City Garden Bistro de Suikertuin — Restaurant in Oranjestad (city)

Wanted some local food and beers and found this restaurant about a 1 km walk from where our ship was docked. No obvious tourists inside, and the place was well reviewed. I was not disappointed!

Started with a bucket of ice cold Balashi beers, a local favorite, and definitely needed to cool off from the walk as it was incredibly hot and humid outside at midday. There is a very charming garden with tables in the back, but nobody had the guts to sit out there because of the heat, so we got to enjoy some air-conditioning!

I asked the server what people really enjoy and continually order at her restaurant, and she suggested the beef carpaccio. It was quite good, fresh, flavorful, with quality beef, and a peppercorn style dressing on top of the rocket (arugula) and greens.

The special of a tuna club sandwich sounded interesting, and indeed it was, with a fried egg on top of the tuna. Gave off a very European vibe to me, but Aruba is Dutch, so there you go. With my lunch, I ordered the onion soup, which was different from its French cousin, in that it used a pungent blue cheese, and a large number of herbs. It had just the right amount of onions in there, was not overly salty, and was quite tasty. Served in what appeared to be a candy dish, it was excellent, despite it being very hot outside and seemingly a bad day to order soup. Do yourself a favor and order a bowl!

My buddy ordered a pasta Bolognese, which he said was excellent, along with a bowl of the same onion soup for himself.

Service was island relaxed, and they checked in on us from time to time. Friendly and knowledgeable, they spoke excellent English, and helped us enjoy...

Just when you think it couldn't get any better, they hire a new chef and simply blow you away!

De Suikertuin is one of my absolute favorite restaurants on Aruba.

Located downtown in a old school style, AUTHENTIC 'KUNUKU HOUSE', they have a inside garden which comes straight from a dream. It's absolutely gorgeous.

Food is and has always been nothing short of great! You will always be greeted by genuine, friendly smiles, and they offer amazing service. Really, it stands out on that. Great wines, great bears, and a wide selection of local drinks, spirits too! Kinda cool if you ask me! The menu is super eclectic, but everything is good! The kitchen is simply great!

Now let's talk about their apple pie.. this has been a staple for years on end, one for which people would come: especially!! When I ordered it, the waitres informed me it had been chanced because they hired a new chef.. Just held my heart, thinking never change a winning recipe.... BUT ME OH MY!! DID THEY DELIVER!!! Bravo!!

De suikertuin is an absolute must-do!

Thank you guys and...

An amazing little place a little off the beaten path.

A quick walk down from the main Tourist area by the Cruise ship terminals and the shopping area that will be well rewarded.

Parking can be tricky given limited availability in the area, so keep an eye out as you approach (if driving).

Located in a quaint little shop, the seating can handle both a romantic dinner for two, or a large family gathering equally well.

The staff is excellent... attentive (with out being annoyingly so), knowledgeable and willing to explain the dishes/drinks, and engaging with a good sense of humour.

The food was excellent (no notes, you can't go wrong... pick anything... especially if it sounds a bit odd). The local Aruban dishes are a contrast in flavors and textures that might sound odd to an American palette, but are worth the adventure.

Drinks are well done and not over priced with a range from the sweet headache in a glass, to a refreshing sip on a hot and muggy Aruban night (Limonchello Sparkle is perfect...