Pinchos Bar and Grill — Restaurant in Dutch Caribbean

Hi everyone, I am typically not one to post much one way or the other because I believe everyone has an opinion and not all people agree. But, that being said, my husband has been going to Aruba for 30 years and myself for 27. Back in the day we went out to eat every night. We have been fortunate enough the past 15+ years to stay with a friend on the island who is a chef. We eat pretty good, just sayin’. We just returned from Aruba but our friend was not There this time, so we went out to eat every night. On our last night we went to Pinchos. Our meals and service were all fabulous on the island up until this point. Upon arriving at Pinchos, on time, we were greeted with ‘do you have a reservation?’ And after I said yes and our last name the guy just walked away. After a few minutes a different guy came up and took us to our table while on his cell phone.....really? After we looked at the wine list and realized that for the past 5 days we have ordered quality bottles of wine for $40 or less we see their cheap ‘won’t mention the name’ wine that we can buy at our supermarket at home for $4.99 is $52 on their menu. Uhhhh, we get it but that is nuts. So, we graciously ordered 2 glasses of something else..... for $26, wow. Then when we were told the specials and we chose to order the most expensive trio of seafood, which sounded like it would be enough for any army and was $52 to share, we were told we had to pay an extra $10 to share. Seriously??? We shared the (much less expensive special) at a restaurant just down the road the night before for a $4 service charge, which is completely reasonable. We chose to ask for the check after our very expensive 2 glasses of wine and leave to walk to town and try somewhere different, and without a reservation we were nervous. Needless to say we found a great spot and they were super friendly and the prices were on point. Sooooooo glad we left! The hosts and servers at Pinchos could learn a lot from their competitors. Hope this helps anyone looking to choose a great experience on their...

Biggest dining disappointment on the ABC-Isles. Food and prices are outrageous. Staff slow and maybe purposely kept us waiting. Don't go there if you like to enjoy good food. We just felt so bad spending any money there and our time. It hurts to lose money for nothing. 15% service charge on your total is mandatory, and they still ask for a tip....

Long Story: The staff went by several times noticing us, saying they‘ll be with us in a minute. About half an hour after being placed, we got tab water (everyone gets it). When finally we got asked about or drink wishes, we ordered cocktails (whose taste reminded us of super sweet milk shakes) and the staff disappeared with all the menus. 15 minutes later, we had to ask if we could order dinner. Staff apologized for all the confusion & taking the menus, and that would have been okay, until the starters arrived (1,25h after sitting down). The „ceviche“ just didn‘t deserve the name, it was probably shortly boiled or fried pieces of fish, that tasted old and awful (so it was probably better, that the fish wasn‘t served raw) with, for some reason, pieces of potato. Since we couldn‘t eat it, it was taken off the bill. The mains were edible, but the taste or cooking skills would never justify prices above 30$ each. On the barbecue plate where small pieces of meat and a „chorizo“ (no spanish chorizo, but some white meat sausage), beetroot puree with tons of garlic and all toped with a BBQ-sauce, that just looked and tasted like squeezed out of a ketchup bottle. The best thing to say about the grilled salmon was, that we ordered it well done (lower risk of...

I was disappointed in my experience. It was my wife's birthday and I let the waitress know. Just about all the restaurants I have visited in my life have put out a complimentary cupcake or something at the end of the meal to celebrate. I was informed that I had to select and purchase a pricey dessert on the menu to make this happen. First disappointment. I ordered four cocktails through the dinner to try and loosen up a little. Unfortunately, they forgot to put any alcohol in them. They were lovely in presentation, but that's about all. Second disappointment. The food was tasty, but barely warm when it arrived and mostly cool before I could finish it...and not because I am a slow eater. Third disappointment. The restaurant setting was nice and the view over the water was very nice. To top off the experience, a person a couple of tables away must have paid for his dessert and got a little sparkler stuck into it for somebody's birthday. I did not pay for the dessert as a matter of principle. I think it should have been complimentary, especially considering the bill. I go to Aruba every August, and go out to dinner a number of times, and have never had an experience like this. I also have never written a bad review about a restaurant. Actually I have only written one other, and that was because it was so good I was inspired to comment positively. My review here is because it was so disappointing. I will never go back to...