Caleo Crudos y Parrilla — Restaurant in Curaçao

A DIFFERENT LOCATION WITH ITS OWN STAMP AND THAT DOESN’T LEAVE YOU INDIFFERENT –

The local food scene is booming, and food enthusiasts are increasingly in search of the most innovative and exciting dining experiences. #CaleoCrudosYParrilla is certainly rising to the occasion. This new place opened their doors in March, and can be found a stone’s throw from the Museum Kura Hulanda, in the heart of #kurahulandavillage, a district filled with art and colors.

#CaleoRestaurant offers a menu of modern Latin – meets – Asian cuisine with interesting twists and signature dishes. The menu is not huge, but choices are ample. Foodies will find no shortage of culinary delights that bring more to the table than just what’s on plate. Raw seafood and meat have a prominent place on it. It is split between cold (crudos) and hot (a la parrilla) food along with a selection of fresh bread and different sides. Layered flavors, fusions of sweet and sour, soft and crispy, salty and savory… Utilizing an Argentinian style flame grill and celebrating cooking over fire, the aromas and tastes are nothing less than spectacular.

We shared and really enjoyed Aquachili de Camarones, Smoked Beef Carpaccio, Sea Bass Filet and 400gr Beef Rib-Eye. Don’t be fooled by simplicity – the quality of meat and fish grilled over wood is outstanding.

It’s not all about the food though, their bar inside the restaurant brings you a wide selection of wines from Spain and Portugal alongside their unique cocktails. We opted for an excellent Imperfecto wine (Malbec/Cabernet Franc) from Argentina.

We didn’t skip the dessert menu and tried House made Strawberry-Pink Pepper Magnums. What a feast for senses!

Diners can eat on the outdoor terrace with a nice view of the village, or sit inside in the dining room or at the bar.

Experience is the key at @caleo.cur. They wanted to do something cool that would stand out, so they came up with this concept that has not been done in the area. A lot of thought, planning and skills has gone into all aspects of the restaurant including the décor, layout, furniture, plating and cutlery (I was surprised to see Laguiole style knifes, not from France, but still of decent quality).

#CaleoCuracao is well managed business with caring and committed staff. Kristie is very knowledgeable and professional, she will ensure you have a fantastic experience with them. I’m sure this location will gain popularity quickly and become the trendiest dining spot in Curacao. A bit pricey, but definitely worth...

We came without a reservation and was seated outside at a tall table for three. Chairs felt a little wobbly, but that was ok. Got the menu and asked for a bottle of water. Water came within resonable time. Then we placed our order and the experience went downwards. I can only have small portions of food, so we always order our meal accordanly to that. My husband went for the boneless babyribs and I orded the king prawns. We were asked if we wanted the food at the same time and we answered yes of course. The waiter then mumbled someting about that people usually ordered several items of the menu and shared them. We said that we wanted our courses at the same time. Then she pushed for us to order a sidesalad, which we did, deciding to share that one. We ordered a glass of wine each to the food. I got a feeling of beeing an annoying guest for not ordering in the way they expected. While waiting for the food, I filled our glasses with water, leaving a quarter of the bottle left. We got our wine and the food. The food was alright, portions being the right size for us. After finishing eating I reached for the waterbottle, to find that it had been removed by one of the waiters. It was not empty. They came and asked if we wanted dessert and my husband said yes, and asked for coffee. He got his coffee an ordered banana mousse with peanut cream. While we were waiting for this I took out my phone to answer a message, and a waiter came by and took away our glasses, including mine, which I had not finished. She did not even check with me. My husband got his dessert which tasted ten times better than the presentation of it. It looked like a banana with something brownish creamy looking stuff that you wouldn think of eating. We took it with humor and tasted it anyway. It was ok. Which brings me to my point. Treating customers in a way that makes them feel like you want to get rid of them in a restaurant who gives the vibe of being a finer establishment with quite high prizes will NOT give you a good review from me. I expect better service and food...

This is by far the best meal we have had in Curacao. There were six of us and we shared everything as suggested by our lovely server Francesca. We started with the sourdough bread and fire roasted edamame. The bread was warm and crunchy and soft and delicious on the inside and served with a delicious butter blended with I don’t know what. The edamame were fire roasted so had a delicious char and an Asian seasoning with just enough heat.

We then moved on to the crudo de pescado blanco which was a raw fish with honey dew melon and other incredible unexpected flavors. Sooooo good. The scallops were also a big hit with our group (2 orders). The smoked burrata was incredible and served with a mango sauce that also paired so amazingly.

For our entrees, we shared the Spanish octopus (amazing and we should have listened to Francesca’s suggestion to get 2 orders), the red snapper (which was replacing the sea bass on the menu) which was equally amazing and flavorful, boneless baby back ribs, again so flavorful, and the rib eye—- wow, wow, wow! That Argentine wood fire adds so much flavor.

For sides we shared the roasted Idaho potato and grilled cucumber salad, both just amazingly delicious and flavorful

We also enjoyed some of their cocktails, lala land (😋😋), chichi, la noche caliente, and the mount gay Barbados rum in old fashions. And two bottles of Chianti (Castelo D’Albola).

We were all extremely pleased with every dish that came out. The flavors were incredible and the service very good. We weren’t rushed and had time to enjoy the flavors in every selection. Bravo to the chefs!

Sorry we didn’t get pictures of everything but we were so...