Of course, you'll find lots of typical North American style lunch fare here, but why not try something different for your midday meal? This island offers a delightful array of choices from all over the world.

Keep it casual…

When you hate to break up your Palm Beach Day by changing clothes to go eat lunch, choose spots that welcome you barefoot like Marriott’s Malmok Pool Bar & Grill where you can grab some fabulous fish tacos or try their “Aruban” burger topped with ham, Swiss cheese, grilled pineapple, and tropical mayo. And their sister spot Antilla Beach Bar is known for its tuna poke bowls. Or grab a great casual lunch just off Eagle Beach at Santos Coffee With Soul for specials like creamy potato soup in a bread bowl and a Brie, honey, and walnut sandwich for something deliciously different. They have lots of excellent caffeinated beverage choices and a downtown location, too.

Lunch like a local

Off Eagle Beach, Red Fish Aruba is as local as lunch gets on the seafood front- no-nonsense, down-to-earth prepared local style- fried or grilled- and charged in Florins. They are owned by Driftwood Charters, so you know the catch-of-the-day is as fresh as can be. As the name suggests Rich’s Arubian Dish & Caribbean Delight also serves up local specialties. Order their “Aruban Flag” dish- fried fish of the day served with funchi and topped with creole sauce. They also serve many kinds of local “stobas” (stews), too.

Downtown, Taste My Aruba, again as the name suggests, focuses on locally sourced local eats at lunch with a rotating menu of “Super Specials” and sometimes hard to find authentic local dishes like sanger yena (Aruban blood sausage.)

Dutch-style midday munchies

Bingo Cafe & Restaurant in Noord serves up a favorite Dutch specialty called uitsmijters-open-faced sandwiches for lunch, a hearty feast of three eggs sunny-side up, fried ham, and Dutch cheese on three slices of bread. They also have a special Indo-Dutch-influenced sandwich of sliced pan-fried pork with lettuce and peanut sauce and other international specialties.

Downtown, Eetcafe The Paddock on the Oranjestad harbor has lots of Dutch snacks like frikandel and bitterballen and also often nods to Indonesia’s colonial culinary influence with satay skewers with peanut sauce. And cold Dutch beer is always on tap. Nearby, The Dutch Pancake House, best known for its dozens of kinds of sweet breakfast pancakes, easily makes the transition to lunch with dozens of types of savory pancakes. Try them stuffed or topped with all kinds of meats, cheeses, onions, peppers and more…

Variety can be the spice of life for lunch

The Kitchen Aruba downtown borrows its buffet ‘por kilo’ concept from Brazil, a highly popular way for locals to lunch quickly and economically. You only pay by weight for what you take on your plate. Problem here is that there are too many choices, it’s the island’s most massive buffet, so you’ll have to return a few times to really indulge in all their excellent freshly made dishes from Latin America and the Caribbean.

In the Renaissance Marketplace, Cuba’s Cookin’ has the only authentic Cuban sandwich on the island and Havana style comfort food like Torta del Campo casserole for lunch. A few doors down, Po-Ké Ono has an insanely creative selection of Asian inspired steamed baos, poke bowls, and sushi to satisfy exotic cravings. (They also have an outlet at the Azure Residences.)

And Sunset Bistro at Radisson Blu has a constantly refreshed menu of tapas for lunch. Enjoy items like salmon tiradito, grilled octopus, brisket tacos, and more by their rooftop infinity pool.

Also, really big on variety for lunch is Matthew’s Beachside Restaurant at Casa Del Mar. Choose from grouper sandwiches, wraps, quesadillas and more, and their Caribbean seafood soup is a must try. And, for something really different, head to Studio Murano Art in Santa Cruz for a cool glass art blowing demonstration while you lunch at their excellent outdoor eatery. Demos are given daily at 11 a.m.

Happy sampling!

Article written by Susan Campbell