The Best Aruba Restaurants Near the Beach — Including One With Private Overwater Cabanas

Aruba is known for its beautiful, white-sand beaches and aquamarine waters. In fact, frequently, Aruba’s Eagle Beach, with its unique Divi Divi trees, is ranked as one of the most beautiful on the entire planet. 

As such, while there’s certainly a lot more to love about Aruba beyond the beach (from the cacti-covered desert to the towering Hooiberg), it can be difficult to drag yourself away from the sand. Luckily, when it’s time to eat, you won’t have to go far.

There are plenty of amazing Aruba restaurants that are not just near the beach, but actually on it, with many others offering wonderful ocean views. Here are some of the absolute favorites to consider adding to your itinerary.

I will admit, when I hear the name “Passions on the Beach,” I think I’m going to be in for a cheesy time. Name aside, though, there’s a reason why travelers consistently call dining here one of their favorite moments while in Aruba.

The restaurant is part of the Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort (which I’d also recommend) and tables are situated right on the — you guessed it — beach (and it’s the aforementioned Eagle Beach at that). Dinner is the highlight and romance is the vibe. Couples are seated at every table and don’t be surprised if you see a proposal.

There are two dinner options: a sunset seating and an “under the stars” seating. The menu is actually pretty big, with a lot of seafood options, and plenty of meals that are specialty diet-friendly. Pick the perfect wine pairing to go with your barramundi or filet mignon and see why everyone is so passionate about Passions (sorry, I had to).

Address: J.E. Irausquin Blvd 252, Noord, Aruba

Flying Fishbone is also frequently mentioned as a traveler favorite and the restaurant even claims that it was the first on the island to make dining on the beach a thing, as it opened in 1997. The atmosphere here is decidedly more casual and kids are welcome, so if Passions doesn’t quite sound like your scene, you may just love Flying Fishbone.

The Savaneta Seafood History dish is one of the restaurant’s specialties, featuring a mix of seafood served alongside rice, vegetables and a curry sauce. Other options range from seafood casserole to duck breast to rack of lamb. Make sure to save room for dessert. This restaurant is serving up classics like baked Alaska and apple pie a la mode.

Address: Savaneta 344, Savaneta, Aruba

The Old Man and the Sea is an adults-only beach restaurant with a Hemingway-inspired vibe, live music and international flair. It’s also the only restaurant on the island that offers private overwater cabana dining — though do note that in order to book this experience, you do have to be staying at the resort the restaurant is located within, Aruba Ocean Villas. Otherwise, you’ll enjoy a table on the sand.

While the restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, opt for a dinner sunset seating for the best views. Or, if you’re reserving your table for a Friday, inquire about the limited-seating, sommelier-led wine pairing experiences.

The dinner menu is a little more limited here, but includes favorites such as lobster a la vodka and keshi yena (a local specialty that’s a beef and chicken stew, served with polenta and gouda). There’s also a separate vegan and vegetarian menu.

Address: Savaneta, Aruba

Back to the less formal and more low-key side of the Aruban restaurant scene, The Pelican’s Nest has been around since the 90s and the restaurant is literally perched right above the water, so everyone gets a stellar view. All the while, you’re just steps away from Palm Beach.

As for the menu, expect a nice handful of casual bites, like sandwiches, tacos, salads and a few seafood options, like coconut curry shrimp or crab cakes.

Address: On Pelican Pier, J.E. Irausquin Blvd 230, Noord, Aruba

You probably don’t immediately think “Aruba” and then think “Italian food,” but you’ll actually find a fair number of Italian restaurants across the island. One of them, Windows on Aruba, has racked up heaps of glowing reviews across Google and OpenTable.

The two-story restaurant gets its name from its unique architecture — it’s basically a circular space completely enclosed by floor-to-ceiling windows. The restaurant is situated at the Divi Village Golf & Beach Resort, and offers views of both the greens and Druif Beach.

Grab the Windows martini (vanilla vodka, amaretto and sour mix) and snack on the bread basket as you await classics like ossobuco, veal marsala or bolognese.

In addition to dinner, the restaurant also serves Sunday brunch, as well as a super-cool Friday night brunch — that’s right, after you’ve had a few cocktails and you’re starting to get a bit peckish, you can head on over for bottomless mojitos and bellinis alongside crave-worthy dishes like seafood mac and cheese or arancini, as well as breakfast items, for a set price of $79 per person.

Address: J.E. Irausquin Blvd 93, Oranjestad, Aruba

Barefoot’s tagline is “elegant dining, in flip flops” and that’s a motto I can get behind. The expansive menu boasts a really wide range of options, with a few unique items that I personally have never come across (Dutch-style crab cakes? Mustard soup?). There’s a good mix of salads, seafood, pasta, chicken and beef.

It is worth noting this restaurant’s location, which could be either a pro or con, depending on who you ask. It’s right in Oranjestad, and it’s in a busy area. It’s literally right next to the airport. It’s also on a public beach, rather than a private resort beach (as is the case for some of these other restaurants). Accordingly, the surroundings can get pretty lively and crowded, especially on the weekends, so just be aware before you make your reservation.

Address: L.G. Smith Boulevard 1, Oranjestad, Aruba

Another traveler favorite, Elements is a resort-set restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating, with tables both on a deck with water views and out on the beach. Rather than just plot a table and some chairs in the sand, though, Elements has mini decks with palapa-style coverings set up for two, for a slightly more elevated feel. (If you want to reserve one of these cabanas, you have to contact the restaurant directly!)

The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, Sunday brunch and dinner, with daytime dining being decidedly more casual. The menus focus on sustainably and locally sourced ingredients, with a lot of wellness-focused offerings, including vegan items, smoothies and mocktails, and bowl-type meals.

One fun little addition? There’s a dog menu, with pup cups and pupsicles, and doggy-safe entrees like beef or chicken and rice bowls, and eggs and bacon.

Address: J.E. Irausquin Blvd 55B, Oranjestad, Aruba

Another Aruba restaurant near the beach that’s really ranked highly by travelers is Azar, a contemporary restaurant with an open-fire wood oven and grilling concept.

Some of the specialties include the Korean barbecue short rib, Chilean sea bass and the Azar burger, which comes topped with bacon jam, cambozola cheese, grilled onions and pickles. If you’re dining with a friend, consider splitting the pollo al azar, a house-marinated whole chicken that comes straight from the firewood rotisserie oven, alongside Peruvian chili sauce, fries and salad.

The family-friendly restaurant offers a kids menu that’s actually pretty generous. Alongside the typical mac and cheese and chicken tenders, you can also order the kiddo a four-ounce steak or a half chicken.

Address: L.G. Smith Blvd 388, Noord, Aruba

If it’s Japanese you’re craving, though, try Akira Back, named for the restaurant’s Michelin-starred chef. Choose items from the raw bar, a signature roll or Japanese Wagyu. A few other seafood options are also available, like lobster tail and miso butterfish, alongside fun starters like a tuna pizza (incorporating a umami aioli, micro shiso and white truffle oil) or Wagyu tacos.

Make sure to get a table on the patio, where the ocean views are spectacular.

Address: J.E. Irausquin Blvd 75E, Noord, Aruba

Terra is likewise helmed by a chef with Michelin chops. Choose from either a tasting menu or a la carte options. 

If you go the tasting route — a perfect choice for a special occasion — you’ll enjoy a beautiful array of dishes such as Hamachi crudo, a warm scallop tartlet, Wagyu with house-made gnocchi and a pina colada-inspired dish that incorporates coconut mousse, coal-roasted pineapple and a pineapple and mint sorbet. The tasting menu is $150 per guest, with an additional wine pairing experience available for $95.

If that’s not quite your thing, though, the a la carte menu offers still more to love, including some of the items that are on the tasting menu, as well as entrees like roasted truffle chicken and cacio pepe.

Address: L.G. Smith Blvd 55, Oranjestad, Aruba

Caya provides a modern take on Caribbean and Latin flavors, and the restaurant itself, while not offering a beach view, is still pretty special, as it’s situated within a restored traditional Aruban cunucu house.

Start your meal with an app like the beef and pork brochetas (with its layers of locally smoked bacon, peppers, honey and tenderloin) or tostones y carne mechada (fried green plantains with beef stew), before moving on to entrees like estofado de cordero (braised lamb shank).

Address: J.E. Irausquin Blvd 372, Noord, Aruba