Marina Pirata Restaurant — Restaurant in Netherlands

Dining over the ocean. CHECK. Romantic setting. CHECK. Great seafood. CHECK. And surprisingly affordable prices. DOUBLE CHECK. The most fun part of eating at Marina Pirata is when you are done. You take the food you don't want to eat and throw it overboard. The local fish wait patiently. Once the food hits the water, they pounce. Like dozens of fish at once. We even saw a small shark (scary!) scarfing up the left overs. I love the fishy feeding frenzy. The dining deck would never meet OSHA standards in the US because there are no railings. Don't get drunk or you might end up in the water. The cool Caribbean breezes and blazing stars just make the food taste that much better. Stick to the Caribbean basics. Aruban waters are known for producing great grouper, so that's what you need to eat. The fried plantains are sweet and not greasy. Yummy corn bread. The plates come brimming with food. The kitchen is not sophisticated. The restaurant serves local cuisine which is delicious in its simplicity. The restaurant is far from the tourist hotels so it's a long cab ride. If you have a car, try to get there before sundown because then it's easier to find. There's...

We were very early for our reservation (5:45 for 6:30. my bad) but they gladly seated us at a great tale right on the water. The waitress (Sheila i think) could not have been sweeter and took great care of us. Unfortunately a storm rolled in during dinner and we had to move under cover but still on the water. For an app we had calamari that was ok, though the breading did not have much flavor. For entrees we had the Chefs special which was fish and shrimp in creole sauce with cheese. My wife removed the cheese and loved the rest of the dish. I had the whole fried red snapper. I thought the presentation was great and Sheila helped with the spine removal. The fish was tasty and tender, Sheila brought a pickled onion hot sauce and it really made the dish. We enjoyed all the sides that came with the entrees as well. The ambiance and service were excellent, I can only imagine taking...

The Reason I give it 2 stars is because The food was amazing. But the service was the worst I have seen on the island by far. Wasn’t that busy we were the first to be seated and first in the restaurant then a group came in and other couples about 15 mins after us they all were helped with drinks and menus before us along with others that came in. Had the feeling that we were forgotten about not very friendly with my wife myself and my father in law. While I observed and saw that every other table except for one other was being served also friendly with And they continued to get drinks for other tables. I had to flag someone down to get a 2nd drink. They all get there checks. I had to go to the bar 30 mins after we were done and watched everyone pay just to get my check Very very poor service. I WILL NOT GO BACK. Just because of the very rude and...