Papiamento Restaurant — Restaurant in Aruba

I'm really surprised by all the outstanding reviews that were so close in time to our visit. Let me start by saying that the atmosphere at Papiamento is excellent. Al fresco dining, beautiful surroundings, friendly service (with one exception), great cocktails, beautiful home and wine cellar.....but too many misses to say that this is even a 4-star experience. Let me explain....(read to the end)

When entering the restaurant, no greeting, no smile, nothing. You give your name and the hostess tells you go stand by the patio entrance. Literally, "go stand there".

Seated right next to the pool (great!) but it's quickly apparent the pool is quite dirty. How long would it take to skim and vacuum the pool before opening for the day? 45 minutes?

Wine list is massive but not provided unless asked for. Odd.

Bread provided is appreciated but it's dry and lacks taste. Seems it came from a bag at the local supermarket.

Shrimp cocktail as appetizer is not a good choice. Maybe it's an Aruba thing, but don't like eating shrimp that is not deveined. Can resolve that ourselves but then the cocktail sauce was severely lacking. It was more like watery ketchup than sauce, with barely a hint of horseradish.

Entrees were OK but not matching the atmosphere at all. Very light on spices and sauces, not terrible but nothing special at all.

Here's the biggest problem with Papiamento: THE INSECTS. Flying ants are dropping on you, your food, your table throughout your meal. We finally mentioned it to our server as he was delivering dessert and picking an ant off our apple pie. He admitted it's a problem, especially for the servers who apparently suffer from ant bites. IT GETS WORSE, despite our best efforts, we brought the flying ants home with us. Finding two more that must have been in our hair. Nasty. NOTE: on the menu, there is some wording like "we can't control nature nor the weather", so I think they are well aware of this problem and deciding not to resolve the problem (tree netting, fumigation, etc.)

One other miss was the men's room had no electricity, and they put a small lantern on the toilet. Almost pitch dark inside. Again, strange for a restaurant that prides itself on atmosphere.

So much potential to live up to the hype but falling short in so many ways. There are better...

Recommended by several locals as a good representation of Arabian food, we made reservations for dinner. A suggestion is to reserve several days in advance. The restaurant was based in town but was moved to the manor that anchors the property. Built in 1887, the manor is a great representation of an early Aruban mansion. Patrons are free to visit after dinner. The site includes a wine cellar and cigar room with an extensive selection of cigars and spirits. The restaurant is situated in the yard of the manor. Tables are set in the spacious yard under the canopy of native trees encircling the Manor's swimming pool which has circles of flowers floating on its surface. At night, the yard and the trees are accented with the glow of soft light. Since it's open air seating, you are surrounded by the sounds of the island's birds. See if you can spot an owl. The food is a vast variety of Aruban cuisine and cooking techniques. The fare spans seafood, meats and vegetables selections which are grilled, broiled, sautéed or cooked by stone and the ingredients are influenced by the diversity of culture on the island. I ordered the Roti. It is a lighted seasoned Unicorn fish which our server explained has the consistency and taste of Halibut. The fish was lightly covered with a thin layer of creamy potato which mixed very well with the seasoning. For appetizers, we had the Bordeaux Pate. It was made from pork and cranberries. There was a cranberry jam with cucumber juice which was very delicious. Our server Urwin was very hospitable and friendly. When asked, he explained the history of the manor and the restaurant which is still family owned. He also guided us through the menu and vast selections of gourmet foods so we have a truly Aruban experience. I highly recommend this place for its ambiance, food...

Papiamento can be summed up in three phrases (1) indifferent slow service (2) bland airline caliber food (3) generally incompetent.

Our dinner was easily the worst dining experience I have had in the past 2 years. I will simply list the issues.

Nobody came to our table for over 15 minutes after we were seated. I tried to get a drink on the rocks but they ran out of the liquor. As we had no waiter this took place at the bar and took considerable time to play out. Our waiter was not familiar with the wine we ordered and basically as confused as he was rude and indifferent. (The only such person I met in Aruba) A hospital serves better dinner rolls All the food we had was uninspired. My shrimp dish was not spicy as requested and bland for a curried dish. My wife’s grouper was chewy. An airline serves better salads. As they do not clip the table the wind knocked about half our glasses off the table, including some rather costly wine. The wind constantly flipped the tablecloth on our table. Debris falls on you from the trees overhead. It took 45 minutes to be served an expensive wine. In fact, the wine sat on our table for 20 minutes as we looked at it waiting for it to be opened. Other tables that were seated after us paid their checks before we got our main dishes. As the issues added up I asked for a manager 3 times, from 3 different people, before I finally was permitted to speak to one.

The tired owner/manager made some token adjustments to our bill and offered a bland apology. Frankly, it seemed he was annoyed by the fact I spoke up.

Stated simply, eating here is a HUGE mistake, and I strongly suggest diners stay away. I still feel cheated by the restaurant and the concierge who suggested this...