Papiamento Restaurant

we were running late, so we called the restaurant and they were very understanding---when we got there, we were immediately shown to our lovely table by the poolside. got our drinks fairly quickly, but it took the waiter about 15-20 minutes to finally approach the table. he was very accomodating; though--but the meal took about one hour to arrive. food was very interesting and fresh. the mahi-mahi grilled on the stone is amazing. desserts were also tasty. very relaxed atmosphere and on the whole, lovely evening. the female maitre-d came to our table several times to check on us. very friendly and professional.

I just made reservations for January. We had dinner here back in Oct. and thought it was great. We have dined at several restaurants when visiting Aruba and this is one we will return to each year!!!!!

have dined there four times or so and it has never disappointed. wonderful, romantic, friendly and delicious.

I went here because of what I read in local guides. The food was just ok but DEFINITELY NOT worth the price. In fact, it was something you'd expect from a fast food place, rather than a vacation resort. Presentation was artful if only to disguise the fact that it was "prom food".

Let's get to the service: HORRIBLE!!! It was as if the managers of the restaurant had no skill as to when people would arrive during main meal times, but if staff were on hand, they had no idea what do do. "I'll try to find your waiter" was uttered to me 4 times with no result.

Service and training suffered and measured the quality of the evening more than the food.

I believe this place counts on people's lowered expectations of a Carribean Island, and that is it's true skill.

Wonderful, the service was very good and the food was excellent.

Having been to Aruba 10 times and dined at Papiamento 10 times, we love it. A poolside table in the evening is romantic. Don't get in a hurry. We don't; we just enjoy the ambiance. Faces are familiar and they recognize us. Although it's now not on the menu, the clay pot fish dish was awesome. But, come for the relaxation, the ambiance, the romance, and the memories.

After eating at Papiamentos, I believe Papiamentos is a restaurant you will either love or hate. Personally, I enjoyed the restaurant very much. Make reservations in advance. When we went, the only reservation available was for 9:00 PM and this was inside, not by the highly requested pool seating. We thought the ambience was very delightful and the food was good. My sister's dish was the best (the mahi mahi grilled on the hot stone). The service was good, not great, but you are in Aruba to relax, and eat good food. Would we go back again.. definitely. After dinner we took a tour of the antiques. It is impressive to see pictures of the Netherlands Queen dining during her visit to Aruba.

We were pleasantly surprised, not only by the excellent food, but also by the excellent service at Papiamentos. Four of us went there for dinner on Saturday night. The ambiance of the pool, gardens, and unusual outdoor environment was very nice. All four of us loved our entries -- two of us had a grouper spcial, one a chicken and pasta dish, and one a tenderloin steak "on the stone".
After reading the previous reviews I expected the service to lag behind the quality of the food, but in our case the service was excellent. Multiple servers made sure our drinks were always refreshed, that our food arrived hot and on time, and generally that we were well taken care of. The service did lag a little at the end, with an extra long wait for our coffees, but that was the only flaw in an otherwise perfect meal.

Went with two friends to this restaurant.
The food is excellent but the service is very poor.
The waiters don't know of eachother which table already has been serviced, so you get almost every minute somebody at your table asking you the same questions.
After our diner we tried to relax and have a pleasant conversation together with some coffee and a Frangelico. This wasn't the idea of the staff that was working that evening, they really had a problem with us staying that long even we already told them it was no problem for us that they already cleaned the whole place around our table.
Instead of doing this they started to look bored at us with four waiters and almost asking us " Please leave".
Once again : for the food is this restaurant the place to be but this ruined our evening.

Papiamento was our favorite restuarant on our most recent trip to Aruba. We thought it was a magically little place off the beaten path so to speak. The food was wonderful as well as the service and we will go back every trip for sure!