This will be our fourth trip to Bonaire and the best restaurants are: Swiss Chalet and Mona Lisa for all around great food, Richard's at sunset for the most romantic, Beefeater for island cuisine

Don't forget It Rains Fishes, #1 in my list.

i also love It Rains Fishes

And Lion's Den and Richard's!

I understand that Beefeaters is closed is that true ? that was one of my favorites

Oh good..food! After windsurfing it is my favorite thing to do..EAT!

I loved Divi's restaurant so very much. Lion's Den has a great view but we didn't do too well with the food. I LOVE Rum Runners (Habitat) pizza. Dining at night is magical. Sit on the lower level right on the water!

Blue Moon (is that the name?) was amazing. I still LOVE Maikey Snack.

At Xmas I will dining strictly budget local so send tips my way...

Annie
Cape Cod

Beefeater is closed, and has been since Spring. It will not be reopening anytime soon, but there may be a new business (not a restaurant per se, though) opening in its location soon.

Jake

we've enjoyed KonTiki a lot. Also, the Garden Cafe is great, especially for vegetarian options. Lots of food choices on Bonaire. Only thing I really don't like is funchi.

My picks in order. 1. Capricio's 2.Lions Den,3. Richards 4.Kontiki 5.Captain Dons. 6.It Rains Fishes 7.Chibi Chibi 8.Blue Moon 9.Breakfasts at Buddy's

Oh my, I forgot Kon Tiki..EXCELLENT..I met other BT's there..GREAT food, fun bar and what a funky bathroom. While dining there a donkey walked right in..it was GREAT! Miriam and Martin do a nice job.

Please give me a run down of local places to eat..I am going back to BON on a MAJOR shoestring..YIKES..3 trips in 4 months..Thank God for frequent flyer miles on one and cheap JA prices on the other..

Annie
Cape Cod

Annie,

There is a small pizza place several blocks in twards town from the traffic circle (the one near SD/Buddy/Lions Den)on the left. I can't remember the name, something like "Bon Pasta" but anyway, good pizza and calzone at very reasonable prices. Be sure to give them a try.

Herman

Beef Eater will open under new managemnet in the next few weeks or days. As I understand it, the folks who own Exito Bakery will be running it and they will be opened from Breakfast through dinner with a lot of the same ambience and good food that Beef Eater was known. BTW it is Pasa Bon Pizza. Annie, I will make you lunch one day....stop by...

Annie....funny you should say that! We had a Donkey walk in while we were eating there too! but that was last May/june....Miriam and Martin had a new baby...another boy..Lars (Im probably not spelling it right!) but she looks great!

Meryl, must be the same "resident" donkey looking for handouts at Kon Tiki! Turned my head to speak to Joe and there he was with his head almost inside the bread basket. Funny sight. Martin was so upset..chasing the critter around. Another customer from inside ran to her car and got out a bag of carrots to "tempt" him (the donkey, not Martin!) off the property to no avail. It eventually took two dogs who cruised in to say hi to us to "escort" the donkey down the road apiece "hee hawing" the entire way into total darkness. Sooo funny. Where else in the world can you enjoy this type of "ambiance" with your dinner, I ask you?? Love Bonaire! So nice to hear Miriam had another son...she has such gorgeous eyes and always blushes when someone mentions that to her. Very nice couple and great food and jazz music. Gotta love it. Carole (Shutterbug) Oh, of course I did not have the camera in hand for dinner that evening...always do, but....I also think a bag of APPLES might have bribed the critter away!

Meryl...definitely must have been the same donkey..we were there May/June, too...that wasn't you with the bag of carrots, was it??? LOL Carole

Carole...I think it was! were you guys sitting outside. I did go to the car to get carrots..and we spoke with someone at the table outside who thought it was funny...and yes Martin was upset chasing the critter around..But he just wouldnt leave!..That would be funny...!

Wow, what small world!! Yup, that was me and Joe sitting outside with the donkey and the two dogs!! Very funny, indeed. I wish we had known "who we both were" at the time. That poor donkey...I think Martin gave him a whack on the butt before you tried to come to his rescue with the carrots...boy, you looked like you were a teenager!!! The years have been very good to you, Meryl! Life on Bonaire does wonders for us all. Just way too funny. Next time we will get together for dinner at Kon Tiki and sit at the same table! If I recall, you did not want to sit outside and went inside to dine, right? Carole

Unless I missed it, no one has mentioned my favorite, De Tuin...Great atmosphere, service & food!

Nice local place is BonBini Terrace in Antriol. I think it's in the Bonaire Dining Guide. Little off the beaten track, but easy to find when you know where it is. Limited menu, but great food: goat, chicken, fish (great french fries!). I had my certification celebration dinner there in August and it's on my "must-do" list forever.

Also, don't forget Gibe's Terrace on Nikiboko Sud (I think that's right), across from China Nobo. At Gibe's I had the best red snapper I've EVERY eaten.

Carole..this is too funny...it is very dark out near lac bay...so thanks for the "you look like a teenager" remark....Bonaire does make you feel young though! We sat inside..I had the large can of deep woods off with us..It is a small world! 6 months to next time!

Meet you at the same place, same time...outside?? Carole

We'll be there! But this time we will know each other! I will even venture outside...What a wus I am...huh!

Don't feel bad, I had to "convince" Joe to remain outside for dinner as it WAS a bit breezy that evening, but he survived! He thought the food was getting cold due to the wind coming off the bay, then the donkey showed up and made our evening! I loved the wind in my face...I knew we were leaving shortly after that evening and wanted to soak in EVERY moment of Bonaire that I could...even if it were a 75 mph storm smacking me in the face, I would have remained outside! LOL. We will definitely have a dinner together at Kon Tiki...it will be fun...donkey and two dogs, too, of course. Carole

Maybe Miriam and Martin pay this donkey to make his/her nightly appearance...

Annie
Cape Cod

Carol, what are you doing up at 2:30 am posting? You are an East coaster, not a Brit. When do you sleep? LOL

I like Lions Den too, the food is delicious, the restaurant has a great view over the water and the 'crew' is very friendly, espacially Luis!

Dean, I have always been a Nocturnal animal! We have to arise at 5:45 a.m. during the week for work, but on the weekends I am sleeping in, if I can! Even during the week I am up pretty late at night. It is so peaceful and quiet at that hour, too! Easy to catch up on all sorts of "quiet" things. My schedule worked out well with my West (Left) Coast friends, as far as phone calls, etc. however! Carole

I agree with Jan about the Mona Lisa. Before Deb and I ate at there, we met a couple of salty dogs at the Bon Bini dive pier who have been sailing around the caribbean on their boat for the past 25 years (lucky dogs.) They recommended eating at their bar where they have a limited menue compared to the main dining room. What amazed us however, was the cost of eating in the bar. For some reason it is about half the cost as in the main room. The food was great. I guess that's what you have to do when you're on a "fixed income" and sailing for many years.

Glenn

- The Mona Lisa is my favorite, too. And the owners are very thoughtful & eager to please. The one plate dinner, called "bar hap" is offered in quite a few restaurants. The Swiss Chalet and De Tuin immediately come to mind. I was under the initial impression that it was intended for the locals. and maybe it still is. but many tourists have caught on to it. At the Mona Lisa you can sit at the bar or one of the tables in the bar. As I recall, you have a choice of either meat, fish or poultry. These meals are not leftovers from the previous night. In fact, the same items are served ala carte in the main dining room for more money. The only drawback is you must eat early as it is not available later in the evening. Since I prefer to eat early, I am delighted.
Mimi

Add Tipsy Seagull to our list. Great, friendly staff, right on the beach at Plaza Resort.

Richards was good, Rendez Vous was very good.

Food at Mona Lisa was good but the service was about the worst I've ever seen. 1.5 hours to get food served (no joke), endless begging for water refills and the kicker, the waiter? manager? knocked over a full glass of wine and didn't even offer to replace it. Just said "sorry" and moved away.. I couldn't believe it.. Dinning at Mona Lisa was a joke. Only sore spot of the entire trip.

Cappriccios was some of the best Italian food I've ever had. I really enjoyed Divi's restaurant as well..

Capriccios had great food. Being mostly Italian, I've tried to sample most of their dishes. I believe all pastas are home made - delicious! For those of you that are Osso Buco fans, they make some of the best I've sampled outside of NYC. Kon-Tiki is a delight - great amibence as well. Sorry to hear about the less than stellar experiences at Zee-Zicht. Glad to hear management has handled the situation. The conch chowder is wonderful for lunch coupled with the fish sandwich ( the filet not the cake ). No restaurant hits it perfect everytime. I suggest those that have a less than quality experience, give the place another chance; and let the proprietors know how you feel - both good and otherwise. A good attitude and smile go farther on Bonaire than a lot of places. Bon Bini!
The Clownfish.

Clownfish-Thank you so much for putting it so well. The fluid nature (changing supply lines, changing staff, etc) of restaurants should be kept in mind as one is chosen or critiqued, especially after only one visit. Most (actually, I think all) of Bonaire's dining establishments are family owned and operated. Even if you are a professional critic, all you can hope to do is predict what a restaurant might be like at some unknown future date, and what it might offer for an unknown group of diners.

These businesses are literally our bread & butter; we want our customers to be happy and satisfied (but you're right too, no one hits it perfect every time)-so we hope that they give us an opportunity to correct a wrong when it happens; there's almost nothing a restaurant can do once the customer leaves. (Was it just a bad night? Did half the staff not show up? Or any of the staff for that matter? Did the supplier forget to order lettuce that week, so that's why there was no salad? Is something being made to order? Is someone using 1.75, and someone else expecting 1.8 as exchange rates? Perhaps there's a language problem-four are "supposed" to be spoken here, but that's not always the case....Who knows?)

Brian, I love what you say about a good attitude & smile, it's what I fell in love with here so long ago (well, okay, besides my husband), and why I've been here over 11 years, all in the food service industry (past few as prez of the rest. assn)-thanks again! Your advice about letting the proprietors know both good & bad is perfect-many, many thanks!

Forgive my ignorance clownfish, but I thought anything conch was taboo on Bonaire. Have had great conch chowder in Turks & Caicos as well as Florida, but I was told the conch down south are endangered and not to be eaten in any form. Please correct me cause I love the stuff.

Gordy

Conch is readily available here. It is, for the most part, imported, frozen, from other locations. It is definitely illegal to take it here without a permit of which only one or two have been issued in the past few years.

Eating locally caught conch is taboo. Conch can only be taken with a permit and the only people with permits (2 or 3) don't take them. Our conch are in danger of disappearing from Lac Bay due to over fishing despite the ban.

That said. The conch at the restaurants is shipped in frozen. The last box I looked at listed Jamaica as its origin.

Sooooo Mikey....Jamaican Conch and single malt scotch...a man after my own heart!

Gordy

Ruth, et. al.

Thanks for the heads up on the conch. Glad to hear the conservation strategy is in place. I'll still order the chowder from Zee-Zicht, as I'm sure the proprietors follow the island strictures. Sauteed conch on Providenciales in the Turks & Caicos is indeed a treat. Ruth - you're very welcome. I, too, owned a restaurant for a few years, and though it was a successful venture for me and my partner, we worked very long hours ( I had a day job as well ), trying to make everything the best it could be. Perhaps the best feedback we received, wasn't the " great food" comments, but the " Boy Brian, your Cuban Style marinated pork roast leaves a lot to be desired - it's tough enough to build a shack "! One can only do ones best. The families that run the Bonaire establishments are for sure subject to many factors out of their control. That said, I personally believe they do a great job! Can't wait until I get the chance to get back down there and have a go at some of the places I haven't made it to yet. Gordon - any time you want to share a shot or five of Glenfiddich, I'm your man. We'll see any of you around, in May.
The Clownfish.

I have a bottle hiding!

For anyone who hasn't tried it, my favorite is Johnnie Walker GREEN label-it's a 15 year old pure malt-smooth & oaky, a grown-up, sophisticated black label of sorts, more whiskey like-my preference, rather than brandy-like-like the Blue label (not my preference)-available in Montego Bay's duty free shop & duty free MIA...Michael, when the next dining guide is out, we'll toast it with that-okay?

Michael.

What single malts to you prefer?

The Clownfish.

Thr Glen Livet, the 10 year old Glen Morangie and a new one Aberlour 15 year old. Ruth. we will crack a new bottle as soon as the guide is off the presses. Le chiam!

Michael.

Glen Morangie is an excellent choice. Haven't heard of the Aberlour, sounds top drawer. Available on the island? Popped open a bottle of the Glenfiddich last night to celebrate and welcome the newest addition to our family - my grandaughter Claire Louise Cole into the world. After hearing her set of lungs sound off, we feel she should be a great scuba candidate for breathing! If I can send you anything, let me know.

The Clownfish

I renewed my membership in the single malt club, but miss the meetings! I understand there are hundreds of choices now....oh to be back at the How Towdy Pub in Aberdeen to sample them from the well stocked bar.

Michael.

Hoisted a McCallan for you the other night. It was cold, rainy and windy in Tennessee - made my thoughts turn to the island of course. The bartender and another patron got into a discussion on ages, with the bartender telling me I could have a shot of 30 year old McC. for about $100.00. Stuck the the $5 a shot stuff, plenty good. Hope all is well there, sip one for me at sunset. See you around the end of May.

Clownfish.

lechiam

Skoll!