Bingo Cafe & Restaurant — Restaurant in Aruba

Order: Salad of the Sea (salad with grouper and shrimp), Spanish Grouper, Brochette (chicken skewers), Creme Puffs, Cappuccino Price: $51 Pros: Offers smaller size for a lower price, fish was very well cooked, the cream puffs were to die for Cons: the inside area smells of smoke (like cigarettes), but the outside are is beautiful anyway so just sit there. tldr: Great salads and desserts, good food otherwise

Thoughts: Our Airbnb host has graciously provided us with a list of recommended restaurants while we were here, and even gave us the type of food they served (our Airbnb host was awesome). Her recommendation, along with some of our own checking, sent us to Bingo cafe for our second dinner on Aruba. The atmosphere inside felt like something out of a cabin in Switzerland. Dark interior, wood decor, and festive decorations (it was Christmas time), made it feel like if it was cold and all the windows were closed you be in a Swiss cafe. It was pretty magical.

For dinner we noticed that they did small sizes of all their plates for a reduced price. We took this as an opportunity to try more dishes, but you could also go this route if you weren’t exceptionally hungry. Just be warned the small plates are small, definitely not medium.

We decided to do the salad of the sea as an appetizer and it was amazing, easily something I would love to eat as a full meal. It was a salad topped with chunks of grouper, shrimp, and scallops. All the seafood was incredibly fresh and, despite the salad being cool and the seafood being warm, the salad wasn’t wilted at all, they had clearly worked to get the temperatures of everything just right. We devoured this salad, it was to die for. Crisp lettuce, warm flaky grouper, firm flavorful shrimp, and small perfect scallops came together to create one of the best salads I’ve ever eaten.

Our main courses came out a bit later and both of them were phenomenal. One was a grilled grouper filet with brown sugar glaze on top of pasta and veggies. I’ve never had grouper prepared this way and it was delicious, it wasn’t as sweet as I expected and gave the dish a sweeter taste without killing the whole thing. The pasta and veggies were cooked perfectly from a consistency standpoint (firm but not crunchy) but had very little seasoning so without the fish it might have been a letdown, but the fish should be the star of the dish so I would say it was great.

My wife opted for the chicken skewers with peanut sauce and we were both surprised as how good the dish came out considering I haven’t seen many chickens here and while it’s hard to really ruin chicken, it’s pretty easy to just make it “blah”. The chicken in this case though was spot on. The exterior was crunchy from the grill, but the chunks were still soft enough you could easy cut through them with a fork. The peanut sauce was thick, more like peanut paste, and tasted heavily of peanuts [no duh right? but sometimes you get peanut sauce that is liquid and taste like something from a Chinese fast food place] and was a perfect complement to the chicken.

The winner of the meal though was desert. We decided to order dessert as they had creme puffs and we were hoping they did them right, as they were a Danish restaurant and expectations were high. They creampuffs came out in a tower drizzled with chocolate, we dug in and expectations were exceeded! The creme stuffed into the creampuffs was amazing, like could eat a whole bowel of just that creme amazing. The pastry was delicious and there was just enough chocolate sauce to add to the dish and not overwhelm it.

All in all, the food at Bingo Cafe was amazing and I would highly recommend...

Let’s get one thing straight: Bingo isn’t trying to be a temple to haute cuisine. No foams, no tweezer-plated nonsense, no pretentiousness. This is the kind of place where you show up in flip-flops, shake the sand out of your hair, and settle into the kind of meal that makes you forget the overpriced cocktails and tourist traps dotting this little island paradise.

It’s a neighborhood spot. You feel it the second you walk in. Locals and expats rub elbows at the bar, tourists who know better sit outside under the warm glow of the string lights, and everyone looks like they’ve already decided this is the place they’ll be coming back to tomorrow night.

The menu at Bingo? Uncomplicated, but in a way that says, we’ve been doing this long enough to know what works. Dutch comfort food mingles with Caribbean flair—hearty, honest, and utterly unpretentious. The satay, for instance, is pure joy on a plate. Tender, smoky skewers of chicken or beef, dripping with a peanut sauce so rich and velvety you’d think they have a peanut farm out back. It’s the kind of dish that makes you grateful for napkins. Lots of napkins.

Then there’s the fish of the day. Fresh, grilled to perfection, with sides that don’t try to upstage the star of the show. The thing about island seafood? When it’s done right, it doesn’t need anything fancy. A squeeze of lime, a touch of salt, and the kind of confidence that comes from knowing your product is as fresh as it gets.

And let’s talk about the Dutch classics, because Bingo leans into its roots in a way that’s unapologetic. The bitterballen—those crispy, savory little orbs of molten meat magic—are reason enough to come here. Pair them with a cold Balashi beer, and you’ve got yourself a postcard-perfect moment.

The vibe? Relaxed but buzzing. The staff have that rare combination of efficiency and warmth, like they actually care whether you’re having a good time. The kind of service that feels like you’re being looked after by a friend who knows the menu better than you do.

It’s not trying to be the hottest spot on the island. It’s not trying to reinvent the wheel. What Bingo does is simple: it feeds you well, makes you feel welcome, and reminds you why these unassuming neighborhood joints are the soul of any food scene.

Bingo is a place where you can let your guard down. Eat with your hands. Laugh too loudly. Order another round just because. It’s the kind of restaurant that sneaks up on you, lingering in your memory long after the sunburn fades and the island breeze is just a wistful thought.

If you’re in Aruba, skip the overhyped and overpriced nonsense. Find your way to Bingo. Order the satay....

Bingo Restaurant Aruba exceeded my expectations in every way. After more than 10 years since my last visit, I decided to celebrate my son Maximo's birthday there, and I was absolutely delighted with the experience. This Dutch restaurant offers a wide range of international cuisine, and the quality of both the food and service was exceptional.

We ordered a filet mignon for my husband, a capacho for myself, and a salmon sashimi that was incredibly fresh. My son and his friend opted for the kids' menu, choosing shrimp skewers served with fries and our favorite Dutch sauce, apple sauce. The service was impeccably timed, and it was evident that there had been significant improvements since my last visit. The decor was charming, reminiscent of a traditional Dutch bar with a modern touch of electronic music playing in the background. One particularly cozy touch was the TV displaying a video of a fireplace with amber lighting, adding to the warm ambiance of the place.

Towards the end of our meal, I requested something special for my son's birthday, and to my delight, four servers approached our table with dessert, a lit candle, and sang "Happy Birthday" to him. It truly made the evening memorable.

One aspect of the menu that I particularly appreciated was the option to choose between small and large portions for all dishes, with prices being very reasonable considering the quality of the food and service.

Overall, I would rate Bingo Restaurant a perfect 10. From the impeccable service to the delicious food and cozy atmosphere, it was a wonderful dining experience that I...