El Gaucho

This was the first time in all the years in coming to Aruba that I was disappointed. A lot of people suggested this restaurant but I am unable to see what the hype is about. Food was acceptable but the staff were totally unacceptable in their behavior towards their customers. Rude doesn't even begin describe their attitude towards treatment of their customers. If I had read the previous reviews just this past year...I would have passed.

We used to love this restaurant - sadly, it has changed. While the food is still good, it is not the excellent quality that it used to be - have they changed their meat? Or their meat supplier? Something is different...and the restaurant is simply too noisy - it's difficult to chat with others at your table.
Lastly, their "loyalty card" that was so good in the past is no longer valid - they offered a 10% discount when we had about $300 on the card!
We winter here and eat out 3 or 4 times a week - when we want beef, we'll go to Ruth's Chris or LG Smith Chophouse.
Bye bye, El Gaucho...

Used to be great. Now not so much. Real shame.

I have now eaten at El Gaucho two times and I think I will pass on the 3rd. Food is OK..not great. It is just a bit of bore. There is too much hype surrounding this place.

We have been going to El Gaucho for some 25 years. Always found it to be crowded, bustling, up beat with a wait staff that was caring and helpful serving great steak. Unfortunately this time around we found it half empty, with an indifferent almost frigid waitress who would get her 15 percent added on to bill and be annoyed with any question we asked about the menu. The safety concern stemmed from the door man who politely insisted that I moved my car to a lot that he could see and keep an eye on. For this I am thankful. The steak was still great but everything else about the dinner was not.

First visit to EL Gaucho and it was a good experience. Seated and served promptly, waiter was attentive and the guitar players added to the atmosphere. I had the El Gaucho Steak, which was a huge, tender, correctly cooked filet with a nice charred outside. Flavor was a bit bland though which was disappointing. My father-in-law had the tenderloin which he definitely enjoyed, but said his filet at Chalet Suisse was a bit better. I also didn't care for the wooden plates the steaks are served on; I would have preferred a normal dish. My mother-in-law had a nice piece of salmon and my wife had shrimp scampi which I had a bite of; it was very good. Desserts were great and the fudge layer cake was my favorite dessert of the vacation. Good dinner at a good value, we would go back.

We visited El Gaucho for the first time on 12/22/12. It was our first day in Aruba and we (our family of 4) were hungry and ready for a good meal. We were not disappointed. Everything ordered was done to our request and excellent. Portions were huge. I personally had the meat skewer which turned out to be a small sword of food - beef, pork, sausage and vegetables. We all agreed that the sausage was the best we had ever eaten - it comes highly recommended, even by locals we spoke with later. If you are looking for good food and lots of it - this is the place. We will make this a regular stop when we return to Aruba (and we will return !)

In the US the skirt steak is not exactly top choice but without a doubt first choice at el gaucho. Bigger and better than ever could have expected. The T-bone didn't even compare. Service could have been better but the meal made up for it.

El Gaucho offers a great variety of steaks from Argentina, which are famous for their great taste.
I've been to this restaurant many times, and the quality of the food is always amazing!
I recommend the empanadas de carne as a starter, they're great and taste just the same as ones I had on a trip to Buenos Aires. And for the main dish definitely go for a steak!

After a long day of traveling to Aruba, we needed something good to eat. We decided to give El Gaucho a try. The steaks and service were awesome. We really liked the sauces they give you to try on their steaks. The only downside was the service charge. I don't mind paying it, but a sign said the servers only get 5% of the 15% they charge. I believe this is misleading. Just increase your food prices and charge 5% for the service charge.

We would eat there again!