, but we would jsut as strongly recommend Astrolab Observatory at the Kura Hulanda Hotel and the Wine Cellar. Both of these places had food just as great as BLC and the service at all three places was impeccable. I would also make sure to visit Jaanchies, which is more casual but will give you the true island cuisine.

We're still in Curacao on a two-week trip/visit with relatives. Double or triple that recommendation for Jaanchies; just be aware that it's a drive up to the N.W. corner of the island. I do NOT recommend the Mambo Beach restaurant... took 8 people there last night at a cost of $400 for definitely sub-par meal (undercooked chicken... red; oily trio of fish, tiny serving of "Marsailles soup... really just a broth with some bits of something in it, and a couple of drinks each. Didn't even try the coffee and desert and they wat Fl 12.50 (about $7.50 for a bottle of water!... no tap water available).

Another good place but a bit up-scale is the one in the Pietermaai historic district. I can't remember the name at the moment but the buffet was "to die for".

Just wanted to add props for "The Boathouse" restaurant. It's located on Spanish Waters with a superb deck overlooking one of the many marinas. The Jonalisa sailing Cat also departs from this location.

Food was excellent and local (specializing in seafood), ambience is superb, the staff friendly and professional. Pricing pp in the $30-$35 range (although it can go higher quite easily with drinks)

You might enjoy Marshe Bieuw which is very hearty, the Avalon and Belle Terrace is superb. Bistro Le Clochard is our favorite and offers harborside dining.

Just wanted to comment on what Tootsall stated regarding Jaanchies and Mambo Beach resturants. Just goes to show how people's opinions are so different. We went to Cuarcao last May and dined at both resturants. Jaanchies is a dive and highly overrated by many people who report back. We thought the food was mediocore at best and found that the prison issue silver divided serving plate was a little strange. Also didn't care for the finches flying around the place as you never know when or where they where going to go. (if you understand my meaning)

We went to the fresh fish night a Mambos. Thought the fish was a little expensive and I didn't really care to see where my fish came from before it's cook (that's a personal preference), but we found the food to be tasty. We got one to share and it came with several sides and we ordered a few more and the bill was only $72.00. Thought that was quite fair for the amount of food that was served.

We enjoyed all three restuarants at the Lions Dive; Hemingways, Piazza and Nemos. They had the best carpaccio and creme brulee.

To respond to KVR's comment (explanation): we wanted to hit Mambo on seafood night but our schedule didn't permit; hopefully it is an improvement from other nights. We were staying with locals (born & raised on Curacao) and met quite a few others at a family gathering (after our trip to the Mambo); the general consensus was that we should have gone almost anywhere but Mambo...much better food elsewhere at far lower prices. Hopefully the management can fix the problems because the location is superb (especially on those Wednesday night "Happy Hour" events next door!)

The trip to Jaanchies was during the day (late lunch) on a Sunday when some of the local musicians move around the restaurant playing music. Great fun and no sign of "childrens' plates" anywhere. Maybe they've changed since your visit? Anyway, if you get a seat "away" from the aviary you shouldn't worry about the birds bombing your dinner. It is certainly local flavour (not many tourists there) and the food was really good.

Here's a pic of the plate I was referring to at Jaanchies and there was a bird nest in a light fixture directly over our table. Finches flying in and out of it while eating. Luckily, no dive bombing during our meal, but it really did seem unsanitary. Hopefully they did move it.

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/287...38640397epLiHK