Bring in salt and pepper shakers like these for a free drink!

There’s no shortage of restaurant options in Aruba’s Palm Beach/High-Rise area. Some of them have good deals (there are so many restaurants they all compete), and some are better quality than others; the trick is finding a restaurant that offers both. We noticed Salt & Pepper when we were dropping off our rental car, and when we looked up reviews, we decided that we had to go back. A place that serves tapas for $4-$8 all day? Yes please! We were tired of eating big meals at that point; when you’re at the beach, it’s nice to just snack when you’re hungry instead of eating a huge meal and then floating around in the ocean like a beached whale.

It’s a cute marketing idea for a restaurant called Salt & Pepper — bring in a pair of salt and pepper shakers that don’t already exist in the restaurant’s collection and get a free glass of their famous sangria. Too bad we didn’t know about that offer beforehand, because the sangrias at Aruba’s Salt & Pepper are very tasty! If there is a problem with Salt & Pepper, it’s that the tapas are so tasty and cheap that you feel inclined to order plate after plate of them. We got a grouper sandwich (best we had on the island), shrimp in curry sauce (incredible sauce), onion rings (deep fried goodness) and Mahi Mahi Tempura (fresh tender fish with crunchy exterior). I decided to order a sangria, too, and man was that good. We ate lunch at 3:00 or so, but if you go I’d recommend going between 4:30 and 6:00 — there’s a fantastic Happy Hour offer: three tapas and a glass of sangria for $15.

If you plan to be in Aruba’s Palm Beach area, definitely check out Salt & Pepper.

Photo: GranniesKitchen

Beautiful Dutch architecture in Oranjestad, Aruba

Oranjestad, Aruba is known for its collection of outstanding restaurants. Truly, you can find every cuisine you are looking for: Thai, Indian, Malaysian, steaks, sushi…the list goes on and on. Of course, seafood restaurants are everywhere on Aruba, and it’s easy to find good, fresh fish. The Old Fisherman in downtown Oranjestad is such a place. We read the reviews before going to get an idea for what people said the restaurant did best. I knew ahead of time that I was going to have to try the paella, and the husband was going to go for either a fresh fillet of fish or the combination platter (which we had heard was piled high with different types of fish – a great value).

I was surprised that we were seated as quickly as we were; the place was absolutely packed. A basket of fried bread was placed on the table, and I thought it was ok but my husband raved about it. I can’t recall what they call it there on Aruba — it’s an island specialty that’s served everywhere.

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The Paddock in Oranjestad, Aruba

I have to tell you that I was pretty darn leery about eating at a place called The Paddock in Oranjestad, Aruba. The first images that came to my mind were troughs, mud holes, pigs, and well — cows. Turns out I wasn’t too far off in terms of decor – The Paddock has a distinctive cow theme going on the outside. But, the place got rave reviews online and in our little guidebook, so we decided to go for it.

The Paddock looks like a total tourist trap from the outside. I mean, just look at that photo at the top of this blog – there’s a T-Rex dinosaur inexplicably hanging out on top of the building, as well as a vintage car, and the entire front is covered in cow spots. (And yes, that is my husband in the middle pretending to be said T-Rex. He was hungry and out of his mind.) And, if you’re so inclined, you can put your head on top of one of those pirate cut-outs and take a cheesy photo before heading in. Yeah, we did that too.

The view from the outdoor patio at Aruba's The Paddock

Once inside The Paddock, though, I picked up on a distinctly European cafe feel. It’s difficult to describe; I was expecting to see hoards of Americans slamming cheap beers, but instead I saw small groups and even single people quietly sipping away at their espressos or wine, or perhaps a beer. “What is this place?” I wondered out loud, a little less quietly than I had intended. “Outside table?” the waitress had appeared out of nowhere, and she quickly seated us at a lovely outdoor table on the water. It wasn’t an Aruba beach, per se, but there was soft sand underneath the tables and a nice view. Things were definitely looking up.

We ordered a couple of Balashi Chills (the local beer; the “Chill” is very similar to a Corona) which were tasty, a calamari appetizer and a grouper sandwich to split. The calamari wasn’t bad, but not as good as we were expecting for being right on the water. Calamari is difficult to get just right, though. As for the grouper sandwich, it was good, but nowhere near as good as the one we had at Salt & Pepper a couple days later. Service was friendly and efficient, though they never asked if we wanted another beer.

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Aruba's Tulip Restaurant

Aruba is an absolutely fabulous vacation spot, but it’s not cheapest place to eat. Don’t get me wrong — there are dozens are very fine restaurants that are worth visiting, and probably even worth paying a bunch of money for, but on the whole, even the more casual places tend to be $40 per person for dinner. That’s a bit steep when you’re trying to ration out your pina colada money. We have to be smart about things, right?

Luckily, there’s a lovely, romantic little restaurant called Tulip just across the street from Eagle Beach. We didn’t realize it at the time, but Tulip is on the property of a hotel called MVC Eagle Beach – but it didn’t feel like a “hotel restaurant” at all. We chose to eat outside on the patio to take advantage of the island’s constant breezes. The service was friendly and fast, the appetizer rolls were served warm with butter and the entrees were absolutely delicious! My husband ordered the famous house casserole and I had a fish fillet — both were flavorful and perfectly cooked. And the best part? Our total including two glasses of wine was $50 — you’d easily pay $100 per couple at similar restaurants on Eagle Beach or Palm Beach.

We didn’t make reservations because we ate sort of late on a Wednesday night in low season, but I’d definitely recommend reserving a table earlier in the evening and obviously during high season. We would have gone again if we had had enough time!

Dine by romantic candlelight at Tulip

Photos: Jenny Bengen-Albert and Tulip Restaurant