8 Best Restaurants in Willemstad, Curaçao

The owner of BBQ Express, one of the island’s most wildly popular food trucks, had the idea of gathering an entire slew of popular food truck operators and putting them all in one spot. Made from old shipping containers and decorated by the island’s most talented mural artists, Pasawa Box Eatery offers many different types of food to sample beyond local, including Asian, Mexican, and Italian---there’s even an ice-cream stand on-site. A huge island bar in the middle invites patrons to gather around and watch sports on big screen TVs. The music is always loud, but tasteful and sometimes live.

If you’re seeking big fat burgers and bountiful boat drinks Jimmy Buffet–style, look no further than this seafront oasis beside the Windcreek Renaissance Resort’s infinity beach club. You need not be a resort guest to hang out there and enjoy lively music, great camaraderie, creative margaritas, and beer bucket specials. Though the menu is mostly American, they nod to Southern American influences by offering arepas, patacones, and ceviche. Grab a seat on the seafront terrace at happy hour for spectacular sunsets over the ocean and 3-litre towers of cocktails or beer.

This urban street food complex and bar is a perfect fit for the new creative vibe overtaking this historic neighborhood (bario) with all its new outdoor art and cultural attractions. Part of the Bario Boutique Hotel, it's a destination in its own right for trendy fusions of local and international eats served from kiosks made out of old shipping containers. Each kiosk has its own specialty and the barkeeps craft killer cocktails using as many local ingredients as they can---try an Otrobanda Colada! There is always live or DJ-driven music to snack by, and it's become the Friday Happy Hour hot spot for locals. 

This little gem tucked away in the hip district of Pietermaai specializes in creative fusion shareables, small plates, and killer craft cocktails. Themed around the culinary melting pot that is Brooklyn, New York, it provides an excellent beginning to a night out.

Jutting out over the ocean at the Avila Beach Hotel, this legendary perch is famous for its sea views, its hearty Caribbean-focused dinner fare, and its Thursday night live music. If you dine out on the deck on a Thursday night, you might see the Punda Vibe's fireworks over the water in the distance. While under the covered area, don't forget to look up: the entire ceiling is a spectacular mural.

Located in an 18th-century bastion of defense that affords sparkling harbor views, this is one of the island’s classic, don’t-miss restaurants. The diverse menu spans land and sea with local and international specialties for dinner and creative cuisine for lunch; if you book an early dinner on the deck you'll be treated to spectacular sunset views over the water.

Have lunch on the verandah of a restored 19th-century Dutch mansion overlooking Santa Anna Bay for spectacular views of the harbor, or in their charming colonial courtyard in the back. The menu offers consistently good local and international dishes. Be sure to stick around after dinner for live music at the bar, which stays open late, especially if it’s a Thursday night when fireworks explode over the water at the end of Punda Vibes night.  

Decorated with an awe-inspiring mural by famed local artist Francis Sling, Kome serves up creative fusion fare. The menu is divided into small (chiki) and big (grandi) plates, with dishes ranging from grilled octopus and chicken and waffles to Cuban ropa vieja. A constant effort to source locally has led to surprising results on the regularly changing specials menu. Their small terrace outside is the place to be for a more romantic setting.