Madame Janette

This was our 10 +/- visit to Madame Janette's and we've never left less than completely satisfied. We did have a bit of a wait this year because we requested special seating.... but a couple of drinks at the bar made the time go quickly. This year, as always, DW had Almond Grouper. I had the Chef's Skirt.... both were super. We did start with Bang Bang Shrimp and I finished with Coconut Cream Cake..... all in all too much food.... but it was all delicious. Service was attentive but not rushed. We especially love the atmosphere in the garden area near the entertainment. Keep up the good work Mme J's!

Whenever we visit Aruba, which is quite often, we dine at MJ. Through the years this has been among our favorite meals while on the island. In the past 3 or 4 years there has been a decline in the quality of food/service at MJ. Perhaps they have gotten too big and cannot efficiently handle the increased volume. I'm not sure what the problem is but it's there.
Our waiter was the worst one we have ever experienced. He was never to be found. Thankfuly his associate Mario was helpful. I actually had to track the waiter down to pay the check. Thomas said to give them another chance, and we will in December, when we return. But this will be the last one.
I like MJ and hope Karsten sees this post. I would love for them to work things out. As I say we are regulars, 2-3 times a year. We go back to the opening with the always present Job greeting you upon arrival.
Come on guys--Get it together!

We went there to celebrate our 30th anniversary, and the service was so poor it all but ruined the evening. Then, when they realized how bad it was the decide to comp us a dessert.... But the dessert had a big piece of plastic in it!! So much for trying to fix things. The manager did try to make it better by comping our meal too, but that doesn't take away from the rest of the bad experience.

Madame Janette is a seafood restaurant about a 10 minute drive from the Marriott and Ritz properties in Aruba. It’s located in a fairly run down residential neighborhood. My wife and I were encouraged to try it after striking up a conversation with a long time Aruba vacationer. We arrived on time and were seated promptly in the back yard of the property which is covered with loose gravel and stones. It’s a little uncomfortable to sit level but we made it work.

The restaurant is enclosed with 10’ fencing all around. There is absolutely no view but they have Christmas lights on the trees which makes it kind nice.

I’m in my 40’s and noticed almost immediately that we were one the of the youngest couples in the restaurant BY FAR. Not sure whats that’s about.

The owners must have a thing with the number 39. Almost everything on the menu was $39 and up. They brought out a tasty focaccia bread with a truly disgusting picked onion concoction.

I ordered the Grouper Delight and was very disappointed when I received a medium size grouper filet next to a healthy mound of dry field greens. No rice, no potato, no vegetable. Those are apparently available for an extra cost. My wife got the shrimp casserole. Six large shrimp butterflied and drenched in a mushroom and onion stew with a side of creamed spinach. $32.

So, for $82+ I ate a grouper filet with a few field greens, my wide had 6 medium shrimp in a mushroom and onion stew and we split a “home made” apple strudel stuffed with un-sweetend raisins with a scoop of ice-cream and a scoop of whipped cream. No alcohol and no appetizers.

Not the worst meal I ever had but nothing that I would ever return to.

My advise….Pass on Madame Jeanette’s. There are plenty of other good restaurants with great views in Aruba. If you’ve been here before and liked it, get ready for a big change.

After a year away from Madame Janette, the call of their almond grouper beckoned unto us to return so that is what we did. But, in our opinion, things have changed at MJ. We were told that new ownership was in place and that the founders had moved on to other ventures and it shows. Staff appears to have been reduced and service tends to be a bit more perfunctory than it has been in the past - pampering seems to be discouraged. The menu has also taken a hit - it is a sad day when the only vegetarian type appetizer is Caesar Salad and it is even more disappointing that, despite promises to the contrary, the chefs cannot make an old time favorite appetizer. Fortunately the signature almond grouper dish remains intact and it is enough, in itself, to justify a trip to the place. The more perfunctory nature of things seems to affect the ambiance as well and, were it not for some of the dishes, this place might decline into a has-been state. We will continue to return for the time being but we are not sure how long that will be.

Visited February 2014

What happened to the garden salad. It was best salad you could get on island and they discontinued.
Very disapointed

We have been going to Madame Janettes since 2002 and always ordered "Gruoper Delight" . Loved the fish and the presentation of the beautiful fresh salad and always looked forward to going there. This January, my favourite meal consisted of a small piece of fish and what appeared to be a small bagged arugula salad with 2 halved grape tomatoes. So disappointing!!!! For $28 there wasn't a lot there. Wow. Thinking they ran out of the regular salad I asked and was told the chef had decided to change things. I don't think we will be returning. So sad.

We loved the seating and service we received. The cost was what we had expected but the most pleasant surprise was the choice of hot sauce we requested. I enjoyed them both so much that I purchased several bottles of each. Some for myself and some for close friends. I had read mixed reviews of the restaurant before going, so I was a little apprehensive. However, I was very pleased with the overall experience. The waiters were friendly, helpful and made extra effort to ensure our satisfaction.

This was our 14th year at Madame Janette, and it's still our favorite restaurant on the island. We generally eat there twice during each trip, but this year we only visited once, as explained below.

When they first opened, their prices were half that of other restaurants. Sadly (for us, not them), they now charge the "market price" for their appetizers and entrees, but it's well worth it.

Almond Grouper is one of their signature dishes, and I look forward to eating it every year. Rack of lamb is also great. Salads are very big and fresh.

The restaurant is outdoors, so dress in comfortable clothing.

About half of the restaurant is open to the sky, so if it rains, there is a big problem. Fortunately, it rarely rains in Aruba for more than a few minutes, so in 14 years we have never gotten wet. However, we noted that it rained about an hour before our scheduled second visit during this holiday trip, so we called them and asked what to expect. "At least an hour delay in your seating", they told us, and we still need to show up on time to claim our original reservation, and then wait an hour. I don't blame them for this. The number of no-shows at all restaurants is very high, so they need to be strict. Since our original reservation was for 9 PM, we opted to cancel and go elsewhere. The rating in this review was for our first visit during this
trip. Just be aware that an outdoor restaurant is subject to the weather, and be thankful that the weather in Aruba is usually perfect!

I have visited Aruba yearly beginning in 2009. My first visit to Madame Janette was October 2012 and I was incredibly impressed with the entire evening. I again returned on October 15, 2013 and had another perfect 10 meal. I left the restaurant last evening mad at myself for missing this place (despite being told how good it was) during my first 3 visits to Aruba.

Aruba hosts many excellent restaurants and Madame Janette is certainly one of the best.

If you're in Aruba and you truly enjoy excellent food, this is one restaurant you must visit.