Yemanja Woodfired Grill

This was our 6th visit to Aruba...we had eaten at Yemanja when it first opened and loved it. We intended to eat there again and were once again pleased. The food is creative and delicious. The wait staff is very willing to please and efficient. The portions are generous and filling. There is both outside and inside seating....we chose inside again this time...the decor is fun and stimulating....no matter which table you are seated at you feel intimate. We were there on Sept 18, 2009 and will go back again when we return in March 2010.

THIS IS NOT THE BEST RESTAURANT IN ARUBA. THIS IS THE BEST IN THE WHOLE CARIBBEAN. EVERY DISH IS BETTER THAN THE NEXT,AND THE SERVICE IS SUPERB.
AN EATING EXPERIENCE.

We've been to Yemanja twice last week.
And it was wonderful.
The food was perfect.
We had the skirt steak, tenderloin, chicken and the tuna steak. They were all amazing!
The mussels as appetizer were fantastic!
Yemenja is a great restaurant, the staff is really great (especially Maike, the owner) and fun. The atmosphere is romantic.
We definitely recommend the food and the restaurant.
We will definitely go back!

Thanks!

After only two years in business, they have achieved a stable marriage of good value and attentively-aesthetic preparations in a relaxing, romantic setting. The wine list is skant yet inexpensive and with ample choice to complement the fare. Service, while friendly, lacks the anticipation and attention one expects of top-tier dining. The patio atmosphere was splendid; the only drawback, nearby angled parking and a busy street detracts somewhat from the ambiance. Subtle lighting, cleanliness, the swaying palms ... easily distract to the positives. We left (waddling) having only barely managed to wolf down two wonderful desserts. We would definitely return. An added bonus was the politeness of guests wishing to smoke, who did so beyond the confines of the patio, and decidely downwind.

We stopped by Yemanja early in the week to check out the menu. The restaurant is so close to the Renaissance Marina that we could see it from our balcony! We stopped back the next night to make reservations. They remembered us! We were able to reserve the specific table we wanted on the romantic patio. During the day, the patio doesn't look like much. At night they transform it into a wonderful space.

Service was attentive and personal. (Marike?) We ordered a bottle of wine, and thought about appetizers but decided to save room for dessert. So glad we did! We enjoyed a glass of wine while we sampled the bread with tapanade and garlic butter.

Our entrees were served in perfect timing. I had the special of the night, a skirt steak prepared in a delicious sauce. My husband had the rack of lamb. Entrees are served with sides to share: rice, black beans, veggies, and garlic mashed potatoes. We loved our choices and thought it couldn't have been a better meal. Until the dessert menu arrived!

We highly recommend the Petite Assortment. It is a sampling of almost the entire dessert menu! It included a dark chocolate mousse, a terrific deep chocolate brownie(almost like a flourless chocolate cake) with chocolate chip ice cream, a coconut mousse, a strawberry mousse, and a banana torte. The espresso was very good, too. We would return.

(And we did!! Stopped by on our last night for dessert and espresso. I had the dark chocolate mousse and my husband, the brownie. Our two faves from the Petite Assortment earlier in the week. Delicious! And again, great service).

The service was wonderful. The staff is lovely. So friendly. The drinks were great. The wine wonderful. The meal was among the best we have ever had. We started with Goat Cheese wrapped in Phylo. The taste was incredible! The Surf & Turf had the most amazing shrimp and steak, so tender. The Grouper Italiano was beyond fabulous! We just arrived in Aruba today, this was our first meal, we will go back before we leave. We wish we could have eaten dessert it looked beautiful. Next time!

Several people in our party hadn't eaten here before so we were anxious to share this wonderful restaurant with them. We were so glad we did. The quality of the food and service are all top notch. The beef carpaccio was a big hit as were the nforgettable mussels appetizers. We sampled the rack of lamb, grouper with boursin, the tenderloin and all were excellent. The family style servings of beans, rice, grilled veggies and mashed potatoes were all delicious. We decided we needed to dine here again as a group and so made reservations four nights later and we enjoyed ourselves all over again. Kudos to the chef and to Maike and her team of professional staff. We look forward to returning again.

Went to Yemanja this past Friday and was treated to an outstanding dining experience. We were greeted by the manager Marielee(sp?) who made us feel at home and took real pride explaining the menu and the restaurant. We had the Brazilian Moqueca Trio and Salad Yemanja and the only disappointment was that I only had one night to dine and there were other things on the menu that I would have liked to sample as well.....maybe next trip..... or maybe even better a chef's tasting menu in the future :-) ????

we really enjoyed to diner at yemanja
the service was really good they where so nice to us, the drinks came very fast, the food was really good I'm still thinking about it. The place was very good lots of parking space and in the middle of the city. also the desert was really good, i really enjoyed to diner at yemanja.

Niels

It was our first time and we were blown away. The service was excellent and very friendly. The food was great! Everyone's meal was excellent. It is now one of our favarite restaurants on the Isalnd. A must when you visit Aruba. It was our 4th year in Aruba and we will definately be going back to Yemanja next year!