Madame Janette

Was not sure about going to this as I read some not very good reviews. The lady we rented the house from said to be sure to go there so we did and we are glad we did. We had wonderful grouper just like she said it would be. There seemed to be a little lacked on the servers part as he disappeared and we had to hail over another one to get our cocktail. But after that it went much better. We would definitely go here again. One thing they could do to improve things is to please put some signed up as you get off the main road. We had to ask neighborhood people twice how to get into the location, so far back off the beaten track. Now we know where it is but we only got there smoothly due to making a trial run there the day before and thank goodness we did.

My experience with Madam Janette's was fabulous from the start! I made reservations online prior to my trip and they were confirmed. I let them know we were celebrating special birthdays in advance and they sang us happy birthday.

The food was fresh and local and cooked to perfection! There was plenty of variety from seafood to steak and the portions were large. The sides were delicious! The ambiance was very relaxing (could be romantic but my trip was with a friend!). I'd recommend sitting in the garden area for the outdoor dining experience.

I will definitely go back next time I vacation in Aruba!

In general it was good. Prices were okay. Food was good. Waitress could have been more attentive. The live guitarist was very good.

My wife had the Surf&turf, I had Lamb Rack.
Lamb rack was excellent, close to perfection. Surf&turf was good but a bit bland, could hav been better seasoned. Side order was good, when it arrived. We had to get another waiter to get my wifes side order. Our waiter forgot it.

My wife had Apple strudel for dessert. I had Swiss chokolate mousse with caramel.

Apple strudel okay. Vanilla ice was super, the strudel okay.

My dessert was good, but to big. I rather would have it a bit more refined.
Other would disagree on the size of the portion, but in my opinion it was to big and needed refinement.

We had a very good Paulliac to the meat. Expensive, but worth every penny.
Enviroment/decor - a bit tacky IMHO.

All in all a good experience, we'll be back, but - I expected more. It might be a bit unfair, but after all the good reviews I expected more.

The ambiance is very pleasant, especially the live guitarist whose performance made us feel mellow. The food, however, was disappointing. First, the flavor profiles were repetitious. The same sauce, probably Madame Janette's pepper sauce, was used in the sweet and sour, as a base for other sauces and tossed into the mayonnaise. Ditto for the white sauces which had a different base, probably Madame Janette's papaya sauce. Second, the ultimate sin was committed: the whipped cream on the desert was from a can, not freshly whipped. To top things off, the food was overly expensive. I would never go back.

This was the first year I can say I was truly disappointed at Madame Janette and we have been there a minimum of 10 times. The portions which use to be extremely generous are not and the plate appeared empty by comparison. The side dishes were served lukewarm and when we asked our waiter to bring us hot ones, he returned with the same food at the same lukewarm temperature. Although everything tasted delicious, it still left us feeling that things were just not as they were in the past. I think there is better restaurants on the island.

Once again, the meal was perfection. I had a great pineapple mojito-wow! The atmosphere is so relaxing. SO and I shared a salad-they are big enough for two with the house vinaigrette dressing. I also had the french onion soup-so yummy. SO had the tenderloin-cooked absolutely perfect. I had the surf/turf-tenderloin, shrimp, Caribbean lobster. It is amazing how they cook such a thick cut of meat so perfectly. I also had the au gratin potatoes as a side-those are to die for. I ate it ALL!! So did SO. Neither of us had room for dessert. The service is always spot on!

We will be going back on our trip next year!

Absolutely amazing dinner and service!
My husband had one of the specials for the night which was duck - very tender and great flavor. I asked for help from our waiter (Jorge) on something somewhat "light". He recommended the whole snapper and it was perfect. I was hesitant at first but he assured me that it was fully deboned (which it was) but still had the head on. It was the crispy tempura YellowTail Snapper with coconut rice, Asian vegetables, and pineapple salsa. I can't wait to go back and have the same entree again on our next trip.
Thank you, MJ's, for another fabulous dinner!

We regularly go to Madame Jeanettes during our annual visit to Aruba. This year with all the rain it was a challenge for MJ as most of their tables are outside. I always ask not to be seated "inside" as it is far too hot but prefer the semi outside area at the front of the restaurant.
Our general feelings about MJ are that it is still a very good restaurant but it has become a little too impersonal. The food is good but not outstanding and the presentation is not in the same caliber as some of the other new restaurants on the island. We also felt a bit rushed.
I always get the almond grouper which wasn't quite as good as in previous years. I think having now gone to so many of the newer places this "old favourite" seems a bit stale in service, atmosphere and food presentation compared to the newer competition.
The apple strudel is wonderful. I still enjoyed our evening but sadly not as much as in past years.

11/12/10 Was my most recent visit to Madame Jeneattes. I have been there at least 6 times among several visits to Aruba. The dinner that evening with my sister was ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!! We had the Almond Grouper and another Grouper filet stuffed with shrimp and crab. I can't even put into words how AWESOME they each tasted...done to perfection! Presentation was beautiful and appealing! I have always visited Madame Janette and loved the food and attention to service, but this last visit topped them all! THANK YOU for a wonderful evening and Kudos to the chefs! :)

I have been coming to Aruba for 10 years and going to Madame J's for 6 of those years. My family and I went to Madame J for our Thanksgiving dinner. We had a bottle of wine that was out of this world and the steak was amazing. My folks had the turkey dinner and the sides were excellent although the turkey was a little dry. I also had a spinich salad that was on special and it was fantastic as well. I would highly recommend visiting this location.Our waitress was nice but we felt that she had some difficulty understanding us.