It Rains Fishes — Restaurant in Bonaire

It Rains Fishes is an open air restaurant located right by a fishing dock. Most tables have a good view of the ocean. The menu offers a good mix of seafood and land meat options. There was one vegetarian option the night we dined.

The food was outstanding. We began with a calamari appetizer which was very enjoyable. I really liked the coleslaw it was served over. It came with a very delicious sauce I wish I could name! My wife ordered the fish of the day which was red snapper. She loved it. I generally don’t like fish, but I had a few bites of hers and really enjoyed it. I would gladly have it as a meal. I had nua phad namman hoy, which is a beef stir fry. The flavors were amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed every bite. My only complaint was it was served with a small bowl of rice. I wanted to order another bowl but our server did not check in with us while dinning, hence the 4 stars service rating. The staff was very pleasant just not very attentive (eg - water not refilled or checking to see if we needed refills on beer or wine). The owner and chef’s wife greeted us after we were seated and checked in again when we were finished. Nice friendly short chats that were much appreciated. She was able to signal our server to bring the check. I think that many restaurants and other establishments on Bonaire recruit staff from Holland, maybe gap year students or young people looking to enter the hospitality business. This could account for inexperienced wait staff. Not a big deal - just noting.

In summary, if you’re looking for an enjoyable, upscale dinning experience on Bonaire - put It Rains Fishes...

We were super excited to try this place after seeing wonderful videos, reading rave reviews and even our taxi driver suggesting it. We ran into a big disappoint when my wife was asking for her steak to be cooked "medium well and preferably with a dark char on outside" even stated it could go more to the wellness side of the scale if it got more of a sear/char. The waiter quickly informed her that the chef was "very good and didn't like to be told how to do things" . If you don't want people telling you the doneness level of their steak, you probably shouldn't have it on the menu. The steak came out rare! She pointed this out to the server. He blamed other staff that someone else took the plate meant for her. He took the steak back to the kitchen to get it corrected. It still came out on the rare/medium rare side of the scale. Don't get me wrong, this is how I prefer my steak... however, I understand the people out there who have a mental block at seeing red meat. I respect different palates and preferences. The original server disappeared and we began to be taken care of by a very friendly female. My wife couldn't eat her entrees and was just over it at this point. I think the original interaction with the server left a bad taste in her mouth (no pun intended) . We cruise a lot and will even be back before the end of the year. Not sure this place will remain on our radar. I was sincerely disappointed after the rave reviews. I am a huge foodie that loves trying new spots everywhere we go. It saddens me when a topped suggestion...

Our favorite restaurant over the week we were here. We went back twice, having different dishes each visit, and were thrilled with the flavors, as well as the friendly, rapid service. (we NEVER repeat restaurants on vacation) We walked up the first visit, about 6:15 pm, and despite no reservation, were seated at a 2-top near the street. On our second visit, I had emailed for a reservation, but received a nice reply saying they were fully booked. We took a chance, and showed up at 5:30, and were seated at a high table near the bar, and it was perfect. We had no trouble finishing a comfortably paced meal well before the table was needed at 7:30 pm. At each visit, the servers were the most personable we met all week, and they made our meal a joy! My husband had the smoked tuna both times, while I enjoyed the 3 course special the first night - fennel salad with shrimp; tuna tataki; and mocha creme brule. I was thrilled with the Tom Kha Kai's depth of flavor in the broth, for my second visit, while the Tuna Trio was interesting. My husband had the 3 course special on our second visit, and enjoyed the marinated wahoo, grilled snapper and seared tuna, and tiramisu. Kudos to the...