Yemanja Woodfired Grill

Yemanja staff accommodated a last minute reservation change, combining parties of 3 (outdoors) and 6 (indoors) into a table for 9. They did this with no complaints and were very gracious. Nine people had different entrees, appetizers and desserts and everything was exceptional. Beef, lamb and fish dishes were outstanding as were the side dishes. Yemanja has been out favorite restaurant the past few years and this year was no exception.

I just want to say that Yemanja is our favorite restaurant in Aruba. We ate there for our 2nd Anniversary. Our reservation was never made by our resort as they promised, but Renate, the manager, got us the table that we requested and made our evening wonderful. The Beef Carpacchio and mussels are to die for. Because of the excellent food and service, we ate there several times during our stay. You can't go to Aruba without visiting this restaurant. You won't regret it. Call in advance for reservations.

After many disappointing Aruban meals, this was a complete delightful surprise. The service was very nice and the food was superb. Every dish was creative, tasty, scrumptious & suculently infused with flavor. Would absolutely go back and intend to try many other dishes on the menu.

Nice Aruban restaurant in town. Always fun to go into town a few times each year.

Food here was excellent though be prepared to take your time. Everything is cooked to order and we waited a bit for our entrees.

Very good food and nice location.

Very good restaurant. The grouper fillet with boursin and white wine sause was the best meal that my wife and I had during our stay in Aruba. I would rate YWG in my top three and will return on my next visit.

Had an excellent dinner this evening. The service was a little slow probably because the restaurant was packed. Had a small problem with the reservation but we were seated in a few minutes.

He had a sampling of all the seafood selections, the scallops, Brazilian trio and Boursin stuffed grouper were excellent. The tuna was a tad over cooked. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the deserts as I saw all the plates were clean.

I was concerned about eating here from reading previous reviews about the portion size. We found the portions just right. Can't wait to eat here next year, easily the best restaurant in Aruba.

If you like mesquite-grilled food, this is the restaurant for you. The food was very tasty. Make sure you make a reservation. We asked for nonsmoking (which Aruban restaurants don't seem to have), and so were seated in the air conditioned inside of the restaurant. The atmosphere is pleasant, and all the waitstaff are very friendly. We were there on Dec 26, 2009, and service was quick.

Try the fish chowder, and salad with mesquite roasted vegetables. The mesquite-grilled rib eye steak was done to perfection. Entrees are accompanied by local sides: black beans, rice, garlic mashed potatoes, and medley of vegetables sauteed in a wok. Despite our resolve, we succombed and shared the walnut ice cream with candied walnuts and espresso.

We were not impressed by the food nor the service at this restaurant. After working hard to get a reservation here, the rave reviews from previous customers seem unfounded. Our meals were average and the staff was a bit rude. We sat inside near the noisy kitchen next to the waiters' station. My onion soup was too salty with shredded cheddar cheese on top that looked microwaved. Only one out of the 5 of us liked our meal. My suggestion would be to any patron of this restaurant to pay extra for the second helping of bread; the olive tapenade on the bread was the best part. I would not bother going there again since there are so many other restaurants in Aruba to try. (by the way, we loved Papaimento.)

Yemanja does not hold a candle to any of the meals we had on Aruba.

We ate at local restaurants, middle of the road, and fine dining. Overall, I would consider this the worst experience we had. The presentation of the food was absolutely beautiful. The ambiance was nice. However, that being said, unless you like each bite of food to taste like a teaspoon of salt, do not be deceived by the presentation. I only was able to stomach about 3 bites of my entree.

Perhaps worst of all, after ordering a second bottle of wine ONE hour into the meal, we were asked to leave our table (with 3/4 a bottle left) because they had another reservation. We were told we could take our bottle home (not even an offer to take it to the bar). I have worked in the hospitality industry and know that this is not an acceptable way to treat your customers. We went to much more popular restaurants on the island and had the nice, romantic, relaxing dinner that one should have on vacation and were never asked to leave.

I think that the staff was plenty friendly and the restaurant has potential, but there are some kinks that the house management and kitchen need to work out before this restaurant can even begin to compete with similar cuisine on the island... def not worth the cost of the meal.

Yemanja is a great place to get some hearty food with excellent service. We started with an order of the Belgian Mussels which are steamed with Belgian beer and then served with three different sauces (outstanding!). My wife ordered the strip steak which came with an excellent red onion compote and I had the ribeye which was very nice. The servers were all very friendly and knowledgeable and always made sure we were satisfied. Look forward to eating here again.